05.08.08
Posted in Wedding Sites in Minnesota at 6:52 pm by Rev. Tomkin Coleman
The very friendly Colleen Burrs from Waterfallview Events wedding recepton hall called to introduce me to their new wedding reception and ceremony site in Anoka, Minnesota. I don’t usually review wedding reception sites where I haven’t officiated, but Waterfallview Events is new, and they are unique in several different ways.
Waterfall View Events gets its name because it has an amazing city park with a waterfall right in the back of their reception hall. The only way to get to the waterfall is through their reception site, so it’s very private, and it’s just gorgeous. The view of the wedding cer
emony site at night is like nothing I’ve ever heard of, with lights underneath the waterfall!
Unique advantage # 1:
- Outdoor ceremony, indoor reception. If you rent the Waterfallview Events wedding reception hall in Anoka, Minnesota is that you can have an outdoor wedding - yet have your wedding reception right there, and your guests don’t have to travel to a second spot. Their rental fee is $1500 for a Saturday in the summer, and there is no minimum food or beverage tab because you can bring in your own catering.
Unique advantage # 2:
- You can bring your own catering and alcohol
Yes, that’s right - Waterfallview Events is one of those rare Minnesota wedding reception halls that allows you to bring in your own food and beverages. Most wedding reception sites in MN require you to either use their own catering, or at the very least, insist you use a licensed caterer. I’ve only heard of one other wedding reception hall in the Minneapolis area that will allow you to bring in your own food and alcohol (Celebration Hall in Minneapolis), but that site is not nearly as large, and does not have an outdoor wedding ceremony option.Note: This option to bring in your own food and beverages is not only attractive to couples who want to save money on their open bar, but it’s also helpful for the East African community in Minnesota, who need to prepare their own food.
Unique advantage #3:
- This Minnesota wedding reception site is open until 1:00 am. I’ve never heard of a wedding reception hall staying open so late - usually midnight is the mandatory end time.
Final unique advantage:
- The Waterfallview wedding reception hall is new, so there are still Saturdays available in 2008. Amazing! Every other reception site in the Twin Cities metro area is booked up for Saturdays in the summer and fall of this year - and now that it’s open, Waterfallview will book up fast!
The event manager, Colleen Burrs, is very friendly and accomodating, and can be reached at 763-477-1919.
Warmly,
Rev. Tomkin Coleman
Home page - Wedding Ceremonies with Rev. Coleman
Permalink
03.18.08
Posted in Wedding Sites in Minnesota at 8:43 pm by Rev. Tomkin Coleman
Sarah Pikul from the Radisson Plaza Hotel in downtown Minneapolis was incredibly kind, and she gave me a private tour around Radisson’s downtown Minneapolis flagship hotel - wow! What a great place for wedding ceremonies and receptions!
- Note that this hotel is different from the other Minneapolis Radisson (the one by the University of Minnesota) - this hotel is the flagship property, the one right in the heart of downtown Minneapolis, by the theater district, Nicollet Mall, and the light rail which connects right to the Minneapolis/St Paul airport.
The Radisson Plaza Hotel is right in between Hennepin Avenue and Nicollet Mall on 7th Street, in the heart of downtown Minneapolis. The skyway connects right to Macy’s on one side and the City Center on the other side.
There’s several ways to enter the Radisson… if you come in from the front, you are either walking in (perhaps you took the light rail here from the airport), or perhaps you took a cab. In either case, you’ll then see this valet parking section, and then enter the main lobby (below).
So if you enter through the front door from the street, you’ll walk into the lobby, be sure to look up (right-hand picture) - the lobby extends upwards to the top floor - almost 20 stories high!
However, most wedding guests who are coming to weddings at the Radisson Hotel in downtown Minneapolis, however, will be driving…in which case, they’ll enter into the heated basement parking lot (unique among downtown Minneapolis hotels). Wedding guests then come directly up to the third floor, where the ballroom is located. When they exit the elevator, they’ll be greeted by the gorgeous balconies ringing the lobby. Every floor has these balconies overlooking the lobby, producing a beautiful and cohesive, effect.
The hotel ballroom is beautiful, with lots of mirrors and glass chandeliers. The ballroom is actually much larger than this picture shows - when I toured the Radisson, they were set up for a meeting, so I didn’t get to see it set up for a wedding (this picture is reprinted with permission of Sarah from the Radisson Plaza.) Wedding ceremonies are often held on one side of the ballroom, with a divider across the room, and then the divider is drawn back after the ceremony, revealing the tables all set up for the wedding reception.
Ah, one of my favorite parts about the Radisson Plaza Minneapolis - they’re beds are SleepNumber beds! It’s the only hotel chain that has them. They also have feather beds available in their upgraded rooms. I love weddings at hotels - wedding guests not only get to go to your wedding, they get to visit all their friends and relatives who are staying at the hotel. The ceremony and the reception are then all held in the same place, so no one has to travel… it’s a great relief to out-of-town guests, especially.
- Note that not only does the Radisson Hotel in downtown Minneapolis give you a free suite for the night when you have your wedding and reception at the hotel, they will give the parents a drastically reduced room rate, something I’ve not seen at other Minneapolis/St Paul hotels.
If your wedding ceremony and reception is at the Radisson, you might want to have your rehearsal dinner at the Firelake steakhouse, which is right off of the hotel’s lobby. Minneapolis/St Paul Magazine named the chef one of the Best Restauranteurs in the city.
As with most hotels in the Minneapolis and St Paul, MN area, the Radisson in downtown Minneapolis does not charge a room rental fee for weddings, but just a food and beverage minimum. Figuring out prices for weddings can be very tricky at other places, and what seems to be a $20 entree is usually more like $60 once the other charges are tacked on: Linens, silverware, security, tips, taxes, cake cutting fees… the list goes on and on. The Radisson has a wonderfully refreshing policy - $61/person includes every single thing. Wow! Their up-front policy is so easy to work with…my theory is that they get so much business from conventions, that they are used to being totally clear about everything. I wish all hotels could be like this…what a great policy! If you’re interested in using the Radisson Plaza for your wedding ceremony and reception, call (612) 339-4900 and ask for the Catering Manager on duty to check to see if your date and time is available, and if it is, they’ll send you out a full packet of materials, which is very well put together, and extremely helpful.
Permalink
03.11.08
Posted in Wedding Sites in Minnesota at 4:59 pm by Rev. Tomkin Coleman
Wow, what a gorgeous site. The Semple Mansion in Minneapolis, MN (reviewed here) had their wedding fair last weekend, and not only was the site stunning, but the vendors there were incredibly friendly and helpful.
We started in the fantastic wine cellar downstairs, which is in their old bank vault. So cool! Behind 15″ steel doors lay a gorgeously painted room with murals of vineries. I’ve always had a fascination with safes and bank vaults, and so I’ve seen many, but I’ve never seen such a beautiful, ornate one such as this. What a great idea, to have it for the wine cellar!
The Semple Mansion’s catering manager was there with a fantastic spread of food… wow, is he a great chef.
The old billiards room downstairs (in the above picture, it’s to the left) is now the groomsmen’s dressing room for weddings, and many other vendors were there.
The main floor was spectacular. This is where wedding ceremonies are held (with the reception on the top floor in the ballroom.) A pianist set the mood for the wedding fair, and then all sorts of friendly vendors were spread around the luxurious room. Note the amazing eight-foot wide chandelier, and the ten-foot wide fireplace!
The highlight of the Semple Mansion has to be it’s ballroom, though. I thought I was impressed with the gorgeous architecture downstairs, and the beautiful main floor, but the ballroom took my breath away. All the woodword was hand-painted, and the whole room was just gorgeous. Most Minneapolis, MN wedding mansions are beautiful, but when you want to have hundreds of people come in, you then have to go to their ballroom, which is usually a 1970s structure tacked on to the mansion. Not at Semple Mansion - the entire third floor consists of the ballroom, so you don’t have to go anywhere else. It’s absolutely amazing! All the way around the ballroom are benches built into the wall…perfect for guests to visit with each other.
Rarely do I rave so much about a wedding reception site, but the Semple Mansion in Minneapolis, MN is really amazing. Right next to downtown Minneapolis, on Franklin Avenue, close to Uptown.
Permalink
02.27.08
Posted in Wedding Sites in Minnesota at 8:32 pm by Rev. Tomkin Coleman
A bride just wrote to me today with some interesting questions about using chairs for weddings at Minneapolis and St Paul, MN parks. Here’s my thoughts:
Dear Rev. Coleman, thank you for your terrific reviews of Minneapolis and St Paul parks and gardens, and the information about their rental for summer wedding ceremonies! I was wondering if you could have chairs on the stone surrounding the large fountain at the Lyndale (Lake Harriet) Rose Garden?? I don’t understand why you wouldn’t be able to have them there.
Rev. Coleman’s answer: Red tape is difficult, isn’t it? The Minneapolis Parks Department does an absolutely wonderful job with the gorgeous parks in their system, especially with this this delicate, 100-year-old garden, the second oldest public rose garden in the US. I just love the Heffelfinger Fountain (pictured), a bronze and marble sculpture imported from Italy. The paving around it is not all that large, actually, and would only hold about 10-12 guests on the pavement. Most wedding ceremonies are held off to the side, where there’s more room.
The good people at the Minneapolis Parks Department had a much looser policy in the past, but over the years people probably abused the policy, and so the poor Parks Department then had to tighten up the regulations to compensate for a few people being inconsiderate. The Park’s Department budget has been slashed in recent years (as have most city budgets… witness the Minneapolis Public Library having to be closed on Sundays and Mondays…sigh), and thus the Parks Department had to lay off a lot of workers in the 1990s. Thus, the department didn’t have the budget to keep up with repairs necessary with their current looser restrictions, so they compensated by tightening up the rules in an effort to keep repair needs at a minimum. 
I’m sure the vast majority of weddings would be extremely considerate of any Minneapolis park, but it only takes a few irresponsible people who move chairs around onto the grassy area, which then damages the lawn, which then gets more damaged by the other visitors in the next week, and then the lawn eventually becomes a muddy mess by the end of the year. I suspect that this kind of scenario probably happened a bunch of times in the early 90s, and eventually the good people at the Minneapolis Parks Department were forced to tighten up the regulations. It’s a shame, isn’t it? I’m sure the vast majority of weddings were very considerate of gorgeous garden ecosystem, but it only takes a few inconsiderate people to damage a lawn for a whole season.
And why does the Irvine Park in St Paul allow chairs?
Well, I don’t work at the St Paul Parks department, but I am big fans of their work. I think that probably the reason that the St Paul Parks department allows chairs in Irvine Park is because the park is infrequently used during the week (that’s just my opinion, of course). In contrast, the Lake Harriet/Calhoun lakes chain of parks are only a small fraction of all the parks in the Twin Cities, MN area, but it has literally hundreds of thousands of visitors per year (the Lake Harriet/Calhoun chain of parks is by FAR the most popular park system in Minnesota), but over across the river in St Paul, the isolated Irvine Park hardly gets any visitors at all. So even if a few inconsiderate wedding guests did abuse the privileges in Irvine Park, the gorgeous gem of a park gets so few visitors that the lawn would repair itself pretty easily. There simply isn’t hundreds of other visitors per weekend walking on it afterwards. Grass and lawns can repair themselves, after all, but only if the grass has the time to do so without getting trampled on again immediately.
Just my two cents, derived from my having officiated literally dozens of wedding ceremonies in these two parks. This article is also written with the generous help from my father, who is a gardener and has plenty of opinions on how to keep lawns looking good (thanks, Pop.)
Warm regards,
Rev. Tomkin Coleman
http://www.mnweddingminister.com
Permalink
02.08.08
Posted in Wedding Sites in Minnesota at 8:16 pm by Rev. Tomkin Coleman
Most wedding fairs in the Minneapolis and St Paul area take place in January or February, but there’s a great one coming up in March at the Semple Mansion in Minneapolis, MN.
Semple Mansion is relatively new on the scene, as it was just renovated a couple years ago. This wedding ceremony and reception hall is huge and gorgeous, with marble columns and ornate woodwork everywhere you look. Here’s a complete review of Semple Mansion, with pictures, contact information, and rates, and here’s a direct link to their site.
This March 1st and 2nd, 2008 wedding fair will be held from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and is held in conjunction with Minnesota Bride Magazine. There is no admission charged (!), and it should be a fun event. While I like the really huge wedding fairs held in places such as the Minneapolis Convention Ce
nter, I love smaller wedding fairs such as this one because they have such a warm, intimate feel. Rather than setting up booths in an auditorium, you’ve got a string quartet playing over here, cake samples over there, etc. It’s a really nice way of getting to know Minnesota wedding vendors, plus, you get to see the interior of the gorgeous Semple Mansion!
The Semple Mansion in Minneapolis is located at 100 West Franklin Avenue, which is just south of I-94, west of 35W, just south of downtown Minneapolis.
Home - Rev. Tomkin Coleman, Minnesota Wedding Officiant and Planner
Permalink
11.20.07
Posted in Wedding Sites in Minnesota at 5:18 pm by Rev. Tomkin Coleman
New page! 
Minnesota brides and grooms are often asking where would be an appropriate place for their rehearsal dinner in the Twin Cities, especially one near their wedding ceremony site. These couples are searching for a restaurant which has a private dining room and should be able to handle 20-40 wedding guests on a busy Thursday or Friday night. Not many restaurants match this criteria!
There are about 20 restaurants in Minneapolis and St Paul, Minnesota that can both accommodate large groups and also have private dining rooms.
I’ve created a new web page which lists all 20 of these rehearsal-dinner-appropriate restaurants, plus the page has reviews of my six favorite rehearsal dinner sites in Minneapolis and St Paul. This page helps point couples in the right direction, as each restaurant has a link to their website, their phone number, and tells what kind of food they serve. The reviews have pictures, descriptions, seating capacity, and general notes on having rehearsal dinners there.
As always, if you have any suggestions, just let me know!
Rev. Tomkin Coleman (home page)
Permalink
11.13.07
Posted in Wedding Sites in Minnesota at 10:40 pm by Rev. Tomkin Coleman
Most of the Minneapolis/St Paul wedding expos are in the fall, or in January-February, but the Como Zoo’s Conservatory in St Paul is having one tomorrow, Wednesday, November 14th, 2007. Como Conservatory’s Showcase will have some wedding vendors to talk to, such as photographers and musicians, it won’t be as big as the Twin Cities Bridal Expo or the Perfect Wedding Guide’s Expo early next year.
The main reasons to go to Como’s expo are:
1. If you may be using the Como Conservatory for an evening wedding. The Conservatory will have the gardens lit by candles, which is really amazing. You can’t really get a sense of how beautiful this effect is during the day, and it would be worth going to the Showcase just to see that set-up.
2. If you are considering using the Como Conservatory’s new reception hall. It’s beautiful, but it’s so new that few people know about it. The new reception hall, unlike the renting Conservatory for a reception after the ceremony, will allow alcohol, too.
Permalink
07.18.07
Posted in Wedding Sites in Minnesota at 1:47 pm by Rev. Tomkin Coleman
I’ve created a new page for my website, a review of my favorite hotels in downtown Minneapolis where I have performed wedding ceremonies, hotels that are classy, friendly, and which are really expert at hosting wedding receptions.
Each downtown Minneapolis hotel is reviewed in detail, with a general map, pictures of the outside and inside of the hotel, pictures of a wedding reception hosted by each downtown hotel, with contact information and notes about having a wedding ceremony at each of these Minneapolis hotels.
In this new page is an article I’ve written about how the wedding reception costs are calculated at Minneapolis hotels, which is much different than the way costs are calculated for other wedding receptions sites in Minnesota (at least in the Twin Cities area).
In this new page, the advantages and disadvantages of using a Minneapolis hotel for your wedding ceremony and reception is also discussed in detail (basically, I highly recommend this option, and the reasons for this recommendation are discussed in detail.)
Home page of Rev. Tomkin Coleman, Minnesota Wedding Officant and Coordinator
Permalink
06.07.07
Posted in Wedding Sites in Minnesota at 2:30 pm by Rev. Tomkin Coleman
I had a wonderful chat with St Paul, Minnesota’s Luther Seminary’s seminary pastor, Rev. Dr. John Mann, who explained how the school is tightening up the restrictions on their chapels a bit, and for the time being, are not taking reservations for their chapel for wedding ceremonies. Couples who have already reserved the chapel for their wedding in 2007 (and a few in 2008), will still keep their reservations, of course. New policies will probably be instituted this summer (the summer of 2007), probably along the lines of renting the space to out-of-town Lutheran couples who are using their home church’s minister for their wedding.
If you are looking for a Minneapolis or St Paul wedding chapel, however, there are several churches and chapels in the Twin Cities, Minnesota area which will rent out their space to non-members. Ceremonies are usually non-denominational or interfaith.
Minnesota Weddings With Rev. Coleman - Home page
Permalink
02.06.07
Posted in Wedding Sites in Minnesota at 2:19 pm by Rev. Tomkin Coleman
A new wedding reception hall has been opened at the Como Conservatory in St Paul, which is building the Conservatory has needed for a long time. The Conservatory is the most highly sought-after wedding site in the Minneapolis St Paul area (the most sought-after in the state, actually), but up till now wedding receptions there have been limited because of the small size of the Conservatory. Como Zoo’s new Visitor Information Center has many rooms, though, and several of them are perfect for wedding receptions in Minnesota. One of them is a huge reception hall where you can have dancing, which is on the second floor and has views of both the Como Zoo and of the Como Conservatory. The other wedding reception site is called the Covered Porch (pictured above), and on one side you can see the Conservatory and on the other side you can see the Zoo and it’s historic Carousel. Here is a 360 degree view of the Covered Porch at the Como Conservatory.
The site is also reviewed at my page on sites in Minnesota for small weddings, and there is another blog post about weddings at the Como Conservatory, too. The reception site is catered by Lancer Catering, and I’m awaiting an email from them for information about rental rates. Stay tuned!
Minnesota Weddings With Rev. Tomkin Coleman - Home page
Permalink
Posted in Wedding Sites in Minnesota at 2:10 pm by Rev. Tomkin Coleman
Notes on:
Rice Park for wedding ceremonies
I have peformed 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, 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 be
autiful 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 site in the Minneapolis/St Paul area c
ould also be combined with the 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.
My favorite shot of Rice Park is from the website of the city of St Paul, which is an arial view that shows the park, plus the gorgeous buildings surrounding it. At the left is the Landmark Center (the one with all the turrets), the top right shows the Saint Paul Hotel (which is both the flat building with the curved tall building around it), and the James J Hill Library in the bottom right (with the red roof). You can also see the Ordway Center in the bottom right, but all you can see is its roof (it’s much prettier from the street).
Minnesota Weddings With Rev. Tomkin Coleman - Home page
Permalink
Posted in Wedding Sites in Minnesota at 2:10 pm by Rev. Tomkin Coleman
Both Minneapolis and St Paul have websites for their city that lists suggested outdoor wedding sites. St Paul lists 8 outoor wedding sites and Minneapolis lists 11. And yet in my experience, the vast majority of outdoor weddings in Minnesota are at just 3-4 sites. The others are listed and are available for rent, but are not chosen as often. Why are these few so much more popular than the rest?
Two reasons:
The #1 Criteria for outdoor wedding sites in Minesota seems to be Location. The most popular parks are close to popular Minnesota wedding reception sites.
Irvine Park - St Paul’s most popular outdoor wedding site
- One very conveniently situated outdoor wedding site in St Paul is Irvine Park, which very private, secluded, and beautiful - yet it is 3 blocks away from a large number of St Paul wedding reception locations (notably ,the St Paul Hotel, the Landmark Center, the 317 Center, James J Hill Library, and the Science Museum). Plus, Forepaugh’s Restaurant is across the street, which is appropriate for small wedding receptions. This proximity makes the site extremely popular for couples seeking an outdoor wedding site near downtown St Paul.
One section of Rice Park in St Paul. The building in the background is the Saint Paul Hotel
- Rice Park is even closer to most of those sites mentioned above, and the four sides of the park are bordered by the St Paul Hotel, the James J Hill Library, the 317 Center, and the Landmark Center (plus, it’s a block away from the Minnesota Science Museum. Rice Park is also beautiful, although not secluded.
The famous Spoon and Cherry (and Rabbit on the Bell) from the Walker Sculpture Garden
- The most convenient outdoor wedding site in Minneapolis is the Walker Sculpture Garden, which is right next to downtown.
The other criteria for outdoor wedding sites in Minnesota seems to be Beauty (which can trump Location.) If a site is really gorgeous, couples are willing to travel a farther distance to their wedding reception site, be it in Minneapolis or St Paul.
Outdoor wedding sites in Minneapolis that are just gorgeous:
One of the quieter areas of the Lyndale Rose Garden
- The most popular outdoor wedding sites in Minneapolis are the Lake Harriet Rose Garden (and the Peace Garden, which is right next to it). The Minneapolis Park System calls the two gardens the “Lyndale Park Rose Garden” and the “Lyndale Park Peace (Rock) Garden”. The Peace Garden can only hold a few guests (up to about 20), but the Rose Garden can accomodate up to 80 or so. These two sites are absolutely gorgeous. Both sites are fairly convenient just because they are in the city, but they’re not as close to reception sites as the other parks mentioned above. The sites also seem to be popular because they are next to Lake Harriet, the most heavily-used park system in the Twin Cities area. Many couples have spent so many days and evenings at the lake that they have a special fondness for the lake and it’s rose garden.
Painting of Minnehaha Falls from U of M website
- Another gorgeous outdoor wedding site in Minneapolis that is utilized frequently is Minnehaha Falls. Again, it’s not particularly close to any wedding reception site in Minneapolis and St Paul, but its natural beauty trumps convenience (although Minnehaha Falls Park is in Minneapolis, so it’s just a few miles from any Minneapolis wedding reception site…it’s just not within walking distance). There’s just no other outdoor wedding site in Minneapolis or St Paul quite like it, so many people immediately think of it when they want a wedding site that is picturesque.
The Como Conservatory is another outdoor wedding location in Minnesota, but it’s so popular that it deserves its own article.
The other outdoor wedding sites in Minnesota that are listed in the Minneapolis and St Paul Parks’ websites are Kellogg Park, Mears Park, Phalen Park, Rasberry Island (under construction), Harriet Island, and Upper Landing Park in St Paul, and Theodore Wirth Park, Thomas Lowry Park, Longfellow Gardens, Boom Island, and the Father Hennepin Bandstand in Minneapolis. Those sites wind up not being utilized as much, probably because they are either not close to a wedding reception site, or aren’t famous for their beauty. They may still be worth checking out, and they would definitely have the advantage of being easier to reserve.
To rent a park in Minneapolis, contact the Minneapolis Park Board, 612-230-6400- $200 rental fee
To rent a park in St Paul, contact the St Paul Parks Department, 651-632-5111 - $150 rental fee
If you are looking to rent a park on a Saturday afternoon in the summer, you often have to book a year ahead of time.
Minnesota Weddings With Rev. Coleman - Home page
Permalink
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.
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
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
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 th
e 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.
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.
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.
Minnesota Weddings With Rev. Coleman - Home page
Permalink
Posted in Wedding Vendors in Minnesota, Wedding Sites in Minnesota at 2:06 pm by Rev. Tomkin Coleman
I was just at the James J Hill library for a photo shoot and the photographer remarked that
she didn’t know that it was available for weddings. Sometimes a person has to be kind of “in-the-know” to know about more unusual wedding reception and ceremony sites in the Minneapolis and St Paul area, but I was surprised she didn’t know about the James J Hill Reference Library, which is one of the best.
There are two sides to the library - the rebular public lending library, which is on the west side, and the Business Library on the east side of the building. The Business Library section is mainly a huge, grand hall with marble columns inside and 5 stories of books on the walls. The tables that are usually in the library are cleared out so that the entire hall is available for the wedding, as shown in the photo to the right.
Just a thought - The James J Hill Library overlooks Rice Park, is across the street from the Landmark Center, and next door to both the Saint Paul Hotel and the 319 Center. All of those sites are also available for wedding ceremonies and receptions, so taken all together, that small area sees more upscale weddings than any other spot in the Twin Cities area.
Minnesota Weddings With Rev. Coleman - Home page
Permalink
Posted in Wedding Sites in Minnesota at 2:05 pm by Rev. Tomkin Coleman
I love performing wedding ceremonies at the Gale Mansion, which is right across the street from the park in front of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Their address is 2115 Stevens Avenue South.
Anyway, I was meeting with a couple this week who are getting married at the Gale Mansion and they posed some questions that I had never been asked before:
Here is the entrance (west side) of the mansion, where the Receiving Line is often set up. Pretty, isn’t it?
Here are two pictures the south-side lawn of the Minneapolis Gale Mansion, where outdoor weddings are usually held. The weddings then overlook the park.
Minnesota Weddings With Rev. Coleman - Home page
Permalink
Posted in Wedding Sites in Minnesota at 1:59 pm by Rev. Tomkin Coleman
This post is a follow-up to the article on outdoor wedding sites in Minnesota. Como Conservatory has just so many options, both indoors and outdoors, that it deserves its own article. The Como Conservatory is the most popular wedding site in Minnesota. While all wedding sites should be reserved early, you’re especially lucky if you can reserve the Como Conservatory for your wedding in Minnesota. They do not do any advertising, but so many people have warm memories of visits there from when they were children, or from when they dated, that many brides and grooms immediately think of the Como Conservatory once they’re engaged and are looking for an outdoor wedding site. The pictures below are from the Como Conservatory website, but I have modified the maps to make them more useful for weddings.
The Como Conservatory is unique in that it has both indoor and outdoor options, and even the indoor options seem like they are outdoors.
Sunken Garden at the Como Conservatory
This picture shows the Sunken Garden at the Como Conservatory, taken from close to the entrance to the garden. In the upper right-hand corner you can see the raised dias where wedding ceremonies are held.
The Como Conservatory is incredibly versatile - the most popular spot is the Sunken Garden since it is indoors yet has a very wide-open space so it can accomodate weddings of up to 80 guests.
Below is a map of the Como Conservatory building, which shows the location of the Sunken Garden and the North Garden (both used for weddings):
The North Garden
This above picture shows the North Garden of the Como Conservatory (used for smaller weddings), and is the view from where the Bride and Groom would be standing.
Below is a close-up map of the North Garden, showing how the garden is generally set up for weddings.
The North Garden of the Como Conservatory, like the Sunken Garden mentioned above, is also indoors, but it is on the other end of the building, and is not as open as the Sunken Garden. Because the trees block the view of the wedding from much of the area, the North Garden can only accomodate smaller weddings, perhaps up to 20 guests (the Como Conservatory site lists the capacity as 35, but that would be pushing the limits). With this smaller number of guests, everyone can see the wedding party. The North Garden is also beautiful, it’s just smaller.
The Japanese Garden at the Como Conservatory
This picture of the outdoor Japanese Garden at the Como Conservatory shows the view from where the Bride and Groom usually stand (although you can pick any spot you’d like).
Outdoor options at the Como Conservatory include the Japanese Garden shown above, which is suitable for smaller weddings (usually 10-20, but can hold up to 40), and the space outside the front of the Conservatory, called the Exedra (below).
The Exedra at the Como Conservatory
The Exedra at the Como Conservatory in St Paul - weddings are up by the white portico at the top of the cliff, at the top left of this picture.
The Exedra has trellises, a cliff which cascades down to a pool, and is so beautiful that it is often used for pictures even when wedding ceremonies aren’t being held there.
Below is a map of the entire Como Conservatory area, which shows the building (with the Sunken Garden and the North Garden), as well as the Japanese Garden and the Exedra. Also shown is the new wedding reception center at the Como Conservatory (also called the Visitor Center). Wedding ceremonies can also be held in the new reception center, which is detailed in another article.
Note that the official name of the Como Conservatory is the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory, so if you’re searching for more information on the web, use that name.
Minnesota Weddings With Rev. Coleman - Home page
Permalink
01.26.07
Posted in Wedding Sites in Minnesota at 2:07 pm by Rev. Tomkin Coleman
I have performed many wedding ceremonies at the McNamara Center at the U of M and it’s a great site for wedding receptions in Minneapolis, plus they allow wedding ceremonies there. It’s often mis-spelled as the MacNamara Center of the University of Minnesota. You dont have to be an alumni of the U of M to rent the site for weddings. It’s an unusual spot, which has been declared a masterpiece of modern architecture. It’s beautiful inside with wood everywhere and 4-story high ceilings. The McNamara Alumni Center at the U of M is definitely one of the most unusual, non-traditional wedding sites in Minnesota, but it really works well, since it’s specially built for events. Not only is there plenty of space, but they have dressing rooms, a dance floor, and it’s in a prime location, as it’s right in the heart of the University area, within walking distance of Dinkytown.
Patrick Fitzgerald of D’Amico, who also caters wedding ceremonies for the Mill City museum is the person to contact. Patrick Fitzgerald at 612-238-4012 and his email is pfitzgerald@damico.com According to the McNamara website, site rental of the McNamara Alumni Center for weddings is $3,500, which includes the Johnson Great Room for the wedding ceremony, Memorial Hall for the wedding reception (for up to 7 hours), with access to rooms for photos 3 hours before guest arrival, a one-hour rehearsal (usually the night before, or the Thursday before. You also get the facility to yourselves, a dance floor, the built-in stage, custom set up, tables and chairs, two private dressing rooms for bridal party (one for the men, one for the women), two fireplaces, a University police officer for security, a wireless microphone for the officiant, a CD player for the wedding ceremony, music selections, several on-site event staff, plus the Heritage Gallery will be open.
You can even check their booking calendar online for availability, which is very handy. No other wedding ceremony site in Minnesota has this capability, except for Lake Harriet Spiritual Community church in Minneapolis (they rent out their Minneapolis wedding chapel for wedding ceremonies and receptions). The McNamara Center can also show you a 360 degree view of the interior on their website!
Little-known fact: The MacNamara Alumni Center is not only next door to the Radison Hotel, it’s connected by a tunnel. Perfect for wedding guests who don’t live in Minneapolis or St Paul, or simply don’t want to drive home after the wedding reception.
Having one main hotel right by the wedding can be great because then all the guests get to visit each other all weekend, instead of being isolated at different hotels. You can get special rates if you promise to book a certain number of rooms, plus you can get a special parking rate for your guests to park at the McNamara Center (even if they don’t stay at the hotel).
Below is a map to find this gorgeous (and unusual) wedding reception site in Minnesota:
Minnesota Weddings With Rev. Coleman - Home page
All content ©Copyright 1999 by Rev. Coleman
All Rights Reserved
Permalink
01.25.07
Posted in Wedding Sites in Minnesota at 2:08 pm by Rev. Tomkin Coleman
A new Minnesota wedding reception site that is also appropriate for wedding ceremonies is the Mill City Museum in downtown Minneapolis, which is at 704 South 2nd Street, right by the new Guthrie Theater. Pictured above is the Ronald William Guzy Mill Commons, which holds 220 wedding guests.
D’Amico caters the events and handles all the booking for weddings.
The person to call to rent the museum for a wedding ceremony and reception is Patrick Fitzgerald at 612-238-4012 and his email is pfitzgerald@damico.com Patrick is a great guy - very friendly, knowledgeable, and easy to work with.
This wedding reception site is definitely unconventional, but for some couples, that’s perfect. In the winter, the Mill City Museum hosts weddings in their big main entrance hall, which has gorgeous columns and high ceilings. Most weddings, though, are held outside in their Charles H. Bell Ruin Courtyard (pictured to the right), which holds 130 guests for a wedding reception.
The Mill City Museum courtyard overlooks the Mississippi 
River and St Anthony Falls, plus Riverplace and St Anthony Main is across the river. The picture to the right shows the museum and was taken right beside the falls at the lock and dam.
The site rental fee for weddings at the Mill City Museum is $1500 for Saturdays in the summer, plus $350 if the courtyard is used.
Below is a map of downtown, which shows the location of the Mill City Museum. If you know where the Metrodome is, it’s a few blocks from there. Since it’s right downtown, many couples book hotel rooms down there and Guests can do so, too, thus extending the wedding event into a whole weekend. The closest hotel is the Holiday Inn Metrodome, which is right up Washinton Ave, across 35W. On the map below, the hotel would be just off of the bottom right-hand corner.
Minnesota Weddings With Rev. Coleman - Home page
Permalink
01.08.07
Posted in Wedding Sites in Minnesota at 2:00 pm by Rev. Tomkin Coleman
I’ve heard from a couple that a new wedding reception hall has been opened at the Como Conservatory in St Paul, which is something the Conservatory has needed for a long time. The Conservatory is the most highly sought-after wedding site in the Minneapolis St Paul area (the most sought-after in the state, actually), but up till now wedding receptions there have been limited because of the small size of the Conservatory.
Como Zoo’s new Visitor Information Center has many rooms, though, and several of them are perfect for wedding receptions in Minnesota. One of them is a huge reception hall where you can have dancing, which is on the second floor and has views of both the Como Zoo and of the Como Conservatory. The other wedding reception site is called the Covered Porch, pictured here, and on one side you can see the Conservatory and on the other side you can see the Zoo and it’s historic Carousel.
The site is also reviewed at my page on wedding sites in Minnesota. The reception site is catered by Lancer Catering, and I’m awaiting an email from them for information about rental rates. Stay tuned!
Minnesota Weddings With Rev. Coleman - Home page
Permalink
01.06.07
Posted in Wedding Sites in Minnesota at 9:07 pm by Rev. Tomkin Coleman
I just got an email from the Heart of the Beast Puppet Theater in Minneapolis on East Lake Street, informing me that they have renovated Celebration Hall and that is available for rent for wedding ceremonies and receptions. I’ve never been there (it’s new), and it’s not on my reviews of wedding ceremony sites in Minneapolis, but FYI, here’s a picture of the interior from their website:
This two-story ballroom is located on the third floor of Plaza Verde at 1516 East Lake Street in Minneapolis, and is a former Masonic lodge buil
t in the 1930s.
Celbration Hall rents out for weekend wedding ceremonies or wedding receptions in Minneapolis for a fee of $850. You have to bring in your own (approved) caterer, but they have a kitchen for the caterer to use. The contact at Celebration Hall is Melissa Schmitz at 612-721-2535 x16.
Above is a picture of the adjoining Heart Of The Beast Puppet Theater.
Minnesota Weddings With Rev. Coleman - Home page
Permalink
08.02.06
Posted in Wedding Sites in Minnesota at 4:58 pm by Rev. Tomkin Coleman
For amazing food at really good prices, the best prices (and again, terrific food!) are at TST Creating Catering in St Paul. Their phone number is 651.488.0971. Here are two examples from their website:-$9.50 Stuffed Canadian Pork Loin Roasted Whole Whole roasted stuffed Canadian back pork loin served with oven brown potatoes, baby carrots, tossed salad and dressing. -$8.25 Baked Quartered Chicken served with cheesy baked potatoes, California medley & garden harvest salad.
