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About
Located in Grand Rapids, Michigan at the John Ball Zoo, the Bissell Tree House is one of West Michigan’s most unique event spaces. This hidden gem provides couples an amazing view of the downtown Grand Rapids area with its floor-to-ceiling glass windows. With its tree house feel and large covered veranda sitting at Grand Rapids' highest point, couples can get that sense of being on top of the world as they share their love with family and friends.
Facilities and Capacity The Bissell Tree House is a a full-service wedding venue that can accommodate wedding ceremonies as large as 180 guests (April through October) and 130 guests (November through March). Putting emphasis on providing couples with a unique experience, this distinctive location provides couples a list of caterers that will impress on your special day, leaving their guests satisfied. John Ball Zoo Bissell Tree House also offers open bar service at additional cost.
Services Offered The Bissell Tree House prides itself in providing couples a unique wedding experience. This venue also offers additional services like:
Table and chair setup
Complimentary guest parking
Transportation up to the venue from the parking lot
In-house bar service
Location The Bissell Tree House is located near downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan. This amazing venue is minutes away from local eateries and hotels, and only 15 miles away from Gerald R. Ford International Airport.
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Working with Annie at the Bissell Treehouse was a dream! She helped make all of our wedding reception dreams come true and we could not have had a better day. She made things as stress free and easy as possible. 100/10 would get married here again and again 🤍
Guadalupe Sent on 10/28/2021
5 out of 5 rating
5.0
Beautiful for Fall Wedding
From booking the venue to having the ceremony and reception there, it all went by so smoothly. The coordinators are very kind and they are compassionate in helping to make sure your wedding day runs smoothly. Only thing that is tricky is that they give you 2 hours to set up, and 1 hour to take down. I recommend this venue to people that want to have smaller wedding reception or ceremony.
Addie Sent on 08/17/2021
5 out of 5 rating
5.0
Amazing wedding
I had my dream wedding at the tree house. The zoo staff are great to work with and it is the perfect intimate setting for a wedding. Beautiful view and venue, unique and original!
Zach Sent on 02/02/2020
5 out of 5 rating
5.0
A Once in a Lifetime Event
My wife and I worked closely with Skye from the JBZ team and it was remarkable from the first moment we saw the treehouse. There is so many great things to say about JBZ and the team. First the venue is without a doubt one of the most beautiful locations in Michigan. The treehouse is beyond unique and held our 100+ people comfortably. The layout works flawlessly for wedding prep, and the funicular is a blast for the guests. Guests are still talking months later how amazing the venue was. We were able to take amazing pictures around the zoo, and the biggest benefit, the money we paid went to a great organization, that cares truly about their animals and the environment.
Katie Sent on 09/30/2019
5 out of 5 rating
5.0
This venue is a DREAM.
I am SO grateful that I was able to have my wedding reception in this space. It is absolutely stunning and provided us with exactly the vibe that we wanted. It has a beautiful outdoors feel to it, has massive windows with a lot of natural light, and the wood walls are beautiful. I really loved that it had two separate outdoor deck areas for guests who wanted to be outdoors or to socialize without having to yell over loud music. The view of downtown Grand Rapids is AMAZING. We received several comments about how beautiful and unique our reception venue was. The funicular was a huge hit and really gave the guests a fun and unique experience. We also got some stunning photos at the zoo (waterfall pictures, plenty of natural greenery, etc.). Overall, I couldn’t imagine anything better. It was the PERFECT venue for us and my wedding was an absolute dream. The only thing to keep in mind is that the venue works for small to mid-sized weddings. If you have a large guest count, you’ll (sadly!) have to look elsewhere. The alcohol package was through the zoo as well and I am very happy with those services – our guests had a great time. Our coordinator, Darci, was wonderful. Highly recommend!
+6photos
Geena Sent on 08/26/2019
5 out of 5 rating
5.0
Great Venue!
We had our wedding reception at the Bissell Treehouse at the John Ball Zoo on June 21, 2019. We went with this venue because we are both architects/designers and the architecture is absolutely beautiful, plus riding the funicular to the top is a one of a kind experience!
We had booked a venue in Detroit previously and it all went wrong, so when we decided to rebook somewhere else we were nervous about the same thing happening. That was not the case at all, the staff here are wonderful. They are responsive, knowledgeable, and great to work with. They have all the information you need and call all your vendors to make sure everything is in place for you.
I would say the only downside to this venue is that there is only 2 hours before the start time that are available for set up, so if you are thinking of a DIY wedding you may want to rethink that. We had vendors for everything that needed to be set up, including a day of coordinator for our decorations.
Overall I was very pleased with this venue and got so many compliments on how beautiful it was, i would definitely recommend.
+12photos
Kelsey Sent on 05/07/2019
5 out of 5 rating
5.0
Exceptional Venue
Everyone was raving about our venue choice! The funicular wasn’t running, but the zoo was able to shuttle people up to the treehouse. I wish they had made signs or something to help people know about the shuttles because some of my guests walked the whole zoo to get there!! BUT otherwise EXCELLENT service, EXCELLENT venue.
Sofie Sent on 06/02/2018
5 out of 5 rating
5.0
My husband and I were recently married at the tree house! What a beautiful and unique venue. The floor to ceiling windows were breathtaking and allowed our guests to enjoy both the indoor and outdoor settings available. We worked closely with Skye, the venue coordinator, and she was so amazingly helpful. Not only was she quick to respond, but very knowledgeable. We planned this wedding from out-of-state, and her advice and layouts were essential. Thank you for making our wedding a day we will always remember fondly!
Maggie Sent on 07/06/2017
5 out of 5 rating
5.0
I couldn't imagine a better venue! Heather did an amazing job!
Betsy Sent on 12/09/2016
5 out of 5 rating
5.0
Absolutely stunning venue. I was very proud to have such a unique venue in the middle of the city. The staff was great - really no complaints! It's probably smaller capacity than average, which was pretty painful to cut down our guest list, but it ended up being worth it so we could keep our overall budget small as well. Our wedding was Sept 2 and we had the most PERFECT weather. Sunny and 75! Up on that hill was not buggy, totally secluded and totally stunning. We had our buffet tables outside on the deck (food stayed warm too), which allowed for more space inside for guest tables, and we did not have to take down tables for the dance floor. We had the bar outside, and we did not anticipate that most our guests would hang out outside near the bar after dinner instead of head to the dance floor. It made our DJ nervous, but it was obvious our guests were having a great time catching up with old family and friends. So since guests were happy, I was happy! This venue was truly an amazing part of the memory of our day
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The Bissell Treehouse is one of the "top" venues in Grand Rapids! The view through the trees to the city below is amazing . . . the space is unique and the zoo staff is extremely helpful.
John Ball Zoo Bissell Treehouse frequently asked questions
John Ball Zoo Bissell Treehouse includes the following items and services for wedding events in its starting site fee:
Chairs
Parking
Set Up
Tables
Transportation
The bar service starting price at John Ball Zoo Bissell Treehouse includes:
Bartender(s)
Open Bar
The space offered by John Ball Zoo Bissell Treehouse for wedding events is known for:
Park
Zoo
John Ball Zoo Bissell Treehouse offers the following indoor/outdoor options for weddings:
Indoor
Covered Outdoor
Uncovered Outdoor
John Ball Zoo Bissell Treehouse offers the following types of wedding events:
Ceremony
Reception
Bridal Shower
Engagement Party
Rehearsal Dinner
John Ball Zoo Bissell Treehouse offers the following services for wedding events:
Bar Services
Event Rentals
Wifi
John Ball Zoo Bissell Treehouse offers the following furniture and decor items for weddings:
Altar/Arch
Chairs
Tables
John Ball Zoo Bissell Treehouse is recommended by 92% of couples who have used their services. Their overall rating is 4.6 out of 5 with the following breakdown: 4.7 in average response time, 4.7 in professionalism, 4.6 in quality of service, 4.5 in value and 4.4 in flexibility.
