Written by: Mary Beth Noyes
The Mez is a brand-new event space in downtown Toledo, where the elegance of the original building is lovingly preserved while embracing a modern, upscale vibe that makes it the perfect place to gather and celebrate. Dani Bucher, the general manager of The Mez, was gracious enough to give me one of the first peeks inside and share with me her journey to through the renovations and dust to all that she hopes it will become.
Dani has always loved the service aspect of the wedding industry. Working as a coordinator for Bee for the Day for years, we saw, being the photographers on the backside of weddings that Dani would do anything to help a couple on their wedding day and in at least one particular instance – saving our day as well when we first started photographing weddings in Toledo (whew – I’ll be forever grateful to her!!!). Dani’s creative side led her to working on finding other ways to serve clients, sharing her love of design and curation.
This led Dani to launch The Collective Company, an event design business that specializes in “creating transformative atmospheres with beautiful details to celebrate any event, from weddings, to birthdays, to showers and more.” Dani went to work collaborating on styled shoots, and eventually launching her beloved wreath workshops that she has hosted for a few years. She also worked to help cooperate clients with marketing and the design aspect of events, consulting with businesses and listening to their story. “I wasn’t really marketing that, it would just happen organically but I loved doing it.”
Then came Covid. “So then, we were shut down for a while. And I was like ‘well it’s a great time to launch a business!'” said Dani. With the world on lockdown, Dani took that as an opportunity to be “free to kind of experiment and see what happens.”
So then how did Dani get involved with The Mez????
“I had toured this building earlier when the owner, Stephanie Pilgrim had it before construction had even started.” Dani said. “We looked at a space downstairs. It was like nothing, just basically like the original building, so it was really cool.” Dani was able to utilize the third floor for a styled shoot, but then heard nothing for a while and “that was fine…it was like, walk away.” she said. “And then earlier last year, Stephanie started posting about this space.” Stephanie was looking for a designer to come in and create the look that has already set The Mez apart from other downtown venues. “I made a comment on it and then it just spurred from there!” Dani says. Their continued meetings and brainstorming led Stephanie to ask Dani for help with curating and designing the space to hold events.
With Dani becoming so involved in the design of the space, Stephanie knew that Dani had the vision down, but also approached her to run the venue. “I said ‘no’ a lot of times” said Dani. But the more work that she put into the design of the space, the more Stephanie knew that Dani would be the best fit to run and operate this new venue. “It’s been a wild ride and super fun!” says Dani.
When I arrived to the venue, Dani greeted me right at the front door and let me up the stairs to the second floor of the building (don’t worry, there is elevator access for you and your guests at the back of the building!). Being that I’ve photographed at lots of wedding venues, the under-construction Mez just felt….different. Fresh actually. Warm and classy – even in it’s unfinished state.
As Dani walked me around she described the feel that she wanted guests to have: “Let’s push the envelope and be more interesting; do something that’s a little bit out of the box and make it feel like, ‘Oh, this isn’t just an event space, I would have thought it was a high-end restaurant!'”
It was so evident to me that Dani has carefully chosen every detail and thought about how it’s visual impact as well as it’s practical function to support running an event space. The Bar area is the eye catching center piece which will be run by the skilled bartenders of Magnolia bar- which is located conveniently on the third floor above the venue. These bartenders were also consulted to find what would work best for them to come down to The Mez to bartend for their events and asked what they would need to make the bar easy and functional.
During the time of my visit, the catering space was not completed yet for me to share on the blog here. But what I can say is that it will be a thoughtful and beautiful area that hopes to allow any catering service the ability to come in and have what they need to do their job. Dani brought in local caterers to ask them their opinions on what would or wouldn’t work within the space.
“I want whatever we have here to be a place where the vendors can provide their best,” says Dani. “I think that’s super important, to give people the space to do their best work and let them shine instead of trying to squeak it by and make it work all the time.”
As photographers, we appreciate the design and aesthetically pleasing look of the food service area and that all of the spaces guest can see are beautiful.
The dining area of the venue can be used for a more intimate setting and possibly allow room to bring in furniture for lounging spaces or use the entire venue to host up to 150 guests.
What we appreciate about this new space that has been created is all of the heartfelt thought that has went into it’s design. Dani cares so much about all of the aspects of the venue: its impression on guests who arrive for the first time, is it easy for people to access, get in and around the building? One of the challenges of hosting an event downtown is always the parking. The Mez offers 75 parking spaces built into their rentals for the weekends, giving you one less aspect of planning taken care of.
It can be hard to imagine this space being filled in just a few weeks, but Dani has been working hard to get the last details of renovations completed and ready to host their first event of 2025. She’ll be finalizing her choice on chairs, putting up the bathroom mirrors, dusting off the floors…(well everything, really) and getting all of their signage in place. Dani is not done yet – she has even more big dreams that she would like to see completed soon: possibly a bridal suite and a rooftop area to hold ceremonies. With all of the challenges that she has experienced by coming on board as the chief designer and seeing how Dani has transformed the second floor, I have no doubt that she’ll make huge strides in tackling those dreams.
The Mez is more than just a place—it’s an experience. With its unique blend of vintage charm and modern elegance, it’s the perfect backdrop for creating unforgettable memories. Whether you’re planning your dream wedding or hosting a special event, this downtown Toledo gem is ready to set the stage for a celebration that’s as stylish as it is unforgettable. Contact The Mez today to take a tour of Toledo’s newest venue!
*Special thanks to Dani Bucher for letting me tour this new spot. I loved seeing all of the details that have been put into making The Mez so beautiful but truly visiting with Dani and being able to laugh and connect has been my favorite part of this feature!
Would you like us to feature your business on our blog???
I had so much fun talking with Dani and learning about her journey with The Mez, I’m happy to continue these features with other vendors and businesses!!! Just send us an email at: mail@adorephotograph.com with the subject line Blog Feature and we’ll reach out with available dates to come by for a visit soon!