The Riverside at Minneapolis Event Centers

have been possible without the dedication and support of Becca and Wendy! We cannot express enough, how thankful we are for choosing MEC! Your thorough planning, guidance and most importantly, friendship during the planning process and beyond mean the world to us! See you soon!

dy Schallock, the Chief Operations Officer is AMAZING. She made us feel like we were family and she truly cared about our experience leading up to our wedding day and the day of. Our wedding Coordinator was Hannah Hendricks and she was FANTASTIC! Hannah helped us feel calm and organized throughout the planning process and the day of our wedding. We know that she without a doubt made our wedding day so special. She is so organized and truly cares about what you want for your wedding day. We highly recommend MEC. The venue is absolutely breathtaking and you will not find better staff anywhere else.

verything vendors/details wise before and day of the wedding. I can honestly say I didn't have one worry that day. Most brides have told me how stressful that day was and all the things that came up. This was not the case at MEC. Their staff is so professional and helpful. Thank you, Hannah and Daniel! The food was also a big concern for me when picking a venue. We did the chicken, beef short rib and butternut squash ravioli. We had so many guests tell us it was the best wedding food they have ever had. I personally had the beef short rib, and it came out steaming hot. Great work by the kitchen staff! The bartenders were also amazing, and quick! The space is gorgeous, and we had no rain, so we were lucky enough to get married in the garden, which was beautiful. I honestly can't think of one thing that made me second guess going with MEC's. They were worth every penny !

tor and we were beyond impressed with her. At our first meeting with Becca she knew all the details we had planned with our previous coordinator. She was so energetic and genuinely excited for us and our day. From start to finish Becca made things run smoothly. She was so kind to our family and friends and was quick to offer a helping hand with everything. MEC truly made the process from start to finish so easy! Minneapolis Event Centers was so easy to work with. Their planning tools and guidelines are so helpful and the staff is very flexible and will go out of their way to accommodate any requests you have. We brought in cupcakes from an outside vendor (close family friend) and not only did they accept it, they went out of their way to make sure the vendor had everything they needed and the appropriate set up. We truly felt the entire staff just wanted our day to be special. The food was incredible! We served: pork tenderloin, butternut squash ravioli and beef medallions at our wedding. The majority of our guests have made a point to contact us after the wedding and tell us it was the best wedding food they have had. The serving staff, bartenders, security, every staff member was so kind to our guests. Our family and friends kept commenting on how great the service was, especially considering how many guests we had. The bridal suite is so gorgeous and spacious. I had a very large group of women getting ready (15+) in the morning and the bridal suite easily accommodated everyone plus the hair and makeup artists. The ONLY negative we experienced with this venue was with the staff at the end of the night (when the coordinators were no longer there, otherwise I know this would never have happened). My parents asked to get into the locked room to gather our presents and the staff working told them no (it eventually got figured out). Overall, the end of the night staff was pretty rude to my family (who were just trying to clean up and get out of there timely) and not helpful. That was disappointing, but we shared this with the venue after our wedding and they assured us it would be addressed. We do trust that they will do something about it. We can't say enough positive things about this venue or our experience - especially with Becca. If we planned our wedding all over again, we would hands down choose MEC again.

ss and was professional, accommodating, and extremely helpful throughout the entire process. All 230 guests raved about the Riverside and the View rooms and the entire staff at MEC made sure that our big day was nothing short of a dream come true for my wife and I. In a business that in my opinion can get out of control with markups, MEC was fair and upfront and more competitive than a lot of venues we looked at in terms of getting the most bang for our buck. We loved our experience with MEC!

a. She has such a warm personality and strong attention to detail. Her recommendations were great and she really helped us get the most out of our budget. She executed our day perfectly! We got so many compliments from our guests about the staff and the venue. I’m so glad that we chose MEC!

the night, or a sense of progression. We had around 150 guests that night and they were all comfortably seated around the dinner space. The dance floor was also the perfect size for many of our guests to get their dance moves flowing without having to disturb the dinner tables. Overall, we received SO many compliments on how beautiful the day was and how amazing our venue space was from guests all over the country! Furthermore, the staff at Minneapolis Event Center are dedicated to making your vision come true in terms of food, drinks, decor, and so many other details. Our guests raved about the food (we chose Salmon, Pork Tenderloin, and Butternut Squash Ravioli) and the chefs at Minneapolis Event Center are more than capable of accommodating for any food allergies or special needs. Our planning meetings with Becca were so helpful to ensure that the day went exactly as planned and the serving staff were wonderful the evening of our reception. We honestly could not have asked for anything to be better!

l and made it feel seamless. The food was very tasty and plentiful and I appreciated how they went out of their way to work with us to put together a satisfying menu for a non-meat wedding on NYE. Most of our guests were from out of town and it was -15 that night but what everyone left talking about was how "warm" it was inside. Thank you to everyone at MEC especially Jamie who was our planner.

e very organized and coordinated seamlessly with all of the vendors. - CONTINGENCIES: They have a ton of experience, multiple wedding venues under their management and a big staff such that if something goes horribly wrong they are well suited to fix it. I wasn't aware of anything that went wrong for our wedding, but as they said, if something did go awry, they'd fix it and no one would ever know. - VENUE: The venue itself is beautiful and particularly great for those who want to do that ceremony and reception in one place with seamless transitions. Because the space itself has so much character (e.g., brick and accent walls, wooden beams and pillars), you really don't need to add much to the space to make it feel decorated or special. - FOOD: The food was very good. We didn't end up trying any of the appetizers ourselves, but the entrees were great and we heard nothing but positive things from guests. CONS - PLANNING SERVICE: MEC told us before we signed on that the venue came with wedding planning services, to the point where you could consider the cost of a wedding planner baked into the venue fee. However, they really don't offer that. You are assigned a wedding coordinator, but that person just engages on the things that directly impact MEC (e.g., food selection). I asked our coordinator if she had any planning resources and she simply referred me to The Knot. While our coordinator did do a lot of work as there were many things that the venue had to be looped into, the service they provided was very far from what you'd get from an actual wedding planner. - COST TRANSPARENCY: As is common with a lot of venues, we were nickel and dimed over many things. While perhaps that's to be expected, what made things really frustrating was the lack of transparency we had into what constituted an extra free and how much it cost. It created an enormous amount of stress for me throughout the whole process feeling like I was constantly waiting for them to spring on additional charges or to change the pricing of something we had already decided upon. Some specific examples: -- They changed the cost on us for our corkage fee and late night pizzas. -- They miscommunicated the way in which alcohol gets charged, which if left uncaught would have left us on the hook for more than we wanted -- They tried to charge us a significantly higher price for drapery even though they had previously quoted a much lower price -- They told us we could bring in our own catering for lunch and then surprised us weeks later with two $50 charges for bringing in an outside vendor -- I had to ask them to break out the service charges and taxes in the event order to figure out that they were charging 2% more on the service fee than was in the contract and they were erroneously charging alcohol tax on corkage fees, which resulted in a $1,300 overcharge. They changed it, but I got no apology for the mistakes. If you do decide to go with MEC, I recommend you ask a ton of questions upfront and get everything you can in writing. It is truly a fantastic venue, and MEC runs a world-class operation on the day-of the event, but it is important to understand what exactly they are providing and stay on top of the charges.

uests have raved about the food and how intimate our space was with still having 200 guests. Our day had the perfect flow with a huge thank you to Becca Jarson!!! Becca was so great through the whole planning process and she was amazing on our wedding day. She made us feel at ease the whole day and she was so organized and helpful. We truly can’t thank her and MEC enough for helping to make our wedding day so perfect and memorable!!

We especially loved the flow of going from an outdoor ceremony in the patio garden to the cocktail hour in the atrium to the reception in the ballroom. The food was very good, and we appreciated that the chef was receptive to the comments we had after the tasting. Niki, our coordinator, was extremely helpful and receptive throughout the whole process, but she was even more exceptional when it came down to the actual day of. She did an amazing job making sure that everything went smoothly. And she even got the cost estimate almost exactly on the money. We would definitely recommend an MEC wedding.

the grand draping, to the amazing conservatory and outdoor garden space. We worked with Jamie throughout our wedding planning process and she was so helpful whenever we had any questions or wanted to make changes to our menu/floor plan. She was super easy to communicate with and she always responded to me very promptly when I contacted her. She made us feel really comfortable and was flexible with the changes we wanted made. The day of our wedding went flawlessly (as far as I knew) and if there were any issues that came up she took care of them without having to ask us. We also got soooo many compliments from our guests on how great the food was, many people told us it was the best wedding food they had ever had and we were equally impressed with our own meals. Overall, I cannot recommend the MEC staff and the Grand 1858 enough for doing such a great job at making our wedding day exactly what we had hoped it would be!

t pork loin they'd ever eaten. And if you're picking appetizers go for the bacon wrapped figs! I loved that the space requires so little decoration to make it wonderful. The exposed brick, wood beams and cafe lights are just stunning and the bridal suite is such a beautiful place to get ready. I loved having our ceremony in the Garden and the flow of indoor/outdoor spaces worked wonderfully. It's so nice to have a venue that mixes the city with beautiful outdoor spaces so well. There are so many great photo opportunities around the area without anything being overdone. The staff was just wonderful. Jamie was so accommodating and responsive as we planned our big day. The bartenders brought me the last of my favorite beers right out to me (so thoughtful!), our head table server (I think his name was Paul) was checking on us just the perfect amount and my parents were so thankful for the friendly security guard who helped during the load out time at the end of the evening. Jamie, the bartenders, the serving staff and the doorman/security guard were all so wonderful and kind!

ed with Jamie, and she was always dependable and fun to work with. I loved that she walked me through each step and was always patient. For such a high stress and emotional industry she really keeps her cool, and I was lucky to work with her. I recommend this location for its beauty and personality. You really get quality in all aspects, and the bridal suites are the best! This place keeps it easy so you aren't running around looking for food vendors or place settings. All in one very gorgeous spot. Plus parking for guests is a breeze and cheap by downtown standards! Thank you Jamie and MEC for all you did for me!

rdinator did EVERYTHING and was all over any questions or outside vendors and anything else we needed. Other staff we interacted with at the end of the night were also exceptionally nice and helpful. Guests had a good time and so did we.

way - amazing! Also, we received so many compliments on the space from our guests! Many said it is the prettiest venue they'd seen! Having a locked bridal suite and grooms suite was extremely helpful, and made the day even more special. The food is delicious, and the service is great! Also, they have security watching the doors at all times during your wedding day, and they were really nice. Do be careful with anyone that needs the elevator - you need to make sure you can let them in through the back door that is always locked, just a good thing to know ahead of time! We are so happy we chose MEC!

uld have thought of! We're so lucky to have had the opportunity to work with Jamie and have our wedding at MEC!

was a delight to work with during the wedding and very responsive throughout the whole wedding planning process. Hats off to Nicki and the staff at the MEC for helping the wedding come off without a hitch!

ed, yet flexible to make our day perfect. The space itself is so naturally beautiful that it took a lot of pressure off of us to decorate the space (which was one of my favorite things about it!). Our guests also loved it and have continued to comment on it being the perfect size, in a good location with a great ambience. We highly recommend MEC and The Grand!

get within $100 so listen to their planning and scheduling. If there's something you want or need they will go above and beyond to make it happen.

room still felt very intimate and special during the ceremony and reception. It was nice to have a venue that took care of catering and provides a coordinator for the process, as well. Guests loved the food! The thing that keeps this from being 5 stars was just some short-comings in terms of our coordinating team on the day-of. During the wedding and reception, there were a few times when I, as the bride, should have been just along for the ride. But I felt like my wedding party or I had to take on giving people direction or making things happen - ushers not knowing where to go, family not knowing about the processional, bartenders not being ready or having enough of them, keeping bathrooms tidy during the reception. I was honestly happy to keep things moving and to an extent, that's what your bridesmaids are there to help with! Overall, I think this is an excellent venue and we're so happy we ended up here. Just be ready to take charge a bit in the process.

ests on the space and how it fit so many people so comfortably and how great the food was. And last, but the absolute best, was Niki, the wedding coordinator. SHE WAS SPECTACULAR! Not only is she the most organized person I met throughout the wedding process, but extremely helpful and so accommodating. She made sure our day flowed perfectly from beginning to end and ensured our wedding day was exactly what we had planned. I could not recommend this venue any more; it was by far one of the best decisions we made for our wedding day! Hope you enjoy just as much as we did!

rdinator was incredibly helpful every step of the way! The communication leading up to the wedding day was always very timely and well organized! We are so happy we chose Minneapolis Event Centers for our wedding day and would highly recommend it to others!

ut perfectly! They made our day a dream come true!

he was very informative but not the most "warm" towards us and I felt as if it was an inconvenience to her to show us around. I'm sure yours are done numerous times a day so we get it but we were actually very interested in the venue. We sat down to talk about the actual cost of the venue itself as well as catering and we did put ourselves down for a date and we were told by Ashley they she was going to email us more information such as links to their Flickr account and pricing, etc. We have still yet to hear anything from her and since then decided to go with a different venue. It seemed to us as if she didn't think we were seriously considering the venue.

ples.

ion in the ballroom, which was convenient for us and our guests. The planning process was smooth (and I asked a ton of questions!), we received great advice and pricing was clear every step of the way. Every inch of the venue is beautiful and I could not say enough about the staff ... everyone we worked with along the way: Sheila, Niki, Kastina, to the day of staff like our security guard, etc, helped make our wedding day perfect! On top of our experience being fantastic, we received so many compliments from our guests, family and wedding party about the food, the staff and the venue. MEC is the whole package and I'd highly recommend this venue for your big day!

ncluded--helpful for any budgeted event! We both really enjoyed the bride and groom suites for getting ready, so nice to bring everything there, lock it up and not have to worry! The day of our event went so smoothly and Niki and her team were so lovely to work with. We received many complements on how beautiful the space was, how organized everything was and specifically how hot the food was when it was brought out! Perhaps not the norm when preparing a meal for 175 people! We would recommend the MEC to anyone who asks and if I would have to do it all over again....we would still choose the MEC Grand Ballroom!

Niki and Sheila and their referrals for other services such as decor, flowers, DJ, hotel, and transportation. They are true professionals and the best at what they do! We had high confidence that we were in good hands the entire process and our wedding day could not have run more smoothly. Working with Niki and Sheila was so much fun, they are wonderful people, and they brought joy and laughter to the process. Our ceremony was downstairs in the boardroom and our reception was upstairs in the Riverside room. We continue to get complements on how "stunning" the location was and how fun the wedding was for our guests. On our honeymoon, we asked each other if we would've changed anything, and it's a great feeling to feel we had the exact wedding we would've wanted and to not wish we could've changed something. It truly was the best day ever:) THANK YOU! Kenzie & David, December 2016 wedding

as if she put forth so much time and effort to help the day go perfectly. Thank you MEC for a fabulous day--we had so many compliments about the venue!!

t and made the whole process as stress-free as possible! I would highly recommend this venue, especially for someone that is looking for a venue that will take care of a lot of the details for them.

forgettable night. We ended up having to move the ceremony inside vs. the courtyard but our coordinator, Kastina, was super patient in letting us wait until later in the day to give the final decision. Even though the rain kept us inside, it did not put a damper on our day at all! Kastina and the team moved quickly to get everything set up and it looked so beautiful! Instant tears, I tell ya. :) In the evening the weather cleared and we even got to enjoy the annual Aquatennial fireworks in the area - how magical is that!? I am so so over-the-moon pleased with our day and couldn't be happier that we chose to have our big day at MEC! Wendy, Kastina and the rest of the team: Thank you, thank you for everything!!!

l and the team's ability to make us feel like we were the only clients they were supporting was amazing! And I haven't even started talking about the space. We had our entire wedding in the Grand-- ceremony on the patio, cocktails in the atrium and dinner/dancing in the main room. The event center is a gorgeous mix of modern and historic-- yet you can make it your own and it looks superb in photos! If you were thinking about getting married or planning your next big event be sure to plan it with amazing team at the Minneapolis Event Center!!

ofessionalism in the months before our wedding and her sheet awesomeness the day of. Our 300-guest ceremony was held on their beautiful patio at 5 and it was gorgeous. Beautiful landscaping, tons of greenery, and lights around every tree... all provided by the venue. Though we had to get an outside caterer to make 300 Chinese meals, we were lucky enough to have the MEC make our appetizers for cocktail hour. Ridiculously good! The venue is beautiful with a ton of great photo locations nearby, the food is amazing, and the staff is the best of the best.

middle of the dance floor with LED lighting, amazing. The bar views overlook the river and the lights of downtown Minneapolis. Great opportunities for wedding pictures with the backdrop of the Stone Arch Bridge, the downtown skyline and the renovated buildings of St Anthony Main.. But the key to any event are the people who do all the work to make everything go smoothly. Sheila Cachuela was our planner and it couldn't have gone better. She listened to what we envisioned and made all the right suggestions to make it a perfect day. The event staff were excellent, responsive, smiling, and I think they were having as much fun as we were. We had our wedding below the Riverside room in one of their banquet areas. Initially we were going elsewhere but the hassle of transporting everybody(especially the grandparents) to different venues didn't make sense. The bride and groom changing rooms are very good. Having the wedding there just made everybody relax and not worry about trying to hurry to get to the next venue. Good idea. We had a private dinner for family and close friends after the ceremony. Food was great, the service was better. Afterwards, walked upstairs to the reception and the party began. This is a must see venue.

(Oh and it is stunning in photographs).

ar was run smoothly through great communication and talent. We had people from here, California, Louisiana and Texas tell us how beautiful the room was and how wonderful the servers and bartenders were throughout the night. Jeff, our personal server, was amazing and made sure our drinks were always full. We can't forget about the great security guys either! So if you're looking for a reception that accepts outside asian food catering (we using Events by Michael Wong), requires minimal decor to look great (has a beautiful chandelier, chiavari chairs, and colored lighting), is in a great Minneapolis location, and has full service venue coordination- I would say book this place. Worth every penny!

taff at MEC. We received complements from our guests throughout the evening and the following days; they remarked on the the efficient bar set up, the delicious food, and the atmosphere (which was seriously magic, we had the prettiest and most romantic cocktail hour, dinner and speeches, but once the dancing started it turned into party central!) Our wedding day was legitimately our BEST DAY EVER and a big part of it was Minneapolis Event Centers!

d historical esthetic. The bridal and groom's suits turned out so beautiful and not to mention the restrooms even! The staff and especially Niki (our event planner) went above and beyond to ensure our whole day went smoothly. We had about 340 guests and there was no doubt in our minds that Niki was going to manage it to the end. We still get comments on how amazing the food was, how beautiful the venue was, and especially how impressed guests were with the details of the staff. Every door was opened and every guest was greeted with a friendly face. We could not be any happier than we are with MEC!

e big day! We loved everything about this venue!

side room when it was un finished. We could not have been happier we made that choice. The space was perfect. We chose to use the pink and white bridal suite to get ready in, the Boardroom for cocktail hour and the Riverside room for our ceremony and reception. Each room we used was perfectly done. Their venue design team definitely did not disappoint. Once we booked the space and were assigned a wedding coordinator I knew our wedding and experience would be perfect. We worked with Niki and she treated us and our family so well. She is so professional, put together, and knows what she is doing. The moment we met her she put us at ease. She catered to our schedule, walked us through every detail(multiple times:) ), and on the day of, was our saving grace. I had multiple family members come up to me and tell me how wonderful our wedding coordinator was. She coordinated the vendors the day of and helped my bridal party and family stay on schedule the whole day. She even went above and beyond and stayed till the very end of the wedding to make sure the whole night went off with our a hitch. Overall I would recommend her and this venue a thousand times over. We loved every minute of our wedding and truly had the time of our lives.

Thank you! My wedding wouldn't have been as amazing without the venue and everyone there. :) <3

ait staff, and the acoustics in the room! We would highly recommend MEC to anyone who wants a memorable wedding!

from ceremony to dinner and dancing, at MEC and it was perfect. Guests raved about the venue and the amazing food! We couldn't have asked for a better venue for our wedding and we highly recommend MEC for your event.

Main. The venue is so gorgeous that there is no need to go all out with decorations. Kerry was our wedding coordinator leading up to the wedding and on the day of. She was so professional, and an absolute breeze to work with. If I had any questions or concerns she would address them and provided great advice. She definitely knows what she's doing! They have the option to do the wedding ceremony outside on their patio or indoors. We opted for outdoors and it was beautiful. We chose to do dinner stations instead of a formal sit down dinner. MEC caters the food out of an on site kitchen. The food was AMAZING! We heard nothing but positive things about the food and the idea of doing food stations. Our guests raved all night and in the following weeks about the dinner experience. I truly can't say enough about how wonderful MEC, Kerry and the rest of the staff were to work with. There is not one thing we would change about our wedding day, it was absolutely perfect! If we had to do it all over again, we would choose MEC.

temporary furnishings and colors.

impressed they were with how smoothly the night went.