Question:
Dear Rev. Coleman,
Thank you for your terrific website – you are providing a wonderful service for brides, even when they don’t use your services. Can you help us with some advice? We are looking for an inside venue for the wedding ceremony with a reception area near by or even attached. We are interested in doing our own catering and drinks (unless the price is right), and would like the ceremony to take place around 2-4pm, with the reception following. We will have many guests from out of town, so nearby accommodations are a must. About 150 total guests for the reception with a few less for the ceremony. Total wedding budget under $5000 if possible. Let me know what you think. Thank you.
Twin Cities Bride
Answer:
Dear TCB (What a great acronym!)
Ooh, you’re in luck!
While most Minnesota wedding reception sites have a $8-12K food and beverage minimum, I just went to a wedding reception which was held in the upstairs of Sweeney’s Bar in Saint Paul, MN, and, (considering it’s the upstairs of a bar), it is a beautiful space…lots of old wood, floor to ceiling windows, an antique bar…it was a beautiful place. They had a banquet of appetizers, and for 150 guests (which is about all they could hold), it would be about $3K, plus probably another $2K for alcohol (or, you could have a cash bar). They only charge $60/hour for renting the space…what a deal!
Note: Trying to find a wedding reception site in the Twin Cities that permits you to bring in your own food is close to impossible, since most places make their money off of the catering, not the minimal rental fee. Plus, catering a wedding dinner for 150 people is really hard…
I hope this helps!
Warm regards,
Rev. Tomkin Coleman
MN Wedding Officiant & Planner