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Great Venues in the Twin Ciities

tatiliantatilian
First Comment
in Minnesota-Minneapolis and St. Paul
Hey guys,

Anyone have good ideas on budget friendly venues in the Twin Citiies.  We are trying to stay away from a hotel, but like the idea of Golf Courses/County Clubs or other unique places. 

Our budget is we would like to keep all the venues costs (food/beverage minimums, alcohol under $10,000).  We would like to keep the venue site within 25-30 of the Minneapolis area.

Thanks!
Jessica
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Re: Great Venues in the Twin Ciities

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    hkieslinghkiesling member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    How many people does the venue need to hold?
    imageHeather's Bio MSP Bio
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    ssminy79ssminy79
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    We just had our wedding at the Wabasha Street Caves in St. Paul.  Totally unique venue and we had both the ceremony and reception there.  We had about 200 people there and it was a perfect fit!  We kept everything under 10k.
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    tpender13tpender13 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I loved Nicollet Island Pavillion. Erika that's in charge of catering there is great, the place is unique, and there are AWESOME views. We would have gone w/them but our group was just too small for the place.
    image
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    MN_JenMN_Jen
    First Comment
    edited December 2011

    When are you getting married?

    I recommend checking out the Varsity Theater. The staff does a great job, you don't need to spend a penny on decorations, and the food is AMAZING.

    We paid less than $10,000 for everything, but we also got married on a Sunday (Memorial Day weekend).  You might not be able to stay under that on a Saturday in the summer, but they were pretty willing to work with us.

    I have lots of pics in my bio, let me know if you have any questions!

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    drdifabiodrdifabio member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    edited December 2011
    We went with the Profile Event Center in Minneapolis partially because it was a unique venue. You can also bring in your own liquor which is huge.

    Their minimums are anywhere from 2950 to 7500 depending on the day and time of year you choose.

    Here is the website: http://www.profileeventcenter.com/
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    hkieslinghkiesling member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    We used Summit Manor in St. Paul.  It holds up to 200 people, needs no decoration, and has really good food.  Obviously, it's an old manor/mansion.  We paid under $6000 for 120 people including food and rental.
    imageHeather's Bio MSP Bio
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    kaylas16kaylas16
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    We are having ours at Stonebrooke Golf Course in Shakopee.  I am not sure what the minimum was because I knew we would be spending much more than that with our 200+ guests.  It can hold 230.  It is very pretty and so far the coordinator, Deb, has been very helpful!
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    LolaBelle515LolaBelle515 member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Eagan Community Center is beautiful and has walking paths and a pond. The food is very inexpensive and can definitely be done for under $10,000 (it was well under that for us, and we had 180 people at our wedding).

    Good luck!
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    newlyseliskinewlyseliski member
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker First Comment
    edited December 2011

    I'm having my reception at Columbia Manor (on a golf course) in Minneapolis.  It's a beautiful space!  The coordinator isn't very communicative, though, once you get a date reserved and pay the rental fee.  For 250 people (hopefully less in the end)... it's looking to be about $11.5k right now including rentals, alcohol, food, staff, cake, security... It's also pretty tight space-wise for 250 people.

    If you have less than 200 guests... I'd consider it, but I'd recommend shopping around and checking out places that are open catering and BYOB to save money!

    Eagan Community Center was a close second for me...

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    I Want CakeI Want Cake
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_minnesota-minneapolis-st-paul_great-venues-twin-ciities?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:81Discussion:e5fe360a-a827-4944-8909-346246a621d9Post:d56bd672-a04b-4abb-ad82-55a7fb219cb2">Re: Great Venues in the Twin Ciities</a>:
    [QUOTE]I'm having my reception at Columbia Manor (on a golf course) in Minneapolis.  It's a beautiful space!  <strong>The coordinator isn't very communicative, though, once you get a date reserved and pay the rental fee.</strong>  For 250 people (hopefully less in the end)... it's looking to be about $11.5k right now including rentals, alcohol, food, staff, cake, security... It's also pretty tight space-wise for 250 people. If you have less than 200 guests... I'd consider it, but I'd recommend shopping around and checking out places that are open catering and BYOB to save money! Eagan Community Center was a close second for me...
    Posted by newlyseliski[/QUOTE]

    I know, right?  She's the same lady we went through for our ceremony space.  Nearly imossible to get ahold of, shows up late and is always flustered.  Makes me happy that we're only dealing with her for the ceremony and the reception is somewhere entirely different.
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    lboerner88lboerner88 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    We are using Royal Cliff Banquet Hall in Eagan :) It is family owned and operated. They cater their own food which is the most wonderful Italian food you will ever have and you get a lot of food for your money! And the place holds a lot of people...I think up to 700 people at max capacity.


    Planning Bio - updated 04-02-11

    Married Bio - updated 04-06-11
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    jenn920jenn920
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    We are doing the Olympic Hills Golf Club in Eden Prairie - private but allows non-members for weddings.  The rental fee from 9am to 1am is $700, and the food minimum is $4500.  Beautiful spot for outdoors, and if it rains, you can move the ceremony underneath the members deck.  It holds 220 people.  We fell in love with the spot as soon as we saw it!  Very classy, beautiful, clean lines, but still the relaxed feel of an outdoor ceremony site.  www.olympichills.com Good luck!!

    image

    My Planning Bio Updated 9.2.11
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    Steph0871Steph0871
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Ditto for another Profile Event Center bride! We've got everything priced out at 200 guests and it will be almost exactly $7,500, for a buffet with a third option.   That doesn't include alcohol, but you get to bring in your own which is saving us a ton of money.

    Some other resources to check out:

    ~The MSP bio (link in my sig)
    image
    Eat.Drink.BeMarried. Blog.
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    leggwilliamsleggwilliams
    Combo Breaker First Comment
    edited December 2011

    I'll third the Profile Event Center!

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    kristigileskristigiles member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I second Royal Cliff.  It may not be the most scenic place, but they really take care of you and their food is fantastic!  We were able to set everything up on Thursday beforehand and they were so so accommodating.  We ended up doing the whole thing for 200 people for about $7,000
    August 14, 2010 image*PLANNING* *MARRIED*
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    maybe984maybe984 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    The Historic Washington County Courthouse in Stillwater. You pretty much jsut rent the space, and everything else is your call. You can pick almost any vendors you want, and can supply your own beer and wine... which can cut costs down considerably. They provide simple stuff like chairs and tables, but not much else, so you may have to shell out some money for linens and other such rentals... but the decoration needed is pretty minimal, because it's a really classic, gorgeous space.
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    NicoleR77NicoleR77 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    This is right on the fringe of your area, but I'm doing mine at Mississippi Dunes Golf Links in Cottage Grove (www.mississippidunes.com). Their food prices seem a little lower than some of the places I looked at closer to downtown, but we had our first tasting there a few weeks ago and it tasted good! Their food and bev minimum is $4500 for Saturdays. Also, they provide vases/votive candles/mirror tiles free of charge, which can cut down on centerpiece costs!
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    SuperRNluvsChefSuperRNluvsChef
    First Comment
    edited December 2011

    I also recommend the Profile Event Center! We're having a Friday wedding in September.  There's no hall rental fee if you meet the food minimums.

    Hitched! 09.30.11
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    acpiper5acpiper5 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Semple Mansion. It was one of the lower priced venues we looked at.  No hidden fees, the price they give you includes everything...taxes and service charges.  The girls there are great, and its 16th century italian rennaisance, very different and elegant! I can't wait for our big day there!
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    JennyLangeJennyLange
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    We checked out Edinbugh in Brooklyn Park. No rental fee if you meet the food  and beverage minimum, lots of things included, and Buttercream cake- which counts toward the food and beverage minimum. And pretty affordable for everything that's included. They call it a "Scottish manor", and it's definitely a goregous space if you're looking for a golf course.

    http://www.edinburghusa.org/
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    t.leet.lee member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    We had our wedding and reception at The Chart House in Lakeville.  It's a restaurant on a lake with beautiful indoor/outdoor space, great food, and the people there are fantastic to work with. 
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    olivehimolivehim
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Minnesota Boat Club on Raspberry Island (Saint Paul)!  This is a not-so-well-known venue that hosts both ceremonies (2 choices of locations on the island) and receptions.  It's right on the MIssissippi river with the beautiful background of downtown St. Paul and the Wabasha St. Bridge.  There are verandas overlooking the river to gather outside. Max guests = 130 for plated meal, 160 (I think, maybe more) for buffet.  It's catered by Mintahoe Catering and is less expensive than most other venues in the Twin Cities (believe me - we checked nearly all of them!). I'm not married yet so can comment on the service but it's been great so far and all the reviews I've read/heard are positive.
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    graysquirrelgraysquirrel member
    5 Love Its Combo Breaker First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I second the Historic Courthouse in Stillwater!!!! It is very cheap and BEAUTIFUL!!! You can pick whichever vendors you like, which is a huge help. If you like quirky stuff, they can open the jail on the 1st floor and your guests can tour it. We are having our little photo station down there with props. 
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    schmoodschmood member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    edited December 2011
    We just had ours last weekend at River Oaks Golf Course in Cottage Grove.  It has a nice patio off the back that overlooks the golf course.  The food was really good.  Everything went off without a hitch (as far as I know!)  And their prices are very reasonable....
    www.riveroaksweddings.com
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    tatiliantatilian
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Around 200
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    tatiliantatilian
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Hey guys!  Thanks for all the great input.  I have to say I am glad to see Profile Event Center on the list.  For those couples who chose that one, can you explain a little more about the alcohol liability possibility being that you bring in all your own. 

    Thanks!
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