Howell Opera House

Finding the venue for our wedding was by far the most stressful task of wedding planning for us. I wanted something classy and timeless but not stuffy, and it had to be affordable. My husband and I were paying for everything ourselves and had a tight budget. It was the best decision we made for our wedding to go with the Howell Opera House. It was by far the most gorgeous venue we looked, it has so much character, and it was the most affordable place we found. $1400 flat fee plus $150 (I think) for the ceremony. It was a bit of a hike for us but well worth it and all of our guest loved it. Sharon is the contact person and she is so nice and flexible. She helped us so much at the rehearsal dinner since our officiant was a family member and we basically had no clue what we were doing. You have to pick one of their catering options and we went with CC Catering (the cheapest option) and had a Mexican buffet. The food was AMAZING and people were raving all night about how cool the venue was and how incredible the food was. You also supply your own liquor, and even with the extra purchase of liquor insurance and a bartender (both required, $150 & 15/per hour respectfully) this still saved us thousands. Everything about the night was amazing and the photos you get in the opera house look like they belong in a magazine. I couldn't image a better place and can't recommend it enough!

This location fit us to a "T" in the sense that it was a gorgeous blank canvas- wood floors, brick walls, and lots of windows in the main floor reception space; and a stunningly historic, original opera house on the second floor, which we had access to for our photo session. All in all, it made the perfect backdrop for our photos, and the fact that we brought in all of our own decor made it possible to personalize every detail. We used to front window to display some paper lanterns as well. Sharon is great to work with. She is organized, answered all of our questions and was very nice. You can tell that she has done this many times, as everything was seamless, from her initial tour of the building, to signing the contract, to the functionality on the day of the event. The cost to rent the space, as well as the linen service they offer, was very reasonable. This is a really unique and beautiful venue, an absolute treasure!

We used the Howell Opera House for our ceremony and reception and were so pleased with our experience. Sharon and team are very helpful and accommodating. The evening staff even gave our attendants tours of the building! The Howell Opera House is a beautiful historic building. We feel grateful to have had our wedding there!
-Alison Gass