Detroit Wedding Weekend Guide

What’s better than your wedding day? A whole wedding weekend! We love the idea of bringing in family and friends for a weekend full of wedding festivities, and Detroit is the perfect place to host your whole suite of events. Check out our tips for a seamless and fun Detroit Wedding Weekend below! 

Quick Tip: Don’t forget to apply for your marriage license within the appropriate time window. Check out our guide on how to get a marriage license in Michigan for all the details. 

Weather & Transportation

Detroit is beautiful any time of year, and each season has the potential for a beautiful wedding. However, if you’re planning a wedding during the winter season be aware that the weather may affect your guests’ ability to arrive from afar. 

Conveniently the Detroit Metropolitan Airport is only a short drive away from downtown Detroit. Depending on how many guests you have flying in, you might help coordinate their transportation from the airport with carpooling or rideshare options. If your guests are driving in, we suggest checking with your hotel or wedding venue ahead of time to make sure there is plenty of parking.

Don’t forget to think about transportation throughout the weekend as well, especially if your hotel and wedding venue are hosted at two different locations. Luckily, there are plenty of shuttle services that can help move guests from one location to the next. Check out The Detroit Bus for a fun option, or Dream Limousine for something luxurious. 

Ceremony, Reception, and Hotel Venues

To maximize your fun and minimize hassling with logistics, we love the idea of choosing a wedding venue that also serves as a hotel for you and your guests. Detroit has dozens of great options, including our favorites below. Don’t forget to ask about room blocks for your guests! 

Book Tower is a newly renovated hotel and event space that is a key part of Detroit’s history. The hotel has event spaces with capacity for up to 275 guests and offers catering and valet parking. 

Detroit Foundation Hotel is housed in the former Detroit Firehouse Headquarters and has capacity for up to 120 guests, with catering offered as an option. 

MGM Grand Casino is ideal for larger weddings, with capacities from 300 to 600 guests. The hotel/casino offers multiple packages that include catering, designing, entertainment, and more. 

Motor City Casino has multiple space options ranging in capacity from 35 to 200 guests, as well as a variety of packages to choose from — including next-day brunch and events in their world-class theater, Sound Board.

Shinola Hotel is a luxurious hotel in downtown Detroit. Their event spaces flex up to 180 guests and include optional catering.

If you don’t need your venue to also offer lodging, then take a look at some of these historical Detroit locations that will be sure to make your wedding special. 

The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) is a beautiful art museum with multiple spaces available for private events, ranging from 28 to 1,100 people. Our favorite room is the Rivera Court, which can seat 160 guests and features the Detroit Industry Murals. The DIA also offers an in-house caterer. 

The Whiskey Factory is less than 1 mile from downtown Detroit and offers a unique venue inside one of the last remaining historic structures in the area that defined Detroit’s brewing legacy. The space can seat up to 200 guests, offers onsite parking, and has a catering partnership with Two Unique Catering. The venue also offers unique drink menus based on their locally made spirits.  

The Congregation is a coffee shop and bar located in a historic church, home to many civil rights warriors in its history. The event space can seat 75 guests, but the Congregation also offers a full venue buyout for up to 100 guests. The Congregation also offers catering options.  

Ford Piquette Avenue Plant is a historic factory that was the birthplace of the Model T. Now available for private events, the venue can seat anywhere from 45 to 200 guests among their historic decor. The plant offers a list of approved catering and bartending vendors. 

The Detroit Masonic Temple is the world’s largest Masonic Temple and is located in the Cass Corridor of Detroit. The beautiful space can fit up to 550 people and offers optional catering. 

Something A Little Extra

The weekend will be full of wedding activities, but just in case there is downtime it’s a great idea to create a list of activities for your guests. The following are a few classic Detroit bars, restaurants, and activities your guests can enjoy.

Local Bars & Restaurants: The options are endless in downtown Detroit, but we love to recommend Parc, which has great views of downtown. Table No. 2, the Apparatus Room, and Prism are also great local restaurants. The Skip is a fun, open-air cocktail bar, and Spkrbox is a coffee shop in the morning but a bar and disco club at night! 

Explore: Encourage your guests to explore the International Riverfront, which is a 5.5-mile river walk that spans from the Ambassador Bridge to Belle Isle and includes shops, restaurants, and parks. They can also head out to explore Belle Isle!

Catch a Game or Show: Depending on the time of year, your guests might also be able to catch a game at Comerica Park, Little Caesar’s Arena, or Ford Field. You can also check out who’s performing at The Fillmore or one of the other local theaters.

Detroit offers a little something for everyone when it comes to planning a wedding. No matter which direction you choose, your Detroit wedding weekend will be one to remember!