Pimp your reception venue!!

Risakaye

My twin brother is officially engaged, and they're having an impossible time finding an affordable venue for their reception in the cities.  They'll have between 200-300 guests and she wants something "classic and old romantic", not modern.  I was a St. Cloud bride so I'm not much help to them.TIA ladies!

jaramler

We're having ours at Christos Union Depot in downtown St. Paul.  We're having about the same number of people (inviting approx 285) and I've found that it seemed more affordable than comparable venues.  Certainly there are less expensive places out there, so you'll have to define what is "affordable" to them and search from there.  But I'd recommend it so far, and the atmosphere comes across as classic and romantic to me.  If you're not familiar with the location it is the old train depot so it is very historical and most definitely has amazing ambiance. One thing that I was told early on is "negotiate".  Negotiate with everybody - nobody is off limits.  It can't hurt, and you could save hundreds or thousands.  I negotiated $500 off the venue rental fee alone so it can't hurt to ask. 

joe&laura

If they are looking in the north metro, I would recommend Majestic Oaks Golf Club in Ham Lake.  We've been working with Jacki and she has been really great so far.  Their main room can accommodate up to 300 guests.  If they are flexible with dates, having it during an off-peak month (Jan-Apr) saved us tons on the minimum and room fee.  They also have an outdoor area for a reception if they need one or you can use one of the smaller rooms for the ceremony as well.We haven't had our tasting yet but I've heard nothing but awesome things about it from family and friends who have been to Majestic for a reception. It doesn't get a lot of reviews on TK but we live near the golf course and we see weddings and/or receptions every weekend, so I take that as a good sign too.