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Changed Venue...Need Help

spoolnZspoolnZ
in Minnesota
Hello everyone,

Well, long story short, my fiance and I had been engaged for almost seven months now. A month after we got engaged, we found and booked the Embassy Suites Hotel in Bloomington. Unfortunately, with a few unfortunate turn of events, last month we've come to the conclusion that we couldn't possibly afford it anymore so we had to cancel. 

For the past few weeks, I've been drastically looking to see if there's any other cheaper place available around the twin cities. We have not been able to find anything yet. Either it's over our budget, unable to accomodate our guest list, or our set wedding date has already been booked. My fiance and I came up the the idea of possibly just renting a 60'  x 100' tent/canopy and set it up in the backyard of her uncle's five acre home. If we can't find anything else, this will have to probably be our last option. Although I have yet to look at obtaining city permits and the works if this is the route we're taking. 

We are looking at a guest list of about 300 people and looking to spend under $10k if we can. There are some wiggle room which we can probably be able to do $15k but we are trying to keep it down as much as possible. This may seem kind of a rediculous number for people ratio but I'm pretty sure we can pull it off. I'm just trying to see if anyone has any other ideas or know of some places that we can look at in the twin cities area. Also if there's any other areas where anyone knows of that will let us put up a tent/canopy for a reception. I've looked into parks but most requires take down around 8-9 pm. Private lands? 

All your imputs/advices will greatly be appreciated. Thanks.
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Re: Changed Venue...Need Help

  • hippoloverhippolover member
    500 Comments
    I am getting married ta Crystal Lake Golf Course in Lakeville, MN in 2 days. 10K is my budget.  IDK if its booked for your date either, but its worth a shot. I am concerned that it might not hold 300 guests. They have 2 sites, so maybe the other is a tad bigger.

    Here is a link to their website if you wanna look.  Diane and Victoria have been wonderful to work with.  If you have any questions, just ask!  GL!

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  • jentabersonjentaberson
    100 Comments Second Anniversary
    check out the mermaid in moundsview, they are budget friendly and have a couple of banquet rooms
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  • hippoloverhippolover member
    500 Comments
    I wrote you a long post but its not there anymore. :(

    So shorten version

    Crystal Lake Golf Course in Lakeville, MN.  I am getting married there in 2 days.  We have the same budget, but you have way more people then I do!  IDK if it can hold that many but I know they have 2 sites so maybe the other site can. Diane and Victoria have been great to work with. If you have any questions let me know!

    LINK
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  • jennipea382jennipea382 member
    1000 Comments Fourth Anniversary Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    It sounds like you want everything to be outdoors but if you're ok with indoors, we are having our reception (and possibly ceremony) at the Profile Event Center (<-clicky). It's a little pricey for the peak months, but in the off season it's pretty good! We have about the same budget, though we are planning about 200 guests. We are having our wedding in March 2013 and the minimum is around $6000 (includes food, decorations, cake, anything we get from them - if you get a DJ through them I believe this goes towards it as well). At no extra cost we get the dance floor, DJ setup, awesome lighting, some draping and decor already in the room, linens, tableware, and I can't remember what else. A lot of places charge for these things so it's nice to get them without paying extra!

    One suggestion I have for you is to look into the off season (Jan-Mar at most places). Things will be significantly cheaper. I was pretty set on a June wedding until I realized how much more expensive things were!
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  • AshP12AshP12
    10 Comments
    I just got married a few weeks ago and we had a guest list of 320 (though of course, they didn't all come). Our reception was at the Ramada Plaza in Minneapolis. They were really great to work with, and depending on which size ballroom you get, their food/beverage minimums differ. However, they had great food and a ton of options as far as pricing goes. I would highly recommend them.

    Another option that I looked into was Ideal Hall in St. Paul. They said they could accommodate 400 and were very very reasonably priced. We didn't go with them because their atmosphere wasn't what we were looking for, but I would recommend checking into them if you're on a tight budget.

    And don't forget your local American Legion! Sometimes putting in the extra money to decorate there will still be cheaper than a fancy venue. Good luck!
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  • cami913cami913
    First Comment
    I don't know how far out of the twin cities area you are willing to go, but my reception is at Ridges at Sand Creek in Jordan, MN.  It's a golf course with a really big, open banquet room.   I'm not sure what month you're getting married in, but I believe Jan-March have no room rental fee.  Julie (the food and beverage manager) has been very helpful and accomodating, and their menu is very reasonable in terms of price per person.
    http://www.ridgesatsandcreek.com/restaurant/banquet-hall-photo-gallery/
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