Venue Reviews - Minnesota Wedding Mansions

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These Minneapolis and St. Paul sites are all gorgeous mansions that are available to rent for both wedding ceremonies and wedding receptions. The wedding sites reviewed are as follows:

Van Dusen Mansion in Minneapolis

Looking almost like a castle, the Richardson Romanesque Van Dusen Mansion is one of the most beautiful sites for weddings in Minneapolis.

This elegant room on the main floor of the Van Dusen Mansion is sometimes used for the receiving line after the wedding ceremony.

Top picture - Van Dusen Mansion on left, carriage house on right. Bottom picture - The courtyard between the two buildings (perfect for outdoor weddings)

Interior of the Van Dusen Mansion's carriage house. Used for wedding ceremonies or small receptions (or great for dancing!)

One of the 3 upstairs overnight suites you can rent for the night after your wedding, or you may use it as a posh dressing room.

The Van Dusen annex (Event Center) is used for large wedding ceremonies, and for large receptions.

The Van Dusen Mansion was closed for a couple years, but has now been remodeled and is once again open for weddings. The intricate woodwork and warm light of the chandeliers creates a cozy feel, even though the adjoining reception hall is quite large. The Van Dusen Mansion has several small rooms for congregating or for small wedding ceremonies, the large reception hall next door, a carriage house in back for small weddings, plus an outdoor courtyard. Located right next to downtown Minneapolis, the Van Dusen Mansion is close to the Uptown neighborhood, as well. Mintahoe provides the catering.

Great place for a rehearsal dinner: The award-winning Rudolph's Ribs, about four blocks away, which offers private dining.
Closest hotel: The 4-star Hyatt Regency is about six blocks away.

Rental fees and capacity (for a Saturday afternoon/evening): 

Phone Number: 612-253-0255, ask for Lisa Brenna.

Semple Mansion in Minneapolis

The award-winning Semple Mansion is located just south of downtown Minneapolis.

The stunning Grand Palladium Ballroom at the Semple Mansion.

The lobby of the Semple Mansion and the grand staircase, which leads up to the Grand Palladium Ballroom.

The head table is usually placed by this marvelous stained glass, the centerpiece of the ballroom. The stained glass is in-between the two entrances, which are at the top of the grand staircase.

Gale Mansion in Minneapolis

When wedding ceremonies are held outside at the Gale Mansion, the wedding is usually set up on this south-side porch (with the one-story columns on the right side). Guests are seated in rows of chairs facing the mansion.

This is the main room set up for a wedding reception inside the Gale Mansion. If the wedding is indoors, it is usually held here, with the bride and groom standing in front of that far window.

Here is the bride's dressing room at the Gale Mansion. The groom and his attendants get a more masculine room.

The Gale Mansion faces the beautiful Washburn Fair Oaks Park, where kids can run and play (if supervised).

The Gale Mansion, which hosts both indoor and outdoor weddings, is located close to downtown Minneapolis. Built in the style of the Italian Renaissance Revival, the mansion - a favorite spot for Minnesota weddings - overlooks the beautiful Fair Oaks Park and the Minneapolis Institute of Arts (a fun and convenient place for guests to visit). Gale Mansion has many indoor rooms for congregating, all of which have hardwood floors, Oriental carpets, and fireplaces (eight fireplaces in all). Upstairs there are changing rooms for men and women, which are designed to look like living rooms. The Gale Mansion is smaller than other wedding reception sites listed on this page, but the location (right next to downtown Minneapolis) makes it ideal.  

Great place for a rehearsal dinner: The award-winning Rudolph's Ribs, about a mile away, which offers private dining.  
Closest hotel: The 3.5-star downtown Minneapolis Convention Center's Millennium Hotel is six blocks away. 

Location: 2115 Stevens Ave., Minneapolis
Capacity: 120 guests for an indoor ceremony; 220 guests for an outdoor ceremony
Site Rental Fee: $1,700. They provide the catering, and the food minimum varies depending on the time of year.
Phone Number: 612-870-1662 (Ask for Angela.)

New: More notes on the Gale Mansion

Blaisdell Manor Mansion in Minneapolis

Blaisdell Manor is a warm and inviting Georgian mansion. Three Sons Kitchen provides the catering, and Blaisdell accommodates anywhere from 10 to 400 guests (the largest mansion in the Twin Cities), with many options for in-between-sized weddings. Blaisdell Manor hosts both indoor and outdoor weddings (although the outdoor site can only accommodate about 35 to 50 standing guests). If you choose the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden for your wedding ceremony, you can then just walk the 1-1/2 blocks to Blaisdell Manor for your wedding reception. 

Great place for a rehearsal dinner: Buca di Beppo, a wonderful Italian restaurant that can accommodate large groups of people, is about a mile away. All their dinners are all served family-style.
Closest hotel: The 3.5-star downtown Minneapolis Convention Center's Millennium Hotel is about a half-mile away.

Capacity: 10 to 400 guests
Location: 2322 Blaisdell Ave., Minneapolis
Site Rental Fee: Room rental fee for a Saturday is $2,000, plus a $350 ceremony fee  and other,variable fees, such as bar set-up, cleaning, security guard, and servers. Aaron at Blaisdell asked me to point out that like all site rentals, Blaisdell's fee does not include food for the reception ($6500 is the Saturday/holiday food/beverage minimum, plus 18% service charge and 7.775% sales tax). Details can be found at this link (a PDF document).
Phone Number: 612-874-0880.

Harrington Mansion in Minneapolis

The main staircase - weddings are usually held up by the landing in front of the window.

The exterior of thebeautiful Georgian Harrington Mansion, which is located right next to the Zuhrah Shrine Center.

This main staircase leads up to the main window (you can't see it in this picture, but it would be to your left). The stairway continues to the second floor, which has a balcony overlooking the landing.

One of the huge reception rooms in the Harrington Mansion, which can accommodate the largest of weddings.

After the wedding ceremony, you can have the reception in any of the rooms in the reception hall next door.

The Harrington Mansion at the Zuhrah Shrine Center can be rented for your wedding ceremony, and then you can have the reception at the Zuhrah Center next door, which has four ballrooms for you to choose from. This incredible Minneapolis mansion has carved wood, ornate brass fittings, and elaborate chandeliers. When you enter the Harrington Mansion through the large main door you'll see the main staircase - the wedding ceremony may be held on that upper landing. The stairway then splits and continues up on two sides, converging again on the second floor, which has an indoor balcony. Guests can stand on either the first floor or on the second-floor balcony to view the wedding ceremony. 

Great place for a rehearsal dinner: The Harrington Mansion and Zuhrah Shrine Center can accommodate your rehearsal dinner in one of several rooms. The Mansion’s library seats up to 40 people, and the gorgeous patio will accommodate 45 seated guests. If you’re looking for a larger room, the Oasis Bar in the Event Center will seat up to 60 people in a more casual setting that includes a full-service bar, two pool tables, dartboards, and six flat-screen TVs.

Closest hotel: The 3.5-star downtown Minneapolis Convention Center's Millennium Hotel is about a half-mile away.

Capacity: 135 to 500 guests
Location: 2540 Park Ave., Minneapolis
Site Rental Fee: $425 for wedding ceremonies in the Harrington Mansion; $350 (weekdays) to $1,295 for receptions in the Zuhrah Shrine Center
Phone Number: 612-871-3555 (Ask for Amy Heimer.) 

St. Paul College Club Mansion in St. Paul

The Georgian Revival St. Paul College Club is on historic Summit Avenue, which has the longest stretch of Victorian mansions in the world.

Most indoor wedding ceremonies are held in this main room in front of the fireplace. Receptions are held in the neighboring ballroom.

The reception hall of the St. Paul College Club is much larger than it appears in this photo. It can be set up ahead of time because the wedding is usually held in another room (or outdoors).

The St. Paul College Club is one of the few sites that offers an outdoor wedding ceremony location as well as an indoor one. This is a small shot of the beautiful backyard.

The St. Paul College Club offers a very reasonable price for such a large, gorgeous mansion. It's one of my favorite wedding spots in town. The club is located next to the Governor’s Mansion on prestigious Summit Avenue. The St. Paul College Club has a lovely and spacious living room with soft light (perfect for photographs). They have several rooms for congregating and mingling and many fireplaces throughout, which can be lit for wedding guests to enjoy. There is also an adjoining reception hall, pictured above (on the left). Two rooms upstairs are specifically designated for the bride and groom (to the right, here), providing ideal private locations for wedding preparations and photo opportunities. The club offers both indoor and outdoor weddings, which makes this venue very versatile. Their lovely garden blooms throughout the spring and summer, adding to the enchantment of outdoor ceremonies here.

The St. Paul College Club charges about $1,000 to rent the site for weddings - one of the most reasonable prices for these large, grand Minnesota wedding sites. The club includes table linens, linen napkins, and rose centerpieces for every one of your guests’ tables. Their personal French chef caters all of their weddings, lending variety to their menu choices. Their staff is very professional, experienced, and friendly - they ensure that your guests’ needs are always taken care of. You can bring your own liquor for the bar, which is amazing and basically unheard of at reception halls - stocking the bar on your own can save you thousands of dollars at your reception.

The St. Paul College Club is on Summit Avenue, a block from the parallel-running Grand Avenue, which has many great restaurants for a rehearsal dinner, including the Lexington restaurant (old-school American). Or you could venture downtown to Meritage (a French Brasserie), which is located on St. Peter street.

Closest hotels: The 2.5-star Best Western Kelly Inn and the 5-star Helmsley Saint Paul Hotel are each about a mile-and-a-half away. 

Capacity: 220 guests
Location: 990 Summit Avenue, St. Paul 
Site Rental Fee: $1,000
Phone Number: 651-227-4477 (Ask for Janice, the event manager.)

Summit Manor Mansion in St. Paul

Summit Manor is perfect for smaller weddings. Most other sites will not accommodate 30 to 100 guests very well.

Outdoor weddings at the Summit Manor are held on this front lawn, with the bride and groom standing on the porch, and the guests seated on rows of chairs in the yard.  The processional comes up this walkway.

Wedding ceremonies at Summit Manor are often held indoors, too.

The bride usually gets ready upstairs, then comes down this grand staircase for the processional.

Summit Manor (Summit Mansion) on beautiful Summit Avenue in St. Paul, Minnesota, is one of the smaller mansions in town, making it perfect for more intimate weddings. There are very few sites that are good for 30 to 100 guests, which makes Summit Manor even more special. I am very fond of this this little gem. You can have your wedding outside on the beautiful grounds or inside in the big room in front of a fireplace. The stairway pictured above (to the right) works well for the bride's grand entrance.

Summit Manor asks that visitors call the manager directly at 651-228-9111 to inquire about rental fees. 

Capacity: 30 to 100 guests
Location: 275 Summit Ave., St. Paul
Phone Number: 651-228-9111 

	My recommendations for wedding sites in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area:
		Chapels      Parks      Gardens      Mansions      Museums      Hotels      Farms       Historic Sites     Amphitheaters      Restaurants     Comparison Matrix