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Outdoor Venue in MN

maje0067maje0067
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in Minnesota-Minneapolis and St. Paul
Hello Everybody!!

I am also one of those girls who dreamed of having a destination wedding. However, due to financial reasons and family not being able to make it to a destination wedding... I am going with MN.

I have been searching forever and cannot find an outdoor venue that fits the picture in my head. I am really stuck on the Woods Chapel in Orono for my ceremony, but its pricey for only 4 hours (which I feel is no time for getting ready, pictures, ceremony, etc).  Does anybody have any ideas of outdoor or waterfront properties within an hour radius of the cities. We are having approximately 300 guests, and are looking toward spending 7-10k for the ceremony/reception combined.

Thanks in advance for the Help :)
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Re: Outdoor Venue in MN

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    Cackle6Cackle6 member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    Check out Black Bear Crossings in St. Paul. They have a covered outdoor promenade right on Lake Como, and it can fit 300 for a reception. I'm not sure about pricing as I'm only having my ceremony there, but I believe the pricing info is on their website. I have pics in my bio if you're interesed :)




    Planning Bio! Updated 05.02.12
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    tpender13tpender13 member
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    Ditto Black Bear Crossing. The spot for the ceremony is beautiful, right on Lake Como (Como Lake?) and it's covered (while still being open, if that makes sense) so you wouldn't have to use your inside backup for just a few sprinkles.
    image
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    2chumps2chumps member
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    I had my first wedding in Orono at the outdoor chapel, back in those days it wasn't so expensive and it was only the ceremony, not the reception.   I still love my pics from my wedding there and encourage anyone who can spare the few extra bucks to consider it as an option, it's well worth it! 
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    maje0067maje0067
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    Just met with Black Bear Crossings today, it's very small and everything is open to the public. The outdoor space was pretty, but I'm not crazy about the event being open to the public. I'm meeting with the Woods Chapel Sunday. I'm in love with that place but I'm frugal with my money it's hard to justify! Thanks for the post, it truly made my day that u feel it was worth it! Something to think about. PS: any other outdoor ideas out there??
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    mzad22mzad22
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    I am getting married this summer in the Millennium Garden at the Plymouth Creek Center.  It is truly beautiful, and they have been great to work with so far!  I am having my reception there as well, but if you are willing to take the earlier garden rental time slot they don't require that.  Their preferred caterers are what get a little expensive, but still not unfeasible on your budget.  Here are some photos I took last summer.  If you have any other questions let me know and I'll try to help!

















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    bburkelbburkel
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    Have you looked at Centennial Lakes in Edina?  It's a bit open, but they say they rope the area off for the ceremony.  They're really reasonably priced, and they're even letting me bring in a horse carriage (I moonlight PT with a carriage company in Mpls).
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    bburkelbburkel
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    The MN Landscape Arboretum is another option.  Might be a little more pricey, but they have lots of unique spaces you can use.
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    dsiebendsieben member
    First Comment First Anniversary
    Elm Creek is a beautiful venue with different options to be outside for the ceremony and I believe fairly reasonable in price.
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    Cackle6Cackle6 member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_minnesota-minneapolis-st-paul_outdoor-venue-in-mn?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:81Discussion:0de3be3f-3ee4-4f31-a58c-cd6e1678403fPost:fe41ce93-cbf5-418b-8e7d-829b2f10c09b">Re: Outdoor Venue in MN</a>:
    [QUOTE]Just met with Black Bear Crossings today, it's very small and everything is open to the public. The outdoor space was pretty, but I'm not crazy about the event being open to the public. 
    Posted by maje0067[/QUOTE]

    <div>I just want to clarify this for any other brides out there looking at outdoor venues. The outdoor space holds 400 for a ceremony, and 300 for a sit down dinner, so it's not small. I believe you're talking about the indoor space in the buidling attached to the promenade, which is smaller.</div><div>
    </div><div>Also, they close the gates to the promenade so people can't just go waltzing through the space while your event is going on. Yes, the paths near the buidling are open to the public, but I've been there 4 times now, for around 30-45 minutes each time (one of which was in the middle of July), and there have only been a handful of people going by, and no one was every noisy enough that I noticed it. And I'm totally anal retentive about things being noisy and distracting during my ceremony, heh.</div><div>
    </div><div>Anyhow, just wantd to throw that out there for any other brides looking for an awesome outdoor venue. :)</div>

    Planning Bio! Updated 05.02.12
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    maje0067maje0067
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    I guess I should have been more specific about Black Bear Crossings. The outdoor space is great, but to have a reception out there it needs to end by 10pm. Which was another reason it wasn't ideal for my situation. I just wasn't a fan of the fact that the bridal dressing room is conjoined with the public bathroom and the building is still open to the public if the reception is done inside. I just prefer a more intimate setting. It is a beautiful outside venue, but it has some drawbacks that don't coincide with my vision. So I am defintely not trying to discourage any brides from checking it out as it may work for others :)
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