The Cotton Room

I have worked with Michelle and the Cotton Room for several years now. My guest always walk away loving the venue and talking about the food till the next event. We had both of our daughters receptions here. Our guest love coming here. One of the most popular foods is the Pork Puppies. If you have not tried them, you must.

The cotton room is an absolutely fantastic venue, pair with amazing catering and a fantastic coordinators. It made the whole wedding planning much easier to have everything (vendor, planner, catering, linens and chairs, bar, ect) in one. A++

We had our reception at The Cotton Room and it was AMAZING! Everything was beyond expectation and our guests raved all night and well past the wedding day about how great everything was. I don't know how many times we heard how this was the most beautiful venue they've been to for a wedding. The food was delicious and our guests made several return trips to the buffet line. Service was excellent. Their in-house florist, Flair, did our centerpieces and they were gorgeous! Michelle and the whole staff were great to work with and made sure everything went smoothly that night. The all-inclusive aspect was great and so convenient especially since I didn't have a wedding planner. Couldn't be happier and can't say enough good things about The Cotton Room!

I just had my wedding and could not be happier with the turn out. Michelle kept telling me that she had it and to quit worrying and enjoy my wedding and she did not let me down. She, and Lauran and Ad, were all great. They all made me feel important and like a priority. All the guest raved about how wonderful the food was, many said the best they've ever had at a wedding!!! Such a beautiful venue and the prices are more than fair! The all inclusiveness made everything SO much easier that it could have been. I will speak highly of The Cotton Room to everyone!

My daughter, Carrie, had her wedding at the Cotton Room on July 15, 2012. There were guests there who were local and people who had come from very far away, and everyone agreed, it was one of the best weddings everyone had ever been to. The venue was fantastic and set up to run like a well-oiled machine. Some of the biggest food critics at the wedding all thought the food was delicious, and it was. Michelle was there thorughout the whole wedding and I never saw any event run as smoothly as was this wedding. Thank you Michelle and your staff for providing everything needed for a one-of a kind wedding.

Rose Ellen Jacobsohn

We had the most wonderful experience at The Cotton Room! The setting was absolutely gorgeous. The staff was attentive and kind. Michelle’s guidance was invaluable! Our special day was absolutely perfect in the most perfect place!

If I could do it again, I would select the Cotton Room. If you love a contemporary look with Southern charm, yet a blank canvas to work with this place is for you!

My only daughter had her wedding reception at The Cotton Room. Everything was fantastic! The communication leading up the the reception was excellent. Bottom line upfront: I give The Cotton Room my strongest recommendation as a venue for a wedding reception. Whenever I wrote an e-mail, it was always answered in a timely manner. I found everyone we dealt with extremely professional and competent. I can't begin to tell you how beautiful the space looked. We had the venue draped during the cocktail hour and then they pulled the drapes back. My sister told me that when they did that, she said "Wow!" I described my daughter's wedding as casually elegant and it was. Also, the food was delicious. We had stations, chicken and waffles; shrimp and grits; salad ladders; mini pork sandwiches. Everyone raved about the food. One person said, "I've been to 45 weddings, this was the best ever!" About two weeks before the wedding we decided to have up lighting, I had no idea what a huge difference that would make, it really set the mood.

This place can be transformed into any style wedding you can think of. The 'room' was simply amazing as far as aesthetics, it really can't be beat for indoor weddings. The food was better than most weddings I've been to. Due to the popularity of the place I'm thinking that's why the response time is a bit tardy. Keep in mind that brides planning their wedding can be a little too chatty, I probably was! They are super busy and popular so plan early! As far as one other review mentioning no place for the bride to get ready....no more! They have a huge bridal suite fit for a queen and a smaller, but more than enough for the groomsmen. If we had to go back to the planning stage we would positively use this place again! I would have given 5 stars on all but in all honesty I feel 4.5 is a fair assessment.

The Cotton Room is a beautiful venue staffed by warm and professional people.

We couldn’t have asked for a better wedding day, thanks in large part to Michelle and Lauran’s help. Though we were not their only clients, they made us feel special and did everything they could to make sure the day went smoothly and the whole event was memorable.

They made planning our event relaxed, fun, and easy. We especially appreciated that the Cotton Room was all-inclusive but still flexible enough to accommodate some of the DIY elements we wanted, such as bringing in our own flowers and decorating a wedding canopy earlier on the day of the ceremony. The staff was incredibly helpful in this regard. The cooks made space in the walk-in for our flowers the day before, despite a busy schedule. Lauran even came in on her day off to check if everything was going well.

Our wedding was the last one of the weekend, but you never would have known it. We had both the ceremony and reception in the same space at the center of the room. The staff was incredibly efficient at shifting the room during the cocktail hour. The food and drink was fantastic and skillfully served. Our friends and family are still raving about the food, especially the hush puppy hors d'oeuvres!

We felt the staff’s attention to detail was very high. Nothing was overlooked. At the end of the night, Michelle even had all of our presents on a cart and helped us load up the car.

We wanted to give our wedding an authentically “Durham” feel, celebrating the history, food, and culture of our little city. The Cotton Room was the perfect place for our wedding.

The Cotton Room in Durham, NC created my dream wedding! I wanted simple casual with style and The Cotton Room delivered. The venue alone with no decorations would have made a great wedding... wonderful lighting (your photographer will love you for it), great exposed ceilings... just a wonderful place to have a wedding or any event. Not only was the venue great but the food was equally wonderful! My guests are still talking about the food I had which does not compare to any place locally. I have continued to use Triangle Catering for food functions within my workplace! The Cotton Room is the best - you won't be sorry you had your wedding there!

Lauran and everyone at The Cotton Room was so helpful!! We discussed with her our vision, dropped off the decorations and the result was even more fabulous than we could have imagined! And the food!! Oh my goodness, the food was AMAZING! Crab beignets, pulled pork stuffed hush puppies, risotto filled chicken - oh so good! They made the venue feel so comfortable for our guests and the space can easily accommodate 50-400 and still feel intimate. Love, love, love this place!!

The Cotton Room is an absolutely beautiful and unique venue, we loved having our wedding there and would do it again. However, there is no good place for brides to get ready in private, which should be taken into consideration. Also, the staff is not always responsive to requests and after the wedding they were not very accommodating with some issues we had a the wedding. But, overall a wonderful place, wonderful food and a very special place to have an event.

Lauran was extreemly heplfula nd returned calls quickly. Others on the other hand do not.

We had our rehearsal dinner for around 140 people at The Cotton Room last summer and I could not have been more pleased with the quality of the venue and the service. They were very willing to work with us to tailor their standard packages to our preferences and to incorporate all of our ideas into the event, and I found the prices to be very fair. It was an extremely stressful weekend as we got married during Hurricane Irene, but I did not have to worry about a thing during the rehearsal dinner thanks to Michelle and her staff. The entire event from beginning to end, including coordination of bridal party speeches, a DJ, etc., went flawlessly and all of our guests were incredibly impressed by the beautiful space as well as the friendly and attentive service. They were a pleasure to work with and I would highly recommend them.

We had a beautiful, flawless wedding at the Cotton Room. Michelle and Lauran are very flexible and easy to work with. Everything turned out beautifully. Michelle is a bulldog as a day-of coordinator (which is included when you book the venue) and will make sure everything gets done perfectly. I literally was not concerned about a single thing all night. I would recommend this venue to anyone!

The Cotton Room event planners and staff are true professionals! We were very confident in their ability to create a beautiful reception and they did not let us down! No stress for the bride!

Beautiful, expansive venue with lots of options for set up and variations to the traditional wedding/ceremony. All my guests loved the event and felt a personal touch, which was encouraged by Michelle & Lauran. They were ALOT of fun to work with, easy going and provided lots of fun input & feedback. The space does require a lot to decorate, but itself alone provides alot of ambiance. THe food is excellent and the choices amazing. The all inclusive decor with so many options really makes planning easy. Also, knowing we could rely on Michelle and her staff made the day alot smoother with little to no stress. I will miss my planning meetings with Michelle!

The Cotton Room in Durham was the perfect space for my wedding reception. My fiance and I had looked at similar venues before coming across the Cotton Room right after it had opened. The space itself is gorgeous. The exposed brick walls, high ceilings, and tall windows overlooking downtown Durham are elegant, but also unique. We were looking for somewhere that brought something different to the table than a country club or hotel ballroom and this is certainly that.

The main selling point of the Cotton Room, however, is their outstanding service. My event coordinator Jenn was with me from the moment she answered the phone the first time I called for information to the very end. We booked the venue a year and a half before the wedding and even though the event was a ways off, she was still available to me to answer questions very early on. Even when I would happen to run into her outside of a work environment, she remembered my name and wedding date and would stop to talk to me.

The food was delicious and we were provided with a variety of excellent choices that were fancy, but still reasonably priced. The fact that the food is prepared there also means that it comes out fresh and delicious and it is so convenient not to have to add yet another vendor to your to-do list. The event coordinators at the Cotton Room also helped us find other vendors such as our florist and band.

We had an amazing time at our wedding and everything turned out even better than we had expected. I highly recommend this venue to anyone getting married in the Triangle!

I got married at The Cotton Room this past April and everything turned out GREAT!!! The venue in itself is so beautiful! The food was delicious and my guests really enjoyed themselves. Michelle and her team were very responsive to my questions and even accomodated last minute requests that we had. The table linens were of great quality and matched our wedding colors perfectly. The exposed brick interior (and exterior) really made our wedding photos pop! I highly recommend the Cotton Room for weddings or any other event.

The Cotton Room is an amazing venue to have your wedding ceremony and reception. The site itself is beautiful with brick walls, large arched windows, and wood floors. It is a renovated textile warehouse with some of the original workings still in the ceiling. The place is beautiful in the daylight and becomes spectacular as the sun goes down.

The services provided are set up to be all-inclusive, as The Cotton Room is owned by Triangle Catering. You get the location, catering, tables and chairs (chiavari chairs), cocktail tables, bar, lounge furniture, linens (lots to choose from), and coordination services on the day of. It really makes the bride's job easy! The food is delicious!! I liked everything I tried at the tasting! On the day of, they were able to cater to special dietary needs that we did not anticipate. I even loved the way that they came out of the kitchen and provided dinner service one table at a time.

I worked with Michelle, one of the owners, for planning my event. When you are meeting with her in person, she is absolutely amazing. She and her team will do anything to help you make your event perfect. I relied on email for communication between meetings, and did not find that to be the best way to communicate with her. Nevertheless, I had no doubt that things would be wonderful on the day of.

I highly recommend The Cotton Room as the venue for your wedding ceremony and reception!

I enjoyed working with Jenn and her staff. She was very helpful in helping to plan our reception and provided me with suggestions for the band, dry cleaners, cake etc. since we were not familiar with the area. Great day for the bride and groom and she was on top of things at all times. During the reception she made sure that everything went off without a hitch.

The Cotton Room is a FABULOUS venue to hold your wedding ceremony & reception. We could not have been more pleased with our daughter's wedding that was recently held at this historic site. The owner, Michelle Aldred, and her assistant, John, were so well organized and so willing to please, it made the wedding almost effortless. We received rave reviews from our guests about the wonderful food, especially the tomato soup shooters with grilled cheese bites and the BBQ Hushpuppies. You couldn't get enough of them! With fall approaching and the sun going down early, the room took on a feel all its own with the crystal chandeliers we had (yes an added expense, but truly worth the cost), the floral arrangements with hanging tea lights and the candles on the table. We had many comments that described the room as "magical". As you can see, I can't rave enough about The Cotton Room. I would highly recommend having your wedding at this venue as you surely won't be disappointed. Book early as I hear they are already taking reservations for 2012.

I have been workied with Jen Carlin for my event. It was just beautiful. She helped me by coming up with the most fantastic menu. We wanted something unique and fun. She helped us find the best vendors and worked with us every step of the way. We would highly recommend the Cotton Room in Durham.

As soon as I entered The Cotton Room, I knew it was THE VENUE I would have my wedding and reception at. The space is just GORGEOUS (when I first saw it the room was empty) so I knew it would be even better once it was set up. We chose a white, black and green apple color scheme for our wedding and it turned out amazing! It looked elegant and the ambiance of the room added so much.
We worked closely with Michelle throughout the planning process. She helped us make decorating (linens, set up, etc) and catering decisions, and when we were second guessing our choices she was willing to tell us her TRUE opinion on them. She was TERRIFIC! You will be in good hands if you choose The Cotton Room.
On the wedding day, we worked closely with Michelle and her assistant, John, to make sure it all went as planned. They were easy to work with and willing to do anything to make day alll we wanted it to be. Since the wedding, we have received many compliments on the venue and catering. They really enjoyed the cocktail hour hor d'oeuvres that included BBQ hushpuppy bites, grilled cheese and tomato soup shooters and asian fusion scallop bites! They were delish.
If you are considering having your wedding at The Cotton Room I would say go for it! They will work with you to create a memorable experience that you will never want to end or forget. Thanks to all The Cotton Room staff for making my wedding day so special.

I just got married at the Cotton Room in October and people are still talking about how beautiful it was. If you're looking for a different, modern space for your wedding, definitely check it out. The space is amazing! Though our event turned out better than we imagined, we did have a few issues with the staff, who were not always professional or organized. I am glad I had a wedding planner to help coordinate with them. Overall, I would say that the space was worth the planning headaches.

The Cotton Room was the perfect venue for our reception. The room looked so beautiful. My guest couldn't beleive it when they walked in. Jenn and Michelle were so easy and fun to work with. They both captured my vision and turned the room into the reception of my dreams. I had some older guest attending and the staff were so accomodating of their needs. Michelle and Jenn even designed a special menu for a few vegetarian guests. If I could give 10 stars on here I would for this vendor!

Best place in Durham, NC in have a wedding reception!

Everything was gorgeous!!! The perfect atmosphere and space for our wedding and reception! Michelle and crew were great to work with! They are a talented bunch and understand all elements and aspects of event and wedding planning. We got so many compliments on the venue - its truly unique! It was more than we could have asked for!

The space is beautiful and Jennifer was excellent providing service.

Michelle Aldred and the Cotten Room, not only did everything I asked them to for a very reasonable price but they provided things I didn't even know I needed. They experience level is high and their ideas and thoughtfulness were unprecedneted. They made my wedding seemless, easy, and wonderful. I am so grateful for all their hard work. Michelle Aldred is amazing.

Richie and I are wedding photographers and this spring as we planned our OWN wedding, we KNEW we wanted it to be here at the cotton room! Our day was PERFECT and we couldn't have asked for any better venue than here! Michelle is amazing to work with and the space is just Breath-taking!!! We absolutely give it 5 stars out of 5!
-Richie and Jamie Staggs
Jagg Photography
http://jaggphotography.net

As a photographer I have been to wedding facilities across the country. The Cotton Room is definitely one of the top facilities I have been to. Not only is the space fantastic, but the staff is the best around. Dinners are served promptly and they have a great ability to flip their space from ceremony to reception in less than an hour. There is no other space or group like this in the Raleigh/Durham area. Lauran & Michelle are hands on, and pull out all the stops to make sure your wedding here is perfect. Definitely send them an email and visit their space. You will not be disappointed!

I attended a wedding class here and it was absolutely wonderful. The food was amazing and the space was great.

The team at The Cotton Room continually do outstanding work at every wedding that I've ever worked there. They are very attentive and detail oriented...very important at a wedding!