There is no other wedding venue in Grand Rapids like the Bissell Treehouse. It sits at the highest point in the city, inside John Ball Zoo, built into the hillside out of rammed earth, heavy timber, and floor-to-ceiling glass. You are in the trees and looking out over downtown at the same time.
It is a small venue by Grand Rapids standards, and that is the point. Couples who book it are trading ballroom capacity for a setting nobody has seen at three other weddings that year.
Here is a detailed breakdown of the Bissell Treehouse, based on the venue’s spaces and our perspective behind the lens at Mid-July Media.
Ready to Book a Wedding Videographer? Check availability now »
An Overview of the Bissell Treehouse
The Treehouse is located inside John Ball Zoo at 1300 W. Fulton St., Grand Rapids, MI, about five minutes west of downtown. Guests park at the zoo and ride up to the venue, so nobody is hiking the hill in heels.
Capacity runs up to 180 guests in peak season (April through October) and 130 in the off months. Ceremony and reception both happen on site, tables and chairs are included, bar service is handled in house, and catering comes through an approved vendor list. Parking is free.
Wedding Films Shot at the Bissell Treehouse
Michelle and Devon were married here in May 2026. You can see the full film and read about their day here.
The Main Room
The interior is one open room with a timber ceiling, rammed-earth walls, and glass on the side facing the trees. The wood and earth tones are warm rather than neutral, which is unusual — most modern venues go gray and let the flowers supply the color. Here the room already has a color, and it is a flattering one on skin tones.
The practical note is the glass. During daylight the room needs almost no added light, and the tree canopy outside diffuses it before it ever reaches a face. After dark the glass turns into a mirror, so the evening look shifts entirely to the string lights and whatever is lit outside. Plan the timeline knowing the room changes character at sunset.
The Decks
There are two separate outdoor deck areas, one covered and one open. They do most of the work for cocktail hour and give guests somewhere to spread out without leaving the venue.
For us the decks are the best ceremony insurance on the property. A covered outdoor space means rain changes the look of the day without cancelling the outdoor part of it, which is not true at most venues this size.
A Note on Drone Coverage: Not Available Here
Drones are not permitted at the Bissell Treehouse. The venue sits inside John Ball Zoo, and the animals are the reason — aerial noise and overflight are off the table regardless of who is operating the aircraft.
This is worth flagging up front, because drone coverage is included on every wedding film Mid-July Media produces unless the venue prohibits it or the airspace is restricted. The Bissell Treehouse is one of the few West Michigan venues where that is the case.
In practice it costs the film less than you would think. The building already sits at the top of the hill, so elevation and the downtown view are available from the ground and the decks, and the wooded trails give us the sweeping establishing shots a drone would normally cover. If a wedding at a zoo is the day you want, this is a fair trade.
The Grounds and Photo Opportunities
The wooded trails: A short walk from the building puts you on a shaded trail with split-rail fencing and heavy green canopy. Full summer light gets broken into something soft and workable, and the background reads as forest, not city.
The downtown view: Being at the top of the hill means a skyline backdrop is available without driving anywhere.
The building itself: The rammed-earth wall with the Bissell Tree House lettering and the exposed timber overhang is a strong establishing shot — one frame and the viewer knows exactly where they are.
The zoo grounds after hours: Portrait access across the wider property, including the waterfall, opens up locations no other Grand Rapids venue can offer. Evening light installations on the grounds make for night portraits that look like nothing else in our catalog.
What It Costs
Pricing is quoted by season and guest count, with bar handled in house and catering priced separately through the approved vendor list. Contact the zoo’s events team directly for current rates.
Why Mid-July Media Loves Filming at the Bissell Treehouse
Distinctiveness, first. We film a lot of beautiful rooms in West Michigan, and a fair number of them look like each other. This one does not look like any of them. That matters more than couples expect, because a wedding film is partly a record of a specific place, and this place is unmistakable in a single frame.
Second is the range packed into a small footprint. Glass room, timber and earth exterior, two decks, a wooded trail, a skyline, and a lit zoo after dark — all of it within a few minutes’ walk. A film needs to keep changing scenery to hold attention, and normally that variety costs travel time. Here it costs almost nothing.
The trade-offs are honest: no drone, the room is not built for a 300-person wedding, and the evening look depends heavily on how the space is lit. Couples who lean into what makes it unusual get a film that could not have been shot anywhere else.
See If We’re Available for Your Wedding Date Check availability now »
