Afton House Inn & St. Croix River Cruises

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Afton, MN

St. Croix River Valley

Service area

Holds ceremonies and receptions

4.6

Verified reviews from real couples

Amazing service and food. Didn't have to worry about anything! Staff and crew were amazing.

Dawn C.

5.0

We had our wedding reception on the Grand Duchess in June. After our original reception site canceled on us 2 weeks before the big day, Melissa and Dan were amazing to work with. Dan met us to tour the boat on the same day (no less his anniversary). Melissa worked closely with us for the two weeks leading up to the wedding on ironing out all the details (including decoration recommendations) and with so many moving parts and last minute changes she was on top of it. We couldn't have done it without their help and our day turned out perfect. Our guests couldn't stop talking about how great the river cruise was and how much fun they had.

megan T.

5.0

Paula or Dan

DIRECTOR OF SALES

Typically responds within 24h

We offer two FABULOUS wedding locations to choose from! Our beautiful historic Afton Inn offers two enchanting banquet rooms OR celebrate under the stars with spectacular views of the St. Croix River on one of our two cruise lines! It's a wedding celebration that will never be forgotten! We hold ceremonies in our yard with the river view. Bring on the idea's and we'll take care of the details from start to finish! We offer rooms for gift opening, showers and much more! Call, email or stop by and ask to meet with one of our experienced event coordinators.

50+ years in business

Speaks English, Spanish

Large team (21+ members)

Amenities + details

Amenities

Ceremony Area

Dressing Room

Handicap Accessible

Indoor Event Space

Liability Insurance

On-Site Accommodations

Reception Area

Wireless Internet

Ceremony Types

Civil Union

Commitment Ceremony

Elopement

Interfaith Ceremony

Non-Religious Ceremony

Religious Ceremony

Second Wedding

Vow Renewal Ceremony

Settings

Backyard

Beach

Waterfront

Cruise

Historic Venue

Hotel

Restaurant

Trees

Venue Service Offerings

Bar & Drinks

Cakes & Desserts

Food & Catering

Planning

Se Habla Español

Rentals & Equipment

Tents

Service Staff

Any questions?

Meet the team

Jessie or Dan

Director of Sales

All weddings have tangible elements-the flowers, the invitations,the attire, the venue,the menu, etc. At the end of the night, though, these elements will disappear. The flowers will wilt, the music will stop, and the party will end. However there is one thing that will remain- the memories remembered and the feelings they evoke. No matter where you are at any moment, the memories of your wedding will always be there. They cannot be perfectly replicated in real life, only in one's mind like pieces of art. It is my passion you make your wedding your very own fairy tale story, to be told.

4.6

out of 5.0

17 reviews

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Amanda L

8/19/2018

My husband and I were looking to have a fun, laid back wedding reception and the Grand Duchess was a perfect fit! Our guests loved the novelty of a boat reception. Dan & the staff ...

were great to work with. Initially there was some turnover with the event planner, but once Jess came on board things went very smoothly. Jess was super organized, professional, and responsive. Overall I appreciated how flexible & accommodating everyone was. Food was good. I would definitely recommend for couples looking to have a unique reception!

Nicole B

11/17/2016

The Grand Duchess was a great venue. Very helpful, accommodating staff and great food.

Any questions?

Dawn C

10/17/2016

Amazing service and food. Didn't have to worry about anything! Staff and crew were amazing.

megan T

7/22/2016

We had our wedding reception on the Grand Duchess in June. After our original reception site canceled on us 2 weeks before the big day, Melissa and Dan were amazing to work with. D...

an met us to tour the boat on the same day (no less his anniversary). Melissa worked closely with us for the two weeks leading up to the wedding on ironing out all the details (including decoration recommendations) and with so many moving parts and last minute changes she was on top of it. We couldn't have done it without their help and our day turned out perfect. Our guests couldn't stop talking about how great the river cruise was and how much fun they had.

Cherise H

10/28/2015

We had our wedding reception on the Grand Duchess in July 2015. It was absolutely perfect! Our wedding guests are STILL raving about it. The food was great, the staff was very pr...

ofessional and helpful, and the atmosphere was amazing. In particular, Anne was incredible - she was very helpful, responsive, and really helped bring our vision to life. On the boat, Lynn was wonderful. She made sure all of our guests were well taken care of, especially my husband and I. She really made sure every moment was what we wanted. I would highly recommend the Afton-Hudson Cruise Lines, and I know our guests would too! Dan & Cherise

Mary L

10/23/2015

We were married on the Grand Duchess from Afton Hudson Cruise Lines. Anne made sure every detail was perfect. The food was amazing and so was the staff. We heard many compliments...

about the food and service. Anne met with us many times late in the evening due to our schedules. Thank you Anne and staff for making our day absolutely PERFECT

Chris B

6/04/2015

We LOVED afton! The room was beautiful and the staff was great to work with! Highly recommend!

Megan W

8/03/2014

We had our wedding on the Afton Princess and we couldn't have been happier! The staff was absolutely wonderful, the food was great, our guests loved the river cruise, and Afton too...

k care of so many details that the stress level of planning was relatively low.

Anne P

11/26/2013

The Afton Grand Duchess was the PERFECT place for my daughter's wedding. The ceremony and reception both happened in ONE place--can I say "perfect" again! The ship was gorgeous, t...

he cruise was calm, and the service and staff were excellent. Working with Anne and Dan was easy; both were very accommodating. The ceremony took place dockside outside on the top floor. The food was served plated on the first floor. And the dancing and partying took place on the second floor--it was perfect; not a single "glitch" the entire event! I would highly recommend working with Anne/Dan and have your special event on the Afton Grand Duchess. **Another point--very affordable for a fun and different wedding venue. Everyone loved it! Wedding: 09/21/2013

Anonymous

9/03/2012

Our guests had a great time. The interior of the boats was better than the other boat and packet companies we considered. Food was served hot. Bar staff was friendly.

Susan S

8/09/2012

Amazing!!

Hannah W

7/02/2012

I just recently got married on the Afton Princess and I loved it! Granted our time was cut short because my judge was an hour late and they wouldn't let us make that time up, but w...

e made the best of it and the scenery was great! The food was awesome! And the people there are super friendly! They had a really nice social bar back at the hotel so it made it nice to just sit outside by a fire and have a few drinks and relax!

Julia N

7/19/2011

It was a good evening with good food. The weather was a little iffy, but the boat ride was smooth. The humidity & heat were strong and we had to wait a little longer than expec...

ted before boarding the boat as they were not yet prepared with decorations.

Jessica v

3/23/2011

great place, very welcoming

Dan J

11/08/2010

Every single staff member on the cruise was exceptional at their job. They were very helful, friendly and overall just wonderful to work with. The made our reception run smoothly...

and truly made it an enjoyable experience for everyone. Rarely can you say that everyone was totally impressed by the food, service and ambiance that you porvided to make our wedding day so so special. Everyone is still raving about the event and we look forward to celebrating our 1 year anniversary at the Afton House Inn hotel. Dan and Tracy, again thank you for everything. You were a pleasure to work with from start to finish!

Angela S

8/24/2010

We had both our ceremony and our reception on the Grand Duchess. The ceremony was on top the boat, outdoors, and the reception below. We received and continue to receive many compl...

ements on the quality and professionalism of the cruise line. Everyone had a wonderful time. Tracy Jo really pulled everything together and made our wedding perfect with the extra special touches and effort that was put into our wedding. She coordinated everything from the napkins to the ceremony chair covers. The captain also made sure that everything went exactly as I wanted it. The only thing I would do different would be to stay on the cruise longer. No one wanted to get off the boat!

Susan G

8/09/2010

We had our groom's dinner on the Sweet Afton. They catered the food exactly to our specs. There was a huge storm that evening, so we stayed docked, and when it was safe to go out, ...

the crew gave us the full ride anyway. Food was delicious, staff was excellent.

Service area & Contact info

3291 St. Croix Trail South, Afton, MN

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(651) 436-8883

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Afton House Inn & St. Croix River Cruises

Paula or Dan

Director of Sales

Typically responds within 24h

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