The Lit by The Penny Loafer — Restaurant in Grand Rapids

I cannot recommend this venue and suggest other couples quickly look elsewhere for their big day.

Leading up to the event, we had high hopes and things were mostly smooth. We worked with Samantha who was a pleasure and easy to communicate with-she made us feel confident the wedding reception would be a success. The venue is pretty and they did a nice job on the remodel, but the looks of the venue and working with Sam are the only reason I didn’t rate less than 2 stars.

The day of our wedding reception was a mess. When we arrived for hair that afternoon hours before the reception start, there were beanbags meant for another event in the space. The Lit’s coordinator had no idea what was going on, she referred to the wrong floor plan, made 100 excuses for things going wrong including “I don’t usually work at this venue”, but she spent more time complaining than problem solving. As the bride, this didn’t instill a lot of confidence and she was very rude. We spent time with Samantha a month prior figuring out the lighting timeline for the event, however the coordinator on the day didn’t know how to work the lights properly. At the end of a 5 hour reception, our band was still playing on a dark stage (the stage, sound & light capabilities were a big sell to us..huge disappointment). We just received our wedding photos and there are pictures of the venue coordinator sitting on our lounge furniture in the main room on her phone during our reception with guests present. On multiple occasions she complained to me, the bride, about having to work this shift. During clean up, we overheard the Lit coordinator complaining to another vendor that the owner, Robert, was supposed to come help her that night with the problems that were arising, but she stated that instead he decided to throw a party at his house.

We paid a lot of money to have our wedding reception here and were very disappointed with the execution and lack of professionalism by the venue’s coordinator and more so, the venue...

My husband and I moved our wedding from a much larger venue to the Lit two months before the date. We originally were supposed to have a 220 guest count for a September 2020 wedding. Because of the pandemic, we chose to push our wedding out to April and roll with whatever restrictions were in place. Well, in February, we were facing less than 25 people capacity limitations for gatherings. Considering on having a small wedding at our original venue was very emotional for us, so we decided instead to search for a venue that would be more intimate.

My DJ from Tech 3 Productions recommended that we look at New Vintage Place. When I spoke with Lindsey from the team at that venue, she suggested I look at their other location, The Lit, based on our wedding.

Our first look at this venue was picture perfect! We were even lucky enough to get our tour with the owner, Rob. It was bright with natural light, had historic charm, and the ideal size for a wedding as small as 25, if needed, without feeling overwhelmingly big.

The team worked quickly to make sure our day happened in a short amount of time. When limitations lifted a bit, we were also happy to find out that we could increase our guest count.

On the day of the rehearsal, Rob sat with us to explain the protocol required on the wedding day. We appreciated him taking the time to be transparent with us for his staff’s safety and the safety of us and our guests.

The day of the wedding, it was all hands on deck from their staff, and I can’t even describe the beauty that came from this venue. It was breathtaking. It was everything I always dreamed of, despite the pandemic. It was undoubtedly the best day of our lives!

I highly...

The Lit is a unique, classy, and timeless venue option right in the heart of Grand Rapids. I fell in love with the stained glass windows, the artwork, and the overall vintage feel. I was so pleased with how our wedding reception turned out at The Lit this summer. Rob and his team were kind, thoughtful, and really tried their best to be accommodating. Even in the midst of a global pandemic, they remained positive and communicated well over the year leading up to our wedding day.

As far as venue spaces go, the price is very reasonable. The venue isn't the largest; however, it is the perfect space for the bride/groom looking for a more intimate wedding. This venue stood out to me because it offered a lot of flexibility in planning a more "personalized" reception. They didn't require you to use a specific vendor for anything which was something I found few venues offered. I really appreciated the freedom to find vendors that fit us and our vision.

The one thing that's a downside is the very limited parking. That being said, it all worked out! I would recommend this beautiful location to anyone. Thank you to everyone at The Lit who helped get Isaac...