Lofty Spaces — Attraction in Dallas

Lofty Spaces is a great venue space. It is essentially a blank canvas with a really unique look that you can dress up to your style. It allows for a lot of DIY if that is what you would like. However, it is also very easy to make it an upscale event. I think our wedding was a good combination of both. We thought the space looked absolutely beautiful on our wedding day. Sure the neighborhood is a little sketch, but for this kind of space, it is worth it. All of your guests can be in one room, which was very important to us. We did not want people to feel divided or like they were not included. The crew at LS also is able to do a lot of the work for you for a reasonable price. And cost of adding extra hours is superb compared to other venues in Fair Park, Uptown, etc. Bruce's team is friendly, although they don't have a very formal system. Professional no, but they get the majority of the job done. There were a few things we paid for as "extras" for the reception that didn't happen and we weren't refunded for, but in the end, the event was still lovely.

Now... the food. Please, please, please, if you focus on any of my review, focus your attention here. DO NOT, under any circumstances, use the in-house chef.

Absolutely, no matter how appealing the price is and how great they make it sound, do not use the food service provided by Chef John and his family. I can't emphasize this enough. Yes, they are very friendly and nice. Yes, they will promise you the world. Yes, it is very easy to believe them. This is where I went wrong. I believed Chef John when he said they would have extra food and more than enough to feed 200 people. I believed him when he said the service would be outstanding because it was done by his family. I believed he actually knew how to cook risotto.

I was very, very wrong. Our sit-down dinner was served under-cooked, the risotto was absolutely not cooked (it crunched...come on!), and the amount of time it took to actually get food on the tables was appalling. There was no water or tea on the tables for people to drink (and this was promised). Also, his family is the wait-staff and the bartenders. We payed extra for "bartenders." I (me, the bride) had to actually search out several of his staff a few times to man the bars. Then, about two hours into the reception (6 hour reception), we were told we were nearly out of liquor and beer and that we better send someone to re-stock. While we thought that seemed odd, we believed his crew. We sent out one of our good friends to buy two more kegs, about 20 more bottles of wine, and various other liquor. None of this was used. We had to empty out two full kegs the next day. I hate to say they lied, but they did. We had more than enough alcohol and should have questioned them more when they told us this. And one of our groomsmen saw some of the crew drinking our beer in the back. I actually wish they would have drank more of it now so that we wouldn't have had to waste so much of it.

Please do yourself a favor if you are using Lofty Spaces or Off the Grid for your event and use an outside caterer. We had the money in our budget to do this, but we opted to use the in-house caterer because of everything he promised and how easy they made it sound. It is not true. Save yourself the frustration and stress. It is not worth it on your wedding day. It is the one thing about our wedding day I would go back and change.

But, the physical event space is great. I would gladly have another event there. I just learned my lesson the hard way about their...

Buyers and Vendors Beware! I recently was assisting a very large collegiate client from out of town with finding a vendor for their event and this venue was referred to us. From the very beginning of working with the owner of the facility, David Galinet, on the entire booking process of the venue, getting him paid to secure the venue, up until it was time to actually have the event was literally the worst experience I have ever had with another vendor or business in all my 20 years of my professional business career.

When just getting a quote and contract from the vendor was like pulling teeth, and when my client finally received it, it had errors on it where David simply advised to cross it out and write over it, where such practices are unacceptable from a corporate standpoint.

When I scheduled a walk-thru of the facility, the owner did not show up nor confirmed my visit. I had to wait 20 minutes after my appointment for one of his staff members to arrive at venue to conduct a walk-thru.

When it was time to pay to book the venue, the owner advised he did not accept credit card payments and only accepted Zelle, Cashier's Check and Money Order, which is unheard of when dealing with large businesses. This made it extremely difficult for my client to book the event where we had to go through hoops in order to secure the venue. I literally had to invoice the client for what would've been the rate to secure it, then attempt to Zelle the funds to the owner, where the Zelle was declined. I contacted my bank to find out that the client had maxed out of uses for that account and needed to setup another account. When I advised the client of this, he refused to do this as he did not want his email tied to his zelle and advised we cancel it (if I took this advise, we would not have the funds back in the account until the day after the event) and withdraw the money and bring him a cashier's check and money order, further inconveincing the client and my business as I was attempting to assist the client. Mind you this was the night before the event... (See screenshots below)

When the day of the event came, my employees arrived at the location at the agreed upon time as stated in the contract, and David refused to open the door for them. We had to contact the client yet again to advise of the latest hurdle with the owner, where the client addressed him directly and finally allowed my employees to enter the building.

Finally, the client advised how many guests would be in attendance to the event and how many tables he needed. When my client arrived, absolutely no tables or linens were setup and when my client asked David about it, he replied that he did not order the setup service. When the client informed me of this, I asked if it was even offered, and the client said no.

Luckily, the event went well and smoothly after dealing with his unbelievably unprofessional service. Going forward, not only will I deter any of my clients and vendors not to use this facility, I will decline any event that uses this facility based on this...

My husband and I got married at Lofty Spaces at the end of April 2014, and I truly cannot express in words how perfect it was.

To start, the venue is incredible. Tons of space and such a unique look and feel. Sure, it's not in the friendliness part of town but the views are amazing and never once did we, or anyone at our wedding feel unsafe because of the neighborhood. Our wedding was outside and reception inside. When we started looking for venues, I was completely against an outdoor ceremony because I was scared of one drop of rain, but after talking to Bruce, LaDell, and other Lofty Spaces staff, I was completely confident that they could accommodate no matter the weather on our wedding day. The cement floor, brick wall, and "loft" type feel met the style of my husband and I, and the vision for our wedding.

We used the Lofty Spaces in house catering and it was delicious! They have a TON of options from sit down dinners, appetizers only, buffet style, food stations -- you really cannot lose no matter what your vision is. Bo, the head chef, was very involved in planning our meal, and even the day of there was a guest with dietary restrictions and he made a special meal for her on the spot!

The best advice I can give is stay in communication with your venue at all times. I planned our wedding myself and I wanted to know everything to the T. Bruce was always prompt about emailing me back, and very upfront with his communication on our payment plan, what he needed and when he needed it. Additionally, Lofty Spaces has an open house EVERY WEDNESDAY!!! If you have questions, GO AND TALK TO THEM IN PERSON. Sometimes we get caught up in the weeds of email, so really, go and talk to the staff in person. By the 2nd or 3rd visit with my now husband, we were greeted with a smile and hug from LaDell. Bo (head chef) also does a food tasting once a month (I believe), so not only can you talk to the staff about your options but you can try the food. He will ask you questions about your dinner vision, what foods you are thinking about using and what appetizers to pair with them, etc. Truly a 5-star staff.

When I arrived at the venue for the first time the day of the wedding, I was blown away. It was more beautiful than I ever expected. Again, I just can't say enough about this venue and the service we received -- it...