Wedding Location Tips

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Wedding Location Tips

Wedding Ceremony

If you and/or your fiancé belong to a church or synagogue, that is probably the logical choice for your wedding ceremony. Or is there a hometown church that is significant to you, perhaps close to where a good number of your guests live? That could be an option as well.

If you want a religious ceremony and don't belong to a church community, you may have to ask around at local churches and see if one of their pastors/priests/rabbis would be willing to marry you, either at the church/synagogue or at a different location.

Line up your wedding ceremony location as soon as possible if it is important to you. Many weddings are planned 12-24 months in advance, and most churches can only host one to three per Saturday.

If you would prefer a non-religious site for your ceremony, almost any reception location can also host the ceremony itself. See below for ideas. You can hire a judge to serve as officiant; call the county in which you are getting married for names and numbers.

For Minnesota brides, the best online source we have found for potential ceremony and reception locations is the website of Gary Ritner, a nondenominational minister. His site has an extensive list of locations with notes about them; check it out HERE.

Wedding Reception

The options are almost endless, at all budget levels. You may already know where you want your wedding reception. If not, or if you cannot get that location, ask your friends and family where they have been to nice weddings and consider those locations. Here are some general ideas:

Your home or your parents' home
Church basement, cafeteria or gym
Public park
VFW, American Legion or similar club location
Restaurant
Hotel
Golf club
Athletic club
Community center
Riverboat
Zoo (Como Zoo is extremely popular for Twin Cities weddings)
Historic building used just for parties (There are many on Summit in St. Paul and in South Minneapolis, and in other small towns throughout the state.)

Considerations:

Almost any location and caterer will be cheaper during the week than on a weekend. Friday night will be cheaper than Saturday.
Many more locations will be available during the week as well. Their weekends may book 18 months in advance, but most of their weekdays will be open even a few months away.
If your location allows you to select your own caterer, that will almost always be cheaper than going with their in-house catering. In addition, you have more control and can get just what you want, at a price you can afford. However, many locations do not allow this; ask about it upfront.
Many people report getting a cheaper rate for a reception location and catering when they call it a "party" instead of a wedding. After you get the quote, you can explain what kind of party it is!
Even if you have to use on-site catering, ask if you can bring in your own liquor and/or bartender. That is also generally cheaper than using the on-site services.
You will probably have a range of options for different budgets, from a paper plate, chicken buffet to a fine china, steak sit-down dinner. Determine what is most important to you in terms of atmosphere, food, presentation and service.
Many locations will have decor items that you can use, including tablecloths, ribbons and bows and more. Be sure to ask what your options are in this area as well.