Venue 1230

06/02/2026

Just when you think you’ve done it all!! So I have a story from last weekend that really threw me for a loop. I had the pleasure of DJing a wedding for a family friend Gilmore Car Museum last weekend. It was a beautiful Michigan evening and we were able to be outside for dancing. There were a lot of people I was able to see that I admire very much. Toward the end of the night the Party was thriving. We were all being loud, singing at the top of our lungs and dancing. We had pushed slightly past the end of night time frame when we were at our last song. Now I’ve been a DJ for 17 years and what usually happens in this situation is the guests are not in a position of wanting to go home. So…. You guessed it, I hear from the guests “ONE MORE SONG, ONE MORE SONG.” So being the seasoned DJ that I am already had one in the Que. boom I hit it, and the guests are getting down to the last song of the night. Now this next part is the part that really threw me for a loop. The mother of the groom came up and said we need one more song kid rock.. Now at this point, I’m thinking….I’m not sure what song to play that would be a great song for an encore, to the encore. So I simply say…..”Sure what song would you like.” She replied, “one more song.” So I said, “sure, what song from Kid Rock would you like? She said, “One more song, Kid Rock.” So I was thinking she obviously wanted Kid Rock, but I didn’t know what song to choose, so I pulled up all the Kid Rock in my library and said, “This is all my Kid Rock, feel free to pick one.” She looked at the screen as I scrolled through and then she looked up at me and said…. “One more song, Kid Rock.” I was a bit frustrated at this point, so I pulled up the good’ole internet and typed in Kid Rock and said choose any song you want and I’ll play it… I didn’t mention yet that I have a new trainee with me it was his very first day on the job. He has been my shadow all evening watching and observing the entire wedding. With his young eyes he points to the screen and says “there it is.” In my mind I was thinking he knew about the best Kid Rock song ever or something…… I looked at exactly where he was pointing and…….. sure enough there it was Kid Rock “ONE MORE SONG.”..🤣🤣🤣 Ya’ll I have never heard of this song before!!!! I thought mom was like having a stroke or something. She was requesting exactly what she wanted…. It was just not getting through my thick skull!!! It reminded me of the Abbot and Costello bit “Who’s on first.” I was getting so frustrated with this lovely woman that was trying to explain to my Dumba$$ the exact title and artist she wanted to hear. Oh also, I’d like to mention the majority of the guests were able to hear this all unfold realtime since the music was off at this point, and when I played it. It was the absolute best way to end the night. I have no doubt that the next time I see anyone from that wedding they will probably yell…”ONE MORE SONG, KID ROCK!!! 🤦🏻‍♂️🤣…..Best job ever! Thanks for reading and hopefully laughing at my ignorance. I know I have. 😜

05/25/2026

05/25/2026

Hastings? Where is Hastings??? It’s the place you come to celebrate exactly how you want to. This Gender reveal was a party that was extremely memorable. They had a beautiful garden party, then came inside the venue for dinner, dancing and baby shower!! I feel so blessed to have people from all over the state join us for moments like this. We love working with people to help bring their vision to life!!

05/05/2026

A small look at the big possibilities 💫

04/29/2026

Where it all comes together ✨

03/23/2026

Venue 1230 is officially offering outside catering!! We’ve had such great feedback from our guests that we decided to offer our AMAZING food brought to you! If you’re interested please check out Venue1230.com

03/09/2026

Venue 1230

02/20/2026

Buckle in for this one — it’s a good story.
Here’s the short version: 300 guests. Plated dinner. 18 minutes total.

And this is exactly why I’m so proud of the team at Venue 1230.

Every year, we host an incredible event in support of Green Gables Haven. They do such an amazing job securing auction items that we truly need every square inch of our venue to display everything.

At the same time, we’re constantly upgrading our main room to enhance the wedding guest experience. That’s a great thing for weddings… but not necessarily ideal for this particular event.

So this year, Janie and the team made a bold decision: move to a plated dinner and use the buffet space for auction items.

It turned out to be the perfect move.

We increased floor space and elevated the overall experience, giving all 300 guests a more luxurious evening.

Now here’s the part that really stands out.

Serving 300 plated dinners isn’t unusual in the catering world. But what is unusual is doing it quickly without sacrificing quality.

The national average for serving 300 plated meals is typically 60–90 minutes.

As most of you know, we don’t aim for average at Venue 1230.

We set a conservative internal goal of under 30 minutes.

The final time?
18 minutes.

Dan, our head chef, has executed service at this level before and was confident we could make it happen. But confidence alone doesn’t produce results.

Calli Cusack and Andrea Jackson put pen to paper and designed a fresh system to support Dan in the kitchen. They collaborated on every detail — what would work, what wouldn’t, how the flow should move, where staff would stand, and how plates would travel.

They staged it with the team.
They refined it.
They prepared.

Then, on event day, they executed.

We had 26 team members on staff. From dishwashers to management, everyone stepped up. Every available set of hands was called in to support the plan — and it paid off.

And here’s the best part…

My wife and I weren’t even there.

This wasn’t my plan.
This wasn’t my ex*****on.
This was ALL Venue 1230 staff.

Most guests walk in, enjoy themselves, and never see the hours of planning behind the scenes. That’s exactly how it should be. Our goal is always to create a seamless, memorable experience for every person who walks through our doors.

But what makes me especially proud is that our team also had a great experience executing it. That only happens when leaders like Dan, Calli, and Andrea invest the time beforehand to prepare their people for success.

This was our first 300-person plated dinner at the venue.

It could have been overwhelming.
It could have been chaotic.
It could have been average.

Instead, we faced a new challenge and no one said, “We can’t.”

We engaged the entire team.
We planned.
We trusted each other.
And we delivered.

I am incredibly grateful for a staff that refuses to settle for average and continually pursues excellence.

We don’t just host events at Venue 1230.
We create experiences.
We create memories.
And we do it together.

I can’t wait for the next challenge.

Side note this is a pic from our Christmas party this year. So this is staff that could attend and their plus ones. 🙂

01/22/2026

Ruby + Mikael ✨

9.26.25

Photography: