Wedding Venue

Lets chat wedding venues, shall we? Since getting engaged obviously the number one question is, "have you set the date!?" This then leads to compulsively scouring the internet for suitable wedding venues. I have a couple criteria.. actually, really just one main one- it has to have windows to the outside, (as well as, ideally, access to a porch/patio/deck.) Windowless halls give me anxiety. I've seen some beautiful setups in said halls, but I love windows, natural light, and at home the first thing I do when I walk through the door is rip open the curtains and open a window. If the reception starts at 5:00, I don't want it to feel like it's 9:00 p.m. in a dark windowless room. I want to experience the sunset through the windows, the transition. Woah, end rant.

That being said, M and I have been looking at a few venues the last week or so. First up is the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory at the Como Zoo:

 Stunning, no? I love everything about the room... the reflection pond, the fact that we can set up tables and chairs out on the grass, the fact that there's an option to add on a room called the "Fern Room".. yes, a room filled with ferns thats warm, lush, and tropical...that guests can wander through and sit on benches in and sip wine. zomg I get antsy at the thought. Lastly, there's the added option of renting a PENGUIN. or a SLOTH. yes, you read that right. When I asked the coordinator if it was extra for him to wear a suit and pass appetizers she didn't seem amused. (butiwasserious...wah). The only hiccup here is we can't get access until 6:30. that kind of craps a 5-6 cocktail hour, as well as some logistics about us using my church (which only offers a 1:30 mass..woof.) and doing a ceremony on site they only have outdoor options. (Um, Minnesota summer? not chancing it.)

Last night we looked at the Campus Club, at the top of Coffman Union on the University of Minnesota's campus. it's somewhat of a "peninsula" so 3 sides of the room are windows overlooking the great lawn, with views of downtown Minneapolis. Beautiful. BUT there's always a hiccup, isn't there? The only parking is in a ramp, and it's $6.00. Not a huge deal, people can pay a few bucks to have a kick-ass party.. BUT the ramp is a walk, a tunnel, an escalator, another walk, and an elevator away from the reception location. M, his mom and I got a bit turned around/lost and M WENT to the U, and spent thousands of hours in that building. SO we were a bit turned off by that aspect.

 Lastly is the Saint Anthony Main Event Center... located in the historic Saint Anthony Main.. I LOVE this area. M used to live down by the river (the Mississippi) and we'd go for long walks down here.. it's breathtaking with the nature, and then of course the backdrop is the downtown skyline. It was also after a walk along the river that we first said I love you back at that old apartment..SO it has some sentimental value as well. The woman on the phone sounded SO sweet and we're going to see it tonight!! I love the mix of contemporary chandeliers, wood beams, and brick walls. I'm not sure if they have windows.. I think the room is on the first floor, and should.. that being said I suppose I would trade off "windows" for a more unique interior.

So, that's what's on deck for now! I am waiting to hear back from the coordinator at the Minneapolis City Hall. I won't post a picture because we don't have a tour lined up and I don't want to jinx myself. That and I didn't think about it until I got all the way down here and Blogger is weird about adding a photo and then me tring to move it all the way to the bottom. You can google it though if you're super curious ;-) ... I'll just say this: floor to ceiling italian marble, giant pillars, stained glass, 30 foot statue. It's gorgeous. AND it'd be a nice little nod to me as a lawyer! (Knock on wood that I've passed the bar exam and been sworn in by that point....woof.)

-Kelly