4.4 out of 5 stars and 44 reviews
4.4
(44)1511 Northern Pacific Rd., Brainerd, MN
About this vendor
Spanning 47 acres of historic railroad property, Northern Pacific Center provides an unparalleled setting steeped in character. Imagine breathtaking photos amidst vintage architecture, charming brickwork, and preserved train tracks. Every corner offers a unique and timeless backdrop for your wedding album, ensuring truly unforgettable photos.
Amenities + details
Covered Outdoors Space
Dressing Room
Handicap Accessible
Indoor Event Space
Liability Insurance
On-Site Accommodations
Outdoor Event Space
Wireless Internet
Business Attributes
- Veteran-owned Business
Settings
- Industrial & Warehouse
Awards and Affiliations
2021 'Best of Weddings'
Best of Weddings
The Knot independently assesses vendors for this award—it’s never self-reported. We base it on firsthand experiences from real couples and guests, and they must have a 4.5-star average across 7+ reviews in the qualifying year.
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Reviews
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4.4
out of 5.044 reviews
Stunning, incredible venue, but expect to be nicked and dimed and fined. Prices are not what they initially advertise, ceremony fees and mandatory 20% gratuity on everything
This was the only place I wanted to get married and my fiancé loved it! Tedi and the entire team at the NPC was fantastic to work with! I would HIGHLY recommend this venue to anyon...
e who wants a memorable wedding!
Let me start by saying that this venue is absolutely stunning and this review has nothing to do with the location itself but rather the owners and staff. I booked this venue for ou...
r 9/5/20 wedding over a year ago. Things changed when the new owners parted ways with one of the former partners. The space I had reserved for our rehearsal dinner was turned into a coffee shop. I know this only because I have a home in the area and happened to drive by. The staff at NP did not inform me that the location was no longer available for a rehearsal dinner and it was not until I questioned it that they told me they had moved me to another space, fine no problem. As we got close to the wedding everything became a battle, they suddenly tried to change the terms of our contract claiming a new one needed to be signed due to the split of the partnership. We were no longer allowed to bring in our own alcohol and outside decor (arbors etc) was prohibited. Anytime I emailed it took days to receive a response from Grace the venue manager. Fast forward to wedding day. There was another wedding on the property the same day which would’ve been totally ok BUT their getting ready space was right next to ours and you could hear every single word they said and every single blow dryer they used. What should’ve been a relaxing morning with my bridesmaids turned into a major headache. The other couple also walked over to our ceremony space as it was wrapping up to take photos... pretty intrusive. In addition when I walked into Blacksmith Main, our ceremony space, many lightbulbs in the chandeliers I paid to rent were burned out. When my wedding planner brought this to Grace’s attention she claimed it was an “electrical” issue. When you pay to rent lighting it should be in working order. I’ll say it again... this space is absolutely stunning but the owners care more about money than making the day perfect or special for couples. I would highly recommend looking elsewhere for a venue. Side note most of the positive reviews are from current employees and family members of employees 😳
This venue is arguably the very best in Minnesota. The historic aspect of the campus is unmatched, the renovations they have done to the different venue options and reception space...
s are absolutely stunning. This venue has it all- an entire warehouse on site of rentable vintage furniture, rugs, table decor, arches, candelabras etc, multiple options for ceremony spaces, an established contract with a catering company (which makes absolutely delicious food), serving staff, etc. The plans for expansion that this campus has are going to be absolutely unbelievable. I looked at a ton of venues in Minneapolis and none held a candle to the NPC Center.
A special shoutout goes to Grace, whom I worked with closely for months planning the details of the wedding. She is so kind, so sweet, so knowledgeable, extremely resourceful and responsive, and unbelievably professional. She was an absolute pleasure to work with- I cannot say enough great things about her.
One consideration I had as a bride who was going to have both sides traveling for the wedding- was it going to be too far from Minneapolis? Our guests had no issues getting up to Brainerd or finding lodging in the area, they all RAVED about how they appreciated the "Up North" experience and enjoying the lakes/shopping and nature for the weekend. Dont let travel distance deter you, this venue and experience is COMPLETELY worth it. I anticipate many MSP brides forgoing the city in the next few years to give their guests this absolutely unique MN experience.
Thank you NPC Center for helping to make our wedding unforgettable!
So happy we went with Northern Pacific. Such a stunning wedding venue. We used Blacksmith Main for both our ceremony and reception, and it was perfect. The high ceilings and beauti...
ful lights, tables, and included furniture made the perfect space for everything. You truly don't need to add much for decor, and the unique style of the buildings makes for awesome photos. We worked with Grace for planning, and she answered all my (MANY) questions graciously and in a timely fashion. That was actually the reason we picked this venue over a couple others in the area, and we were very pleased with how professional and helpful everyone was.
Couldn’t have asked for a better wedding experience! We mainly worked with Grace throughout our planning and rescheduling with covid and she was nothing but pleasant and helpful th...
roughout it all. Such a beautiful space!
I am SOOO happy I chose Northern Pacific Center for our Wedding! The space is perfect! I loved everything from the getting ready spaces, the ceremony space (we used Luminary) and a...
big selling point to me was being able to have open flame candles! Grace is wonder woman! I have no idea how she manages every single wedding so well. She always was so responsive to my hundreds of emails with questions, and always so positive! I know this year was insane for wedding vendors, but Grace and her team made me feel like I was the only one, and that meant the world to me! My only thing I would of liked to see different is the choice of some different caterers, because we were looking for some unique things in regards to food and we were limited, but our guests were happy and that's what matters. Highly recommend this venue to any future couples!
Absolutely beautiful venue! 10/10 on location and decor. This review is based on the staff and communication.
We took a tour of Blacksmith Main in July 2021 and fell in love with ...
the venue. We were told we would be receiving further information on dates and such via email. A week went by and we got nothing. For the next couple of weeks, my fiancé and I called multiple times, leaving voicemails but not getting a response. We even sent emails to try to get a response. They never responded to us once! It's very disappointing to see this happen after I have seen how other venues treat their potential clients.
Even though we fell in love with this place, we chose to look at other venues.
There a two venues on-site. Blacksmith Main is the bigger one and I did not get married here. I got married in the more intimate venue called Luminary at the Northern Pacific Cente...
r. I had a great experience! The venue is so beautiful, its more than we could have ever dreamed up. There is literally no bad place to take a photo here. The wedding day was super chill, they unlocked the doors and left. So there wasn't anyone over our shoulders watching our every move. There of course was someone on site to contact if we needed anything. The food was great too but I do wish they would have given us the option of taking our leftovers home. We did pay for it afterall.. and a lot of people didn't show up. So thats a lot of wasted money.
We wanted an intimate wedding, so we were looking for an easy-to-get-to 'destination' location. From the moment we drove onto NPC's campus we were sold! It was the most breathtakin...
g place we had ever seen. The high ceilings, natural light, dazzling chandeliers, and brickwork were stunning all together. Throughout the planning process, Grace and the rest of the NPC team were amazing and very responsive. I'm a very type A person, and would often catch myself emailing NPC with one-off questions and updates, and they always promptly responded and were so helpful. We hosted both our ceremony and reception in the Blacksmith Main space, and we received so many compliments from our guests. There is nothing I would change about our wedding day, and I can credit a lot of that to NPC. The entire campus provides so many amazing photo options. 10/10, book this venue for your big day! We are forever grateful to NPC and Grace for all they did in ensuring our big day went off without a hitch.
I’m still in pure disbelief that we had our reception is this gorgeous venue! If you love historic, modern & industrial this is for you! The large space, with the romantic lighting...
made our day feel so magical. Every person we had at our wedding has since raved about this place and wished/wants their wedding to be in this exact spot! Again, without the help of The NP staff our day would have not gone by so smoothly, they helped in every way I could think of. We lucked out with picking this place & are to recommend them to everyone!
I’ve attended a wedding at blacksmith main and it was pretty atmosphere and it was such a great time. I love the historic building and lights really make the place really pop. It’s...
amazing! I love that they offer the groom and bridal suites as getting ready options along with the complementary drinks and snacks. I couldn’t say enough great things about the Northern Pacific Center and it’s team!
The Northern Pacific Center team and venue were fantastic to work with. From the second I saw the Northern Pacific Center space and accommodations, I knew it was where I wanted to ...
get married. Grace was extremely easy to work with and so accommodating throughout the planning process. I can't say enough positive things regarding our experience with Northern Pacific Center. Thank you to the NP Team for providing such a wonderful experience. We have a lifetime of memories from our magical wedding at NP! I highly recommend this venue to any couples looking to get married in the Brainerd Lakes Area.
If you are looking to get married in the Brainerd area, look no further than the Northern Pacific Center. I saw photos through a photographer I follow on Instagram and I IMMEDIATEL...
Y fell in love. Within a week of seeing photos of the venue my boyfriend and I set up a visit. At the end of our tour my boyfriend even proposed! We ended up booking both Luminary and Blacksmith Main. We held our ceremony at Luminary and cocktail hour/ reception at Blacksmith Main.
Grace was such an amazing help throughout the entire process, she was so quick to respond and never made me feel like I was bothering her with all of my questions.
Blacksmith Main has the industrial feel that I've always pictured for my wedding. The openness, the high ceilings and the extra lighting make the space feel so grand. Thankfully the venue was large enough that we were able to have adequate spacing between tables to make all our of guests feel safe and not crammed. (thanks covid) This place is truly one of a kind.
We booked Blacksmith Main for our wedding 1-month out from our big day (thanks COVID!). The last minute change turned out to be our biggest blessing.
I wish we would have booked B...
lacksmith Main from the start. Our original venue was in downtown Minneapolis which proved to be a challenging place to host an event this past year. Luckily, I learned Blacksmith Main happened to have our original date available after we were forced to back-out of our original MPLS venue contract.
We toured within a week and I cannot say enough good things about this venue. The NPC team (&Grace!) were a joy to work with: responsive, detail-oriented, and first class. We were in a unique situation given we booked NPC only a month in advance, even with the reduced planning time I felt completely confident in the details and was ecstatic to work with the Three Cheers Catering Team. We held our ceremony in the Luminary Fern and Reception in the Blacksmith Main (which is a very short walk across the lot).
Our guests actually loved spending the weekend away in Brainerd - initially we were concerned about the drive (~2 hours from the Twin Cities), but we heard only amazing comments about how nice it was to "get away!". Northern MN is simply beautiful.
I would book Blacksmith Main 100 times over if I could. Thank you to the NPC team for allowing us the most BEAUTIFUL wedding we could have ever asked for.
The venue was absolutely beautiful and everyone was great to work with!
We couldn’t recommend Blacksmith Main and the team at the Northern Pacific Center enough! They went above and beyond from the very beginning of our wedding planning process to make...
sure our wedding day was perfect. The venue was perfect and the staff far exceeded our expectations. They all worked diligently to make our vision become a reality.
It was great!
I definately recommend getting married at NPC.
As a wedding coordinator I found the NPC staff to be kind, generous, flexible and professional. They answered all my questions promp...
tly and joined me in striving to provide a memorable experience for the bridal couple and their families.
The charm and character of Luminary, Le Lier, Lincoln Lounge, and Blacksmith Main, almost goes without saying. This venue is a fantastic backdrop to any important event.
Grace and the M&Ms are lovely ladies who work hard and know how to get things done.
I loved them. I loved the venue.
I loved our experience.
Fabulous! Everyone and everything was outstanding!
Have attended multiple events in this venue. Absolutely stunning space!
Beautiful venue, helpful staff, and really great amenities for getting ready.
Blacksmith Main was a nothing short of a dream. Seriously. The moment I saw it (years before our engagement) I knew this was where I'd get married someday. Set in stone and no goin...
g back. I honestly still daydream about our wedding frequently than I even care to admit! I get compliments to this day still talking about how beautiful our venue was - and even some jealous remarks about me "finding it first"! I would go back and get married over and over again and I wouldn't change a thing. I love visiting Brainerd and visiting whenever I can - it's like I get to relive a dream every time I go back!
Everything about our wedding day was perfect! A beautiful venue, so much space, and so many options for photos.
I absolutely knew I had to have my reception there from the moment I saw it! It’s simple, grandiose, and beautiful. I love how it can complement so many different styles and aesthe...
tics!
Absolutely the BEST wedding venue I’ve ever experienced!!! My husband and I just got married here & everything about the space & all the different buildings they offer to use for g...
etting ready suites, different ceremony spaces, and all the beautiful outdoor picture areas were absolutely unreal! We’re still in awe at how beautiful& unique Blacksmith Main is, highly HIGHLY suggest to all future brides to get married here!! It’s breathtaking!!!!
GORGEOUS place!!!!!
You may love this venue's historic charm simply by looking at the photos, but there is truly nothing like the moment you enter into this space. The expansive vaulted ceilings will ...
take your breath away (I promise). If you are looking for an event space that will blow your guests away, you've found the one! The aged brick walls, swooping swing lights, chandeliers, and raw character creates an energy that fills the entire space. Beyond the walls of Blacksmith Main there are two immense smoke stacks which are the perfect backdrop for photos! If you get the opportunity to tour, plan to be wowed by every step you take on the grounds at the Northern Pacific Center. There are endless photography opportunities, and moreover, the staff are genuinely so kind and helpful. They will stand by you through and through, no matter the amount of questions you have. They always remain professional, and it is very apparent that they really care about making sure your day is just as perfect as you envision. I personally have had the priviledge of attending multiple weddings in this space, and around the state of Minnesota to be honest, and I am honestly telling you that there is nothing like the Northern Pacific Center. This venue is built on such a cool historic past, and continues to evolve in incredible ways that compliment it's railroad history, and offers modern amenities for you and your guests to enjoy.
I truly cannot day enough negative things about this venue. The owners are cruel and unprofessional. Based on personal conflicts with other vendors in the area, they blackballed a ...
multitude of companies from their property AFTER many brides had already entered into contracts with said other companies. Leaving them in a position of being out an obscene amount of money AND having to find new vendors in a short period of time. They did this to me, giving me only 3 months notice until my wedding day (after these contracts had been in place for a year at the time), leaving me needing to find all new vendors on just 90 days notice. Also, please keep in mind that this happened early April - in the midst of a global pandemic. I appealed all of this to them and they were inflexible - not caring about the fact that these changes would impact 16 brides in 2020. Thankfully, I chose to break my contract with NP as while it is beautiful, I cannot support the unethical and unkind practices of this business. On another note, the owners’ personal social media accounts are deplorable - featuring one in sexual and suggestive positions with the other.
Grace is extremely helpful and detail-oriented. Though the venue is a bit pricey, it's worth it, in my opinion, to have a seamless, beautiful event in a one-of-a-kind space. There...
are many rules for the space, which are stated clearly at the beginning of the process, making them easy to follow and understand.
Previous reviews I'd read about difficult communication almost deterred me from this place - I live 2 hours away from Brainerd, but was in love with this venue YEARS before we even...
got engaged. I knew before we left our tour that this was the place for us, so I played the odds and took a chance. BEST. DECISION. EVER. Communication was amazing throughout with Grace. She was always so quick to respond via email and very patient with all of my questions throughout the planning process. She was there when we arrived to decorate and greeted me with a big hug - it's the little things! Grace and Aimee were extremely accommodating and it was great to see staff there the night of our reception to make sure we had everything we needed. Even though there was no heat in our ceremony space, we told our guests to dress accordingly and it could not have been more perfect for us. We got so many compliments on our unique venue choice and our photos are STUNNING to match the space - topped off with a dusting of snow. I honestly could go on and on, but this venue is well worth every penny we paid for the perfect day we were able to have to celebrate our marriage thanks to The NP!
STUNNING Venue! Every guest asked us "How did you find this place?!" or told us "Gorgeous Venue! I had no idea this was here!"
From the moment we walked in, we knew this was wher...
e we wanted to get married. Yep, they are expensive. Yep, there are additional fees. But if you aren't asking about fees when you tour venues, you should be!! MANY places charge for add-ons/extras...
Grace, the venue manager, is super sweet & helpful. We booked a year & a half in advance, so emails/correspondence was a bit sporadic until closer to our wedding date, but they do 1-3 weddings a weekend, she's busy!!
Our day went perfectly & I would recommend this venue to anyone who is looking in the Brainerd Lakes area!
From the moment I saw the NP Event space, I knew I wanted my wedding to be there. It is absolutely stunning with rustic brick and elegant chandeliers. It was the perfect spot for a...
large wedding and incredibly beautiful. HOWEVER, I was very very displeased with the staff and accommodations offered. The prices were very high and had increased substantially in the one year it took us to decide to book. Staff did a very poor job responding to phone calls and emails in a timely manner. After seeing it once prior to booking, I wanted to go again and get ideas for my decorations. They told me I would be charged if I wanted to see it again. The only thing included in the expensive rental price is basically the room. Chairs are extra (per person) and every single photo you see on social media has nothing included for decorations. Everything costs extra. Even their beautiful chandeliers that make the venue so great, are extra (per chandelier). My wedding was at 1:30pm and they did not allow me to start decorating the reception venue until 11am. Obviously this required friends of mine to do it, so they were trying to get me to purchase their decorating services rather than using my own. Not only that, but if I wanted to come 2 hours earlier, I had to end my reception 2 hours early (10pm)!!!!! Who ends their wedding reception at 10pm???? ABSURD! We would have to pay to decorate early. Lastly, they made me clean up on Saturday night (Sunday morning) by 1am. Once again, leaving the responsibility of clean up on myself and my wedding guests rather than being able to come back and do it the next morning at a reasonable time.
All in all- save your money and go to a venue that will be willing to accommodate your needs without charging you for everything!
Absolutely incredible experience. Loved working with NP from start to finish. They have amazing vendors to partner with as well. Prairie Bay, Blooms Design, the Fine Line salon - a...
ll amazing! We had a Feb wedding and couldn’t have been more perfect. Aimee took our photos and literally people from all over are messaging me asking me about her photography because she was that good. Couldn’t say enough positive things about NP.
Loved my wedding.. the NP is unreal, raw beauty. I will forever cherish my wedding there. However, working with Aimee, the owner and her staff is rough. They didn't contact me onc...
e before my wedding besides to ask for payments.. didn't congratulate us the day of.. don't help with ANY vendor things.. it's al la carte - to the max and the effort level is 0 on their end unless they have a personal connection to you. Very unhappy with how we were treated as renters and were not fun to work with during such a fun time in our lives.
I fell in love with the NP Event Space back in 2016 when my friend's brother had his wedding there. From the gorgeous brick to the elegant chandeliers, there is no other wedding ve...
nue like it in MN. My husband and I booked it only a week after being engaged (9/2017) and received one of the last fall 2018 dates. Aimee & Grace were very responsive and helped make our wedding of our dreams come true!
This place is unbelievably stunning, it's just on a whole different level than the typical banquet style venues!! My husband and I had our wedding there and are absolutely in love ...
with the entire space. The guests were all raving about it and were in awe of this unique and historic venue. If you're looking for a place like this to get married DO IT, it's the most beautiful venue I've ever seen in my life and it doesn't get any better!! The entire venue as a whole is so picturesque that you hardly need any decorations. The ladies will especially love the bridal suite-it's beautiful! There's also a fun brewery onsite that the guys liked hanging out at. We're so thankful we found it and couldn't have imagined our wedding being anywhere else. The staff are all extremely helpful and awesome and were super quick to respond to all my emails! Thank you NP Event Space!!!
This venue is SO UNIQUE and only a short two hour drive north of the twin cities. We received so many positive comments on how cool and different the venue was. Also the surroundin...
g area makes for amazing photo opportunities. The reception area is well air conditioned making it perfect for a hot summer day. They have a good connection with local vendors but also allow flexibility for couples to choose themselves. They also have many options for the ceremony onsite and also access to unique furniture, adding that perfect touch to an already flawless venue.
Good luck getting any contact from this Venue. Get used to leaving voicemails with no return!
The NP Event Space was the perfect choice for our wedding. The venue is so unique and rustic, not much decorating was needed. The building has character and plenty of space to choo...
se what options work best for your wedding. Aimee, the venue renter, was wonderful to work with. Highly recommend The NP Event Space.
The NP event space is absolutely BEAUTIFUL!! I received so many compliments on it the night of my wedding, and continue to receive compliments from people who attended our wedding ...
and have seen some of our photographs!
It is a little spendy, and things begin to add up, with the separate cost for the bridal suite, the ceremony, chair rentals, etc. BUT I thought it was all worth it.
We were able to save some money by choosing our own caterer, and could have saved even more if we had decided to bring in our own alcohol (we opted to go with our caterer for convenience sake). Our meals were 16 pp, which is much much lower than most of the venues in the Twin Cities. We feel that the cost of rental really evened out with the final cost of catering with 275 guests.
The owner, Aimee, was very helpful and always super responsive! She even threw in some free extras for us, which was amazing! The NP does not provide a day-of coordinator, however, the venue manager, Grace, was around all day to help if we needed anything, and even lit all the candles in the reception area for us!
The major plus of this venue was being able to decorate friday and tear down sunday, it really relieved a lot of stress the day of.
I would recommend the space to anyone. It was amazing!!
Don't book this space if you want to be able to talk with the vendor at all. While both the NP Space and Luminary Fern are lovely venues that are a little on the pricey side, Aimee...
does not communicate well. I was planning on having my reception here, but I was unable to get in contact with Aimee for 4 months; she never got us a contract, so we had to change our venue 6 months before our wedding.
WE LOVE the NP Space! It was the perfect place for our July Wedding! We loved decorating the space, as well as the tables and chairs that were available at the venue! Aimee is a ge...
m, and has a lot of great suggestions and ideas! Pricing was very fair, and reasonable, and We loved how easy it was to customize the space to our vision!
The NP is a gorgeous event space! It was unlike anything else that we considered in the Brainerd Lakes area. Aimee has great taste and is wonderful to work with.
Contact
1511 Northern Pacific Rd., Brainerd, MN
Northern Pacific Center