Minnesota Wedding Photographers’ Top 5 Favorite Venues: Lions, Tigers, and Venues… Oh My!
Choosing a wedding venue is one of the MANY stressful decisions you have to make when planning your wedding! Your venue affects so many parts of your wedding day from how many people you invite to how your photos turn out. And there’s no way of avoiding that decision! But don’t let that decision overwhelm you! We got you! From working in the wedding industry as professional wedding photographers, we have shot at SO MANY venues! With that experience, we have learned what we like and what we don’t like in venues so why not impart some of that wisdom to YOU?! Here are the Top 5 Minnesota Wedding Venues that we have shot at that we highly recommend!
First up, we’ve got Ivory North Co. Ivory North Co. is a BEAUTIFUL white barn wedding venue located just a little over an hour away from the Twin Cities! The owners of this wonderful venue, who are former wedding photographers, flipped this barn and turned it into a captivating wedding venue that makes for amazing photos. Complete with a reception and ceremony barn, dining pavilion, outdoor ceremony options, and 40 acres of natural landscape, Ivory North Co. is the perfect venue for the couple who enjoy the outdoors and are looking for a rustic, woodsy wedding!
OUR EXPERIENCE AT THE VENUE: We knew April and Blake, the wonderful couple who owns this venue, before Ivory North Co. was born! They were other photographers in the industry that we looked up to and found inspiration from their work. We’ve had the privilege of watching them grow and shape this beautiful venue from the ground up. We have so much respect for April and Blake’s journey with this venue and get so excited when we get the chance to shoot there!
OUR FAVORITE MEMORY FROM THE VENUE: There is this amazing greenhouse tucked away in the woods! It is the most amazing photo spot and we had such a fun time escaping from the craziness of the day with the bride and groom!
2. Pinewood Weddings and Events – Cambridge, MN
Pinewood is a newer, modern venue that was built from the ground up and opened in 2019. This venue is surrounded with the most magical trees and is perfect for the couple who loves spending time in the great outdoors! Pinewood offers the perfect balance of indoor and outdoor spaces that are suitable for a wedding in all seasons and weather. The floor to ceiling windows allow so much natural light, a photographer’s best friend! The magic continues on the inside… With a beautiful mix of modern aesthetics and log cabin vibes, Pinewood offers a wonderful, memorable space for weddings and events that guests will talk about for years after your wedding day.
Pinewood is also growing and expanding! They actually opened a new location on the North Shore! It’s called Ivy Black and it’s absolutely stunning! Check it out here! We love to see more and more beautiful Minnesota wedding venues popping up!
OUR EXPERIENCE AT THE VENUE: The owners of this venue, the Becker’s, are inspiring entrepreneurs who make for great inspiration! They are constantly expanding and exploring different business ventures. They are so welcoming and it’s so amazing to see what’s new each time we get to shoot there.
OUR FAVORITE MEMORY FROM THE VENUE: We got the opportunity to shoot this amazing couple at Pinewood who were so intentional about their wedding day! They brought their own vehicle, a big ol’ hippie van, and we had an absolute blast shooting with them in the parking lot of Pinewood. That’s right… even their parking lot is amazing!
3. St. Paul College Club – Saint Paul, MN
If you’re looking for a wedding venue that looks and feels like it’s straight out of a movie, St. Paul College Club is for you! This elegant, historic venue will make you feel like Romeo and Juliet (in only the good ways)! Offering indoor and outdoor entertainment spaces and an in-house catering service, this venue has all you need and then some to host a beautiful wedding that people will remember. With all of the exposed brick and ivy swallowing up the building, St. Paul College Club makes for a simple, yet elegant space to host your wedding!
OUR EXPERIENCE AT THE VENUE: This place is all about the vibes! The history of this place is so interesting that you could spend hours just running around the house to all the nooks and crannies. The vintage yet modern feel of this venue made us feel so inspired and we just couldn’t get enough of this venue.
OUR FAVORITE MEMORY FROM THE VENUE: We shot a wedding here a few years back and the groom was from Australia. The entire groom’s party had thick Australian accents and every time we look at these photos, we can still hear their accents bouncing off the walls of this amazing venue!
4. The Hidden Meadow & Barn – Pepin, WI
This stunning barn venue will bring all of your country dreams come true! With arched barn doors, stained glass windows, and crystal chandeliers, the elegance of this venue will have you falling head over heels! There are breathtaking views that are perfect for building the most amazing wedding album. With so much space at this venue, you are able to host a large crowd! And don’t forget about all of the string lights that make you feel like you’re dancing in a fairytale…
OUR EXPERIENCE AT THE VENUE: This wedding venue is a photographer’s paradise. It’s kind of tucked away in the middle of nowhere and there is just so much natural landscape to work with here. Additionally, this venue has so many creative touches; our personal favorite was a couch that had a bunch of hanging lights strewn across it.
OUR FAVORITE MEMORY FROM THE VENUE: We did a first look using the arched doors that lead into the ceremony location. It was seriously so magical… It was just such a fun, novel way of doing a first look and we’re so glad we got to shoot there. This is such a unique feature to this wedding venue!
5. Leopold’s Mississippi Gardens – Minneapolis, MN
Finally, we’ve got Leopold’s Mississippi Gardens! Who wouldn’t want to get married right by the river?! This family owned and operated Minnesota wedding venue has all of the views that make for a memorable wedding! From the ballroom that brings all of your Cinderella dreams come to life to the cute little bridge over the river that makes for the BEST pictures, this venue will have you completely swept off your feet. If you’re looking for that fairytale wedding from your dreams, you’ve found your place!
OUR EXPERIENCE AT THE VENUE: The ceremony location faces the Mississippi River and it is just absolutely breathtaking. With that, the river is just an amazing complement to your wedding day and it’s so relaxing to take a step back and get lost in the flow of the river. I mean… How many wedding venues are right on the water!
OUR FAVORITE MEMORY FROM THE VENUE: There is a swing that makes for a great photo spot at this venue. We love getting a few shots of our couples sitting on the swing! Additionally, the venue has an exclusive access to the Mississippi that has some great natural landscape with rocks, trees, and water.
We’re All In This Together!
Like we said, choosing a venue can be very difficult! And we don’t want you to feel overwhelmed by that decision! We hope you take some of these venues into consideration when planning you wedding. There are so many beautiful Minnesota wedding venues so don’t feel confined by this list! And if you do choose to book with one of these venues (or any other), don’t forget to bring us along! If you would like to learn more about us and our journey, read more here! And if you’re looking for some more recommendations when it comes to vendors, check out our other blog post: Minnesota Wedding Photographers’ Recommended Vendors: A Couple’s Guide!
All pictures featured in this post are our own! Like what you see?! Check out more of our portfolio here! Wanna book this shit right here, right now?! Fill out our contact form and let’s get this party started!
Omg!! This brings back all the feels! We loved each of these in their own very special way!