Venue Reviews - Comparison Matrix of Minnesota Wedding Locations

Engaged couples in the Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, metro area have long needed a tool for comparing wedding reception sites. Finally, here's a complete matrix of the costs and capacities of all the wedding ceremony and reception sites in the Twin Cities. I haven't included chapels or outdoor sites, because they don't offer receptions. Hotels are also not included, because their pricing structure is so different (usually no rental fee, but about $50/person).

Here are the Minneapolis and St. Paul area wedding reception and wedding ceremony sites, with pictures, prices (for a Saturday in the summer, with ceremony), seating capacity, and contact info:

My goal is to have information about every single reception site in the Twin Cities, with pictures, contact information, capacity, prices, and pictures.  Feel free to email me if you have pricing info, notes, or pictures of any upscale wedding ceremony/reception sites I've missed, and I'll put it up. Other wedding guides, such as the Knot.com, etc., don't list every Twin Cities site because they only accept sites that pay them a monthly or yearly fee. In addition, this is the only guide available in Minnesota, either online or in print, that shows prices for wedding reception sites. Every other site either shows $-$$$$, or doesn't list prices at all.

Note: If you want to sort the list by seating capacity, city, or anything else, feel free to copy and paste the above into an Excel document. The pictures don't copy/paste well, but the text and links do.

I've assumed a 10-hour rental on a Saturday in June: 2:00-4:00 pm pictures, 4:30 pm wedding, 5:00-6:00 pm cocktail hour, 6:00-7:30 pm dinner, 7:30-midnight dancing.

 

Important note:  Pricing can be difficult to compare, but here is how it's done:

• Rental Fee:
• If there is a rental fee, it's listed.
• Some reception sites waive their room rental fee if you use their catering and you make the minimum     food/beverage charge, which is usually $5,000-$10,000,
• Food and beverages:
• Food and beverages are extra, usually with a minimum charge.
• If outside catering is allowed, that means you can bring in your own licensed caterer. Caterers usually have a food beverage minimum, often $3,000.
• Whether you're serving dinner or just heavy appetizers, the price per person is usually about the same. This fact usually surprises people, but appetizers are expensive to make.
• Meals are usually $20-$50/person, and often the following charges per person are added (totaling another $28/person):
• $5 for linens
• $5 for tables and silverware
• $5 for salad 
• $3.50 for cake
• 20% more for security, bartenders, and servers (Sometimes this is a flat fee.)
• 7% sales tax 
• So, a $20 entree would then total $48/person.
• In addition, an open bar costs approximately $30/person. Some couples choose to have a cash bar, where guests pay for their own drinks.

So, while this matrix is helpful, the final price varies greatly. $50/person is a good rule of thumb to start with (and as you'll see, $100/person is the rule of thumb for the final price). Less than that is a really good deal, more than that is high-end. With open bar, of course, that's immediately upped to $80/person, and then another $25/person for once the salad, dessert, linens, tables and silverware, servers, gratuity and taxes are factored in.  So, as stated above, in the long run $100/person is the real rule of thumb. Again, less than that is a good deal, more than that is high-end...but $100/person is a good way to estimate the cost of your wedding. 100 guests =$10,000, 200 guests = $20,000 (less than this is a good deal, more than this is high-end). Looking at the budget this way emphasizes how the number of guests you have is the biggest factor in how much your wedding will cost. 

These Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, wedding reception and ceremony sites are sorted by rental fee - fancier places naturally charge higher rental fees. The exceptions are restaurants and hotels: Upscale restaurants charge a low fee because they don't allow dancing and, thus, weddings there don't take up much space. Upscale hotels charge a low fee because they also make money from renting hotel rooms.

Tip: Once you visit a site for your wedding ceremony and/or reception, if you decide that you really like it, book it immediately. There are a limited number of event spaces in the Twin Cities area, and they book up quickly. If you're insterested in a Saturday in warm weather, that's a scarce resource, and like my services, wedding venues often booked 12-18 months ahead of time.

   

*If the entree price has a star next to it, the star means that outside caterers must be licensed. Outside caterers vary greatly in price. As detailed above, catering prices usually end up costing another $25/person more, once the salad, dessert, linens, tables and silverware, servers, gratuity, and taxes are factored in:

• The largest caterers in town are and Mintahoe Apples ($27.25), Lancer ($23.00), Three Sons ($20.00), D'Amico ($19.00),  and Mintahoe Perfect Host ($15.00). 
• Here's my blog entry recommending Fabulous Catering (pricey but worth it) and another recommending Russell's Catering (incredibly good at smaller events, including private parties).
• An the more-affordable end:
• Aesop's, Lisa's, and TST start at $8.25, Lookout and Campion Rose Burns start at $13.00. Here's my blog entry recommending TST. 

   

Large-Capacity Wedding Reception Sites in Minnesota:

Hi, Rev. Coleman - you have a wonderful blog and your chart on reception venues in the Twin Cities is incredibly helpful. However, I am looking for a site in Minneapolis or St. Paul, MN, that can handle 400 people for a sit-down dinner. Any ideas? Thanks so much!

Answer:

Good question! Most reception sites can't accomodate that large a goup. Here are the largest-capacity wedding reception venues in the Twin Cities, with their seating capacities:

Minneapolis - Seating Capacity of Large Reception Sites

Graves / 601 Hotel - 400
Hilton Garden Inn - reviewed here - 400
The Westin Minneapolis- 400
Ukrainian Event Center- 400
Marriott City Center Hotel- reviewed here - 400
Solera Restaurant- 450
Museum of Russian Art - 500
St. Anthony Banquet Center - 500
Atlas Grill - 500
Nicollet Island Pavilion - reviewed here - 600
Blaisdell Manor - reviewed here - 650
Mill City Museum - reviewed here - 700
Hilton Hotel - reviewed here - 800
Hyatt Regency Hotel - 800
International Market Square - 800
McNamara Alumni Center - reviewed here - 800