2nd Floor

If you’re thinking our second floor would be a great spot to have your wedding rehearsal dinner (or possibly host a bridal shower!) … then this is the page for you.

We can’t help but think how nice it would be to simply walk upstairs for dinner with your family and friends after having your rehearsal on the first floor.  Or… if you’re having your ceremony at a different location, having your rehearsal dinner here would be a great way to introduce your family and friends to the space.  And it would also be a great time to drop off your wedding decor.

The 2nd floor is available for a 3 hour block for $595 (not including the one hour set aside for your actual rehearsal if you are getting married here.)  This would include the following services and features of the second floor:

SERVICES

  • Free parking
  • Coordination of delivery/pickup for your service providers
  • Onsite staff for your event

STUFF

  • 7 vintage seating vignettes
  • Dining/Seating for up to 60 (including centerpieces)
  • Cocktail tables w/ linens (9)
  • SONOS sound system
  • 2 bars
  • Caterer’s prep area with ice & fridge

FAQ’s

And then here’s a handful of FAQ’s to walk you through some of the smaller details and hopefully answer some questions you might have.  That said, please email us at Events@TheCheneyPlace.com if you have any other questions.

I’m having my ceremony at TCP. When could I have my ceremony rehearsal?

If you are having your ceremony at The Cheney Place,
we are happy to schedule your rehearsal at a time that works with our event calendar.

As a venue space that generally holds weddings every Friday – Sunday and often time corporate events on Thursdays, I’m sure you can understand how this limits our options for ceremony rehearsals. While we’d love to offer you a complimentary time to rehearse in the space, rehearsals are never guaranteed, they are always a tentative booking based on our event schedule. Often this means the only time that might work is a day of run through. Our team will go ahead and get your ceremony processional order ahead of time so we can get everyone lined up and qued off so a day of rehearsal does work well. We’d be happy to work with you on those details but we also want to make sure you are aware of this ahead of time.

Fortunately, if our second floor is booked for a rehearsal dinner on the Thursday prior to your wedding (either by you or by someone else), we have the flexibility to schedule multiple rehearsals that evening.  As we’re big fans of hosting weddings in our space, we’re thrilled that this makes it easier to schedule rehearsals on Thursday evenings.

 

What time would my rehearsal dinner be?

If you are having your ceremony at a church or another venue, you would most likely head on over following your rehearsal, so we’re thinking your dinner might start around 7:00 or 7:30 p.m.   Your reservation with us then might begin around 6:30 or 7:00 depending on if you’re wanting earlier access to the space for any custom design/setup.  Your start time is flexible so we would work with you to determine what works best for you.  And then you would have the space for 3 hours for dinner and social.

If you are having your ceremony at The Cheney Place, we’d work with you to schedule your rehearsal in the early evening (aka, 6:00 p.m.) after which you would simply go upstairs for social and dinner.  And then you would have the 2nd floor for 3 hours (7:00 – 10:00 p.m. if your rehearsal was at 6:00 p.m.).

These are just examples of how it might work.  Please contact us if you’re interested and we can confirm availability and chat more specific details.

 

What about food and bar for small events on the second floor?

The Cheney Place will provide and serve the alcohol for all events in our space.  You can view more details and package information HERE.

In regards to your food, for larger events (weddings, galas, and pretty much any event on the first floor), we ask all TCP clients to choose a caterer from our preferred list of vendors.  Working with food providers who are familiar with our venue and have consistently done a great job here is one very important thing we do to make sure the service at your event is great!

BUT… for smaller events (specifically those on our second floor), we are able to do things a bit differently.  We still highly recommend that you review our preferred list of caterers as we believe they’ll do a great job for you.  However, you would be welcome to use any licensed and insured caterer for your wedding rehearsal dinner or bridal shower at The Cheney Place.  You’ll just need to let us know who they are so we can snag a copy of their license, and proof of insurance and so we can contact them with details prior to your event.

OH… and p.s., you would be able to bring in your own desserts!  Just be sure to let us know what you’re thinking so we can plan accordingly.

 

Can we decorate the 2nd floor for our event?

You would be welcome to bring in your own centerpieces and create displays (pictures, etc..) on our existing furniture…. but you don’t have too!!  The tables all have amazing centerpiece collection as shown HERE, so we would encourage you to think more about the fun things you can do with place settings, etc.   One of our favorite parts about this floor is that it’s beautifully designed and ready to go, so you can focus more on your wedding… and all of the family & friends that will be coming in.

 

Can we bring in our own alcohol?

The Michigan Liquor Control Commission (MLCC) does not allow any personal alcohol to be brought on the premise of any licensed provider. We will work with you to serve all alcohol throughout your event. You can view more details about our service and packages HERE.

How do we book an event on the 2nd floor?

Just let us know so we can confirm availability and walk you through the process.  We’ll simply require a signed rental agreement (separate from the one you’ve already signed for your wedding) with a $200 retainer to reserve the space for you.  The remainder will be added to your existing balance and due 90 days prior to your wedding.

What is the layout of the tables?

Here’s the layout of the whole second floor to use!

updated-second-floor

DOES THE NEW SPACE CHANGE OUR COCKTAIL HOUR SETUP?

Nope!  As you may remember, the space in front of our office was always just empty and has never been used for cocktail hour except for events with 300ish people.  This will remain the same!

In reality, it’s important to not use the entire second floor for the cocktail hour unless absolutely needed.  Too much space spreads your guests out too much which has the unintended result of making the cocktail hour less social.  It’s always more fun when the space feels full, which is why we had left a portion of the floor empty.

We’ve already had quite a few cocktail hours on the second floor since we’ve added this new space, and it has worked great!

WE HAVE A SMALL BAND FOR OUR COCKTAIL HOUR. WHERE WILL THEY SET UP?

Your band will be setup in the same space as before.  We have a divider (a sweet rolling wall of rusty, metal shutters framed with large plants) that is set back into the new space which serves as a great backdrop for the band. Their location will be exactly the same, but now they have a better backdrop instead of the unlit, empty space that would have been behind them before.