Brookshire Inn weddings: venue guide and wedding DJ
205 W Church St, Williamston, MI 48895
Dave has played here
Keegan & Derrick, August 2016 · Photograph: Dave Menzo
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Brookshire Inn at a glance
Brookshire Inn & Golf Club is a golf course, restaurant and banquet venue in the small town of Williamston, east of East Lansing, established in 1986. Couples usually marry outdoors in the flower gardens under a wedding arch, then move to a banquet room with its own entrance, restrooms and bar, kept separate from the restaurant. In warmer months a deck opens the reception to the outdoors, and the banquet room doubles as the indoor ceremony option when the weather turns.
- Setting. Golf club with gardens, banquet room and deck
- Guests. Up to 200 seated; 300 with the deck in warm months
- Ceremony. Garden arch, or indoors in the banquet room
- Season. Year-round
- Catering. In-house; outside cake and desserts allowed
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How many guests can we have?
| Space | Used for | Guests |
|---|---|---|
| Garden ceremony site | Outdoor ceremony | Ask the venue |
| Banquet room | Indoor reception or ceremony | Up to 200 seated |
| Deck | Outdoor reception extension | Up to 300 with the banquet room |
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What are the music rules?
- HoursMusic until 1 am; room cleared by 2 am
- Load-inThe DJ or band sets up next to the dance floor
- Good to knowCouples book and pay musicians and DJs directly
- Good to knowPerformers in the meal count must be reported 10 days ahead
From Brookshire Inn’s own pages. We confirm every detail with the venue before your day.
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What are the spaces, and what’s included?
- Garden ceremony siteOutdoor ceremony · Wedding arch; grounds available for photos
- Banquet roomIndoor reception or ceremony · Private entrance, restrooms and bar
- DeckOutdoor reception extension · Shared with restaurant diners unless over 300 guests
- In-house catering; outside wedding cake and desserts allowed
- Private banquet entrance, restrooms and bar
- Wedding arch and use of the grounds for photos
- Banquet room available for an indoor ceremony
- Wheelchair ramp at the banquet entrance
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Has Menzo Weddings played here?
Yes. Dave was the DJ for Keegan and Derrick's country-themed wedding at Brookshire Inn & Golf Club on August 20, 2016.
Photographs: Keegan & Derrick, August 2016 · Photograph: Dave Menzo
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Where do guests stay?
- Graduate by Hilton East LansingEast Lansing · About 25 min
- Kellogg Hotel & Conference CenterEast Lansing · About 25 min
- Lansing Capital Region (LAN)about 40 min
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Questions couples ask us
How late can the DJ play at Brookshire Inn?
Brookshire's weddings page says bands and DJs may play until 1 am, and evening rentals run from 5 pm to 2 am. Check the current policy with the venue when you book.
How many guests does Brookshire Inn hold?
The venue says its banquet room seats up to 200. In warmer months it can host up to 300 as an indoor and outdoor reception using the deck.
Can we get married outdoors at Brookshire Inn?
Yes. The venue has an outdoor flower-garden ceremony site with a wedding arch, and the banquet room can host indoor ceremonies, with its own entrance, restrooms and bar.
Is the deck at Brookshire private for a wedding?
The venue says the deck is shared with restaurant diners unless your wedding is over 300 guests. Ask the venue how that works on your date, especially if you'd like cocktail hour outside.
Has Menzo Weddings played Brookshire Inn?
Yes. Dave was the DJ for Keegan and Derrick's wedding at Brookshire Inn & Golf Club on August 20, 2016.
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Our full guide to Brookshire Inn
Brookshire Inn & Golf Club is on West Church Street in Williamston, a small town on the Red Cedar River just east of East Lansing. It's a golf club and restaurant with a banquet room, a garden for ceremonies and a deck that opens the reception up to the outdoors in summer.
Menzo Weddings provides wedding DJ and MC services at Brookshire and around Lansing, with live ceremony and cocktail-hour music to add. Dave Menzo, who founded Menzo Weddings, was the DJ for Keegan and Derrick's wedding here in August 2016, and he's a Michigan State alum, so Lansing and East Lansing are familiar ground. This page covers the venue, that wedding, and how we approach music for a reception that spills out onto a deck on a summer night.
What is Brookshire Inn like for a wedding?
Brookshire's site gives its founding date as 1986. Today it's a golf club with a restaurant and event spaces, and it hosts weddings and other events. The venue's weddings page describes:
- The garden ceremony site: an outdoor flower garden with a wedding arch.
- The banquet room: seats up to 200 and can also host indoor ceremonies. It has its own private entrance, restrooms and bar, and a dance floor.
- The deck: in warmer months, it extends the reception outdoors for up to 300 guests. Unless your wedding is over 300, the deck is shared with restaurant diners.
Evening rentals run from 5 pm to 2 am. The venue handles all food and drink apart from the wedding cake, and it doesn't allow glitter, balloons or confetti. Musicians, bands and photographers are booked by the couple. See Brookshire's weddings page for the current details.
What are Brookshire's music rules?
Unlike most venues, Brookshire publishes its music rules. Its weddings page says bands and DJs may play until 1 am. That's a generous end time, and it gives you a long evening of dancing if you want one. Rules change, so confirm them with the venue when you book.
Keegan and Derrick's wedding at Brookshire
Dave was the DJ for Keegan and Derrick's wedding on a Saturday in late August 2016. It was a country-themed wedding. Dave's photos from that night show the booth under purple uplighting and the dining room full of guests.
Ceremony music in the Brookshire garden
A garden ceremony under an arch is close and personal, and the music should be too. Live acoustic guitar and vocals suit it well, and can be added to your DJ and MC booking. Outdoors, sound doesn't reflect back the way it does inside, so our approach is to amplify the music and the officiant lightly, enough for every guest to hear the vows without it feeling loud. We plan the processional to the length of the aisle so the part of the song you love lands as you reach the front. See live ceremony music.
Cocktail hour by the bar or on the deck
With the banquet room's own bar and the deck outside, cocktail hour can move between the two. A live acoustic set gives guests a reason to gather while you're out taking photographs. If the deck is shared with restaurant diners that night, a quieter acoustic set is the better neighbour. See cocktail hour music.
Wedding DJ and MC for a Brookshire reception
A banquet room for 200 with a dance floor and a deck outside is a comfortable size: big enough for a full party, small enough that the DJ can see everyone. Our approach is to read the room from the booth, start with songs that bring the families onto the floor, and keep it full from there. With music allowed until 1 am, the night can run long, so pacing matters: building through the evening rather than peaking too early. As your MC, we keep the entrances, toasts and first dances on time so the dancing gets its full share.
For a country-themed wedding like Keegan and Derrick's, that might mean line dances early and the sing-alongs late. For a Spartan crowd, the MSU fight song tends to find its moment. Whatever fits your families, we plan it with you. See wedding DJ and MC, or add DJ plus live music for live drums, guitar, sax or violin on top of the DJ set.
A few things to ask the venue before you plan the music: whether the deck will be shared with restaurant diners on your date, when vendors can arrive before a 5 pm evening rental, and what the rain plan is for the garden ceremony.
More wedding venues in mid-Michigan
We've also played weddings at Everlastings in the Wildwood in Owosso and The Oakley in Holly. For more of the area, see Lansing weddings, or browse all the venues we've played.