Alexandria, MN wedding reception sites

Question:

Dear Rev. Coleman,

I'm wondering if you have any suggestions for wedding sites outside of the Twin Cities, MN area? I really appreciate your amazing reviews of historic wedding reception sites in Minneapolis and St Paul, but I'm from Alexandria, Minnesota, and we would love to have a wedding somewhere near that area. However, I'm really struggling to find a place that meets our needs. We're looking for a place that can host the wedding and the reception, is affordable, lets you bring in your own caterer AND is original and unique (not your typical ballroom or event center). We have about 200 guests. Any suggestions?

Thank you so much for your advice!

Alexandria Groom



Answer:

Dear AG,

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding!

I'm sorry, but I've got bad news...

Now, I've been wrong before, but in my experience...well, that sort of site doesn't exist even in the Twin Cities (sorry!)

There's two big sticking points in your request:

1. Most wedding reception sites make most of their income from the catering, so they don't rent out the site for you to do your own catering. It's too bad, isn't it? Their rental fee is just a fraction of the money they need to break even (and then make a small profit)...most of the money is from the $8-10K food/beverage minimum. Those big sites just have huge taxes, repair bills, labor costs, advertising...and so they charge a bundle. The site rental fee is just a fraction of that...most of the money comes from catering...(sorry!)
2. Outside of the Twin Cities, MN metro area, it's extremely hard to find a wedding reception site that isn't a reception hall. There's only 10-12 in the Twin Cities (museums, mansions, historic farms, historic sites, and such...virtually all of the premier wedding reception sites in Minneapolis/St Paul are listed on the reviews on my website)...and outside of this Minneapolis/St Paul urban area, a historic/unique/original site like that is as rare as hen's teeth...exceptions such as historic old river towns like Stillwater, MN (with its beautiful historic Washington County Historic Courthouse, available for weddings) and Red Wing, MN (with its historic St James Hotel, or nearby Falconer Vineyards) are the exceptions because they're very old towns.
   

But hey, I could be wrong - I've been wrong before. But I'd be really surprised if what you are looking for exists. (If it does, please let me know - I'd love to tell the world about it!)

That being said, if you:

• are willing to take a banquet hall (which can be quite nice, like the Arrowwood Resort & Conference‎ Hall, pictured above)
• are willing to use their catering (after all, catering for 200 loved ones is incredibly difficult)

...then there are definitely great choices. I have not been to these sites, but they host wedding ceremonies:

• Arrowwood Resort & Conference‎ Hall (shown in the picture above), 2100 Arrowwood Ln NW, Alexandria, MN‎ - (320) 762-1124‎
• Broadway Ballroom‎, 115 30th Ave E, Alexandria, MN‎ - (320) 763-6565‎
• Alexandria Country Club‎, 2300 N Nokomis St NE, Alexandria, MN‎ - (320) 763-3604‎
• Minnewaska House‎ Banquet Facility, 24895 State Highway 28, Glenwood, MN‎ - (320) 634-4566‎
• Prairie Event Center‎, 201 W Main St, Parkers Prairie, MN‎ - (218) 338-4115‎
  

For what it's worth, I hope this answer helps. I wish you the very best with your wedding - and with your new life together!

Warmly,

Rev. Tomkin Coleman
Minnesota Wedding Planner & Minister

p.s. I WAS wrong! I just thought of one that fits part of the bill - the Carlos Creek Winery in Alexandria, MN rents out their site for weddings. I wouldn't think that they'd allow you to bring in your own catering, but they have recommendations for licensed caterers in the area.

Follow-up:

Good morning Rev. Tomkin Coleman,

I just saw this posting and I want to thank you for recommending Carlos Creek Winery for weddings in Alexandria, MN! I am the Director of Events out at the Winery. We do host a lot of weddings out here and it definitely is something different than your typical ballroom!

I would love to talk with you more about event planning and coordinating to learn more from you. You seem to know quite a bit about events.

Director of Events
Carlos Creek Winery
michelle@carloscreekwinery.com