The Circ and Root Reviews

I got married at the Circ and Root this Saturday and I cannot recommend this venue highly enough - the food was AMAZING, the guests were complementing the venue all night and Gloria was so helpful to work with!! 100% worth every penny and I would book them again in a heartbeat.

What an amazing venue! All of the guests were raving about how each section of the night was. All of the event staff were so sweet and great to work with. They even left a couple date night ideas for us before the guests arrived! The set up and takedown of tables/chairs and decorations was so fast and organized and there was always someone to help out when we needed it. The in-house catering is absolutely amazing and everyone loved the food from the buffet. It is definitely not the stereotypical wedding food. The bar staff were also amazing and created beautiful and delicious craft cocktails for all of the guests. The Circ and Root is an amazing business in downtown Ann Arbor, but they are an even better event venue!

The team at Circ was really accommodating. They provided their time and were responsive to our needs. In preparation, they worked with us to ensure our vision was feasible in the space. They also helped us create a contingency plan for bad weather since our ceremony was happening in the alley. When we wanted to adjust a couple of standard packages to be more customized to our preferences, they were willing to adjust and make something that worked for both us and them!

We are grateful to Kate and the team at Circ for putting in so much effort to ensure we had a fun night! Our guests were raving about the experience. If we had to do it all over again, we would go with Circ 100%.

My husband and I held both, our ceremony and reception, at Circ and Root and could not be happier with how everything turned out! We were looking for a venue that was untraditional, fun and beautiful which we found here. Our ceremony was out on the balcony with about 75 people, yet still felt intimate. The balcony was then transitioned for cocktail hour which was done flawlessly by the staff. For the reception, the space comfortably fit about 140 people. Our layout consisted of long, family style tables. We did have the food catered and served by a local catering company which Circ and Root accommodated without issue. We were very happy with the Circ and root bar staff. Root was the perfect space to end the night for dancing. We got so many compliments on the unique space which we owe to the Venue and our florist who elevated the space with her design. Kate was amazing to work with throughout the entire planning process and was patient with all of our needs, questions and helped our vision come to fruition. We wish we could relive the night and looking for an excuse to host another event at this amazing space!

I wish I could give Kate and Roger more stars! We had the most perfect night for our recent wedding vow renewal on 8/14/21 at Circ/Root. Kate was so delightful to work with. She is incredibly responsive to emails and very communicative about details. Whenever any issues came up, she was ready with problem solving solutions. Her calm and self assured personality made us feel so at ease and confident that the night would go as planned. We didn’t meet Roger until the day of, but he was also super helpful and full of ideas and eager to help us create the perfect night. As for the venue itself - so perfect. It was really fun to change up locations between the ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner, and dancing. Each space is so fun and unique and beautiful in is own way, and I think it kept anyone from feeling stir crazy sitting in one spot all night. The courtyard was super cute for the ceremony and the rooftop deck was a fun outdoor space to have a few drinks with guests. Circ is gorgeous and the photos don’t do justice to the lighting. The filtered light through the windows and pretty hanging light fixtures against the brick walls are gorgeous. Root was an absolute blast for the dance party. The place has so much character and I got so many compliments on the awesome venue. Also - since the entire venue is so gorgeous as is, I did only minimal decor ($600 on Sams club flowers and some candles) and it still felt special and luxe. Finally, the food and drinks. It was delicious! I had so many people comment on how good the food tasted and how much they loved the drinks. The bartenders made some mixed drinks that made the rounds around the party and everyone had fun trying new drinks at friends suggestions. I had so many guests tell us that we threw a great party, but honestly most of that is due to Kate and Roger in creating this awesome space. I would recommend to anyone.

When I get the professional photos, I’ll add those in here as well!

I rented the back lounge and roof deck for a surprise engagement party and could not have been happier. From the initial booking to the very last drink poured, the Circ staff exceeded my expectations in every regard. The back room has great ambiance for more intimate gatherings without feeling cramped. We had 40 guests with room to spare, although the main area could easily accommodate larger parties. The service was top-notch and the food was great; I would highly recommend!

Getting married during the pandemic was not easy. I need to postpone my wedding several times. However, found this awesome venue that really understands how to work with the customer. The staff, manager, and owner were super nice and friendly. They will listen to your suggestion and will help you with your wedding as well. They do not hesitate to help you even after the wedding was done. My sister and I both forget our jewelry in the bridal suite and I contacted the venue manager Caitlin right away. Her response was really fast and nice. Glad that we choose this venue. It's a beautiful venue, the food is delicious, the staff is awesome, and the service is wonderful. Will give this place 10 out of 10. Thank you for making my wedding so wonderful. The guests were really happy with the venue, food, and service as well.

James and I were married at the Circ and Root on November 5th, 2021; I first found the Circ a year prior to getting married on wedding wire. I instantly fell in love with the uniqueness of the space and the experience my guest would have at this venue compared to traditional wedding venues. While James was deployed overseas Kate Anderson, the venue coordinator was able to help through every part of the planning process! From the venue tour, to the never ending changing COVID protocols Kate was always avaible to answer any question or concern I had. Kate was amazing to work with through the entire process. She was an asset to our other vendors and worked though any hiccup that raised during the wedding day. The venue itself is a beautiful and unique space, that gives the vibe of Brooklyn right in Ann Arbor. I love the aspect that the venue was broken into different spaces for guests to explore during the event. The brick atmosphere gives a warm and romantic feel to the space where the vaults give a speakeasy vibe. The bridal suite and grooms lounge were great for getting ready, and made for some great photos. Our guests loved the venue although due to the different spaces some guests were unable to see the first dances. If you hold the dances in the vaults I recommend having your DJ make an accountments for the first dances. The food was even better at the wedding than the tasting, we have had many guests rave about the quality of the food at our wedding! The venue fee is pretty high compared to other venues but was worth the cost in the long run. I loved our entire experience at the Circ and Root and would highly recommend anyone to get married here who is looking for a unique and unforgettable guest experience.

Our day was perfect and that was largely because of Circ & Root and Kate's efforts. We held our ceremony on the terrace, had cocktail hour in the lounge bar, and then had our reception in Root. They were understaffed due to the pandemic, but Kate went out of her way to ensure things were perfect. The food and drinks were phenomenal and the venue itself was just what my husband and I wanted. Root's stone vaults and low lighting created an antique, kind of speakeasy vibe. The vaults separated a lot of the guests from one another and made it difficult for everyone to see the head table, but for us it wasn't an issue. It took some of the pressure off of my husband and I because we didn't feel like we were being watched the entire time and it encouraged guests to get up from their tables to mingle. The character that the building provided was a great talking point for guests. I even included the history of the building with our wedding invites. I wouldn't change anything about our day and I highly recommend this venue for couples looking for a unique place to have their wedding.

We loved our wedding at Circ and so did our guests. The space is stunning and unique, unlike any Other wedding we've been to.

It is the perfect venue to create different moments during your wedding. Our ceremony was in the courtyard, cocktail hour at the back bar, dinner at the main bar, and reception in Root (the basement). Root offered great opportunities for photos as well.

Wedding coordinator Kate was flexible and responsive. She was willing to field our random questions, solve problems, and work through issues that weren't explicitly covered by the contract.
Quick highlights:
Circ staff was extremely helpful all day (during setup, the event, and clean up) and willing to go the extra mile.
Our DJ was able to use the house stereo upstairs during cocktail hour/dinner which saved us some money.
Food was better than we anticipated and was representative of what we had at our tasting.
We had 125 guests and used 9' farm tables. The dinner area felt close to capacity.

Short read: Things go wrong during a wedding, but the venue staff was unable and unwilling to work with us. Due to the pandemic, staffing was by far the biggest issue, so until they address these problems, I recommend avoiding them or bringing in your own.

Long read: After touring what seemed like an endless stream of venues, Circ & Root stood out because of the beauty, atmosphere, and layout of the place. During the planning process, we had fairly decent communication with the staff. However, this was largely in part to me keeping thorough notes about every phone call and meeting. When it came to the actual day of the wedding, things went a bit awry, but such is to be expected. The issues we faced were mostly in dealing with staff, and with the state of the world right now, we understand. However, certain things can’t slide, and the venue was extremely unwilling to work with us afterwards. Here’s a breakdown:

The good: the venue is gorgeous and fun, total hit of the night. Our photos are so memorable thanks to the beautiful interior and exterior of the venue.

The bad: Cocktail hour was understaffed, people waited in line for a drink for most of the time (approx 45 minutes). The bartenders at dinner were rude to guests, even ignoring groups of people waiting for drinks. The servers during dinner were unprofessional. One server was wearing short shorts and tennis shoes to serve a formal wedding. The venue ran out of our signature drink halfway through dinner. The food was served cold. The quality of food from the tasting to the actual dinner was noticeably lower. One table wasn’t served until almost an hour after dinner had started. They forgot to serve our cake after dinner, but we were able to get it served downstairs. Security let random people into our private event on a few different occasions. Lastly, after all of this, the venue failed to take responsibility for these issues. When we asked for fair compensation for all the missteps, they pushed back and said it wasn’t their issues to deal with, and in the future they will be addressed.

All in all, this venue will make for a beautiful wedding. 120 guests seemed to be too much to handle for their staffing at the time. Had they mentioned that prior, we could have done something about it, but were instead left to struggle. As things return to normal, I feel these issues will be clarified, but keep in mind, if you do have any issues, do not expect to be compensated.