Grand River Center Reviews

Grand River Center

Dubuque, IA

4.4 out of 5 rating, 73 reviews

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4.4 out of 5 rating

4.4

Good

73 reviews

Recommended by 89% of couples

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Quality of service
4.4 out of 5 rating
Average response time
4.4 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
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Value
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4.4 out of 5 rating

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Katie Sent on 11/03/2019

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Wonderful Experience

We had a July wedding at the Grand River Center, and it was the perfect venue for a ceremony. Our guests where able to get a view of the Mississippi without sitting outside in the heat.
Miranda Sent on 10/06/2019

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Beautiful venue

The venue was absolutely beautiful. Great outdoor space for a ceremony. The wedding coordinator Emily was very accommodating! Best day ever!
Michelle Sent on 01/31/2019

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I love it it such a good place everyone should go there

They do pretty much everything that you would want to do it that place

Kawdrh11302018 Sent on 12/17/2018

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Grand River Center

Our reception at the Grand River Center was amazing. We had a small enough guest list that we were able to hold it in the River Room which is an amazing space - all of our guests were so impressed. Working with Sherri was so easy. She really has everything down and runs a smooth operation. Everything was taken care of, all of the little details thought of, and the service was amazing. Most importantly though, we and all of our guests had so much fun!
Jeremy Sent on 10/11/2018

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Easy to work with and always available to answer questions. They really seem to care about your special day and want to make it amazing!
Stephanie Sent on 06/19/2018

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The Grand River Center was so great to work with and they made planning our day so much easier! Sherrie was wonderful to work with and it was an honor to have her officiate our wedding as well. The staff was so nice and took care of all of our requests. The food was wonderful and our guests talked about it several days after. We can't imagine having our wedding and reception anywhere else!
Raya Sent on 04/24/2018

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Amazing experience!!! Great service and staff.
Everything was perfect, we just had to relax and enjoy our day!!
Caitlin Sent on 09/25/2017

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Our wedding this past weekend was perfect, and it was all thanks to the wonderful staff at the Grand River Center. My husband and I don't live in Dubuque, but it is a nice central point for all of our families. But when we first looked at the grand river center, it was perfect. The views are unbeatable, the pictures look amazing. But the best part about the grand river center? Sherri and Samantha and the staff. Sherri was not only our DOC, but she was our officiant. She ensured everything went smoothly, when she was not checking on us, she was making sure the staff knew what to do. In the planning process, we were pretty indecisive and we changed our mind a lot. It was never, "well I don't think we can do that" it was, "we will do our best to make sure that happens." Honestly, if we asked for something, we were given it. We even customized our menu. My dad was floored by the service. They allowed him to bring his favorite wine in and serve it to his friends, making him feel very special. There were no hiccups throughout the day, because the staff was so well trained. We were worried about the grand river center having multiple weddings on the same day. But there were no problems. Every wedding was treated as if they were the only ones there. We had a very private ceremony at the grand river center, with no problems either. We did have some wedding crashers from other weddings, but they were quickly escorted out. So seriously, reader of this review, give them a call, schedule an appointment with Sherri. She is the best and will make your day perfect. (And in all honesty, if Sherri left and went to another venue, we probably would have followed her to the other venue lol.) Some other things to consider: if you absolutely do not want to have other events occurring on your wedding day, or if you want to have a completely private event, you may want to look somewhere else. This didn't matter so much to me. 10/10 would have our wedding here. 10/10 would recommend.
Michelle Sent on 09/12/2017

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Sherri and the staff at the Grand River Center were awesome to work with. They were able to show us all the options that were available so my daughter and her husband could have a beautiful ceremony and wedding reception at the Grand River Center. We had so many compliments on the venue, especially the cocktail hour in the River Room. Thank you for making their day wonderful!
Molly Sent on 09/06/2017

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We had THE MOST AMAZING reception. More than we could have ever imagined. Samantha is SPECTACULAR... so easy to work with, very accommodating, very hard working, and treated our wedding as it was her own down to every last detail, nothing went unnoticed and the night was perfect. She did way more than we had ever expected her to do. No way we would have been able to do this without her. Not only was Samantha amazing the other staff (Sherry, the kitchen, the bar, etc) nothing short of awesome. Guests could not say enough good things about the River Center, the food, the staff, the location, the beautiful area, and the whole night. Everyone had SOOOO much fun.
Pamela Sent on 07/25/2017

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5 stars says it all plus some! I was the 3rd party helping to plan my nieces June 2017 wedding reception at the GRC, from 250 miles away! There is NO way we could have accomplished what we did without the constant help from Sam and Sherri. There were numerous phone calls, emails, and even texts over this past year. Not once did they not reply in a timely manner. They offered help and guidance when needed. They would patiently listen to my unorthodox ideas without instantly saying "nope can't do that". As you plan you will quickly find out, that having someone who will honestly listen to you is a HUGE deal! Sam and Sherri helped to make my niece's wedding day a day she will never forget. For that alone...I will be forever grateful. Let's do it again Sam and Sherri:)
Julia Sent on 07/14/2017

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We fell in love with the view of the Mississippi on our first visit to Dubuque and knew that the Grand River Center was a great place to hold our wedding. Sherri Sherman and Samantha Runde were wonderful to work with. We wanted to utilize some different decorating and lay out designs. Instead of "no we don't do it that way", their response was always, "we will make this work." Sherri, Samantha and the entire staff worked diligently to make our event perfect. Our guests had a wonderful time and our daughter's wedding was nothing short of spectacular.
Emily Sent on 10/13/2016

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My husband and I just had our dream wedding at The Grand River Center. I cannot say enough good things about the staff who helped us pull off our magical day. Samantha Runde took our every request and turned them into a reality. From wine glass tiki torches and an ice cream bar to personalized slideshows during our dances, she made sure our vision became a reality. Not only that but, her "day-of" attention to detail allowed it all to happen. We had lost our bowls for the ice cream bar toppings and couldn't get our slideshows to work (among other things) and she jumped right in to get things all set up and even got our slideshows going on her own computer. Our day was literally flawless because of this amazing team. Sherri Sherman made sure our catering was set up perfectly, from a full cocktail hour and plated dinner to late-night pizza...we have gotten compliment after compliment on the food and service at dinner. We had over half of our wedding coming in to celebrate from out of town and using the River Room for the ceremony added to the experience of having our wedding along the Mississippi River. Our guests thought the venue was beautiful (as did we!). If we could do it all again we wouldn't change a thing. You are in good hands with this crew.
Rachel Sent on 10/12/2016

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Sherri with Grand River Center was outstanding! She was super responsive to all emails and questions and made sure our day went smoothly from start to finish. Our food was amazing and the bar staff was great. I highly recommend this venue!
Vicki Sent on 03/22/2016

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We received SO many compliments on our ceremony and reception that we had at the GRC. Melissa and staff were VERY responsive to emails, even when I had questions the day before/ day-of. They worked with us on figuring out the perfect layout for each detail of our ceremony and reception. Melissa was SO helpful in remembering all the details that I was likely to forget. It was a HUGE relief to have everything we needed right there: catering, ceremony, reception, and coordinator on-site. A BEAUTIFUL venue with AMAZING people to work with!
Alison Sent on 02/19/2016

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Melissa and the rest of the staff at GRC was a dream to work with. They were so accomodating and helpful to help us make the most of our budget and provide the absolute best for our guests. They went above and beyond to make our day special and I received so many compliments from friends and family on how delicious the food was and how professional and kind the staff was. There are no words to thank them enough for making our dream day come true and to be even better than imagined!
User1895553 Sent on 10/30/2014

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It was AMAZING working with the Grand River Center. They were extremely responsive, helpful and flexible in scheduling times to speak with us. They went through a few different wedding coordinators over the year we had them booked, but it honestly didn't make a difference. They were still helpful and organized. The venue itself is also beautiful and many of our guests commented on how much they liked the venue. The food was also excellent! The only thing I didn't like was their tasting. They schedule everyone who is having a wedding within a certain month span to come to their tasting, so around 300-400 people. Everything was just served buffet style and lines were long. It was all you can eat though, which was nice. They also had the wedding coordinator and her assistant answer questions after the tasting, which was helpful, but a bit overwhelming with so many people. Overall, it was a great venue and I was never stressed out when it came to anything regarding the venue. I highly recommend them!
Jalesa Sent on 07/29/2014

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The Grand River is beautiful! Our wedding was so gorgeous! The staff is friendly and helpful!
Jessica Sent on 07/20/2012

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The GRC is awesome to work with. They are so experienced, professional, and accommodating. I would highly recommend JoAnn and the staff at the GRC.
Jen Sent on 03/20/2012

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You can't go wrong with a wedding at the Grand River Center. Brandon was AMAZING to work with. I'll be honest that I was a bit nervous how everything would work out with so many weddings at one place but some how they pull it all off without a hitch. Food was great! Our guests still tell us so. They are VERY organized and make sure every detail is not forgot. Couldn't be happier!
Rachel Sent on 06/14/2011

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Loved it!!!
Abby Sent on 12/13/2010

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JoAnn and the staff at the Grand River Center did an outstanding job with our wedding reception! We greatly appreciate all of the attention to detail, and truly were grateful for the excellent work the evening of our reception, someone on the staff was always checking to make sure we were happy and well taken care of.
Ashlie Sent on 10/19/2010

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THANK YOU! Everything was wonderful!
Jan Sent on 10/13/2010

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The Grand River Center is a great place for a reception and the staff is awesome to work with.
Maureen Sent on 10/07/2010

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JoAnn and her team at the Grand River center do a fantastic job from start to finish. They are responsive, helpful, and flexible. They worked with us to plan our reception to fit exactly what we wanted. The staff who runs the event (catering and chefs) do a great job with a large group. The food exceeded my expectations and the service was lovely. The river walk is beautiful for cocktails and showcases Dubuque nicely. I would recommend Grand River center to ANYONE!! Thank you JoAnn & Co for the beautiful job you did on our wedding!
Marla Sent on 10/06/2010

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The Grand River Center was great to work with for our wedding reception. The view of the Mississippi was spectacular, great location! Great food for a larger venue, salmon was excellent and carrots were good too! They were very helpful with helping our vendors get in and out and having everything set up how it was mapped out!
Chelsea Sent on 10/06/2010

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JoAnn was amazing. She was so easy to get along with and was willing to work with me, which is pretty hard (planning a wedding 2 1/2 hours away, I had no internet, and I worked a 7 a.m. to 6p.m. shift) The food was amazing and reasonably priced. I would not have done anything different.
Kelly Sent on 10/06/2010

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The Grand River Center was very easy to work with. They were very responsive to any questions we had, and everything was the way we wanted it. The staff was fantastic.
Jason Sent on 06/15/2010

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The Grand River Center staff were great every step of the way leading up to our reception. I can not thank JoAnn Lavenz and her staff enough for everything they did to make my wife and I less stressed the day of our wedding regarding our reception.
Sarah Sent on 09/09/2009

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The Grand River Center was everything and more! We were so happy with the way our beautiful wedding turned out and that is due in total part to the wonderful staff here!!
Valerie Sent on 10/21/2008

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The Grand River Center and JoAnn Lavenz were absolutely fabulous and made our day incredible. Thank you for a wonderful venue and sincere interest in our day! It was beautiful thanks to you!!
Kate Sent on 04/15/2008

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Living in Colorado and planning a wedding in Iowa is difficult. Find an elegant place in Dubuque that offered both an appropriate outdoor ceremony location and reception venue is impossible! We held everything from our rehearsal dinner to gift opening at the Grand River Center and couldn't have been happier. The location was beautiful, everything went off without a hitch, the food was great, and Joanne rocks my socks! It was perfect.
Julie Sent on 11/15/2007

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This is a gorgeous venue that overlooks the Mississippi River, which is one major reason why I chose it. The location itself was worth it, but the staff of the Grand River Center is phenomenal as well. They promptly addressed my questions in the planning phases, and I did not have to worry about anything on the day of the wedding. All of the guests loved the venue and the food, stating it was simply the best reception location they had ever been to.
The cost was very reasonable and simple. Everything was included in the cost, so it reduced the time I spent on figuring out costs.
Stacey Sent on 12/09/2010

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Great to work with both before, and during the reception.
Alli Sent on 10/19/2018

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Beautiful river view

The Grand River Center was a great place to have our wedding. We had our ceremony out on the patio and it was absolutely beautiful. There were a couple other events happening at the same time, but it really didn't get in the way of our event (except we did have a few outside people come try to sneak drinks from our bar). Sherri and Haley helped us to ensure we had every detail right and were very quick to respond to all of our questions and make sure that we had everything that we needed. Rhonda also did everything she could to take care of us during dinner, which was really great!
J Sent on 10/01/2018

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Great overall service and beautiful venue and staff
Carol Sent on 09/30/2016

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Beautiful setting and very flexible with menu, drink packages, late night snacks. Food was excellent.
Helen Sent on 11/21/2010

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We were very pleased with our wedding location as we had the second largest wedding at Grand River and not many other places would fit so many people. We knew we wanted the appetizer wedding because we had a Friday night wedding and Ashley/JoAnn were wonderful in helping us pick our menu. All our guest were very pleased with the food and quality of food. Everything was perfect and all indiviuals that worked with us were very pleasant. The cost factor was more than we were thinking but it was well worth it because everything was fabulous.
Frank Sent on 10/11/2010

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JoAnn did a great job and was a pleasure to work with. She was very organized, flexible and accomodating. I would highly recommend her and the GRC for anyone looking to get married in Dubuque.
Kelly Sent on 10/06/2010

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I felt the invoice we recieved that broke down how much we spent was a little confusing. Other than that we were very satisfied with everything! If we had to do it all over again we would not have changed a thing!
Megan Sent on 10/08/2008

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We used this location as our reception site. We would highly recommend this venue. They were a great help in making our wedding planning go smoothly and I felt very supported in my decisions.
Alex Sent on 10/01/2018

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Overall, we had a great experience at the Grand River Center. Our day was beautiful, not only because of the weather, but also because of the great staff there. We mostly worked with Sherri and she made sure everything went smoothly for us. The food was also great! I would recommend this venue to anyone!
Megan Sent on 07/31/2018

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The Grand River Center was great to work with and extremely flexible with any changes. They were also able to go above and beyond to make the day stress free.
User2538296 Sent on 02/19/2016

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I loved my reception at the Grand River Center. They have great prices and are right on the river!!! Melissa was amazing to work with and the staff was very accommodating. I'll definitely recommend the Grand River Center to friends.
Emma Sent on 08/01/2019

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Great coordinator!

The wedding coordinator at the venue was very helpful in answering all of our questions and always responded quickly.
Abigail Sent on 01/17/2019

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Very Kind and Easy to Work With

My fiancé and I went to two other possible locations for our reception in May 2020, and this one had the best affordability and quality of all three venues. With a current guest list of over 400 people, we were worried about price and space availability, but the Grand River Center had more than what we wanted and were extremely flexible with our desires.
User2434434 Sent on 11/19/2015

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The Grand River Center is a fantastic venue for holding a wedding reception. All the staff members were extremely accommodating to our needs, even when we got a little picky about how we wanted the reception set up! We had a wonderful experience and the staff there really want your day to be as special as it can be! Definitely give them a call if you are getting married in the Dubuque, IA area!
User949638 Sent on 09/27/2012

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Great experience with this venue. Everyone was accommodating and very helpful with putting together details.
L Sent on 10/13/2010

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Great place! Everyone was very helpful! Any questions we had were answered promptly and JoAnn made herself easily available.
Andrea Sent on 10/07/2010

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The Grand River Center is by far a wonderful place to hold your special day! There were only a few things that could have been changed---

1) A table cloth was lost from the cocktail hour that was in the River Room, and we ended up being charged for it's loss. We still have no idea what happened to it, nor does the rental company.

2) The head table was served it's main course a little late. Not a big deal, we were conversing and once it was brought to the servers attention, it was taken care of right away.

3) Guests with food allergies need to have specific markings on what food to get. One of my bridesmaids has a gluten allergy and was served the regular meal. Easy fix when staff was notified!

4) At the end of the night we had questions about clean up, especially regarding the decorations that were rented. There was no one but clean up staff there and they were unable to answer our questions. This was frustrating, but a minor situation. Everything worked out just fine!

OVERALL--- We wouldn't have chosen any other vendor to host our wedding reception. The food was fantastic, the room was beautiful, JoAnn was so easy and accommodating to our every need, and the night was by far everything my husband and I had hoped for! We would go back and do it all over again in a heart beat!
Melissa Sent on 09/14/2015

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We really enjoyed working with the Grand River center. Melissa Reynolds was a pleasure to work with and we got so many compliments for our guests on how beautiful it all was!
Maria Sent on 06/12/2014

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Katie was very good to work with. It's not the cheapest place in town but the view and the location along with the cleanliness and beauty of the building made it worth the cost. As well of the service Katie provided us. The wait staff that night was very nice also.
Kelsey Sent on 06/05/2011

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Joann and her crew were great help. Our wedding went absolutely perfect with their help
Joy Sent on 06/05/2009

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Grand River Center was beautiful! It was a gorgeous setting and JoAnn did such an amazing job making sure our day was perfect. The river is the most beautiful backdrop. Pictures were beautiful. Our guests just raved about our perfect day.
Katie Sent on 05/26/2009

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Grand River Center is the best place in Dubuque to have a reception! It's ideally located in downtown DBQ close to restaurants, hotels, attractions, night life, and right on the Mississippi River. The staff is great to work with and are willing to accomdate your request to make it "your" special day. Guests raved about the food (both app and dinner) and the beautiful river walk.

Pros: Location, food, staff, cost
Cons: Need a few updates such as stained carpeting, faded walls and chipped tables
Andrea Sent on 01/06/2011

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Most of our problems were with the contracts and questionnaires. Certain things weren't clear in the questionnaire, and we had to carefully read over everything in the work orders and contracts - changes were needed due to errors or items from our original contract being missed (everything on the wedding day turned out perfect though). I would recommend this venue to others.
User895056 Sent on 08/10/2012

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I loved the location of our wedding! It was absolutely beautiful and we had many compliments! Most the people you work with there are great! Although there were a couple things that changed last minute – they rearranged the layout of the room last minute without my approval which was a little weird, but it all turned out okay! Also, I wasn’t sure what to expect for the quality of the food but it was actually really good!
Amy Sent on 08/31/2020

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Venue Review

This venue was perfect! There were some minor details that werbwt recognized, but all was taken care of the day before our special day! Our day was absolutely perfect!
Dawn Sent on 07/14/2008

4.2 out of 5 rating
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JoAnn Lavenz, wedding director, was wonderful to work with. You could tell she was very busy, but she still responded to calls or delegated others to handle our questions. The venue is beautiful and everyone was very professional. Highly recommend.
User2401954 Sent on 10/31/2015

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Good to work with just kinda expensive
Dan Sent on 09/11/2018

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Overall pretty good. Very accommodating
Carlee Sent on 07/16/2018

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The Grand River Center is an absolutely beautiful venue! I loved the convenience of the hotel being connected to the reception venue, as well. It was great for guests and the wedding party! The food was good. There are a few things that did not go as planned, but overall the reception was fabulous and everyone had a wonderful time!
Emily Sent on 08/04/2017

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I had an amazing wedding and reception here and would not change it for anything! The things that irked me was the communication the days before the wedding, Sherri seemed to forget which wedding I was and would get angry when I didn't asswer a question I didn't ask. Sherri also was very snarky about our decorations and the colors of our wedding (black and white) our wedding party was very upset by how she treated them during rehearsal and waiting for the wedding, rehearsal took longer than the whole wedding. Our wedding got done early and Sherri told me and my groom that we could start the cocktail hour early which was wonderful, but she waited for a couple hours to tell me that since we started early we would have to end early, no longer giving me a choice. Sherri stumbled over our vows and our names like she has never read them. The floors were also sticky and we had to ask for them to be cleaned 5 times until they were cleaned an hour before the wedding. Sherri was also not clear on when everything was to be paid for. During our tour she stated it needed to be paid the Tuesday after the wedding then called me agrilly a few weeks before because we didn't pay yet.
Besides all of that, it was a perfect day, food was amazing, (Sherri forgot to invite me to the taste testing).
It was all great except for just 1 person and none of that drama started until 1 to 2 weeks before the wedding. All of the gifts needed to be out of the reception hall 1.5 hours before it ended!
I would highly recommend this place but be warned about Sherri and her manipulation and rudeness!
Adriann Sent on 11/22/2015

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I have to say that the actual reception we had at this venue was amazing and went very well. However, the process of planning up to the wedding was kind of a mess. We went through four different wedding coordinators throughout the planning process - not because we requested it, but because each left the business. It seemed like some information was lost between the changing of each coordinator. We were supposed to have our ceremony at the Grand River Center. We were told one area could hold 300 people, and were later told 6 months before our wedding that there was no way that this many people could fit there. We were forced to find another ceremony venue and we did not receive an apology or any reimbursement. After all of this I was very upset. However, the final coordinator who handled our reception did a very good job. She was very helpful and accommodating and the actual reception went beautifully. Hopefully the Grand River Center will have better organization and long term employment of its coordinators in the future, because it truly is a beautiful venue. We were very pleased with the end result. For the price, the beautiful venue and the good food, it was worth it. However, I'm not sure I would recommend this venue to a friend, because of all the stress it caused us during the planning process.
Nicole Sent on 05/05/2018

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The Grand River Center is a beautiful venue for a reception. They have many choices for where you would like your reception, ours was in the entire ballroom. When I first booked the GRC I was amazed at how helpful the staff was and all the different things you could do with the venue. We went to the tasting and all of the food was absolutely amazing. We had chicken cordon bleu and pork loin, garlic mashed, vegetable medley in a buffet. We had 350 guests and I was amazed at how quickly everyone got through the buffet in about a half hour everyone was fed. I had 3 family tables plated as well as the head table. The head table and family tables were supposed to be served food first so that when the last table went through the buffet line the head table could start speeches. We still were not served our food when half of the entire ballroom had already gone through the buffet!!! Their service is extremely slow, half the room should NOT be fed before the head table and family tables are fed! Also, when we signed our contract in 2017 the food and beverage prices went up. So we ended up paying more than we signed our contract for. They also called us in March before our April wedding and told us prices were going up again but I put my foot down and said absolutely not they already went up for us once. They like to nickel and dime you for every little thing and it just gets exhausting. Another thing is the wedding planners promise you the world but they don't always follow through on their promises. I'm extremely glad I hired a Day-Of-Coordinator to make sure that what they promised me was actually done. Without having a day-of-coordinator I know everything I was promised wouldn't of been followed through on because there were 2 other weddings in the building that day. All in all it's a great venue, but the service could definitely be improved!
User1128977 Sent on 04/08/2013

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Nice place but too much going on to make your day about you, there's just too many people coming and going.very nice place just want for me, only had ceremony there but still very pricy!
Josie Sent on 09/16/2018

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We felt a lot like just another couple being herded through the process. I had to follow up via email and phone when I needed something. The room was not ready when we arrived to decorate (tables were missing) and I had to ask twice to get them.

We were rushed through our rehearsal because Sherri double-booked herself/wrote down the wrong time. Family members told me they didn't know what they needed to do because she kept changing her mind and giving them different instructions.

The River Room is an amazing space and I would recommend the room, however be prepared for below average customer service.
User2504336 Sent on 01/13/2016

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We are holing our reception at Grand River Center because of the location, size and cleanliness of the venue. If not for all of these factors I would not have my wedding here. The wedding planner, Melissa, has been very difficult to work with. She doesn't reply to emails in a prompt manner and is very informal/unprofessional when communicating. Despite reading negative reviews, we booked anyway as there aren't many options in the Dubuque area. Sadly, I wish that we were having our wedding in a different location.
Leah Sent on 09/30/2016

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This venue is absolutely beautiful and that is why it is so popular. Like a pretty mean girl, they can push you around and make you feel like you work for them because at the end of the day, they have the Mississippi and the sunset.
We signed our contract with GRC 9 months out and by our wedding, we had worked with 4 coordinators due to turnover. In one instance, we heard nothing from our wedding coordinator for a few months so I emailed to check in with her only to find out that she had left the company 6 weeks earlier and no one had told me. We paid extra (it's $750 an hour, by the way) to be married in the River Room, which overlooks the water and to then have our cocktail hour there before our reception. We jumped through hoops to allow enough time for them to transition the room from ceremony set up to cocktail tables between ceremony and cocktail hour, and they didn't even try to do it. I walked by the cocktail hour during pictures and noticed our guests just sitting in auditorium style lines of chairs from the ceremony, or standing. Speaking of ceremony, we booked the River Room 5-6 pm for our ceremony. They scheduled another wedding at 2 pm, which ultimately meant that we could do no decorating in the ceremony space until after 3 pm which is after our pictures were to have begun and also way after everyone is dressed. We weren't notified of the extra ceremony before ours until 2 days before our wedding so there was no recovery plan to be made at that point. I could go on forever (and have, to my poor friends), but the last thing I'll note is that they changed the prices for everything on us significantly 4 weeks before our wedding and their contract stipulates that it is ok. We made such a fuss that they put them back to the prices we agreed to in September, but BE AWARE and read everything they send you for errors and secret rate hikes.
The worst part of all is that I would probably still choose this venue because it's so beautiful.
Natalie Sent on 10/14/2020

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Chaos Due to Inattentive Staff

The room is beautiful, but not worth the price. Communication was horrific from the beginning (far before COVID-19). Our original officiant was their coordinator and left. Well, we had no contact information from her and the remaining staff refused to give it out. The only way I found out our officiant left is by trying to email her work email and I received a response back from google stating that the email address does not exist. That was a mess. Then, rehearsal day comes and there was a wedding right before our rehearsal, which is fine. However, there were kids from the other wedding running in and out of our rehearsal space the entire time and we couldn’t even hear what our officiant was saying to us. Wedding day came and the wedding from the night before didn’t remove their decor. My mom and my husband’s stepmom had to move this enormous wooden arch out of the room, among other items. Mitzi said that she sets up a pitcher of water with disposable cups for every wedding because the room is all glass and heats up really fast. The wedding the night before had it set up, but we didn’t have it for some reason. At the end of the ceremony, we found that someone took our bouquet vases from the florist. Never were to be found. Just a complete disaster dealing with these people and a huge waste of money!
Jodi Sent on 08/10/2014

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When I saw this venue space, I fell in love. I knew that there was probably going to be a catch and there was. The food and service were absolutely awful. It was actually in edible. Many of my guests did not eat, as their steak was GRAY and cold. It was a complete embarrassment and I feel completely taken advantage of. My chicken was chewy and tasted like airplane food, actually I feel airplane meals are better. I brought this to Katie's attention and she was very nice and asked if I wanted something else. Well, steak was not an option, as my husband was eating gray, fatty steak that looked as if it came from a casino. And what about the other guests who were also served this disgusting food? No one seemed to care or try to do anything about that. The vegetables were straight from a can and the potatoes were instant with some nacho cheese sauce. I will say that our expectations are probably much higher than many, as we live in Chicago and are surrounded by fabulous restaurants. However, I grew up in Iowa and my family still resides in Bellevue and parts of Dubuque, so I have frequented many restaurants in the area. Even the small town, ma and pa restaurants in the area have better quality food. The Grand River Center should be ashamed of themselves for serving this quality of food. I am shocked that none of our guests got sick, probably because they didn't eat. They are clearly taking advantage of their clients because of the atmosphere that they offer.
User2504799 Sent on 01/13/2016

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Tying to set up a time to see the ballrooms at the Grand River Center was very difficult. The lady responded to my initial email within a day, but took three business days to respond to my second (and third) email. After I received a response from her about meeting times she was only available for two time slots during the next week. I spoke to my neighbor (who is also engaged) about the organization at the Grand River Center and she said she never even got a response to her inquiry.

I ended up booking at a local hotel blocks away. The service is night and day.
User3381869 Sent on 07/19/2015

1.2 out of 5 rating
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The venue itself is beautiful and is the main reason that we booked our reception here. When we first toured the venue we worked with Katie and she was great. Because we booked our wedding over a year in advance we did not have any communication with GRC until a few months before the wedding. By this point the previous wedding director and Katie had left the company and two new ladies had taken over.
We had nothing but problems getting Melissa (the new wedding director) to answer our questions and meet with us. When I emailed her questions it took her a minimum of a few days and, for one email, 1 ½ weeks to respond. She set up appointments with me and then did not come into the office both times. When I worked with the GM in the WD’s absence, the WD contradicted what we were told and I had to fight to get the things that I was already told we could have. She told us that we would have enough seating to meet exactly the number of guests that had RSVP’d – ignoring the fact that most times you will have some tables with less than the max that they are capable of holding. I received confirmation that our room would be set up by 6PM the night before but when I arrived at 8:30PM the room was not cleaned from its previous event yet. It took them 1 ½ hours to get it set once I tracked down a GRC employee and then they told us that they would be “right back” so we waited for them to return to do our setup. Several other GRC employees came in 15 minutes later and assured us that the setup people would be back in to finish up. Another 15 minutes later we saw them setting up the room across the hall. When I asked when they would be coming back I was told “tomorrow” so we finally were able to set up the room at 10:30.
The day of the wedding went off without any problems and we had a lot of compliments on the food (Riesling chicken and NY strip steak) but the struggle to get to that point was not worth the money in my opinion.
My advice is to get anything you want in writing.

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