Our reception will be held following the ceremony in the North Ballroom at WMU's Bernhard Center. We ask for your patience and understanding as we will need to stop for photos on the way to the reception, but rest assured we will arrive as quickly as possible! Guests will enjoy refreshments and music while waiting for the reception to begin.

Prepare yourselves for a wonderful evening ~ our goal is that you will leave the reception at the end of the night wishing it wasn't over, laughing, and thinking "That was SO MUCH FUN!!". We really hope to make this celebration a way to say thanks to all of you for your friendship, love and support.

We are having a professional wedding video created, including the reception, and some personal interviews. As a favor to us, please try to overcome any self-consciousness or shyness you may have and if you have a chance to be caught on film talking, laughing, eating, or dancing, please allow that to happen. Just remember that it will mean the world to us when we get our video, months after our wedding, and get to see those special candid moments of you that we never got to see as they happened.

In addition to appetizers, a buffet dinner, and wedding cake, there will be a sparkling juice toast, as well as a cash bar.

We will also have a DJ, so bring your dancing shoes and come ready with your favorite song requests!

RECEPTION LOCATION AND ADDRESS:

The Bernhard Center is located at 1903 West Michigan Avenue, Kalamazoo MI 49008, on the campus of Western Michigan University. The photo at the top of the page is the front entrance of the building you will go into for the reception. Once inside, take the staircase immediately to your right up to the top floor. There is an elevator available as well, once you enter the main front doors of the Bernhard Center there will be a doorway to your left. The elevator is through there.

There is also a back entrance of the building off the parking lot, specific directions for that are below.

DIRECTIONS FROM THE CHURCH TO THE RECEPTION:

Bethlehem Baptist Church, 2031 East Cork Street, Kalamazoo MI 49001, is 5 miles from the reception site.

-Turn Right/West out of the church driveway onto E Cork Street. Go 1.7 miles.

-Turn Right/North onto S Westnedge Avenue. 

(There is a light at this intersection; this intersection is at the bottom of a curved hill. There is a SunnyMart on the corner, and a Jimmy John's and Walgreens across the street.)

Go 0.9 miles.

-Turn Left/West onto Howard Street. 

(There is no light or stop sign at this intersection; it is in the middle of a hill going down. Take care to slow down or it will be easy to miss the turn. There is a Harding's Marketplace grocery store at this intersection, you turn immediately before Hardings parking lot.)

Go 1.4 miles on Howard Street to Stadium Drive.

-Turn Right/North onto Stadium Drive

(There is a light at this intersection; Kalamazoo Christian School is on the left and an unmarked brick apartment complex is on the right).

Go 0.7 miles

-Turn Left/West onto Oliver Street

(There is a light at this intersection; you will cross a set of RR tracks and be on the WMU campus).

Go 0.08 miles

-Take an immediate Right onto Western Ave

(There is a stop sign at this intersection; the Student Rec Center will be in front of you and a large parking lot with an iron fence around it will be on your right).

Go 0.1 miles

-Turn Left at the light onto W Michigan Ave

(This intersection is a "T" - you must turn either left or right. There is a parking lot and a sports stadium directly ahead of you at this intersection).

Go 0.2 miles up the hill

You will see a parking structure on your right, and an intersection with a traffic light.

Go straight through the traffic light and take the NEXT IMMEDIATE RIGHT.

Once you take this right, the road immediately forks.

*If you are dropping someone off at the front entrance, or taking a taxi, take the fork in the road that curves up to the Left. This will bring you to the front door of the Bernhard Center as pictured above.

*If you are parking, as you take this right, continue straight on the fork for about 1000 feet and it will bring you to a large parking lot ON YOUR LEFT.

Parking is free anywhere in that lot. You may walk around to the front entrance of the building, or there is an additional entrance at the far end of the back of the building off the parking lot.

There will be signs with arrows directing you to the ballroom INSIDE the building at both entrances.