This is an absolutely beautiful place to be married and I was very happy with the view! The cost of the view was something to be desired though. For almost $4000 you get the venue and tables/chairs...a bit steep. There was not an event the Friday before our wedding and we were still not allowed on the grounds to set up until 10 am Saturday. Since they will charge you for set up, we wanted to do that ourselves. So with a lot of helping hands it turned out just fine. I think my biggest surprise was that they didn't have dishes. Of course this being the first time preparing for a wedding and that being a reception site, I didn't think to ask about tableware. Good thing my mom told me to ask....or I would have been in a pinch! For the amount of money they charge and for how many days they say they have events, I would think that tableware would be a great investment for them. Absolutely beautiful venue and accomodating if you were to run into inclement weather, but be prepared to do a lot of it yourself! I probably would recommend this venue to a friend...but buyer beware.

Staff was friendly and accommodating. The grounds were absolutely beautiful and well taken care of!

Riverside receptions is a gorgeous place to have your wedding at. I just got married there this summer. Not only does it have pretty flowers, river and waterfall everywhere, but there is a dressing room with A/C in it, public bathrooms and if it rains you can still get married on this property. John is around the whole day to help set up and he has a trailer with his golf cart so he can help your crew members also. I can’t image my wedding being anywhere else. John and his crew were so helpful in anything we needed that day. There is so much land that while the parents were dancing the kids could go run around and some people even went for a walk after dinner!! I’m hoping one of my friends get married their so I can go back someday soon! They do a great job for weddings so worth the money!!! You can’t find any place cleaner for an outdoor wedding!!

This venue provided my husband and I with the wedding of our dreams! All of our guests were amazed by this venue. It is very unique and there is nothing like it. Flowers cover the grounds, there are two waterfalls that are beautiful! I can't wait to see our photographers pictures, because just the snapshots that our guests took turned out amazing!
You can bring in your own catering and alcohol, which is very nice! This really does save a lot of money. All of the flowers that are on the grounds also saves money on florist costs because tey provide the perfect backdrop for pictures :)
If you're looking for a unique outdoor venue, this is definately the perfect place!
We absolutely loved, and would definately recommend it

While Riverside is beautiful and a one of a kind location, what is included in the price is just the grounds pretty much. Everything else you will have to rent, from lines to the arbor and guest book stand all the way to the large ice containers that they themselves own. There is not a kitchen just a tiny prep area and you do not even have a place to rinse your rented dishes. You can not set up the Friday before and they will not allow you to be there earlier then 10 am the day of, we asked and were told no. My husband did not like that the owner wore a maintenance shirt with his name on it while walking around during our event, he and I tend to agree thought that a nice polo and kahakis would have been better with the venues name on the shirt. Thirty nine hundred dollars is a pretty decent chunk of change and when you think about it most other places include their table linens, set up, and some centerpieces when you book with them. This amount is litteraly for the grounds and your banquet tables and chairs NOTHING else. Do not get me wrong it is gorgeous but if I had to do it again I think we would have gone with the Blue Dress Barn instead. When the cost of your venue is more then your caterer I feel there is a problem and we did not skimp on food. Had I known then what I know now we would have looked at having our event at another location. We realize that this is an outdoor venue however the reception area can be enclosed by plastic sides and this would allow for some set up to take place the night before. The pricing of additional things available seems unreasonable. We decided not to have the wedding arbor set up a cost of at least $100.00 for a ceremony that would only last 20 minutes. I do not feel that having a kitchen area would mean it also dictated who we used to serve our food, it actually would have given us more options. We had to hire additional people to clean our dishes and since there is not hot water available for this we also had to bring a turkey fryer to heat the water for this process. I believe that if the vendor invested in a cad program for layouts this would be very beneficial to anyone that books their event here as well.

If you're looking for a bargain basement venue, you won't find it here. What you will find, instead, are acres and acres of beautifully landscaped and meticulously manicured lawns & gardens. While there is an extra charge for the use of various items, this is fully disclosed in the information provided and you have the choice as to whether or not you want to use them. While many venues charge less but make up for the difference in mandating the use of their caterers and bar service, Riverside allows you to bring in your own caterer and bar set up. John (the owner) was very professional and available throughout our event, to the extent of transporting our guests via golf cart, when needed. If you are thinking of an outdoor wedding and reception, you must check out Riverside Receptions Etc. to see it for yourself. Pictures alone cannot capture the beauty and magnificence of this location; you will be hard pressed to find anything else like it in this area.

Riverside Receptions is a beautiful outdoor venue. Our guests would not stop talking about this diamond in the rough. John was there every step of the way accommodating all of our needs. We loved getting a "sneak peek" of our wedding through facebook (the day after the event) and a video he sent by mail. John also went trash digging for us (as he did for the other review I read) for a few misplaced items. He found the six pence that was glued to my shoe on the grounds a few days after the event and mailed it to us. These are just a few examples of many how he went out of his way to make our day so memorable. We will be referring this venue to our friends and family. Thanks Riverside!!!

We just want to thank you guys so much for making our day beautiful and we were really impressed that you cared enough to take the time to take video shots of the whole event. We weren't expecting that and appreciate that you went out of your way for us. We heard nothing but wonderful comments about the grounds and how beautiful the place was and how smoothly everything was run. Thank you so much, we had a dream of having a beautiful outdoor wedding and you helped make it come true! We will definitely recommend you to others!

The owners of Riverside Receptions went above and beyond the call of duty. Their grounds are flawless and breathtaking. When our caterer accidentally threw away a component of our cakes that we had a deposit on, John dug through the trash and found it for us without being asked! They are extremely professional and friendly. They made our wedding reception absolutely amazing. To see pictures of our wedding go to married7409.weebly.com

What a pleasant surprise tucked away in Michigan Farm country. This venue has immaculate grounds and many varied areas to provide for a exceptional wedding experience. We enjoyed ourselves immensely as did everyone who we visited with about Riverside. We hope to come back soon, I would love to see either of my children married here.

I was married at Riverside Reception in September 2008 and was so thankful to the staff for all their hard work. Initially the wedding had to be moved under the pavilion due to rain but upon my arrival to the grounds to get ready the rain had slowed down tremendously. We decided to go ahead with the wedding outside and the staff quickly rearranged everything. The ceremony was beautiful and just as our last picture was snapped the rain started up again but the walls down and the rain hitting made for a romantic reception. I was so thankful that the staff was so accommodating despite the weather. If you are looking for a great location that is perfect for anyone on a budget I highly recommend Riverside Receptions. Being able to bring your own alcohol and food helps to keep costs down tremendously.

I loved this place for these reasons:
 1) Beauty: less money spent at the florist when the area is decorated for you! Flowers in all three seasons! I've been to many outdoor weddings but haven't seen any place quite so beautiful. The huge fish that jumped in the river during our ceremony was quite the fun memory! The beautiful decorated swing made for some really pretty couple pictures. 
 2) Convenience: didn't have to rent two places or travel between one and the other. Plus it's much more convenient than a do-it-all-yourself approach at some park, which can be a headache/nightmare. They have thought of everything and instead of mandating you use their food/drinks like a lot of places do you can choose! The setting worked great for our caterer, photographer, videographer, baker, florist, DJ and everyone else.
3) Pictures: With an outdoor wedding you get the most beautiful pictures ever! No "low lighting" concerns for photographing the ceremony like you might have indoors
4) No big concern for weather after all: that was my main worry about having an outdoor wedding. No need to worry here! They have a great setup for in case of bad weather (read FAQ on website riversidereceptionsetc.com about that). Our wedding day was hot - but our programs doubled as fans! - and rain right after the ceremony cooled things off and we were all safe inside the reception hall protected from the weather and had a grand ole time! Wouldn't have changed the location for the world! 
5) Great staff: they do everything they can to make it a perfect day to remember forever. We definitely will. We are so thankful for all they did and for helping to make our wedding perfect.
6) Spiritual setting: since I'm a Christ-follower and love attending church, some may have wondered why we didn't get married in a church....??? Well I say since "church" is more about the people than the building, being outdoors in Gods creation with Gods people is just as spiritual and worthy of a setting as a church to say our vows before God, family and friends! :) 

They've got it all- beautiful grounds, koi ponds, 50 foot waterfall, gazebo, beautiful flowers, paths through the woods for guests to walk around and enjoy nature, large open hall with a beautiful waterfall and screens and heating for bad weather, catering kitchen, outdoor grill, dressing room, restrooms, large parking area, golf cart transport for the elderly and disabled, and did I mention beautiful grounds?!? There's so much more I could say but let me leave it at this - Riverside receptions is the best setting for an outdoor wedding I've ever seen. Definitely worth it!! Highly recommend!