Notes on weddings at the Carlson Towers (Carlson Conservatory) in Minnetonka, MN
The Carlson Towers in Minnetonka, MN, is a beautiful site for an outdoor wedding, but it's hard to get a sense of what a site looks like from its publicity pictures. While you can check out my full review of using Carlson Towers for a wedding, here's some additional pictures and notes to help give you an idea of what the site is really like.
A gorgeous picture, eh? This view of the Carlson Towers won't actually be seen by the guests, though, because it's taken from the other side of the lake...your wedding will be by the lake, close to the towers. But the picture is a good one in that you can see what the Towers look like from the I-494 freeway, which is the way most Minneapolitans see Carlson Towers. Note that when you are having a wedding here, the landscaping creates a valley, so you can't see or hear the freeway, or even know it' s there. Yet Carlson Towers is right off of 394 and 494, so it's incredibly handy to get to from downtown Minneapolis, or from any western suburb of Minneapolis.
This is a nice view of the amphitheater...your wedding would be on that green circle, down by the water. You can see how chairs have been set up on the amphitheater steps. When you visit the site, most likely it won't be set up for a wedding, so you'll have to imagine the chairs. I've performed about ten wedding ceremonies here (so I'm very familiar with the site and it's unique characteristics), and I seem to remember that some weddings there have not had chairs...guests sat directly on the amphitheater steps, which worked fine (although chairs rented from Carlson Towers would be nicer, of course, but more expensive.)
You see where these wedding guests are, standing and chatting? This is where the bridal party, parents, and bride lines up for the processional, and then proceed down the stairs to the dais.
These are the stairs down to the dais. Some couples choose to get married right in the middle of the green, grassy site, with attendants on each side, while other couples choose to get married on the marble platform right in front of the green grass (then they don't have to step up onto the grass). Either choice is appropriate. Carson Tower's literature shows couples getting married on the marble, but most couples I've worked with choose to get married on the grassy site (it's just so dramatic that way.)
Here's the view you'll see as you're getting married. (Well, not quite...the shot is taken from a bit off to the side, but you get the idea. I took the photo from the side, so you could get an idea of how the steps go up straight for 8 steps, then you can head up to the building by either the right or the left staircase.) The Carlson Conservatory lobby is the round glass rotunda in the background.
Setting up bridal flowers really shapes the space (you can see the two sets of flowers in front of the grassy dias.) The Carlson Conservatory is a gorgeous site, very park-like, but there are virtually no flowers on the grounds, it's all grass. If you want flowers at your wedding site, you have to hire a florist to bring them in. (Flowers are not necessary, but here you can get a sense of how nice they can be, making the space more festive.)
Here are some snapshots of the inside of the Towers, in the lobby where your wedding reception will take place (the Rotunda). If there was rain, the wedding would be indoors in this space (although weddings are rarely rained out in Minnesota summers...the state usually gets very short thunderstorms in the summer, not the all-day rain we get in the spring or fall.)
For more non-traditional wedding locations in Minnesota, check out my formal reviews on my website.
Warmly,
Rev. Tomkin Coleman
http://www.mnweddingminister.com
A gorgeous picture, eh? This view of the Carlson Towers won't actually be seen by the guests, though, because it's taken from the other side of the lake...your wedding will be by the lake, close to the towers. But the picture is a good one in that you can see what the Towers look like from the I-494 freeway, which is the way most Minneapolitans see Carlson Towers. Note that when you are having a wedding here, the landscaping creates a valley, so you can't see or hear the freeway, or even know it' s there. Yet Carlson Towers is right off of 394 and 494, so it's incredibly handy to get to from downtown Minneapolis, or from any western suburb of Minneapolis.
This is a nice view of the amphitheater...your wedding would be on that green circle, down by the water. You can see how chairs have been set up on the amphitheater steps. When you visit the site, most likely it won't be set up for a wedding, so you'll have to imagine the chairs. I've performed about ten wedding ceremonies here (so I'm very familiar with the site and it's unique characteristics), and I seem to remember that some weddings there have not had chairs...guests sat directly on the amphitheater steps, which worked fine (although chairs rented from Carlson Towers would be nicer, of course, but more expensive.)
You see where these wedding guests are, standing and chatting? This is where the bridal party, parents, and bride lines up for the processional, and then proceed down the stairs to the dais.
These are the stairs down to the dais. Some couples choose to get married right in the middle of the green, grassy site, with attendants on each side, while other couples choose to get married on the marble platform right in front of the green grass (then they don't have to step up onto the grass). Either choice is appropriate. Carson Tower's literature shows couples getting married on the marble, but most couples I've worked with choose to get married on the grassy site (it's just so dramatic that way.)
Here's the view you'll see as you're getting married. (Well, not quite...the shot is taken from a bit off to the side, but you get the idea. I took the photo from the side, so you could get an idea of how the steps go up straight for 8 steps, then you can head up to the building by either the right or the left staircase.) The Carlson Conservatory lobby is the round glass rotunda in the background.
- First you have your wedding on the grassy dias.
- Then, if the weather is warm, you have your cocktail hour on the marble deck (in this above picture, it's where these wedding guests are standing, behind the decorative fence.) Your cocktail hour is going on while you're greeting your guests (for instance, during your receiving line).
- Then your guests head inside the Rotunda for your wedding reception (after your wedding ceremony).
Setting up bridal flowers really shapes the space (you can see the two sets of flowers in front of the grassy dias.) The Carlson Conservatory is a gorgeous site, very park-like, but there are virtually no flowers on the grounds, it's all grass. If you want flowers at your wedding site, you have to hire a florist to bring them in. (Flowers are not necessary, but here you can get a sense of how nice they can be, making the space more festive.)
Here are some snapshots of the inside of the Towers, in the lobby where your wedding reception will take place (the Rotunda). If there was rain, the wedding would be indoors in this space (although weddings are rarely rained out in Minnesota summers...the state usually gets very short thunderstorms in the summer, not the all-day rain we get in the spring or fall.)
For more non-traditional wedding locations in Minnesota, check out my formal reviews on my website.
Warmly,
Rev. Tomkin Coleman
http://www.mnweddingminister.com
posted by Rev. Tomkin Coleman | 8:39 AM
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