Plains Art Museum

Best of Weddings (1x)

704 1st AVE N, Fargo, ND

$2,400 starting price

201-250 guest capacity

This venue can host up to 250 guests

About this vendor

This turn of the century warehouse was acquired in 1994 and renovated into the beautiful and accredited art museum it is today. With its combination of historical and new architecture, Plains Art Museum provides event spaces that are perfect for meetings, conferences, dinners, receptions and many other corporate and private events. From elegant cocktail parties for 450 guests to intimate family gatherings of 50, we can accommodate the unique aspects of your perfect reception. Your guests will enjoy a memorable evening with friends and family surrounded by the charming characteristics and artistic aspects of our celebrated facility.

Pricing details

Starting prices

Reception:

$4,800

Ceremony:

$1,000

Bar services:

$6 per person

Catering:

Contact for price

Starting prices don't include service fees, taxes, gratuity, and rental fees. Guest count and seasonality may also affect prices. Peak season for this venue is May-Oct.

Amenities + details

Ceremony Area

Handicap Accessible

Indoor Event Space

Reception Area

Wireless Internet

Covered Outdoors Space

Dressing Room

Liability Insurance

On-Site Accommodations

Outdoor Event Space

Guest Capacity

Up to 250

Settings

Historic Venue
Industrial & Warehouse
Loft
Museum

Venue Service Offerings

Bar & Drinks
Food & Catering
Planning
Rentals & Equipment
Service Staff

Awards and Affiliations

4.7

out of 5.0

15 reviews

Search reviews

6/01/2023 • Sarah V

Right in the heart of downtown Fargo, the Plains Art Museum is a stunning venue that has everything you need for a beautiful wedding. We got married in May 2023 and had our reception here, and it made all our dreams come true! With beautiful architecture it really helps you save on decorating costs because you really want to showcase everything the building already has to offer. We had our dinner and speeches up on the 3rd floor and dancing on the 1st floor - we personally loved this separation because it kept everyone together and close, and it helped getting people dancing through the whole night! Serena was a breeze to work with, fantastic communication - prompt, friendly, informative & was very present - she made sure to check in any time we were there and was ready to answer any & all questions! Book your wedding here, you won't regret it :)

10/24/2022 • Chani G

This is tough. The museum itself was gorgeous and a dream. Unfortunately communication with the event coordinators was extremely lacking. Almost every time we made a deposit or payment, we were still sent an invoice for that amount, after the fact saying we owed. Found out the day before our reception that the coordinator I had been emailing and meeting with was not going to be the coordinator but a bar back, not a big deal, they were short staff, I can understand that. But then it seemed like none of the information was shared with the other coordinator, so many questions I had already answered weeks before I had to answer again day before while setting up, again that’s okay, I truly didn’t mind, I’m glad questions were being asked. And the final thing that will continue to bug me, we spent thousands of dollars on wine bottles for the tables on the third floor. When my bridal party went to grab the bottles during the dance to move them down to the first floor, they were gone. A bridesmaid asked one of the coordinators and she said the wait staff must have dumped them. I did love the idea of the museum and it was beautiful but all of the little things have added up to ending disappointed

Response from the Vendor on 10/24/2022

Chani, Thank you for the review. We're very sorry to hear that you were disappointed with your experience. We take your comments seriously and will be working internally to improve the events department.

8/04/2022 • Erin W

WOW. The Plains Art Museum blew all of our reception dreams out of the water. We hosted a cocktail hour on the first floor space with an open bar and open art gallery. Then we hosted dinner and speeches up on the third floor. Finally, the dance happened back on first floor. I loved how this flow made the night seem so organized and everyone knew where to be for each part of the night. Penny was incredible to work with every step of the way. She was open to all of our ideas and helped us make our dreams a reality. Our night felt classy, yet so fun for everyone. We feel so lucky to have had our best day in such a beautiful location.

Any questions?

12/10/2018 • Mara B

We couldn't have been happier with our reception at the Plains. The staff was very helpful and easy to work with. The venue was absolutely beautiful (without even having to put time and effort into decorating). I highly recommend.

11/14/2018 • Hanna R

This venue is simply beautiful and the coordinators were beyond easy to work with. Everything went flawlessly for our wedding ceremony. Highly recommended!

8/03/2018 • Jaime J

The Plains Art Museum was a dream space for our wedding reception! The planning process was super smooth, so when it came to the day of the wedding, we didn't have to worry about a thing! Serena was amazing to work with and made sure that we had everything we needed. Also, the space is AMAZINGLY gorgeous! We loved that we had the cocktail/social hour on the first floor, dinner on the third floor, and then the dancing back on the first floor (so did our guests!). We were even able to rent out the galleries so that our guests could walk through to see the artwork during the social hour. We would HIGHLY recommend!!

2/09/2017 • Manda M

We had our wedding ceremony here and it was beyond perfect. Penny was wonderful in helping us coordinate everything and made it so stress-free! We love the building as is so our photos turned out amazing and our ceremony was beautiful. Thank you so much for letting us have our ceremony there, our day was everything we wanted and more! :)

10/21/2012 • Christina S

I was nothing less than pleased with the service I received from the Plains Art Museum. Penny was a pleasure to work with and made sure my every need was met. Not only is the museum a beautiful place for a wedding reception, but you also get all 3 floors to work with. Our dinner was on the 3rd floor, with views over-looking the city and the dance was on the first floor in the beautiful atrium. It was breath-takingly beautiful and all of our guests had a wonderful time.

8/16/2012 • Tessie J

The space is so beautiful it doesn't need much decorating at all, and the staff is very friendly and accommodating. There is ample access to the museum the day before, and there's no hidden fees or surprises. Couldn't have been more picturesque!

7/11/2012 • Sonja P

Kaylyn Gerenz is the Associate Event Coordinator at the Plains and was our go-to person for all questions related to the reception. Everything went off without a hitch; she answered all of my questions promptly over the phone and email. Our guests were thrilled with the venue. We had a cocktail hour on the 1st floor foyer before moving to dinner on the 3rd floor. We had a local band play for our dance on the 1st floor. The cafeteria seating and cocktail tables gave guests the option of chatting instead of dancing. Overall, everyone was happy!

1/05/2012 • Trina H

We got married the middle of December 2011 and had the most amazing time at the Plains Art Museum! I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a unique spot. First of all, the coordinators i worked with (Penny and Kaylyn) were so wonderful to work with! They were very helpful and answered any questions I had! No surprises on my end, thank goodness. I was able to leave things in their hands and know it was taken care of. Second, when you rent the space for a reception, you rent the whole place.. we used the main first floor for our cocktail hour before the dinner and again for the dance. We had our dinner on 3rd floor (it seats 250 ppl). We had 200 people attend and it was perfect. I have been to several weddings in the past and chose the Plains based on its layout. Having the dinner and dance on separate floors allows the hustle and bustle of the after dinner clean up to not be seen by any guests and doesn't inconvenience them in any way. I absolutely 100% would not have chose any other place. Hands down.. great spot, great service, and my guests had so many good things to say!

8/22/2011 • Amy M

The museum is one of the few non-hotel options in the area. As a result they rely on the beautiful backdrop to win them customers and not service or quality. $2,500 will get you in the door, and then you need to use one of their expensive caters (there are only 3 to choose from). They add a surcharge for all food, require 20% gratuity on all beverages (which was undeserved), and the sound system didn't even work. For such an expensive place I would expect a working microphone so my guests can hear the speeches. Their staff was unorganized and several times pulled me aside during the reception to ask silly questions they should have already known the answer to. They only had one tray with a server to take the champagne out, which ended up taking quite some time with 200+ guests. However, the pictures will be gorgeous and I guess that's what matters, right? :-/ My recommendation: go for it if you have the $$ and want something different, but don't use their sound system, and be ready for some disappointments in regard to service.

6/08/2011 • Erin O

The staff were helpful, the setting is perfect! We love the structure itself, and having all three floors for guests to mingle around was wonderful. May not be great for couples on a tight budget, the space itself cost $2000. For us, it was well worth it!

5/28/2011 • Kayla S

This was the perfect reception site! We loved that we had access to the WHOLE museum, the staff was very helpful! We were able to get in the day before and set up with no problem. We loved the atmosphere that it had, it was magical. The dance was great, the dance floor was small but it was enough space for those who wanted to dance. Loved it!