Minneapolis wedding officiant Rev Coleman, for a chapel with a Minnesota wedding
 

Venues - Comparison Matrix

My recommendations for wedding sites in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area:
Chapels      Parks      Gardens      Mansions      Museums      Hotels      Farms     
Historic Sites     Amphitheaters      Restaurants     Comparison Matrix
Wedding at the Calhoun Beach Club in Minneapolis, MN 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 (no rental fee, per se, but instead you must ask for quote based on a complete package).

Minneapolis and St. Paul area wedding reception and wedding ceremony sites, 
with pictures, prices, seating capacity, and contact info:


Ceremony/
reception
site

  Phone   Seating
capacity
  Rental fee    Type   Lowest-priced entree - see important notes below   Other
notes
 

Picture

Padelford Riverboats (800)
593-
9308
710 $5,500 Mississippi paddleboat $20.00 More often, instead of $5,500, it rents for $1,650 for 3 hours. wpeCF.gif (146366 bytes)
Semple Mansion (612)
290-
4448
250 $4,600 Mansion Outside licensed caterers allowed* See reviews of weddings in mansions wpe68.gif (45216 bytes)
James J. Hill Library (651)
265-
5447
175 $3,700 Historic site Outside licensed caterers allowed* See reviews of weddings at historic sites wpe65.gif (48174 bytes)
McNamara Center at the U of M (612)
238-
4012
170, or up to 800 $3,500 Historic site $19.00 See reviews of weddings at museums McNamara Center
Cedars Hall (612)
379-
8989
450 $3,500 Banquet hall Outside licensed caterers allowed* The banquet hall can be divided for much smaller weddings, too.
Weisman Art Museum (612)
 626-
5241
240 $3,400 Museum Unpublished prices; estimated $50.00 See reviews of weddings at museums wpe5F.gif (48951 bytes)
Landmark Center (651)
292-
3228
450 $2,750 Historic site Outside licensed caterers allowed* See reviews of weddings at historic sites wpe5D.gif (45502 bytes)
The Great Hall (651)
228-
9456
300, or up to 500 $2,450 Historic site Outside licensed caterers allowed* See reviews of weddings at historic sites wpe5B.gif (58625 bytes)
Blaisdell Manor (612)
 870-
7875
400 $2,350 plus other variable fees Mansion You must use their catering, which start at $25.00 per entree See reviews of weddings in mansions wpe2D.gif (56177 bytes)
Walker Art Center's Galleries or Rooftops (612)
375-
7553
150 $2,200 Museum $50.00, includes salad and dessert See reviews of weddings at museums wpe8B.gif (31552 bytes)
Harriet Island Pavilion (651)
292-
7010
275 $2,000 Historic site in a park Outside licensed caterers allowed* In a huge park, right on the river, across from downtown
St. Paul.
wpeAE.gif (65322 bytes)
Edinborough Park (952)
832-
6790
350 $2,000 Indoor park Outside licensed caterers allowed* Unique indoor-park environment with more than 6,000 trees, plants, and flowers. wpe53.gif (28466 bytes)
Lady Of The Lake (952)
929-
1209
150 $2,000 Boat Outside licensed caterers allowed* Ceremonies are usually held on the boat before the launch. wpe57.gif (97722 bytes)
Mill City Museum (612)
238-
4012
130, or up to 700 $1,850 Museum $25.00 See reviews of weddings at museums wpe4E.gif (57966 bytes)
Gale Mansion (612)
870-
1662
220 $1,850 Mansion $22.00 See reviews of weddings in mansions wpe50.gif (53185 bytes)
Dakota Lodge (651)
437-
3191
200 $1,600 Golf course Outside licensed caterers allowed*        wpe4A.gif (19956 bytes)
Minnesota Landscape Arboretum (952) 443-
3018
Several sites, from 10-300 Several sites. $500-$1,000 for ceremony.
$1,050-$2,000 for reception.
Gardens $20.49 Now has a reception hall, too. Minnesota Arboretum
Hillcrest (651)
774-
6088
200 $1,500 Upscale country club/golf course $15.50  Incredible view from the balcony.  wpeB1.gif (66794 bytes)
Minneapolis City Hall (612)
596-
9518
275 $1,500 Historic site You must use one of their caterers, which start at $15.00-20.00 per entree wpe98.gif (129735 bytes)
Black Bear Crossings at Como Lake (651)
488-
4920
200 $1,400 Park pavilion $24.00 See reviews of historic wedding sites wpe89.gif (42661 bytes)
Woodbury Central Indoor Park (651)
714-
3500
320 $1,400 Indoor park Outside licensed caterers allowed* An indoor park with banquet rooms.  Here's a virtual tour.
Richardson Nature Center (763)
559-
6700
150 $1,400 Nature center You must use one of their caterers, which start at $12.50 per entree The building incorporates sustainable design principles. wpe40.gif (44920 bytes)
Elm Creek Park's Chalet (763)
559-
6700
200 $1,200 Park pavilion You must use one of their caterers, which start at $12.50 per entree Huge fieldstone fireplace,  cathedral-style ceiling, overlooks a park.
Van Dusen Mansion (612)
874-
1900
350 $1,200 Mansion You must use one of their caterers, which start at $25.00 per entree See reviews of weddings in mansions wpe38.gif (111657 bytes)
Lake Harriet Spiritual Community (612)
922-
4272
200 $1,100 Church Outside licensed caterers allowed* Beer and wine only. Limited dancing. wpeCC.gif (57362 bytes)
Columbia Manor (612)
789-
2627 option 5
200 $1,050 Country club/golf course You must use one of their caterers, which start at $25.00 per entree Outdoor wedding ceremony location available. wpe90.gif (33801 bytes)
317 on Rice Park (651)
726-
8800
180 $1,000 Historic site $19.50 Historic building. wpeED.gif (42725 bytes)
Cowles Conservatory at the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden (612)
370-
4929
75 $1,000 Museum You must use one of their caterers, which start at $25.00 per entree See reviews of weddings at museums
The Braemar Room (952)
826-
6791
250 $1,000 Country club/golf course $17.00 Rated one of the top 75 public golf courses in the nation. wpe98.gif (71260 bytes)
St. Paul College Club (651)
227-
4477
200 $1,000 Mansion You must use one of their caterers, which start at $25.00 per entree See reviews of weddings in mansions wpe31.gif (122803 bytes)
Centennial Lakes Park & the Park Centrum Building (952)
832-
6789
120 $950 Park pavilion Outside licensed caterers allowed* Modern building, plus an outside wedding site location on a small lake. wpe2A.gif (44085 bytes)
Riedel Mansion (763)
757-
3920
50-100 $60-70/hour Mansion Outside licensed caterers allowed* 1880s mansion in a park. wpe1E.gif (41716 bytes)
Harrington Mansion (612)
871-
3555
50 $600 Mansion $18.00 See reviews of weddings in mansions wpe19.gif (34604 bytes)
W.A. Frost Restaurant (651)
224-
5715
48 $150 Restaurant $23.00 Beautiful 1800s restaurant. No dancing. wpe7.gif (71325 bytes)
Forepaugh's Restaurant (651) 224-
5606
200 $150 Restaurant $17.50 Victorian restaurant in St. Paul. Restrictions on time. No dancing wpe7A.gif (85746 bytes)


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 right away. I receive no pay for listing these sites; rather, this is simply helpful information. Other wedding guides, such as the Knot.com, etc., don't list every Twin Cities site because they only accept sites that pay. In addition, this is the only guide available in Minnesota, either online or in print, that shows prices for wedding reception sites.

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

I've assumed a 10-hour rental: 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:
          o If there is a rental fee, it's listed.
          o 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:
          o Food and beverages are extra, often with a minimum charge.
          o If outside catering is allowed, that means you can bring in your own licensed caterer, whose fees range from $10-$50/person.*
    * Other usual charges (per person):
          o $5 for linens
          o $5 for tables and silverware
          o $5 for salad
          o $3.50 for dessert
          o 20% more for security, bartenders, and servers (Sometimes this is a flat fee.)
          o 7% sales tax
    * So, a $20 entree would then total $48/person.
    * In addition, an open bar costs approximately $30/person.

So, while this matrix is helpful, the final price varies greatly.

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 much space. Upscale hotels charge a low fee because they make their money solely from the catering.

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

*Outside caterers must be licensed, and they vary greatly in price. 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.
The largest caterers in town are Mintahoe Perfect Host ($15.00), D'Amico ($19.00), Three Sons ($20.00), Lancer ($23.00), and Mintahoe Apples ($24.00). 

As detailed above, prices usually end up costing another $25/person more than this, once the salad, dessert, linens, tables and silverware, servers, and taxes are factored in.

 

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 great. 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! 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
The Westin Minneapolis- 400
Ukrainian Event Center- 400
Marriott City Center Hotel- 400
Solera Restaurant- 450
Museum of Russian Art - 500
St. Anthony Banquet Center - 500
Atlas Grill - 500
Blaisdell Manor - 650
Mill City Museum - 700
Hilton Hotel - 800
Hyatt Regency Hotel - 800
International Market Square - 800
McNamara Alumni Center - 800



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

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Photos by permission, top photo by Laurie Schneider Photography. Please do not distribute.
Rev. Tomkin Coleman, 197 Griggs St. N., St. Paul, MN 55104
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