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Indiana Memorial Union Reviews

Indiana Memorial Union

Indiana Memorial Union

Bloomington, IN
4.3 out of 5 rating, 13 Reviews
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Reviews

4.3 out of 5 rating
4.3 out of 5 rating
13 Reviews
85% recommend it
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  • Quality of service
    4.2 out of 5 rating
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    4 out of 5 rating
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Awards

13
  • N
    Nanne Sent on 11/08/2017
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    There are not enough stars to express my satisfaction with the Indiana Memorial Union as a wedding venue. Everything was beyond perfect. We had our daughter's wedding, wedding reception, bridesmaid's brunch and reahearsal dinner at the Union as well as booked rooms at the Biddle Hotel (located in the Union) for our wedding party.

    The entire staff, led by Christine from the wedding & catering department, met and then exceeded our every request in a professional, timely & cheerful manner, and we had some crazy ones. We had Alumni Hall, the Solarium and the Patio for the wedding and reception. Access to Alumni Hall at 6:30 a.m. on the morning of the wedding, no problem. Help hauling wedding decor from cars into the venue, staff was there in minutes of the request to take care of this. Bringing family linens to use on tables, they were stored beforehand, put on tables and returned after the event. We wanted to set up a TV room so guests could watch the big, college football games and the staff made it happen.

    All weddings have unforeseen problems. Christine and the IMU staff are prepared for anything (Our 200, open flame taper candles almost set off all of the fire alarms and started to fill the venue with smoke but the staff found a solution and I never knew this was happening).

    The IMU does all of the food, cakes, bar in house and it is a bargain. There are several packages to choose from. Our guests are still talking about the delicious food and the beautiful wedding cake. On the cakes: we took a very complicated Pinterest wedding cake design to catering and they executed it flawlessly. Catering also made a last minute, Alabama/Ohio State themed groom's cake that was perfect.

    The entire venue is gorgeous and is nestled in the center of Indiana University's storybook lovely campus. I cannot imagine a more beautiful setting for a wedding. I highly recommend the Indiana Memorial Union for a wedding or for any special event.



  • M
    Miranda Sent on 11/18/2015
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    The IMU turned out better than I could have imagined! Everyone from the hotel staff to the catering team was great to work with. They were all very responsive and I don't feel like we had any issues at all. The made the planning very easy. Alumni Hall was beautiful! We received so many compliments on the venue. I would recommend getting a day-of coordinator as Bari and team are more focused on the catering.
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    Gina Sent on 11/28/2015
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    I couldn't of asked for a better experience for my only daughter's wedding! Christine from the wedding planning department was so professional and such a wonderful lady. The set up, the food and the service at Indiana Memorial were beyond our expectations. A very memorable and enjoyable experience. So glad we had the wedding at Rose Well House on IU Campus and the reception at the Solarium Room in the Indiana Memorial Building.. it was amazing. Also if looking for Photographers pick Small & Tall Photography, Mike Lee...and
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  • M
    Mallory Sent on 11/11/2014
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    If you're looking for a hassle-free wedding weekend, book here today! Bari was great in helping us plan our wedding and the 'day-of' staff (front desk, catering, bar) made sure every single detail was perfect! I am still receiving compliments on the food we served -- the chefs at the IMU are amazing!

    Indiana Memorial Union's reply:

    Mallory- your kind words are such a treasure. it reminds us all why we work in the wedding industry- for the opportunity to meet gracious families.... to witness such joy at starting a marriage.... to collaborate on something beautiful.... to help facilitate a GREAT party... and to have appreciative people come into our lives. all the best to you Mallory !
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    Cori Sent on 04/09/2013
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    My husband and I used the Federal Room at the IMU for our intimate wedding reception. It was fabulous! The food was excellent, and the room itself is a piece of artwork. Highly recommend working with the wedding coordinators there!
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    Catherine Sent on 12/06/2008
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    We were married in the Tudor Room at Indiana Memorial Union and it turned out perfect!! I was nervous in the early planning stages to have my ceremony and reception all in one room...it was ideal!! Not only was the room spectacular for a Fall wedding (warm and cozy ambience), but the convenience for guests was outstanding.

    Bari, our venue coordinator was professional and very easy to work with...she pulled everything off great!! I could not have been more pleased when the doors opened, and I saw the gorgeous room....our guests are still talking about what a FUN night and party it was!!

    I would highly recommend this venue...it made a perfect wedding venue!!!
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    Jennifer Sent on 11/09/2015
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    The team at Indiana Memorial Union Weddings did an amazing job of helping us plan and execute a gorgeous wedding reception. The food was delicious and a great value compared to what other friends have gotten for the same amount from other caterers. The team was flexible in working with us. The day of there were a few special requests that did not get carried out, but the staff were quick to accommodate and fix the issue when I asked. I highly recommend the food and venue!
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    Susanne Sent on 09/04/2008
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    If you're from Indiana, and especially Bloomington, the IMU really can't be beat for a perfect wedding. We had our reception in Alumni Hall, and couldn't have been more happy with the way it all turned out. We constantly receive compliments (a year later and beyond) on how beautiful everything was, how curteous the staff was, and how amazingly it all came together - and a lot of that credit goes to Bari at the IMU. She and her staff coordinated everything perfectly, and I didn't worry about a single thing the entire day - it all went perfectly. Not to mention, also, that she handled the rental of all of the linens, etc., took care of the cocktail reception, bars, favors, catering and the cake, which was fantastic (and was even delicious for our anniversary bite!). I would HIGHLY recommend the IMU and Bari for a perfect reception!!
  • User1468824 Sent on 12/10/2013
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    The Indiana Memorial Union was a perfect spot for our wedding in Bloomington.
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    Andrea Sent on 07/28/2008
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    The IMU was great to work with overall. If you book a room at this location, you are required to use their catering service unless you want to incur higher costs. Also, you cannot bring in your own alcohol - all beer, wine, liquor goes through the IMU. It was definitely more economical to go through them for the catering. The food was good, cake looked great, and we didn't hear any complaints about it. The woman in charge, Bari Kuhlman, was extremely professional and easy to work with. She made sure everything was set up for the big day and we felt very comfortable leaving the details in her hands. I would definitely recommend this location for a reception - the rooms are gorgeous...tough to find a better location in Bloomington.
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    Nick Sent on 09/15/2014
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    Overall it was a great experience. The catering, venue setup, serving staff, and catering was great. They were very accommodating and helped us have a great event!

    With that being said, we did have a few frustrations. Our emails were bounced around among multiple people. We never had one specific contact. This made for confusion. Because of this a few minor details slipped through the cracks. When brought to their attention (day of) they were able to fix the issues.

    Indiana Memorial Union's reply:

    i wish one person could handle all the events that are managed by the IMU but not possible. i hope our "team" approach was not too difficult
    all the best!
    the imu wedding team
  • A
    Ashley Sent on 10/15/2014
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    The venue is very beautiful and very well priced for brides on a budget! Our ceremony was in the garden and reception was in Alumni Hall. I wouldn't have wanted my wedding or reception to be anywhere else. However, I would recommend having a wedding planner or a family member or friend who can take charge of wedding events days of the wedding. They have wedding coordinators but I only saw one once during the entire wedding and reception. I had to fix problems that arose myself. Also, the planning process was a little complicated. For a while I was communicating the same thing to multiple people before finally getting one contact. This was made even more complicated because I was planning from long distance and could only visit the venue once while planning. The communication between the staff needs to be improved. Overall I absolutely loved the venue and it is very beautiful all times of the year. I just recommend getting someone to help you plan and coordinate.

    Indiana Memorial Union's reply:

    I am glad to hear that you loved the venues and affordable prices that the IMU offers. I agree that having a planner and/or designated family members to help is an important part of your wedding day, especially when planning from out of town. I wish we had known that you would have liked to have a wedding coordinator for the day because we could have recommended several great local planners to help your whole day run smoothly. As we are the catering department our primary responsibility is to coordinate the food services, not act as full day wedding coordinators/planners.

    Best wishes to you and Chris!
  • User1496853 Sent on 01/06/2014
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    The food was very good and the price was reasonable. And while I would recommend IU for beautiful photographs, I would NOT recommend the IMU for a reception.

    The event coordinator was a poor communicator (at her best) and a non-communicator (at her worst). I had to prompt all communication – asking her in emails what information she needed by what dates. And she was always very curt in conversations and gave me the impression I was wasting her time.
    The Friday before the wedding, she gave us a list of to-dos that could have been communicated a week in advance. I spent that Friday afternoon in our hotel lobby reformatting information that had already been submitted to her.

    One of the biggest problems with the IMU was that there was no management during our reception. We saw the event coordinator leave 1 hour into our 5-hour event. We repeatedly asked to speak to the wait-staff manager (the person managing the servers), but no one could ever find him or her. And the most egregious absence was the sound/technology operator. The IMU told us that it was written in the charter (and would cost us $200) to have a sound operator on-site for the entire event. We asked to speak to him multiple times and no one could ever produce him. Our DJ (who was wonderful) did more management of the event than any of the staff provided by the IMU.

    The second biggest problem was that the IMU staff just maintained really poor records of our event requirements. 3 days before the event, they sent us an invoice where they had almost all the details wrong: They had us listed as buffet (we were buffet (we were a formal dinner), they had the price wrong (they wanted to charge us extra for alcohol when it was included in our package), the head count was wrong, and the room layout was wrong. We were able to correct the invoice prior to the event, but it was still an added, un-needed stress days before the wedding.