wedding venues

Love Makes the World Go Around

 in Celebrant / Unity Rituals / Venue / Weddings  tagged wedding venues / weddings / weddings around the world by

“Love makes the world go around” took on new meaning for me in the last few weeks as I traveled to the other side of the world and back. Everywhere I went I saw indications of couples celebrating their love in similar places and similar ways. Love makes the world go around… all around the world.

In traveling to Australia I was visiting the home of the celebrant movement. In fact, more than 50% of weddings in Australia are officiated by celebrants. While I often have to explain what a celebrant is to people when they ask what I do, in Australia my profession as a celebrant is generally understood and even celebrated.

Just as in our area, wineries are in demand as wedding venues. I encountered this one, all set up for the ceremony, with a lovely memorial table set up with pictures in remembrance of loving grandparents.

Love makes the world go around – Set for a wedding at a Barossa Valley winery.
Love makes the world go around – a remembrance table at an Australian wedding.

And on a different day of winery tours I saw this banner advertising a different winery as a wedding venue.

Love makes the world go around – Banner advertising winery wedding venue in Australia.

And finally, when visiting the French Polynesian island of Mo’orea our tour stopped at a scenic overlook, and what should I find, but a fence with love locks attached, showing that this ritual crosses from Paris, France to the US, to islands in the Pacific.

Love makes the world go around – Love locks on Mo’orea Island, French Polynesia.

We truly are more alike than different when it comes to the important things in life like celebrating love by gathering family and friends for weddings and using ritual to mark these special moments. As we returned home to begin the wedding season here in Minnesota, I’m convinced that truly, love makes the world go around. I’m happy to be a part of the process as both a Humanist Celebrant and a Certified Life Cycle Celebrant, working with couples to make their wedding days special and memorable.

New Wedding Venues Discovered

 in Ceremony / Venue / Weddings  tagged ceremony space / wedding ceremonies / wedding venues / weddings by

Discovering new wedding venues is part of the fun of each wedding season. New wedding venues in southeastern Minnesota mean more options for couples planning weddings – always a good thing. This year I had the pleasure of performing ceremonies at three new venues (or at least new to me), and thought I would share them. Each venue offers both indoor and outdoor ceremony spaces, a requirement for our variable weather.

River Run Event Center, Mantorville, MN: This venue is located on the grounds of the Zumbro Valley Golf Course in nearby Mantorville. The space is managed by Victoria’s Ristorante in Rochester and offers patio space for outdoor ceremonies and a good sized indoor room for indoor ceremonies and receptions.
River Run Event Center

The Gardens of Castle Rock, Northfield, MN: This is a lovely venue on the grounds of a garden center outside of Northfield. There are multiple outdoor venues to choose from, but the only “indoor” space is a large, fully enclosed tent used for receptions. There is a large plaza area for social hour that includes outdoor fireplaces, seating groups, and bar areas. Nearby green space is available for outdoor games, too.
Gardens of Castle Rock

Cedar Creek Barn, Winona, MN: This property is fairly new as a wedding venue, and is still enhancing the property and amenities. The inside of the barn has been whitewashed to provide bright, clean walls, and the cement floor remains. No heat or air conditioning is available, but large doors at each end of the barn allow for air flow. A newly added pavilion increases usable space, but is not fully covered, so is less useful in case of inclement weather.
Cedar Creek Barn

Each of these new wedding venues has its own personality, amenities and charms and is worth your consideration as you search for the one that matches your vision for your wedding day. Refer to my earlier post on evaluating venues for tips on how to decide which might be best for you.

Evaluating Wedding Venues

 in Ceremony / Guests / Venue / Weddings  tagged outdoor weddings / wedding ceremony / wedding venues / weddings by

Evaluating wedding venues is one of the first tasks you undertake as a newly engaged couple. When you are checking out possible venues there are many things you need to consider, and it can become overwhelming. Each venue has its own charms… and drawbacks, and you’ll want to select the one that best fits your vision for your wedding. The following list gives you a place to start.

– First you’ll want to ascertain the venue’s availability for your wedding date, or what dates they have available, if you haven’t set your date yet.

– Consider both the indoor and outdoor ceremony spaces. Even if you’re planning an outdoor ceremony, you want to ensure there is an indoor space in case of bad weather. You want the indoor space to be a true, viable alternative as the many extremely hot, wet, and cold weekends this year demonstrate.

– For outdoor ceremony spaces, check to see if power is available. Your DJ and celebrant may need it to power speakers, and you want your guests to be able to hear the ceremony.

– Ask about seating – does the venue provide chairs, hay bales, benches, or do you need to provide the seating? Does seating from the ceremony space needs to be moved to the reception space, and if so, are you responsible for moving it?

– Also for outdoor ceremony spaces, look around. Is there an obvious place for the ceremony, or just lots of open space? If open space, will you need to provide decor elements to create a focal point or backdrop for the ceremony?

– Consider the sun’s location and height at the time of year and time of day your ceremony will be held. Will your guests be staring into bright sunshine?

– When evaluating wedding venues you’ll also want to consider your guests’ comfort and accessibility. Are there restrooms, ramps, wide and stable walkways, sufficient parking?

– Does the venue require you to use specific musicians/DJs, florists, bakers, officiants, caterers, etc? Can they provide the services you want?

– And finally, remember to get information on pricing. Ask about any additional or hidden charges. You want to ensure the venue costs are within your overall budget.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed when searching for the right venue for your wedding day. Take your time, have a list of questions to ask and areas you want to see. Ask if you can take pictures so you can review them later and remember the specifics of each venue. Evaluating wedding venues can be exciting, stressful, overwhelming, and fun all at once, so go in prepared and you’ll be able to select the right venue to make your wedding day vision come true.