Gibbs Farm for weddings in Minneapolis, MN

Question:

Dear Reverend Tomkin Coleman,

Thank you so much for including the Gibbs Museum (Gibbs Farm) of St Paul, MN in your listing of wedding venues in Minnesota. We just wanted to let you know that our rental fee has gone up and will be $1,250 in 2010.

Thanks again for the coverage, we see quite a few folks visiting our website because of your link.

Maureen McGinn
Membership & Marketing Manager
Ramsey County Historical Society
651-222-0701




Answer:

Dear Maureen,

That's wonderful that so many brides are finding your unique museum through the site. As always, the information on my site is not paid for, and I list places I love, in order to be helpful for Twin Cities couples. There's so few places where people can get unbiased reviews and information, it's nice to be able to provide that.

Your review has now been updated, and if there's ever any information or pictures you'd like to change, just let me know. If there's ever a way to link to my site, it would be greatly appreciated.

I look forward to working at Gibbs Farm again.

Warm regards,

Rev. Tomkin Coleman
Minnesota Weddings with Rev. Coleman

Advice for a cheap wedding in Minneapolis, MN

Question:

Dear Rev. Coleman,

Thank you for your terrific website - you are providing a wonderful service for brides, even when they don't use your services. Can you help us with some advice? We are looking for an inside venue for the wedding ceremony with a reception area near by or even attached. We are interested in doing our own catering and drinks (unless the price is right), and would like the ceremony to take place around 2-4pm, with the reception following. We will have many guests from out of town, so nearby accommodations are a must. About 150 total guests for the reception with a few less for the ceremony. Total wedding budget under $5000 if possible. Let me know what you think. Thank you.

Twin Cities Bride

Answer:

Dear TCB (What a great acronym!)

Ooh, you're in luck!

While most Minnesota wedding reception sites have a $8-12K food and beverage minimum, I just went to a wedding reception which was held in the upstairs of Sweeney's Bar in Saint Paul, MN, and, (considering it's the upstairs of a bar), it is a beautiful space...lots of old wood, floor to ceiling windows, an antique bar...it was a beautiful place. They had a banquet of appetizers, and for 150 guests (which is about all they could hold), it would be about $3K, plus probably another $2K for alcohol (or, you could have a cash bar). They only charge $60/hour for renting the space...what a deal!

Note: Trying to find a wedding reception site in the Twin Cities that permits you to bring in your own food is close to impossible, since most places make their money off of the catering, not the minimal rental fee. Plus, catering a wedding dinner for 150 people is really hard...

I hope this helps!

Warm regards,

Rev. Tomkin Coleman
MN Wedding Officiant & Planner

Wesley Church still available for winter '09 weddings

Question:

Hello, Rev. Coleman,

I've been thinking of you since I've been recommending you often to brides and grooms that are planning weddings at Wesley. I know you have a summer wedding at Wesley, so I look forward to meeting with you in person - we've talked on the phone so often!

I wanted to give you a heads-up that Wesley still has some November and December 2009 dates available. As you know, Wesley is beautiful in the winter. It's romantic, cozy (yet spacious, which doesn't make sense if you haven't visited the space), and pretty darn magical, especially when the weather is cold.

I thought I'd let you know since many wedding sites in Minneapolis, MN are so booked up already! We are pretty packed until November 2009 and then we have a couple of weekends available each month through the Spring.

Please pass on the word to any brides or grooms who are desperately searching for the perfect Winter spot!

Molly Campe
Wesley Church
612-518-5528

P.S. Still working on our preferred vendors list-- and you are at the top of it!



Answer:

Good afternoon, Molly,

Thank you so much! I'm pleased that Wesley is filled up for the summer. I'll definitely let brides know about your availability in the winter - and I look forward to working with you again!

Warmly,

Rev. Tomkin
Minneapolis Wedding Officiant

James J. Hill Libary wedding question

Question:

Hi, Rev. Coleman!

First, I want to tell you that I love your wedding website, and reviews on wedding reception locations in MN. It is SOOO helpful. We're thinking of having a wedding reception and ceremony at the James J Hill Library in downtown St Paul, MN. I wanted to know if you knew of any food minimum they have. I know it's open catering, but I wasn't sure if the library still had a food and beverage minimum we would need to meet. Thanks for the help and your wonderful website!

James J. Hill Library Bride, Hopefully



Answer:

Dear JJHLBH,

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding!

And thank you so much for your kind compliments! While I don't know the exact amount of the food/beverage minimum for the James J. Hill Library in Saint Paul, Minnesota - most sites changes their minimum depending on if the wedding is on a Friday, Saturday (most expensive), or Sunday, and also on whether it's in the Winter, Spring, or Summer/Fall (most expensive),
usually, for a premiere site like the James J. Hill Library, for a summer/fall wedding on a Saturday, food/beverage minimums are usually $10-12K.

Follow-up: I actually found out that there is no minimum because you can choose your caterer - who knew?

I hope this helps!

Warm regards,

Rev. Tomkin Coleman
MN Weddings with Rev. Coleman

Images courtesy of the James J. Hill Library

Feature on Rev. Coleman will be on MPR website

Question:

Dear Rev. Coleman,

How are you?

I have an idea to propose. I’m doing a series of photo essays for the MPR Web site. Each focuses on one person and something about them. I’d love to do one on Reverend Tomkin Coleman.

Should you be game, I’d interview you about what you do, about some of the interesting situations you’ve been in and about the idea of fewer people belonging to a church so they turn to those like you to get married. The story will be about 3 minutes long – and the audio would just be you talking. (I’d edit down what you say to make a storyline.) So it’s you in first person talking -- no one else, no reporter reading narration, no other interviews. I’d also want to take a series of photos of you – actually a whole bunch of photos – and then I’m put them into a little photo slideshow over your audio. I’m thinking perhaps photos of you getting ready for a wedding. A few photos at the wedding (so we’d need to find a couple who would be willing to let me attend their wedding and take some photos of you at it.) And then maybe some photos of you prepping for a wedding – maybe writing what you’re going to say or whatever you do to prepare.

Don’t know if I’m making any sense. If you’re game for such a thing, we could certainly talk more about the details and come up with a plan. Mainly, I just think it might be nice to profile you and what you do. Let me know what you think.

Hope you’re having a good day.

Sincerely,

Nikki Tundel
Minnesota Public Radio
651 290 1147
ntundel@mpr.org


Answer:
Dear Readers,

The interview has now been scheduled for tomorrow (Friday), and will be placed on their website in a few weeks - sounds like fun! If you're a bride who's using me to design and officiate your wedding, and you'd like to be on the MPR website, give me a call or drop me an e-mail!

Yours,

Rev. Tomkin Coleman
Minnesota Wedding Minister & Ceremony Designer

Follow-up:

6/15/09 - The interview has now happened , and pictures of a wedding at Weddings of Wayzata were taken this weekend. The reporter says that the feature will be on NPR's website in about two weeks.

Using your own catering for a wedding in Minneapolis, MN

Question:

Dr. Reverend Coleman,

My fiance and I are hoping to have a summer 2010 outdoor ceremony and reception in the Twin Cities, MN Metro Area that would allow us to bring in our own caterers. We would love to have a space for our ~100 guests to have a sit-down buffet dinner, and also a place to dance. I would love to have flowers or trees or water, or all of the above! Do you have any recommendations for a scenic wedding location in Minneapolis or St Paul that has a flexibility we'd like as far as dinner and drinks?

Thank you!

Newly Engaged Bride :)


Answer:

Good evening, N.E.B.,

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding!

I get this question all the time - It's tough to find a Minnesota reception site that will allow you to bring in your own catering, isn't it? For most wedding reception sites, that's how they make their money, so understandably, they have to provide the catering to stay in business.

A bride told me last week that the Minnesota Boat Club on Harriet Island in St Paul allows outside catering, but looking at their website, they say that they use Mintahoe Catering. Maybe there's some flexibility there?
6/1/2010 - 2:08 pm: I've left Mintahoe a voicemail, and they'll be calling me back with an answer.

Other than that rumor, though, it's tough, and outside of WaterFallView in Anoka, MN (reviewed here, and pictured on the left), I've never heard of a place that does it in Minnesota...maybe renting a pavilion in a city park, or a city's community center, and decorating iy yourself? A park would allow outside catering because it would be like a picnic, if you're okay with that. Some of the suburbs have surprisingly nice community centers, too.

Note: While you couldn't rent a park because you have alcohol at your wedding reception, sometimes pavilions/community centers, or city-run places, will allow alcohol to be served.
Another note: Some Twin Cities, MN area parks will allow 3.2 beer, of course...

Yours is a tough, tough, question, unfortunately...it's that problem of Minnesota reception sites making their money from their catering, so private places (as opposed to city-run places) have to feature their own catering to cover the mortgage. If you find that the MN Boat Club does allow outside catering (or, if you hear of another site that does), please let me know - many brides will thank you!

I hope this e-mail helps!

Warm regards,

Rev. Tomkin Coleman
Minnesota Wedding Minister & Designer