Notes on Rice Park for wedding ceremonies

I have performed many wedding ceremonies at the Landmark Center in St Paul, but a new twist on that idea is to have the wedding ceremony outdoors in Rice Park.

Rice Park is the gorgeous “town square” in the middle of St Paul, which is front of the Landmark Center (St Paul’s rental for Rice Park is $100 for 1.5 hours). The wedding reception can then be held inside in the Landmark Center.

The other three sides of Rice Park are the high-class Saint Paul Hotel, the classic James J Hill library, and the beautiful Ordway Center. Most famously, Rice Park in St Paul plays host for the ice sculpture carving for the St Paul Winter Carnival each year. The park has beautiful paving, a fountain, and a wonderful statue of St Paul native F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Having the outdoor wedding ceremony in Rice Park of St Paul and then the wedding reception indoors at the Landmark Center is a terrific idea because:

• You get the advantages of an outdoor location (sunny weather, the feel of nature)
  
• The advantages of being in downtown St Paul (parking, restaurants, close to hotels and activities such as the Science Museum of Minnesota, which is a block away. Then the Landmark Center can serve as a rain location.

Alternately, outdoor wedding sites in the Minneapolis/St Paul area could also be combined with having your reception site of the St Paul Hotel, the James J Hill Library, or the 317 Center in St Paul (pictured to the right), which is kitty-corner from the park.

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