Looking for wedding reception sites in Stillwater/Bayport MN area! (St. Paul: 2009, to rent)

[Yelena]

Hi all,

This is my first post here. I recently got engaged and have been searching for receptions sites. Now I'm burned out on googling, and would love some opinions of the folks that have been there before.

My fiancee and I are looking to get married in Hudson, WI and have a reception relatively nearby. I'd love to get something inexpensive in the Stillwater/Bayport area of MN, but am also looking for suggestions in the St. Paul/Woodbury area. Just anywhere that's close enough of a drive from a Hudson church.

If you've planned a wedding yourself or have attended a nice reception in any of these areas, I'd love to hear some suggestions.

Thank you very much in advance!

[golfgal]

I got married in Stillwater many moons ago and we had our reception at the VFW there. It isn't pretty but the hall was large enough for us and had a big dance floor, which was important to us too. The Historic Courthouse is a LOVELY area for receptions, my sister had her's there. I think the Lumberman hotel does some there too but my guess is that it is pricey.

What time of year are you having your wedding? We had some friends get married in Hudson and their reception was on a boat on the river. The Andiamo River Boat out of Stillwater is also an option.

You can also look into the Afton House in Afton. I don't know how many people they hold though.

The Armory in Stillwater used to host receptions but parking is an issue there.

St. Michael's church has a very large hall. I don't know if they rent to non-parishoners but it would be worth a call. St. Mary's church in Stillwater has the school next door and might do receptions too--they have a large gymnasium that would work but you would have to get a caterer if they do.

[Yelena]

Thank you very much for the reply, I will check into all of those places. The wedding could be either August 2008 or the 1st week of Jan 2009, so that's a dramatic difference. (In terms of weather and boating) Great idea though!

[Yelena]

I just checked out the Stillwater Courthouse, and it's BEAUTIFUL! However, there are so many rules to follow (on the sidebar). And it never mentions how much it cost to rent the room out. Do you happen to remember how much your sister paid to have the reception there? And there are gorgeous photos on the site of the tables and chairs done up in various colors. Was that included in the price, or does everything have to be done separately?

I'm so intrigued by this courthouse.. any additional information would be great.

[golfgal]

If I remember correctly it was in the $400 range, but that was in 1990 so I am sure it is more then that now. When she had her reception there we had to do the set up of the tables so that was separate. Again, this was almost 20 years ago though.

[mgmstar]

Check this out. Lake Elmo is only a short drive from STillwater. They have remodeled the old Legion or VFW hall.

Lake Elmo Inn Event Center

[Robert P Stewart]

My wife and I got married at St. John's Lutheran in Lake Elmo. It is is tiny, beautiful church that made our guest list of 30 feel like a lot more. Afterwards, we held our reception at the Lumber Baron in Stillwater. I think it may now be called Water Street Inn. Good food, wickedly good pastry chef, quasi-Victorian - and comfortable.

My wife left only one detail to me to plan: the wedding cake. Muwahahahahahaha - I ordered a 3 tier white chocolate raspberry cheesecake. Hey, it was *my* wedding too, right?

And when you're in downtown Stillwater along the river, please notice the white gazebo. That's where I got down on one knee and proposed to my wife on a beautiful sunny January day when it was about -35F with wind. It was not pleasant, and to tell you the truth, I wanted a quick answer (I thought the weather would help, which it did).

Hope that helps!

Robert

[Yelena]

Thank you to all for the ideas!

[Tomkin]

Good morning,

There are several wonderful wedding reception sites in the Stillwater, Minnesota area.

For wedding ceremony and reception, I would suggest the following three sites:
Lumber Baron’s Hotel


The Lowell Inn


Washington County Historic Courthouse (you can't really tell from this picture, but it's an ESPECIALLY beautiful site)



For an outdoor wedding ceremony, not only is the courthouse (mentioned above) available for outdoor as well as indoor ceremonies, but I have performed wedding ceremonies at Pioneer Park and it works quite well. The park is on a bluff that overlooks the town of Stillwater and the St Croix River and the view is quite striking!

I hope this answer is helpful!

Warmly,

Rev. Tomkin Coleman

[maryjobo]

The house that Tomkin identified as "The Lumber Baron's Hotel" is the Ann Bean Mansion Bed & Breakfast on Pine Street in Stillwater. The hotel formerly known as The Lumber Baron has different ownership and has been known as The Water Street Inn for 5 or 6 years. Both locations are lovely, but I don't know whether or not they hold weddings at the Ann Bean Mansion. The Water Street Inn is located right on the St Croix River and has a gorgeous view every month of the year. It's a very popular place for weddings and receptions.
As was previously mentioned, the Lake Elmo Event Center is beautiful--it's now owned by John Schiltz, owner/chef of the Lake Elmo Inn so the food is marvelous.
FYI, I'm a member of the Stillwater Chamber of Commerce and Lake Elmo Business Association. I live in Stillwater and work in Lake Elmo.