MacRay Event Center Reviews

When we started our hunt for a venue we were so overwhelmed by all the options. We met with Kelli at MacRay on day 1 of our search, we kept looking just incase, however after at least 15 other tours and meetings with various venues and coordinators, we kept on coming back to MacRay. The venue is amazing, it’s right on the water with a beautiful view of the harbor. The ballroom, outdoor space and even bridal suite were all incredible. The food and drink options were very reasonably priced and the service from bartenders to waitstaff were everything we needed. No other location had as much to offer as MacRay, above everything else MacRay has Kelli. Kelli was so helpful during our process, she was attentive, responsive and incredibly informative. As someone who overthinks and tries to overplan everything, Kelli really made this process so easy. During our month long search she reached out to us many times just to check in where we were at in the process, she answered all of our questions and even helped give us advice when talking to other venues(she could tell she was our first stop lol!). My fiancée and I are on completely different schedules so we only have availability to meet with venues on weekends. Surprisingly a lot of venues do not have weekend visit times(?). Kelli had no problem accommodating us and had us come in on Sundays when she knew we would both be free. Our wedding is This upcoming October and we are so excited for the big day and cannot thank Kelli and the staff at MacRay Harbor enough for making this process so easy.

Renee made it so easy to visualize, plan, and finalize details for our wedding. My fiancé and I wanted to be sure to find a venue that would help handle the majority of details through one contact (food, beverage, venue, etc.) and MacRay was exactly that. We didn't have to worry about a thing going into our wedding weekend.

We also used them for our wedding shower which was a great preview to our day.

Being a same sex couple, the first hurdle we thought we would have to jump is finding a place that was accepting. But from the time we walked in the door to get a quote, to the very end of the wedding night everything went amazing. Fergie and her staff were very accepting, accommodating and did everything they could to make our wedding day special. Anytime i had any questions, Fergie was very prompt in responding. I couldn’t of imagined having my wedding anywhere else. Our wedding coordinator Stephanie did amazing at calming our nerves on the big day. We couldn’t of done it without her. The guests are still raving about the food, how nice the venue was and the great drinks. 10/10 would recommend them to anyone.

Venue was superb except for two minor exceptions...we had our ceremony in the lower level banquet room and had no way to keep guests out until we were ready. Also, the temperature and humidity in the entire facility, including the upper level where we had our reception, were too high. We requested several times for cooler temps but were told the A/C has not been working correctly. Other than that, everything was wonderful- staff, food, view, and drinks were A+.

We were very satisfied with the service. The food was excellent and the bar tender was great. The only thing that happened was we ran out of plates and chicken. But otherwise everything was great!!

MacRay was such a beautiful venue. Fergy was very responsive for us, and super accommodating to all of the requests that we had. She even accommodated the request of turning off sprinklers at a certain time so we could take pictures in a specific area at the venue. Her assistants, on the other hand, seemed to not always relay correct information to her for one reason or another. There were at least three times where we mentioned to various assistants that we had already done a dinner tasting, but she never received the info. Service was solid, however the cooking staff messed up our food a bit. We had requested no mushrooms due to certain guests who have severe food allergy issues, and Fergy noted it on the sheet, but the kitchen staff still included mushrooms in their sauce for the chicken. The wait staff rushed the order back and got it fixed, so it turned out to be alright in the end. Value wise, the venue prices are fair, although outdoor ceremony costs seem a bit high compared to other places. Overall, I would highly recommend this place despite the minor mishaps that occurred.

We absolutely loved the venue, food, and day- of assistance from Lisa!! My main complaints are with Fergy, who seems to have far too much on her plate to return phone calls or emails in a timely manner. It would also be extremely helpful if brides were provided with a timeline of when payments, guest counts, and various decisions were due to prevent last-minute phone-tag and anxiety-ridden brides ;) Communication overall was not the best. That all being said, I felt they were flexible & accommodating, and wedding day couldn't have gone more smoothly!

MacRay Harbor was a last minute change for our wedding venue, and they were more then accommodating and flexible. The day of my wedding was the only day that I faced some problems (which obviously isn't ideal). I let myself in the backdoor because the event manager was late. I had a wonderful staff member from the kitchen offer to help me move around tables. The bartender for our wedding was horrible, and our wait staff could have been more professional and done a better job. I didn't like that half my guests were done eating, and others still hadn't received their entrees yet. I will say that Jason, the restaurant manager was the BEST person we worked with throughout the process. He addressed all of our concerns, and went above and beyond to make sure we were happy, after our wedding day.

We absolutly love MacRay, we have been coming to the marina for years. It is actually where we got engaged. The site is beautiful.

Fergie from MacRay helped make my dream wedding come true. I never thought I would be able to afford such a beautiful place to have my wedding reception. I scheduled my wedding only 2 1/2 months before and I must say everything went smoothly with her

Overall My experience with MacRay's Harbor was amazing. Perfect venue for my perfect day. Amazing, staff and the ballroom was perfect! Minor mishaps but nothing major to ruin the day

Great place for a reception and venue.

I had my reception at MacRay in the upstairs ballroom, and I also contracted to use Belle Maer Harbor for my ceremony through them. Both were absolutely beautiful. So many of my guests commented about how breathtaking the view was. MacRay truly is a full-service venue, and they took care of everything for me! All I had to do was drop off the things I wanted set up a few days before the wedding and they took care of it all. The food was amazing, and the staff are great. The one issue I had was that it was a little difficult to get certain questions answered over email. However, as the wedding got closer Fergy became more responsive and was very attentive to detail. Overall, I could not see my wedding being held anywhere else.

This place is the worst. I would never recommend this venue for anything. The food was served late, and was cold. Bridal table was served almost last instead of first. Servers never came around to see if you needed water, coffee etc. The servers never cleared off the tables before serving dessert in fact bridal party girls were clearing off the tables because it was a mess and the bride was getting upset. The dance floor was coming apart luckily no one was injured. The whole evening except the DJ was a disaster. If your ever considering this place DON'T you will be totally disappointed.

This is a beautiful wedding location. I had my wedding here and everyone had positive things to say about the location and the food. I would recommend this venue to other people.

This is a beautiful venue for a wedding and reception. They provide many additional services as well. I was even able to order my stationary (invites/thank yous) and cake. My DJ and florist were very familiar with them which helped with the coordination of the even. MacRay's staff was very attentive and helpful through the planning process right up to the last minute of our celebration.

We had a wonderful wedding and shower at MacRay. Worked with Lisa & Fergy and they were both amazing! Very responsive to my calls and email through out the whole planning process!
We received so may compliments on the venue, the food, and the cakes! The pastry chief is wonderful!! I will be buying cakes from them for birthdays because she was that good!
Everything was 1st class and my wedding was just as I imagined it would be. Truly a dream come true!!
I would recommend this place to anyone that wants a breath taking wedding with views & wedding pictures to die for! This isn't just a "hall" type of wedding. If your looking for unique and classy this is your place! 5 STARS Wish I could do it all over again

MacRays Banquet & Events center is an exceptional venue for weddings! Everything from the setting to the service was fantastic! Kathy Hubel ("Fergy") took care of every detail and made the planning for the day seamless!!!!! I would definitely refer any bride looking to have a beautiful ceremony or reception to this location !!!!! The baker made such a delectable cake, and the food was outstanding , my guests are still talking about it 27 days after the wedding on Facebook!!!!

Our wedding was amazing! Only a few minor issues on the beautiful day. We paid $27 for each one of our vendors to eat dinner..(this was half the price of our guests) and not only did the staff almost forget to feed them, when they finally did feed them, they were given hamburgers!!! Meanwhile we are having a lovely hazelnut encrusted walleye and a fabulous chicken entree. WHY wouldn't they eat the same thing the rest of us were eating. It was one of only a few minor issues, but embarrassing nonetheless!

The food was amazing and the ballroom looked amazing! So happy we paid the extra money for the ballroom upstairs, beautiful! Everyone was very helpful!

The views at MacRay are uncomparable to any metro Detroit reception site. My husband and I are in love with the water so we knew we had to have our wedding reception here! The food is amazing and we got lots of compliments from our wedding guests about the good taste and high quality of the food and wedding cake. People were mezmorized by the 3 walls of windows. We had our reception in the grand ballroom on the top floor which is much more costly than the room on the first floor. The cost was quite high but definitely worth it! Everyone is talking about how great our wedding was :)

The down sides to MacRay is that we had many difficulties communicating with the banquet representative. She wouldn't return emails or voicemails. If she did, she woiuld only answer 1 question... whether you had 2 or 10. We paid for a piano to be played... that was never played.... For the money you have to spend there, I expect better customer service!

They set up my room and it was beautiful! They did everything I had asked and the food was out of this world!!! People could not stop talking about how amazing the chicken persillade and slow roast beef were, it was exactly how we tried it!! I also had my cake done here, it was gorgeous and it was amazing!

I have two separate reviews:

Bridal Shower - We had our Bridal shower at Mac & Rays at the end of February. Everyone was really easy to work with and more than happy to help! Guests commented on how beautiful everything was and how lovely the room was. We choose the Salad with all the fruit and chicken on it for the guests, and it was Amazing!!! Fantastic salad! Fresh and tasty! Plus the pricing was excellent!

Wedding Cake - Shelley, the pastry chef from Mac & Rays, made our wedding cake for us. My DH knew her because in college he use to be a banquette server there. She has the most AMAZING cakes I have ever tasted. Her decorating is also beautiful! I still have guests telling me the cake was so good they had more than one piece! :) Her prices were very affordable as well, you would expect to pay a lot more money for such a delicious, moist cake!

This venue is a great place to get married at. Our pictures look absolutely amazing. Fergie, the catering manager, was very helpful with everything. The staff was amazing on the wedding day.

We had our wedding shower here and they were asked us if everything was running smoothly and were very helpful with whatever we needed. They gave us the wrong napkin color but then made up for it by giving me and my family free buffet lunch which was excellent.