02.06.07

Review of Minnehaha Park for outdoor wedding ceremonies in Minneapolis

Posted in Wedding Sites in Minnesota at 2:09 pm by Rev. Tomkin Coleman

Welcome to my blog! My name is Rev. Tomkin Coleman, and I have officiated many weddings at Minnehaha Park. The following are some notes which you may find helpful with your planning. I’m not affiliated with Minnehaha Park, nor the Minneapolis Park Board (612-230-6400) - the following blog post is just my comments. More of my wedding site reviews of local parks, as well as indoor wedding reception sites, can be found here.

Minneapolis outdoor wedding site Lake Harriet Rose Garden One of the best parts of getting married in a park is that the park will always be special to you. Whenever you walk around the lakes, you’ll stop at the Lake Harriet Rose Garden and remember your wedding day. Or whenever you go to the Walker Art Center, you’ll walk through the Sculpture Garden and all these memories about how you exchanged Vows will come back - even 30 or 50 years later. Other sites can’t match that kind of extended revisiting of mem Minneapolis outdoor wedding - no chairs ories.

Minneapolis outdoor wedding sites don’t permit chairs, though, so the wedding ceremony will have to be a bit more informal. For a 30 minute wedding ceremony, most Guests don’t mind standing up at all, and you can always bring in just a few chairs for the elderly (the Park Service doesn’t mind that…they just don’t want 200 chairs).

Rain is, surprisingly, not a big problem for Minnesota weddings in the outdoors. Most outdoor wedding ceremonies are held in the summer, and summer rain tends to be very Minnehaha Park wedding site in Minneapolis rain location quick. Sudden, localized thunderstorms are the norm in the summer, not rain that last all day. Of the hundreds of wedding ceremonies I’ve performed, only three have been rained out. In case of inclement weather, most brides set a time, such as noon the day of the wedding, by which they decide whether to have the wedding ceremony at the park or in the backup location, such as their wedding reception site.

A notable exception is Minnehaha Park, which has a roofed bandstand (one of the three rained-out weddings was held there). The gazebo can only hold 20-20 people at the most, but other Guests who have umbrellas can gather around, too. Weddings are done in 3 hour time blocks, and couples are granted to have a wedding in the park. The price in 2008 for a wedding permit Minneapolis is about $500 (800 for a bandstand).

At Minnehaha Falls Park in Minneapolis, wedding ceremonies are usually held on the north side of the falls, but I have also performed wedding ceremonies on the south side on one of the small landings on the stairs (which is a dramatic setting, but will only fit 5-10 guests.

Statue of Hiawatha being carried in Minneapolis park One wedding was at the Hiawatha statue just upstream of the Minnehaha Falls, and that site was picked because the couple were Native American and the statue had special meaning for them. Part of the “Song of Hiawatha” was read during the wedding ceremony. Pergola on the south side of Minnehaha Falls

There is also a pergola on the south side of the falls, and I’ve held wedding ceremonies there, but you can’t see the falls from that location.

Minnehaha Falls Park map

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11 Comments »

shawn wever said,

March 17, 2007 at 12:36 am

Would it cost anything for use of the pergola area or is there a garden place on site? If there is what is the cost of it? Please if you could let me know, the date i want to get married is July 4. Thanks!
Rachael Kallstrom said,

March 23, 2007 at 2:15 am

I am planning on getting maried on July 19th next year. I was just wondering how far in advance I should request to reserve this location. It is so beautiful, I think it would be the perfect place for my wedding.
Melissa Marshall said,

June 27, 2007 at 2:08 am

I was trying to plan a wedding and came across this site…. do they have a calendar for 2008 available???
Rev. Tomkin Coleman said,

August 21, 2007 at 3:38 pm

Unfortunately, the Minneapolis Park Board does not publish its parks availability online, but Saturdays in the summer book up very quickly. Usually parks accept reservations up to a year ahead of time (St Paul is unusual in that the give St Paul residents up to 18 months to reserve a spot.) So, if you’re planning a Saturday afternoon wedding in the summer, I’d recommending reserving the site ASAP, but if you are looking at another date or time, there will be much more availability! I hope this helps!

Warm regards,

Rev. Tomkin Coleman
http://www.mnweddingminister.com
Lindsey said,

September 10, 2007 at 8:51 pm

Can you also rent a tent to have a reception on site?
Rev. Tomkin Coleman said,

September 14, 2007 at 4:23 pm

Good morning! Yes, the Minneapolis Parks Board does allow tents to be set up for wedding ceremonies. Here’s a link to their application for use of their facilities, which helps give an idea of what’s allowed: http://www.minneapolisparks.org/documents/permits/facility_use.pdf

Warmly,

Rev. Tomkin Coleman
http://www.mnweddingminister.com
Jane Hayes said,

October 7, 2007 at 4:59 pm

Iwould like to have some informatio on this outdoor site. What is the availabillity for the summer or fall of 2009? Thank you!
Rev. Tomkin Coleman said,

November 26, 2007 at 6:25 pm

Good morning, Jane,

I’m not affiliated with Minnehaha Park, but you can call the Minneapolis Park Board at 612-230-6400 to check availability. Note that most cities usually only accept reservations 12-18 months in advance.

Warm regards,

Rev. Tomkin Coleman
http://www.mnweddingminister.com
Shayleen said,

December 29, 2007 at 11:55 pm

How many chairs do they allow at the park? I think this place is gorgeous, but I don’t want my guests standing, do they have a rule on how many chairs you can bring in?
Sydney said,

January 17, 2008 at 7:38 pm

I was just wondering if there is a location in this park that would be able to have 150 guests?? I love this location and we both have really big families. If you could let meknow that would be great!!
Rev. Tomkin Coleman said,

February 26, 2008 at 4:28 pm

Dear Sydney,

150 guests would be very large for an outdoor wedding in a park, since there would be no sound amplification. I have performed wedding ceremonies in parks for that many guests, but I can project really well without straining at all. Most wedding readers, as well as the bride and groom, would not be heard, though.

If you were to have 150 guests at Minnehaha Park, I would recommend holding it at the pergola, because it’s the only place with a nice, large, flat grassy area. Here’s a side view of the pergola - http://www.mnweddingminister.com/sites/OtherS20.jpg (I’ll get a front view posted soon).
Warmly,

Rev. Tomkin Coleman
http://www.mnweddingminister.com

Rev. Tomkin Coleman’s Local Wedding Tips & Info

02.06.07

Review of Minnehaha Park for outdoor wedding ceremonies in Minneapolis

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