Chankaska Winery - Beautiful Outdoor Weddings All Year

always made the effort to be there whenever we stopped by and wanted to see the events center for planning purposes. She has the most wonderful energy and is a dream to work with. She is kind, efficient, driven, pays close attention to all our details, and made our day magical! 2. All of our guests absolutely loved this event space, the outdoor fire pit, the beautiful landscaping and they absolutely loved the wine. So many of our guests were from out of town and had never been there so it was really special to share this place that Kurt & I find so incredible with our loved ones. 3. During the planning process, Cynthia was the best support in answering all of our questions and going over all our details to get it just right. She even gave me the biggest hug after a meeting we had because I was a stressed out/crying bride to be that day from all the wedding appointments I had in Mankato a few weeks before the wedding. 4. On our wedding day, Kurt & I took a moment away on the back patio for a glass of bubbly by ourselves to take in the moment. Not only did Cynthia have everything all set up for us, but one of the bartenders named Montana left the sweetest note by our glasses for when we sat down and it brought us both to tears. We saved that note with our vows. It was so special what she shared! 5. We love that we are also wine circle members here and it's so much fun to stop in and pick up our bottles when they are ready each quarter and have a glass of wine. One time early this year when we stopped in, we forgot to make reservations and Kelsey was so accommodating in helping us still get a seat inside even though they were packed since we had shared that we would be getting married there in a couple of months. The people who work here are the best, the wine and food are delicious, and it's a little slice of heaven when you want to get away from the city and just relax!

and with our wedding getting rescheduled due to Covid, she was amazing and so flexible! We love Chankaska!

hia made the entire planning process so easy. Cynthia, the event coordinator, is so organized and responsive, and she was always willing to answer my questions or help where she could. I cannot say enough positive things about Chankaska or the employees. We also rented the Winemaker’s House for my girls and I to do hair/makeup in the morning, and it was exactly the space we needed. Chankaska was definitely the ideal venue, and I will forever be recommending it to everyone in search of a wedding venue! Best of the best!

re incredible to work with, they were extremely responsive and positive in answering all of our questions throughout the process! The venue is absolutely stunning and the perfect space for a reception. I could not recommend Chankaska more!

e staff was flexible and courteous, assisting any way that they could to make this event happen flawlessly. I have heard MANY comments from our guests how impressed they were with the serving attitude that Cynthia and her staff provided. My daughter and her new husband truly had the wedding of their dreams! I highly recommend this venue.

leading up to the wedding and she covered all the details thoroughly and everything went perfectly! The service was fabulous and we loved working with our caterer we found through Chankaska. Everyone STILL raves about the food (Apples 2 Apples) and the beautiful venue! We love having a built in date and trip down memory lane every time we visit the winery. We are from the Twin Cities and decided on Chankaska because of its beauty, the confidence we felt dealing with Cynthia, and knowing they had beer, wine, and spirits available onsite for our guests at the reception. They offer multiple options for ceremony and reception to fit all needs, which is brilliant. We were fortunate to also take sunset photos during golden hour in the vineyard and WOW. Everything was beautiful and perfect!

xcited, and at ease as we planned our special day. Like all the staff at Chankaska, Cynthia always made us feel special and helped us create an experience unique to us. Chankaska Creek Ranch and Winery is not only a fun place to visit but a very special place to say your vows.

yone was very accommodating and professional; the event space is absolutely beautiful! Several of our guests made comments about how beautiful the space and grounds are. We would gladly recommend Chankaska Creek Ranch & WInery to anybody considering hosting an event there.

d to find, for guests coming from out of town or who aren't familiar with the area. The bridal suite and groom's room are perfect spots to cozy up and get ready in. But those aren't the best parts of this venue. The best part? The staff. I have been to a LOT of weddings, and as a wedding planner I was blown away by how professional, courteous, kind and generous the staff was. Everything went off without a hitch because this venue understands that a wedding day can't reach perfection without support. THANK YOU guys for making my job that much easier and for ensuring that my couple had a perfect wedding day!

oments of touring the site. We had no idea this hidden gem existed so close to where we used to live. Each outdoor ceremony location option was breathtaking, and our hardest decision was which to choose. The new reception area and bar were out of this world gorgeous. One of the most enjoyable parts of this venue was that in the following days nearly every guest that attended changed their social media photo to something from Chankaska that night. The catering was well done, and they knew what to do. Food was spectacular. One of the greatest parts of this venue was the opportunity to go into the vineyards at sunset to take photos at "golden hour". While all the photos from Chankaska turn out amazing, these are the ones that are especially print worthy. To top it off, the price was completely reasonable, and there are tons of hotels and transportation options near by. We HIGHLY recommend this place to anyone looking for a beautiful outdoor or indoor wedding. (p.s. We were living in California at the time of our wedding and visit wineries every week. Chankaska wines are actually great! Probably best in Minnesota.)

location really are beautiful. The winery is still open to the public but our ceremony/reception still felt like it was a private affair. I do not have many comments that I would change about our experience or event. Some small items are the size of the accommodation rooms and the requirement to have all items out night of. The rooms can get a bit tight and the night can get away from you for last minute cleanup.

flip. My husband and I planned our wedding from out of state; Cynthia was great to work with and efficient with her communication. Our wedding day was predicted to have lots of snow which could of course stress the bride, but Cynthia helped to keep me calm and attended to every tiny detail to make sure it all went smoothly. She had many great ideas to improve the flow and timeline of the wedding. Our guests had so many great things to say about the beautiful building and the great food and wine! We are so happy with everything Chankaska provided for our wedding and I highly recommend them!

extremely helpful. There is nothing I would have done differently! Cynthia was very accommodating to anything we needed, had great input during our rehearsal to help make our ceremony run smoothly, and helped keep everyone on track throughout the wedding day. I'm so happy we chose Chankaska for our wedding. My husband keeps talking about doing an anniversary celebration there someday so we can relive our fantastic day! We even had snow the night before our wedding and the lot was salted very well and cleaned off so no one had troubles getting to the Event Center. A HUGE thank you to everyone involved in helping make our day so wonderfully perfect!

as frustrating to not have been made aware of the projects ahead of time. It certainly would have influenced our decision when choosing a venue. Karen also left abruptly 2 months before our wedding and there were some challenges around working with her replacement.

or a better day! Thank you so much for making our wedding day amazing.

plan our wedding, even though we aren't living in Minnesota, with a lot included in the venue rental (for a price of course :) ). And talk about gorgeous - the venue is well-cared for and really a gem in a part of the state I hadn't visited before, even though I grew up in the twin cities. The wine is also excellent (and our guests agreed, even the wine connoisseurs in the bunch) - make sure to join the wine club to get a discount on your wedding wine and get a few extra delicious bottles throughout the year! Just a couple things to note that we wish we'd had known earlier. Costwise, we knew what we were getting into for the most part, but there were still a few costs we weren't expecting above the high venue price: keg pricing was expensive (a new option for the year of our wedding), and event insurance and paying extra to rent wine barrels for the ceremony we also didn't budget for. It's also important to note that the winery will be open during the event, and there is also a possibility of other events happening in tandem (in the contract) - this made for a few ill-timed noisy moments during our ceremony. Overall our day was perfect for us, and the staff at Chankaska and the venue itself were a huge part of that. No regrets!

and pouring rain! The day could have been disastrous but Karen, Marissa and the staff did all they could to make the ceremony and reception a success. These people know what they're doing! Karen and Marissa notified our vendors that the ceremony would be held in the reception tent and everyone did a wonderful job accommodating the change of plans. The atmosphere in the tent was warm and inviting despite the weather conditions. It turned out to be a memorable celebration and we are still getting compliments from our guests. We appreciated how terrific Karen was to work with during all of the planning and day-of. Chankaska provides a list of preferred vendors and we had a great experience with everyone involved.

he can to make all your ideas come true! Her planning and communication is superb! Courtney- our day of coordinator- was equally sweet and helpful in the midst of everything going on! I can't count how many times I was told how beautiful and wonderful everything about our day was! I wish I could relive it all over again! Thank you for everything!

ourtney, and the staff were very accommodating and easy to work with. Karen went out of her way to try to accommodate all of our wants/needs in the planning stages. Courtney and her staff made sure everything ran smoothly the day of the wedding, which allowed us to just enjoy ourselves. We had, and continue to have so many compliments, not only on the elegant, unique, fun wedding, but also on the beauty of the location and the quality of the wines. I highly recommend Chankaska Creek Ranch and Winery! They made it possible to give my daughter the wedding of her dreams!

be happier with our choice to get married at Chankaska Creek!

was always willing to answer a wide variety of questions. We received many compliments from our guests who all enjoyed the venue and the atmosphere. We were disappointed with a few things including the limitations on catering, as we were only allowed to choose from two vendors and the food was very expensive, the catering contact rarely returned our phone calls/e-mails, and the food was not of high quality. We would not describe the cost as 'affordable' due to the 18% gratuity on all food & drink, the caterer having to bill through Chankaska to add additional fees, being charged for 'extra' items such as wine barrels at the ceremony site and the golf cart, and very steep liquor costs with limited beer selections. Overall, Chankaska was beautiful and exactly the atmosphere we were looking for, we just would have preferred to have been able to work with a variety of vendors.

it their mission to do everything they could to make our event special and stress free. The intimate setting was a big hit with all of our guests and every vendor they recommended was exceptionally professional. Without hesitation, we would recommend Chankaska Winery is the perfect setting for any celebration.

is meticulously landscaped while maintaining a laidback atmosphere. These are only a few reasons why we settled on three of Chankaska’s properties, Barrel Room, Forest, and Creekside, to host our special day on June 10, 2017. Every single staff member we encountered during our planning process with Chankaska was professional, helpful, and personable. That brings me to the winery’s Event and Marketing Director, Karen. Karen was an absolute joy to work with and ensured everything on our wedding day was carefully and thoughtfully planned. Her high levels of expertise, organization, and open communication throughout the entire planning process allowed us to be able to truly enjoy our wedding day. On the day of our wedding, she ensured everything ran smoothly between all of our vendors and routed all questions/concerns providing a worry-free and relaxing day not only for us but for our guests as well. Our guests still compliment on how beautiful our wedding was at Chankaska!

eting up until the final day. Karen was always very prompt in responding back to us and also kept in touch with the caterers/vendors as well. Courtney was our go to person the day of the wedding and was also wonderful- thank you. We received many compliments from our guests the day of the wedding and continue to receive them. We would highly recommend Chankaska for your upcoming wedding it is a beautiful romantic setting. Hats off to the entire staff!

even helping fix our false eye lashes! We had many compliments from our guests that it was a beautiful set up and very romantic.