Graduate Minneapolis

, I was thrilled. I knew that I wanted to book a venue that would let us do both the ceremony and reception in the same space. What you get depends on which package you choose, but catering, flatware, linens, tables, chairs, alcohol, servers, bartenders, and honestly some things I'm forgetting about are all included and at a surprisingly reasonable price. And Michael, the catering and events director, could not be more lovely to work with. He far exceeded our expectations and made every step go smoothly. It's just an added perk that your guests can also stay at the venue.

ialist. He helped us with a timeline, tables diagram, menu and bar options and let us decorate in the way we wanted. Amanda was also very helpful with decoration and in the day itself. The guests really liked the place and we could take awesome photos around campus. I highly recommend this place for the organizational skills of the employees, cleanliness, and location.

reception. They made everything really easy and made sure we didn't overlook even the smallest detail. Michael was extremely helpful through the whole process. He was always there to answer our questions in a very timely manner and kept track of our many, many changes during planning. After all of the planning we did, we were stunned at how great the ballroom looked and how smoothly the day went. Our guests were in love with the uniqueness of the ballroom and had a great experience with the hotel side of things as well.

d at several venues, but the Event Director, Michael Wicinski, won us over on The Graduate. He was absolutely wonderful to work with and helped us through all the details to make sure our big day was everything we could have asked for. Michael continued to blow us out of the water with his warmth, excellent customer service, meticulous organization and detail orientation. He made our wedding planning stress free. Our wedding was biking-themed, and The Graduate made sure we had a bike as part of our decor as well as for our photos. They definitely went above and beyond, and we couldn't be more happy with how our wedding reception turned out. We HIGHLY recommend anyone to have The Graduate as their wedding venue!

ery step of the way, they were great in communicating with us the current guidelines and trying to make the wedding as great as they could. When it came to day of, the service staff was very nice and helpful and the food was great! Would highly recommend this venue as they could not have been better to work with, especially during the stressful year that was 2020.

Even tho it was a covid wedding it was still the best day and thankfully no one got sick. I would recommend The Graduate to any couple considering it. Things that were important to me- centrally located for guests all over the twin cities, and can get ready, take pictures, get coffee, get lunch, get a beer, have your ceremony, and reception, and sleep all without getting in your car. The other major pro: the team at the graduate. From checking in to the hotel, working with Marisa during the whole planning-during-a-pandemic, to the actual catering team the day of, everyone was so great, helpful, and positive.

and beyond and made the process fun and easy! Our wedding was in February so everyone loved the convenience of being at the hotel for both the ceremony and reception while having the option to stay the night. The hotel accommodations were incredible. We loved the restaurant (The Beacon), Starbucks, the Top golf suite (where we had our rehearsal dinner- so fun!), the amazing hotel rooms, rooms available for storage, and the expansive event space, which was large enough for our band. We had so many compliments about the food- so good! We were also able to host a brunch the morning after for our out of town guests. If we could do it all over again, we truly wouldn’t change a thing! The ambience of the Graduate Hotel, the accommodating staff, and all of the amazing details make it a one of a kind wedding venue that we highly recommend!

ht the value was amazing for the quality of our event.

s based on our situation. Graduate was great on communication and answering all our questions that led up to the night. Graduate was great at reminding us about information that was on a time sensitive schedule. The night of it wedding, the staff were always around asking if there was anything they could do for us without being intruding. Graduate made marriage planning a lot easier for us. I would recommend Graduate to anyone who is in need of a place for all or part of their wedding.

nacle Ballroom was the perfect choice for our intimate ceremony and cozy reception. Michael was the greatest coordinator to work with. He partnered with all the hotel preferred vendors I hired leading up to our event to make sure nothing was left out. The food was definitely the main attraction for several of our guests, the portions, dishes, and variety they offer is outstanding. Our wedding weekend was absolutely flawless, and we are still getting rave reviews from all our family and friends who attended.

ice point too. Very very happy we went with them for our wedding venue!

, and it was a casual, fun balance to an elegant reception dinner the next day.

ork with you to adjust your menu to provide culturally inspired dishes they may not typically serve, though we ended up selecting food from the menu. We are shameless foodies and everything was delicious. Everyone we worked with at the Graduate made the planning process easy, though of course the MVP was Michael, the director of catering and events, who we were lucky enough to work with to plan our wedding. He was always responsive and a total pro--he thought of everything and made sure everything was prepared for the day of. He even found Pisco (a very important Peruvian liqour) and worked with the kitchen to make a hosted cocktail during our cocktail hour. Our event took place in the Meridian ballroom and it is a beautiful enough space that it doesn't need much sprucing up (which was huge for me and my miserly budget). There is also an outdoor patio, which was an awesome way to spend some of the event/evening outside while also not having to depend on good weather to make our break your event. The Graduate staff does a lot to show you what they can do with the space--there was an opportunity to see the event space set up with different options and meet their suggested vendors. Though we ended up going with different vendors, it was a great chance to see the space, try some of the food, and pick the brains of everyone there with the many questions my mom and grandma had. :) We are a Minnesotan-Peruvian couple--let's just say that dinner was served a bit later than Minnesotans typically eat and the serving staff was cognizant of the fact that the kids were getting peckish. They brought out some of their food a little bit early. Essentially, I could not say enough good things about this venue and the wonderful people behind making your wedding day the way you want it to be.

make sure that your wishes are met and your event goes smoothly. A must see!

uests, which was appreciated! They block price was very affordable and their amenities are very nice!

Michael and team at the Graduate were phenomenal to work with from our first connection all the way through the day of, and even afterwards. They took care of us and our guests like we were family. Michael even covertly fluffed my train for my walk down the aisle. I'll admit I was apprehensive about having a ceremony in a hotel initially, but now that we've experienced it, we wouldn't have done it any other way. Our friends and family raved about how meaningful the ceremony felt, and how welcoming the venue was in terms of decor, amenities, space, service, and convenience. We'd be remiss if we didn't mention the other shining star, the food. Chef-designed meals, quality service, and the convenience of pairing catering with the venue; a well-oiled machine. Our guests appreciated the familiarity / proximity to campus venues they've visited before (e.g. knew where to park), and enjoyed having the ceremony, cocktail hour, reception, and accommodations all in one spot. Our guests with special dietary and accessibility needs felt right at home. We had plenty of instagram-able photo ops and we were within walking distance of many beautiful outdoor photo spots (Armory, Scholar's Walk, etc.). Can't really say enough about how fortunate we feel to have held our special day here.

otch. We would HIGHLY recommend it to anyone consider a wedding in the Twin Cities area. Michael and his team were very attentive and accommodating for all of our requests throughout the entire weekend (even those that came in last minute). We held our ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception here. I/we cannot stress enough the value of having everything in one location, and all things coordinated through a single point of contact (as opposed to separate vendors and coordinators). It made the entire process so much simpler than I imagine it would have been otherwise. A couple extra perks: - Incredibly convenient/accessible central location, yet not right in the middle of either of the downtowns, making it very easy to get to/from. - The hotel rooms; every one of our guests that spent the night commented on how much they loved the hotel (and staff). Its unique decor is truly one of kind and quite memorable (in a good way). - Large venue; We had 230 guests, and were still able to have a large dance floor without relocating tables after dinner. It would have fit plenty more people comfortably, and given the room partitioning possibilities, it would allow such that a smaller event would feel very intimate as well.

our food/wine tasting, to the constant communication with any updates and reminders, to the decor, ceremony, reception, and an awesome bridal suite! Everything was just a flawless process with this beautiful Minnesotan hotel! I would have our wedding there again in a heartbeat!!! Thank you Graduate Minneapolis!

ichael and his staff went above and beyond on fulfilling our needs and wants. I felt like I had nothing to worry about from the moment we started working together. The venue was perfect, the food (we chose a buffet) was spectacular, the staff was friendly and

looking for an amazing hotel experience for your wedding!! You truly will have the best day ever!

ecision and we, and our guests, had wonderful times.

rk. It was easily accessible for our nearly 60 out of town guests.

om itself was beautiful, giving our guests the option to be inside or outside on the patio. It worked out really well for a Minnesota summer! Made our day really special!

rest of the hotel staff was fantastic, the food was great, and the recent updates to the entire hotel really added to the feel of our wedding. - Liz & Hunter