Stillwater River Boats

blown away. Lauren and Amy were so awesome to work with, we will be recommending this company for everything!

ns that we had. Lauren was especially great at making sure that we had all of the planning resources we needed and thoroughly answered our many questions. The staff there is very accommodating. As for the day of the wedding, the staff on the boat was very kind to my husband and I. We did get comments from our guests regarding the bartenders being difficult. We had an open bar at our wedding; however, the bartenders were putting restrictions on what the guests could get. These were restrictions that were not previously agreed upon with my husband and I. Despite this one situation, the remainder of the day went well. The boat was beautiful and made our night truly memorable.

We had a ton of fun though.

was ready for decorating at the right time and it couldn't of have gone more smooth. They definitely go the extra mile for your special day! Highly recommend this wedding venue if you want flexibility, genuine people to work with, and a GREAT time.

pace , and you can't beat the views. My only comment would be that the communication between the boat staff and our group on the day of the wedding could have been better - we didn't know they were waiting for our signal to start the ceremony, and we weren't aware until we arrived that they wanted a timeline for the day. The communication with the office and planning team was wonderful.

pretty warm and sunny. We made an arch with dried/silk flowers all taped and hot-glued so that it could be easily hauled and set up quickly. After the ceremony we did a champagne toast on the middle deck, allowing people to cool off and get out of the sun. The immediate family snapped a few photos during this, and then we joined the party. The ONLY recommendation or negative comment i have is that the champagne was really not good. Following the toast, we went down to eat - which was even better than the tasting we did! We did some cute and easy "just married" decor behind the head table, and some simple center pieces with ribbons down the middle of the tables to dress it up a little. We did the dance on the roof top - and our band totally rocked it (Riverside Hitmen). I loved that people could find their own space on the quieter levels of the boat, and the front and back balconies. We even had brought a pack'n play or two? because we had a few babies on board - one of them actually took a nap! The staff brought some desserts up to the rooftop as we danced it up. I really really enjoyed the day and wish i could do it again! I had many emails with Lauren and Amy and they were always really attentive. I also visited the boat maybe 3 times prior to the wedding to ensure our execution and decor would be good to go :) Magnets work to personalize the entrance or back balconies- if you want to hang anything light like a poster of the schedule/photos. Also, providing towels in the bathrooms is a good idea as people don't want to get drips on their nice clothes! We catered out for dessert to Cocoa & Fig. Tasty and they delivered for us.

ay was amazing and could not have done it any other way! The Captain was amazing too! We forget the sand for the sandceremony and were stressing out minutes before our ceremony. He provided us with a big bucket of beautifull white stillwatersand wich rescued our ceremony and is now even extra special! The Captain even went all the way to provide us the best pictures ever on the river. He would tell our photographer when we were hitting certain spots for the better pictures and were to be on the boat. Before our special day we sat together with the team from stillwater riverboats to talk about how we want our day to be arranged. Everything went very smooth. If I had questions I would email them and I would have a response back that same day. We did our ceremony on the topdeck of tthe boat just whe the boat would sail away. Our first dance was indoor, but the weather was so nice that after that fisrt dance we moved the dancefloor on the topdeck outside and the staff was more willing to help. We did book an extra 2 hours on the boat (total of 6) and we are so happy we did that! we danced away on the topdeck. We just made our own playlist and used there bose system wich worked great! Everybody is still talking about our wedding. You have all your loved ones on 1 spot, people van sit, dance, enjoy indoor or outdoor, enjoy the vieuws of the river, dance. So much to entertain your guest.

e space and the food was amazing. Chris, the chef, was really helpful in planning the details and is very knowledgeable. I also loved that all the basics were included in the hall rental and that all the staff members were helpful and kept me in the loop for updates.

flexible on most decorations and how we wanted our cash bar handled. Everyone had a wonderful time and staff were very accommodating the day of. We had to move our DJ to the dinner area after dinner due to the cold and they did so with no issues at all. They even shut the lights down for us for the music/dancing and moved pictures off the wall to accommodate decor we wanted up. Everyone should get married on a boat. It's such a unique experience and the views are amazing no matter the season. We had pretty fall colors while floating down the St. Croix. It doesn't get much better than that! It was also super affordable, which is amazing considering what you get!

sked for. They set up two more appointments to go over any more details before my day as well! On the day of my wedding, the staff couldn’t have been more attentive! Many members of the staff kept asking if we needed anything. One member of the staff even went all the way upstairs just to get my grandmother a glass of water. They truly went above and beyond to make sure we had everything we needed and it was a wonderful day! It was unforgettable and absolutely perfect!

oyed themselves. The staff was wonderful. I was surprised at how smooth everything went. Thank you so much to everyone who worked at giving my husband and I the perfect wedding.

ff the boat, everyone was very friendly, attentive and helpful. Our guest raved about how fantastic the wedding was and how unique and beautiful the boat was. We were on the Showboat the evening of Oct 8th, 2016. They are well prepared and knew how to make your event go smoothly and this allowed us to be able to enjoy our wedding. We had an issue with the mic and sound system on the boat. It was confusing to use and the staff was even confused with it. Just a bit more training for the staff would take care of this quickly. Even though we had that minor issue, I would highly recommend using this vendor. Oh and the food was the talk of the night also. Thanks again guys for making our event perfect. You truly are a class act!! Justin & Robert

work with. Poor communication and hidden fees gallore. The crew that served our meal was very unprofessional. They came up to me multiple times to ask questions in the middle of our speeches and dinner even though I gave them a detailed list of what went where AND contact info of someone to ask questions who is not the bride. Even worse, they did not honor our contract which asked for only 1 hour of open bar... they left the hosted tab open all night! We called to ask them to honor our contract after we found out after our honemoon and ask them tk pay us back and they said they couldnt do anything about it because they dont keep a record of the drinks they serve on open tab and then hung up the phone on us. We are still out at least $1k. Although the boats are beautiful, the food was not impressive and over priced and the lack of service from the St Croix Boats and Packet company was not worth it. I really wish this were not the case because we were so excited to get married on a boat.

the first level!! The event staff were awesome and extremely helpful with our guests and us, whether it was something needing to be packed away, a place to hide the bride, or a helping hand down the stairs, they were there front and forward with a smile! As someone who's worked in the industry, I had high expectations and they were all met! Karina, Amy, Captain Tim, and the whole team were phenomenal! Thank you all and see you soon!!! Love, The Stephenson's 8/19/2016

is for both ceremony and reception!

they charged me $25 a head, which I wasn't told about ahead of time, and the food was not great. I had brunch there before and it was fantastic, but the tasting for my wedding food was sub par. They said they had lost their head chef recently, which scared me a bit. I read a lot of bad reviews, and some short good ones, so I kept plugging ahead. The food ended up being slightly better at the wedding, but not much. Guests complained about dry chicken, and I concur. How bad is that when you hear a guest complain? Ugh. I paid for wine and beer and non alcoholic drinks, and they charged my grandma for a soda. They told me to order extra wine because they would cork it and give me the extra, and when I asked for it they said they couldn't, because they don't do off-sale. I asked if I could sample their cake, and they said no. When I asked why, they said it was because its all the same and I already know what chocolate and vanilla cake taste like, so there would be no need to try it. I bought Kowalski's cake for my wedding (OMG BEST IDEA EVER) and the serving staff commented to my mother that they had never seen someone get store-bought cake before, but then I discovered they don't even bake their own cakes, they buy them at Sam's Club! The servers also were telling people it was a different kind of cake than it really was (its was champagne not lemon) which is not terrible but annoying. The bartenders threatened to throw out my ring bearer because he was moving and stacking the cushions on the lounge couches. I understand that its annoying, don't get me wrong. But he's three! He can't ruin your couch by moving cushions. My hotel room for the night before was a problem too. They said it was reserved, but not paid for. Don't know who to blame for that, it could be on my end but my mom and I swore that we paid cash for it the day we did the tasting. I also paid them the remaining balance in cash and received a receipt saying I had paid nothing, and I'm glad I checked it before I left. Also, the carpet in the Banquet Hall sucks, the art is weird (the owner apparently has eclectic tastes that he thinks works with turn of the century decor). They have no coordinator, which I was worried about but didn't need to be. The staff I worked with was enough to plan my wedding. We didn't sleep at all after the ceremony. Our room looked nice but we couldn't fall asleep on the bed (odd considering the effort it takes to get married, party all night, and consummate). The jacuzzi in our room was cool, but I wouldn't get a room there ever again. The price is just bad for how dumpy it is. This place USED to be nice and prestigious. Now its run-down and poorly managed. Everything is "policy" and they can't accommodate you AT ALL. So I bit the bullet and paid the stupid little fees (because that is what wedding planning is) and I had a good time. I would have had a better time if I had my wedding elsewhere. That said, our families are not super wealthy or judgemental and said it was a nice wedding. But when they did complain, it was all about the venue. Big fail Lowell. I expected more from you. If you are a bride looking for a super cheap place that looks nicer than it is, go here. It did the job, just expect to have to work hard and make concessions.

so, there are other weddings going on in the same area, so you have to share the space with them as well. Unprofessional to say the least...

hole time you are cursing down the river. The food is good and affordable but the drinks are a little on the higher end. Tara was a great coordinator to work with. Any time we had a question, that same week we were able to go there and have everything answered.

e main entrance of the Lowell Inn. We also used the lovely Garden Room and the Patio. The food was excellent and enjoyable for our guests. We requested the "Deluxe Hors d'oeuvres" package with an additional cheese display.

ough our big day. We had a catered dinner (done by St. Croix Boat & Packet) that was outstanding! By far the best catered food we have ever had!! To top it all of we had a gorgeous evening (4 hours) to cruise on the St. Croix river with all our guests. Everyone had a great time, and we made many lasting memories!! Our wedding night we stayed at the Lowell Inn, it was beautiful, our room was elegant and the staff was great!

s. They made the whole process easy, responded very quickly to questions, and were happy to give us several tours of the boat throughout the planning process. Their food was superb and every single member of the staff that we encountered was friendly and did a great job. We are happy customers!

staff was when they booked their room and when they checked in. I had personal experiences with some of the front office staff that were frustrating and unsettling...especially when planning your wedding. I hope they can fix this so that it can be an all around wonderful venue. On the upside the food was wonderful, the staff during dinner was great, the inn is walking distance to almost anything guests would need, and this venue is very reasonably priced.

was able to answer any questions that we had. We did the buffet which was great - plenty of food and even provided wait staff to clear plates, etc. which we weren't expecting but was wonderful! All of the staff were wonderful and everything was as perfect as it could be. We also rented the patio for the evening which was wonderful though disappointing that it closed at 10pm; but well worth the mere $100 to rent it for the evening. I highly recommend having your reception at the Lowell, it was everything we could dream of.

ved all the food. The day of the wedding, the fish was a little saltier than the taste test, but otherwise it was exactly what we wanted. There was an event earlier in the day on our wedding day, so we couldn't get into the hall until 3:00 to decorate. This wasn't a problem for us because we had relatives that could go in to decorate, but you should check this beforehand so you can prepare. The banquet hall and patio were a unique venue, and the Inn is unique- we really enjoyed staying there.

was right on time and my husband and I were extremely impressed with how fast dinner was served and picked up. There was no delay between dinner and cake, which kept the evening flowing smoothly. The food and cake was absolutely delicious, our guests were raving! Our head table had to be moved off the dance floor after dinner. The staff were great, handled all of our decorations with care...even insisted on carrying my big "BRIDE" bag and shoes over to a new table for me. The accomodations at the hotel are great, too. The hotel is very historic and absolutely beautiful! We rented the honeymoon suite the night of our wedding. All I can say is I wish we would've stayed more than one night! The room was big, with a huge bed and the hot tub felt fantastic after a long day on our feet! I highly recommend the brunch at the Lowell Inn!! The food at the brunch was absolutely fabulous!My husband and I reserved the Garden Room to open gifts with out families. The room was beautiful! We ended up having more guests than expected, and the staff were more than happy to set up additional tables. I can't say enough great things about the Lowell! I would highly recommend taking a tour for anyone searching for a wedding venue. Very affordable and the staff are just great!

beautiful fall-colored trees. The food was great and the venue was unique and beautiful. Our guests loved it! The best part was all of the options for the guests. If they wanted to get away from the music and dancing, there was a quite lounge level with a big-screen TV, leather couches, and a grand piano. If they needed some air or to cool off, they could go to the open-air 4th floor. It was just beautiful and the captains were fantastic. We highly recommend this boat!

We chose the Lowell for its charm, convenience,and value.

you are looking for a decorations-optional space, this is it! In the space, there is a lounge area, restrooms, gorgeous chandeliers, modern artwork, lots of electrical outlets, a large wall mounted screen, and a ceiling mounted projector. The parking garage is attached, so your guests don't walk very far and for a 1% fee, you can comp their parking costs. The only issue I had was dealing with a woman named Judy. Several times she gave me not only conflicting directives over the year that we dealt with her, but completely opposite directives. First there was not a cake cutting fee, then there was. First we could absolutely not enter the space before 4 pm or there would be monetary penalties, then it was not a problem. There was an agreement to place our cake in their kitchen's refrigerator at check-in time on Friday, then when I called ahead to tell them we were on our way with the cake in the trunk of our car on a very hot day, suddenly they wanted us to wait a few hours to bring it in. In the end, everything was worked out to my and my groom's satisfaction; mostly in part to a wonderful man named Alex. He solved all the problems and confusion that Judy created and went above and beyond the call of duty (even staying late on our wedding day to talk to us in person) that everything was going smoothly. He is a consumate professional and the Lowell Inn is extremely fortunate to have him on staff. Regarding the food, I have eaten Easter brunch at the Lowell in several times and have eaten at their first floor restaurant a handful of times. In these instances, the food was always high quality. The service in the restaurant can be painfully slow, but that is due mostly to the very friendly staff who loves to talk to all of their guests. The wedding food was just okay. We opted for the plated dinner - salad first, then a plate of beef, chicken, mashed potatoes, and asparagus. The sauce for the meat and potatoes was a bit odd, but the biggest problem was the beef. It was cooked medium rare and when I asked for it to be well done, they brought me another steak medium rare. I didn't have time to ask for yet another steak, so I just ate what I had, which was fine. Overall, I would say that after my extensive research of nearly a dozen venues in the Twin Cities are I am certain that you will not find a better value for your money than the Lowell Inn's Banqeuet Hall. I recommend you pre-taste the food and only work with Alex, not Judy.

d sodas, hosted beer) were belittled by the manager. Food was great, however servers were slow to replenish. Beautiful, beautiful facility.

wanted. When we asked for certain items (i.e. podium for the minister, table for the sand ceremony, etc), the staff were very accomodating in getting those items for us. There was definetly a lack of communication between the head office and the boat staff. The first hour was frantic and we felt that the things we requested should have been done before we boarded the boat. Overall, we had a fun time. However, we would not use their services again.

mputer systems- lost my reservation for the Honeymoon suite the night of the wedding! Booked it for someone else, they resolved it, but really? They lost my guests room reservations, and they sent new confirmation emails out with a higher rate then before! Watch your contracts and do the math yourself...as I caught incorrect math and they were charging me extra in places... 2. They do not have a wedding cordinatior. They are not ready to handle weddings. I met first with the owner, she made empy promises that got me to rent the space. Later they told me it would all cost money. Every time I would come to meet, we would have someone new to meet with. The owner even snuck out when she knew we were there. My Aunt chased her down the street and she was completely rude! THAT IS HOW BAD IT WAS! A couple more examples are: We were told we could have the patio by the owner for no additional charge, later had to pay for it. Another example, the owner told us we could come in and decorate all day, then later they told us we could only get in at 4pm (when I was walking down the aisle). Unless I wanted to pay another $1000 for a room rental! So, I had to hire a weedding cordinator! 3. Customer service- Is awful, even the day of the wedding, I, the bride, was getting attitude from the owner who was working the front desk. Some of the waiters at the wedding were great, but one barteneder acutally yelled at my friend to pay him when she was telling me congrats. The pluses are their food is great. Jeannie, the chef and Alex at the front desk are both great, and deserve a THANK YOU for their awesomeness! But, I wished I went somewhere else

fit our 150 guests, and the river surrounding us was beautiful regardless of the weather. The staff was so wonderful, the crew (captains) were spectacular. We couldn't have pictured a better day! Thank you Amy, Bobby and Mike!!