The Grand Hotel has stood on Colmore Row since 1879, and a recent, thorough restoration has brought its grandest room back to the state its Victorian builders intended. Walk through into the Grand Ballroom and the scale hits first — a double-height room in the Louis XIV style, with tall arched windows down one side, a semi-private balcony above, and the original Art Deco chandeliers still hanging where they've hung for decades. It's the kind of room that needs very little dressing.
For couples who want something smaller, the hotel's first floor holds a set of private rooms suited to a more intimate day, so a wedding here can be scaled to the guest list rather than the other way round.
Where the band plays
A band setting up in the Grand Ballroom is working with proper height and proper acoustics — the double-height ceiling and hard plaster surfaces carry sound a long way, in a good way once the room's own systems are set up for it. The hotel doesn't publish a sound limiter figure or a fixed finish time, so it's worth asking directly when you book, particularly if you're planning a late finish. Load-in is straightforward for a city-centre hotel of this size, with lift access to the first-floor rooms for a smaller wedding.
How the day flows
Most weddings here move from ceremony or drinks reception into the Grand Ballroom for the wedding breakfast, with the same room reset for dancing once the tables are cleared. Book for 60 guests or more and the hotel includes a complimentary overnight stay for the couple, which is worth knowing if you're planning to stay in the city rather than travel home. The hotel's own culinary team also work with couples wanting an eco-conscious day, through its “Green & Grand” package.
Bands available in Birmingham and perfectly at home in a venue like this.
- Mirror — a Midlands mainstay, comfortable filling a grand room like the Ballroom without losing its own detail.
- The Tommy Guns — a confident, full-sized function band built for exactly this scale of room.
- Funking Brilliant — five-piece energy to properly fill the dancefloor once the meal is cleared.
- Stereo Jack — versatile enough to suit either the Grand Ballroom or one of the smaller first-floor rooms.