The Waddell Center
Updated
The Waddell Center Photos
About This Vendor
Modern Elegance
Conveniently located in Downtown Grand Rapids, the newly redecorated Waddell Center features wood beamed ceilings and original exposed brick with plenty of free parking for your guests. This state of the art full service facility offers a unique urban tone perfect for your special day. Operated completely by award winning Distinctive Catering, with complete catering and bar services, this venue is the perfect affordable downtown location. Please visit our other TheKnot storefronts - Distinctive Catering, The Grandville Banquet Center, and Distinctive Catering Banquet Center in Wyoming.
Amenities & Details
Ceremony Area, Handicap Accessible, Indoor Event Space, Liability Insurance, Reception Area, Wireless Internet
Guest CapacityUp to 250
Ceremony TypesCivil Union, Interfaith Ceremony, Non-Religious Ceremony, Religious Ceremony, Second Wedding, Vow Renewal Ceremony
Venue Service OfferingsBar & Drinks, Cakes & Desserts, Food & Catering, Service Staff
SettingsBallroom, Historic Venue
Business AttributesPricing for The Waddell Center
| Option | Value |
|---|---|
| Starting Cost | Affordable |
| Cost Starting | |
| Price Range | |
| Couples Usually Spend | |
| Peak Season Months | |
| Peak Season Cost | |
| Peak Season Reception Cost | |
| Peak Season Ceremony Cost | |
| Peak Season Bar Service Cost | |
| OffSeason Months | |
| OffSeason Cost | |
| OffSeason Reception Cost | |
| OffSeason Ceremony Cost | |
| OffSeason BarService Cost |
The Waddell Center Reviews
Lisa Stokes (bride) 5 out of 5 Rating
Wedding Date 27-10-2018
Absolutely wonderful venue. We’ve been to a total of 3 here, including our own, and have been impressed every time. Prices are very affordable and the staff goes above and beyond to make sure everyone is taken care of. Our lead server for the night also made it her priority to take care of the bridal party as well as the parents of the bride and groom. We did the signature buffet and all of our guests seemed to love it, I’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback.
Reviewed on 10-11-2018
Wedding Date 27-10-2018
Absolutely wonderful venue. We’ve been to a total of 3 here, including our own, and have been impressed every time. Prices are very affordable and the staff goes above and beyond to make sure everyone is taken care of. Our lead server for the night also made it her priority to take care of the bridal party as well as the parents of the bride and groom. We did the signature buffet and all of our guests seemed to love it, I’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback.
Reviewed on 10-11-2018
Alex G (other) 5 out of 5 Rating
Wonderful space for our wedding reception. Employees were so helpful, great with communication, and helped everything run smoothly!
Reviewed on 20-10-2023
Wonderful space for our wedding reception. Employees were so helpful, great with communication, and helped everything run smoothly!
Reviewed on 20-10-2023
Kate Wezeman (other) 5 out of 5 Rating
Beautiful venue. The setup is great. It’s big. Nice dance floor and A/V. Staff is OUTSTANDING!!! The night was perfect.
Reviewed on 12-10-2023
Beautiful venue. The setup is great. It’s big. Nice dance floor and A/V. Staff is OUTSTANDING!!! The night was perfect.
Reviewed on 12-10-2023
Keara Ritsema (bride) 3 out of 5 Rating
Wedding Date 08-10-2022
We recently had our wedding reception at the Waddell Center, and overall it was awesome! The staff was friendly, the venue was gorgeous, and the food was great. However, one big thing kept the day from being perfect. The handicap elevator was out of order and had no sign indicating its status or any other accessible way to get in. My uncle waited for around 10 minutes for a staff member to come by just to let him know that there was a ramp around the back side of the building. HE ended up being assisted down the stairs but was incredibly embarrassed. This is really unacceptable, and it seems from other reviews that this elevator has been an issue in the past that has not been addressed. I hope the Waddell Center addresses this issue promptly so no other individuals have to go through the embarrassment that my uncle did.
Reviewed on 20-10-2022
Wedding Date 08-10-2022
We recently had our wedding reception at the Waddell Center, and overall it was awesome! The staff was friendly, the venue was gorgeous, and the food was great. However, one big thing kept the day from being perfect. The handicap elevator was out of order and had no sign indicating its status or any other accessible way to get in. My uncle waited for around 10 minutes for a staff member to come by just to let him know that there was a ramp around the back side of the building. HE ended up being assisted down the stairs but was incredibly embarrassed. This is really unacceptable, and it seems from other reviews that this elevator has been an issue in the past that has not been addressed. I hope the Waddell Center addresses this issue promptly so no other individuals have to go through the embarrassment that my uncle did.
Reviewed on 20-10-2022
Rachel Kurzeja (bride) 5 out of 5 Rating
Wedding Date 11-05-2019
The venue was absolutely beautiful and made our wedding vision truly come to life. The venue comes with a fair bit of decoration which reduced the amount of decoration and rentals that we were required to provide. The prices were extremely reasonable for a all rentals (tables, chairs, linens, flatware, ect.) included, a great menu selection, and a great bar package. The staff was helpful, friendly, and provided wonderful customer service. We received so many complements on the food as well as the overall venue. We are so happy we decided to go with the Waddell Center for our Reception Venue - we could not have been happier with how our reception went!
Reviewed on 29-06-2019
Wedding Date 11-05-2019
The venue was absolutely beautiful and made our wedding vision truly come to life. The venue comes with a fair bit of decoration which reduced the amount of decoration and rentals that we were required to provide. The prices were extremely reasonable for a all rentals (tables, chairs, linens, flatware, ect.) included, a great menu selection, and a great bar package. The staff was helpful, friendly, and provided wonderful customer service. We received so many complements on the food as well as the overall venue. We are so happy we decided to go with the Waddell Center for our Reception Venue - we could not have been happier with how our reception went!
Reviewed on 29-06-2019
Rebecca Stoddard (bride) 5 out of 5 Rating
Wedding Date 18-05-2019
beautiful venue that is already decorated and the staff was super helpful and accommodating. Food was amazing and my guests continued to compliment me on the space! thanks for a great evening filled with wonderful memories!
Reviewed on 20-05-2019
Wedding Date 18-05-2019
beautiful venue that is already decorated and the staff was super helpful and accommodating. Food was amazing and my guests continued to compliment me on the space! thanks for a great evening filled with wonderful memories!
Reviewed on 20-05-2019
Amanda B (bride) 1 out of 5 Rating
Wedding Date 31-08-2018
one star to warn brides about this venue. This is an honest review of my experience with the Waddell Center being my wedding venue. We had our wedding on a Friday night and we paid for a contracted 6 hour time. 1) The staff began to tear down my chair covers and tables over an hour before my time ended, while DJ was still playing and guests were enjoying the evening. I was SO confused by this. No one asked me (the contact who planned EVERYTHING or the groom) I emailed one of the coordinators who I worked with for most of my planning after this sharing the bad experience, and she said that the lead server asked our parents.... they didn't plan the event and I did not have them as a day of contact. I did not authorize anyone else to have a say in our decisions for the evening, we paid for this entire event ourselves.2) Two of our guests money/wallets were \"misplaced\". The distinctive catering \"staff\" who were tearing down our chair covers and tables were not wearing company logo shirts and there were several men running around the reception during our contracted time taking down our chair covers (again, while DJ was playing before our contracted reception time was up). The waddell center had an event the next day (hmm, I guess that was my problem). The food was really good and our server was great, it was just the fact our night was interrupted when we were having so much fun. I remember looking up while dancing and seeing the several \"staff\" in all black, running around the venue (While guests were still sitting at tables) taking linens off...... I hope to warn brides. I hope no other bride will have this memory of the end of her wedding night. Just be warned... it was shady. The best day of our life was quickly tarnished with this end of the night memory. We did inform the distinctive catering event planner about all of this.
Reviewed on 12-09-2018
Wedding Date 31-08-2018
one star to warn brides about this venue. This is an honest review of my experience with the Waddell Center being my wedding venue. We had our wedding on a Friday night and we paid for a contracted 6 hour time. 1) The staff began to tear down my chair covers and tables over an hour before my time ended, while DJ was still playing and guests were enjoying the evening. I was SO confused by this. No one asked me (the contact who planned EVERYTHING or the groom) I emailed one of the coordinators who I worked with for most of my planning after this sharing the bad experience, and she said that the lead server asked our parents.... they didn't plan the event and I did not have them as a day of contact. I did not authorize anyone else to have a say in our decisions for the evening, we paid for this entire event ourselves.2) Two of our guests money/wallets were \"misplaced\". The distinctive catering \"staff\" who were tearing down our chair covers and tables were not wearing company logo shirts and there were several men running around the reception during our contracted time taking down our chair covers (again, while DJ was playing before our contracted reception time was up). The waddell center had an event the next day (hmm, I guess that was my problem). The food was really good and our server was great, it was just the fact our night was interrupted when we were having so much fun. I remember looking up while dancing and seeing the several \"staff\" in all black, running around the venue (While guests were still sitting at tables) taking linens off...... I hope to warn brides. I hope no other bride will have this memory of the end of her wedding night. Just be warned... it was shady. The best day of our life was quickly tarnished with this end of the night memory. We did inform the distinctive catering event planner about all of this.
Reviewed on 12-09-2018
Rachel Niewiada (bride) 5 out of 5 Rating
Wedding Date 06-07-2018
The Waddell Center was such a beautiful venue. It was such a relief to know that the place was already decorated and that we really didn't need to add that much to the space. They were super accommodating with our vendors. Family (in the catering industry) that went to set up couldn't stop talking about how helpful and wonderful they were. The space was perfect for our guest list of 150 without feeling too cramped, while still feeling full. They were wonderful!
Reviewed on 23-07-2018
Wedding Date 06-07-2018
The Waddell Center was such a beautiful venue. It was such a relief to know that the place was already decorated and that we really didn't need to add that much to the space. They were super accommodating with our vendors. Family (in the catering industry) that went to set up couldn't stop talking about how helpful and wonderful they were. The space was perfect for our guest list of 150 without feeling too cramped, while still feeling full. They were wonderful!
Reviewed on 23-07-2018
Katelyn Parris (bride) 5 out of 5 Rating
Wedding Date 23-06-2018
My husband and I chose to have our wedding reception at the Waddell Center. We have nothing but positive comments to say about our experience with the Waddell Center. The staff was so helpful the day before and day of the event. My other vendors also commented on the friendliness of the staff members. I mostly worked with Sarah and Nicole. They specifically were awesome to work with. They were timely in their responses and never made me feel unwelcome if I had a question. The team of Distintive Catering is so professional! They were so helpful and knowledgeable in hosting events. My guests had no complaints. The food was excellent and the bar service was on point. We are so thankful we went through Distinctive Catering for our wedding reception.
Reviewed on 07-07-2018
Wedding Date 23-06-2018
My husband and I chose to have our wedding reception at the Waddell Center. We have nothing but positive comments to say about our experience with the Waddell Center. The staff was so helpful the day before and day of the event. My other vendors also commented on the friendliness of the staff members. I mostly worked with Sarah and Nicole. They specifically were awesome to work with. They were timely in their responses and never made me feel unwelcome if I had a question. The team of Distintive Catering is so professional! They were so helpful and knowledgeable in hosting events. My guests had no complaints. The food was excellent and the bar service was on point. We are so thankful we went through Distinctive Catering for our wedding reception.
Reviewed on 07-07-2018
Lindsay Draher (bride) 5 out of 5 Rating
Wedding Date 05-05-2018
We had our wedding at the Waddell Center and it was wonderful! From day one until the wedding, their attention to detail was wonderful and they frequently communicated with us to ensure everything went smoothly. We highly recommend them!
Reviewed on 06-05-2018
Wedding Date 05-05-2018
We had our wedding at the Waddell Center and it was wonderful! From day one until the wedding, their attention to detail was wonderful and they frequently communicated with us to ensure everything went smoothly. We highly recommend them!
Reviewed on 06-05-2018
Brian Mathieu (bride) 5 out of 5 Rating
Wedding Date 21-04-2017
My husband and I were looking for a venue with an urban/industrial feel with exposed bricks and beams. Waddell Center delivered just that at a reasonable prices compared to other options in the area. They also redid and updated the entire interior of the venue after I booked and it looked amazing for the wedding day! In additional to being a nice location, the coordinator, Sarah, and any other staff I worked with were great. Very quick responses and accommodating to any requests or questions I had. The only hiccup was that when we came the day before to decorate, the tables were set up differently than what we discussed. However, the staff member that was there immediately fixed the problems and got us what we needed, which was helpful. Also, we had a great experience with the food and bar through distinctive catering. The food was great and we had multiple guests come up and tell us it was one of the best wedding food and bar service they ever had. All in all, we are so happy we booked with Waddell Center. They made everything easy and our reception was beautiful and a blast.
Reviewed on 20-09-2017
Wedding Date 21-04-2017
My husband and I were looking for a venue with an urban/industrial feel with exposed bricks and beams. Waddell Center delivered just that at a reasonable prices compared to other options in the area. They also redid and updated the entire interior of the venue after I booked and it looked amazing for the wedding day! In additional to being a nice location, the coordinator, Sarah, and any other staff I worked with were great. Very quick responses and accommodating to any requests or questions I had. The only hiccup was that when we came the day before to decorate, the tables were set up differently than what we discussed. However, the staff member that was there immediately fixed the problems and got us what we needed, which was helpful. Also, we had a great experience with the food and bar through distinctive catering. The food was great and we had multiple guests come up and tell us it was one of the best wedding food and bar service they ever had. All in all, we are so happy we booked with Waddell Center. They made everything easy and our reception was beautiful and a blast.
Reviewed on 20-09-2017
Hannah M (bride) 2 out of 5 Rating
Wedding Date 02-06-2017
The Waddell Center is an affordable, great looking venue. However, I considered myself a very low maintenance bride and the staff did not live up to our expectations at all. We only met with the coordinators twice total - which was great, but any notes they took were not displayed when we arrived to the venue on the reception day. The room was not situated how we talked about, the coordinator was not present at all any of the day - and during the reception, there was NO manager on staff - only servers that were college aged. Because of this, the one thing we really valued was the ability to play our destination wedding video for everyone, we have so many issues with the A/V and no one offered to help or knew what to do. This was something we voiced early on as our most important factor in choosing a venue. Overall, great spot and value, but staff and service - very disappointed.
Reviewed on 06-03-2017
Wedding Date 02-06-2017
The Waddell Center is an affordable, great looking venue. However, I considered myself a very low maintenance bride and the staff did not live up to our expectations at all. We only met with the coordinators twice total - which was great, but any notes they took were not displayed when we arrived to the venue on the reception day. The room was not situated how we talked about, the coordinator was not present at all any of the day - and during the reception, there was NO manager on staff - only servers that were college aged. Because of this, the one thing we really valued was the ability to play our destination wedding video for everyone, we have so many issues with the A/V and no one offered to help or knew what to do. This was something we voiced early on as our most important factor in choosing a venue. Overall, great spot and value, but staff and service - very disappointed.
Reviewed on 06-03-2017
Courtney Tornga (bride) 5 out of 5 Rating
Wedding Date 30-07-2016
We held our wedding reception at the Waddell Center. It’s was a nice space at a reasonable cost. Sarah, our main contact was easy to work with. When Sarah wasn’t available, another event coordinator would attempt to answer our questions. Personally, I think the Waddell Center is a bit of a hidden gem. I know a lot of brides are looking for the “Urban Chic” venue and this can offer just that. The open ceilings with brick give it nice character. Its location is close to downtown yet there is a ton of parking, which is great for guests. We received a several compliments on the food (catered by Brann’s) and the space in general. You do have to supply your own decorations and aren’t allowed to hand anything from the ceiling. They currently don’t have risers for the head table but do offer lighting for the head table and cake table. Initially we were told that we may not be able to have a band as the space is somewhat connected to an apartment complex however we ended up having a band and there was no issue. Overall we were pleased with our choice and would recommend it to future brides looking for a downtown space on a budget.
Reviewed on 20-11-2016
Wedding Date 30-07-2016
We held our wedding reception at the Waddell Center. It’s was a nice space at a reasonable cost. Sarah, our main contact was easy to work with. When Sarah wasn’t available, another event coordinator would attempt to answer our questions. Personally, I think the Waddell Center is a bit of a hidden gem. I know a lot of brides are looking for the “Urban Chic” venue and this can offer just that. The open ceilings with brick give it nice character. Its location is close to downtown yet there is a ton of parking, which is great for guests. We received a several compliments on the food (catered by Brann’s) and the space in general. You do have to supply your own decorations and aren’t allowed to hand anything from the ceiling. They currently don’t have risers for the head table but do offer lighting for the head table and cake table. Initially we were told that we may not be able to have a band as the space is somewhat connected to an apartment complex however we ended up having a band and there was no issue. Overall we were pleased with our choice and would recommend it to future brides looking for a downtown space on a budget.
Reviewed on 20-11-2016
Malorie Albee (bride) 4 out of 5 Rating
Wedding Date 27-06-2015
As I was in England at the time, and my fiance was in North Carolina, I sent my mom and two sisters to scope out reception venues for me. Upon visiting this one, all they had to say was: \"This place fits your personality and style perfectly!\" My fiance also loves urban-type venues with exposed beams and exposed brick, so that was a nice plus. We weren't able to attend any tastings, either, so I was a bit nervous about the food. There was no need to be, as everything was amazing!! We got loads of compliments from our guests. The staff (Kim in particular) was very helpful about answering my questions via email and phone in a quick manner throughout the entire process. However, I will not give this venue a full 5/5 for a couple reasons. Firstly, they should offer tastings more frequently. They seem to only have 2 or 3 per year, so if you cannot attend these specific dates, then you are simply out of luck. Secondly, when cleaning up the venue at the end of the night, they did not ask which decorations we would like to keep, and many hand-crafted items got thrown away. Lastly, upon calling to inquire about said items after my mom noticed that they were missing the next day, they complained to her about how messy we had left the place. I know for a fact that my family stayed and took care of everything we had brought, so I am not sure what this is referring to, unless they expect us to take care of table linens and dishes as well. It was disappointing to come back from my honeymoon and hear this from my parents, as I had had such a good impression of them up until that point. However, I will still give them a 4/5 because they did deliver when it came to affordable and delicious food!
Reviewed on 14-07-2015
Wedding Date 27-06-2015
As I was in England at the time, and my fiance was in North Carolina, I sent my mom and two sisters to scope out reception venues for me. Upon visiting this one, all they had to say was: \"This place fits your personality and style perfectly!\" My fiance also loves urban-type venues with exposed beams and exposed brick, so that was a nice plus. We weren't able to attend any tastings, either, so I was a bit nervous about the food. There was no need to be, as everything was amazing!! We got loads of compliments from our guests. The staff (Kim in particular) was very helpful about answering my questions via email and phone in a quick manner throughout the entire process. However, I will not give this venue a full 5/5 for a couple reasons. Firstly, they should offer tastings more frequently. They seem to only have 2 or 3 per year, so if you cannot attend these specific dates, then you are simply out of luck. Secondly, when cleaning up the venue at the end of the night, they did not ask which decorations we would like to keep, and many hand-crafted items got thrown away. Lastly, upon calling to inquire about said items after my mom noticed that they were missing the next day, they complained to her about how messy we had left the place. I know for a fact that my family stayed and took care of everything we had brought, so I am not sure what this is referring to, unless they expect us to take care of table linens and dishes as well. It was disappointing to come back from my honeymoon and hear this from my parents, as I had had such a good impression of them up until that point. However, I will still give them a 4/5 because they did deliver when it came to affordable and delicious food!
Reviewed on 14-07-2015
Lauren Stegehuis (bride) 5 out of 5 Rating
Wedding Date 14-09-2013
I used Brann's Catering for my reception at The Waddell Center. The Waddell Center is brand new and has a urban/downtown feel. Everything went off without a hitch. It was an amazing venue. I loved the layout of the space. There is a nice space for all of the tables (fitting up to 250 people) and a great cocktail area in the back wear people can relax and drink. Food was absolutely fantastic. We had the pot roast and chicken. The staff was very friendly and accommodating. It turned out absolutely perfect. The one downside was that the slideshow set up wasn't compatible with apple/mac products but it wasn't too hard to fix.
Reviewed on 01-10-2013
15 Reviews, with a Rating of 4.33 out of 5.0Wedding Date 14-09-2013
I used Brann's Catering for my reception at The Waddell Center. The Waddell Center is brand new and has a urban/downtown feel. Everything went off without a hitch. It was an amazing venue. I loved the layout of the space. There is a nice space for all of the tables (fitting up to 250 people) and a great cocktail area in the back wear people can relax and drink. Food was absolutely fantastic. We had the pot roast and chicken. The staff was very friendly and accommodating. It turned out absolutely perfect. The one downside was that the slideshow set up wasn't compatible with apple/mac products but it wasn't too hard to fix.
Reviewed on 01-10-2013
Contact Info for The Waddell Center
| Contact | Value |
|---|---|
| https://www.facebook.com/distinctivecateringevents | |
| X (Twitter) | dstnctvcatering |
| The Waddell Center | |
| Website | www.distinctivecatering.com |
| Phone | (616) 538-4384 |
| Address | 1115 Taylor Ave North, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503 |
| brewarner@distinctivecatering.com |
The Waddell Center on the map
Meet the The Waddell Center Team
No The Waddell Center team members found©2024 Wedding Service Guide