The Riverside at Minneapolis Event Centers

The Entourage Group was a pleasure to work with. It is essentially a one-stop shop. It helped take the load off since there are so many decisions to make when planning a wedding. We went with the All-Inclusive package, which really helped simplify things even more. The Day-of-Coordinator they provided really helped make sure everything ran smoothly. We also used one of their Preferred Vendors for floral, which made the set up really slick as well. We got so many compliments from our guests on how beautiful the venue was and how amazing the food was.

We had the most gorgeous wedding at The Riverside. The ambiance was sophisticated yet warm. Our guests had a blast and we were stress-free.

The venue gave us the fairytale we dreamed of, breathtaking and everything ran smoothly thanks to their team

We had great experience working with the entourage team. Maddie, our wedding planner and Leah, our wedding coordinator did a wonderful job guiding us through the ceremony process, all the preparation work and the ceremony day. The venue was beautiful and people were easy to work with. Food was amazing.

We held our wedding at MEC on November 16th, 2024, and we could not recommend it enough. First, their communication was great. We would always hear back from them within 3 or so days (faster if it wasn't the weekend), and our questions were always answered. Second, the pricing was very transparent. There were no hidden fees or anything added on that we were blindsided by. What you see is what you pay for, which we really appreciated. They have in-house catering, and maybe that can be a drawback for some people but let me tell you, the food was amazing! Our guests raved about it, and their menu is so extensive you are sure to find something you like! They have a list of recommended vendors, which we went with, and the whole process was extremely smooth, we didn't have to coordinate anything, it was so easy. The whole process was super convenient and we loved that. Finally, all the staff we worked with and/or talked to, from the planners, the bartenders, servers, day of coordinator (which is included with the venue), and everyone else was really nice and pleasant to talk to. We truly had a blast, our wedding day went so smoothly which would not have been possible if it wasn't for everyone at Minneapolis Event Centers. We 100% recommend them.

Maddie and the team at Entourage did a phenomenal job from start to finish. Maddie was great in helping us plan the details of the day, ensuring that no stone was left unturned. The Entourage team was quick to respond to the many, many questions we had throughout the process. Our wedding day went off without a hitch; Leah was a great day-of-coordinator and helped make sure things happened when they were supposed to. We received so many compliments on the food, drinks, and service. The team even made sure to set aside plenty of appetizers for my wife and I while we were out getting photos done during the cocktail hour. We highly recommend both the Riverside venue and the Entourage team. Our wedding was everything we’ve ever wanted, and Entourage helped make it a reality.

Maddie and Lily at The Riverside venue were simply incredible! From the moment we first met with Maddie, we knew she was the perfect planner for our wedding. Her expertise and attention to detail were unmatched. She guided us through every step of the planning process, ensuring that our vision came to life. Lily, our day-of coordinator, was a superstar. She was calm, organized, and always one step ahead. Her presence on our wedding day was invaluable. She handled everything with such grace and efficiency, allowing us to fully enjoy our special day. Not only was the venue stunning, but the catering was absolutely phenomenal. Our guests raved about the delicious food and impeccable service. The entire experience was beyond our expectations. We cannot thank Maddie and Lily enough for helping us create the most beautiful and unforgettable wedding. We highly recommend their services to anyone planning a special event!

The planning process was very straightforward, the planners had so many details already laid out for us, and all we had to do was choose from a few different options. We had a planning timeline laid out for us as soon as we booked, which made everything very organized. Our wedding day couldn't have run more smoothly, we were impressed and so were our guests!

Working with Entourage was amazing. We knew from the first tour that they would help make the wedding planning process easy and smooth and they did! Everything was communicated efficiently and quickly throughout. The space looked beautiful and my guests could not stop raving about the food. The Riverside was an amazing space for my smaller sized wedding. Thank you Entourage!

Minneapolis Event Centers was a great choice for our wedding. The venue (Riverside Room) is gorgeous and the perfect size for a small-mid size wedding. The room is so beautiful that you can keep decor pretty minimal and still have a beautiful space. The team at MEC is fantastic. Our wedding planner Maddie was super helpful for all questions that came up (and there were a lot) and helpful in making decisions during the planning meetings. There are meeting throughout the wedding planning process that made me feel on track and way less stressed. They also offer a day-of-coordinator service that is amazing. Our DOC Lily was so helpful in making our day run smoothly. The venue is reasonably priced/comparable to other options in the area, and the all inclusive food and beverage makes it so easy and simple. Our guests loved the food. This is a great option for couples looking for a beautiful wedding in the St Anthony Main area!

Working with Entourage was such an amazing experience for our wedding. We really enjoyed the attentiveness in trying to understand what we were looking for in our big day. There was no pressure to make any decisions early on, it was a great presentation of everything they have to offer. Wendy was a lot of fun to tour the venues with, she had plenty of arrangement ideas, and really helped visualize the spaces in our minds. You could tell how proud she was of the spaces she was showing. Once we decided on the Riverside we were invited to an awesome event they hosted where we were able to sample all of the dinner and dessert options. This was a lot of fun and a great opportunity to decide on our meal options. Entourage had wonderful communication the entire planning process. They answered any questions we had in a timely manner and were always prepared for our meetings. The entire process was extremely thorough and they provided plenty of ideas for us based on their experience. Entourage was the gold standard on our wedding day. Our coordinator Cassandra was on top of everything and did an incredible job creating our space and exactly to our wishes. She did a great job communicating with us and our wedding party and kept everything running smoothly. She was amazing to have during the craziness that the day becomes. The suites were perfect for the pre wedding events, with enough space for both wedding party’s to get ready. Lydia was also a blessing on our wedding day, being tentative to the suites, and going above and beyond for any requests we had. The surrounding area provided an amazing landscape for our wedding pictures with multiple different areas within walking distance, even in a wedding dress. We have nothing bad to say about our experience and would go with Entourage and the Riverside 100 times out of 100.

We had an amazing FANCY wedding for a very affordable price! Everyone loved the food, which was very important, the staff members were phenomenal, our wedding coordinator Maddie made the day off go by perfectly. It was easily the best organized wedding at an incredible price range. I wouldn’t do anything differently.

Entourage Events Group was amazing to work with. Two things of note: we signed our contract right before they made some staffing and policy changes in 2023, so we got a few things in for our Feb. 2024 wedding that I'm not sure are allowed at their venue anymore (just decor setup technicalities). Additionally, you'll have to find a different venue for the rehersal the day before as they keep the venue open for event space and don't allow rehearsals the day before. There is a quick rehersal for the bridal party the day of just for placement and staging. Cassandra was an additional bonus and an amazing day of coordinator. She was great to work with, professional, and organized. We didn't feel frantic or stressed on our wedding day. She is phenomenal to work with!

We recently had the pleasure of working at The Riverside at Minneapolis Event Centers for day of coordination and event design. From the initial coordination meeting to the day of the event, the team at The Riverside at Minneapolis Event Centers went above and beyond in every aspect. Their meticulous attention to detail, proactive problem-solving on the event day, and seamless collaboration with vendors showcased a level of professionalism that surpassed my expectations. The venue's stunning ambiance combined with the team's unwavering commitment to excellence created an unforgettable experience for both the couple and myself. The Riverside at Minneapolis Event Centers truly stands out as a pinnacle of hospitality, making it a top recommendation for anyone in search of a venue that consistently exceeds expectations.

Beautiful space with event staff that truly cares / goes above and beyond! Really nice to have that on the wedding coordination side!

MEC provided everything we needed. With a very short timeline, 3 months, they were able to help us define details, plan and coordinate. The venue was fantastic! Amazing team and event management.

Loved the venue. Loved the people we worked with. Kim was very attentive to our needs. Everyone was super helpful and kind!

Minneapolis Event Centers was the second wedding venue we visited. We fell in love with it as soon as we toured it. I love that they had three spaces available for our venue; we decided on The Riverside because we had a smaller number of guests and it fit better with our wedding vision. Everyone at MEC was a pleasure to work with, from the individual who helped give us a tour and talked pricing with us to the day-of-coordinator and planners. The Riverside was a gorgeous venue for both our reception and ceremony, and we were really excited that we got such a great deal on it as a package bundle. I would highly recommend using MEC to host your wedding, as it is a beautiful location in the city and everyone we worked with was on top of things!

MEC was the perfect choice for my husband and I. We planned our wedding from a different state and MEC was so amazing when it came to communication and accommodation. The wedding day could not have flowed more perfectly; whether it was the room flip or the service, the whole entire experience was incredible. We received so many compliments on the venue and staff, but one person we were incredibly grateful for and want to acknowledge is Letecia. She answered any and all of our questions at any time of day. She was a big part of the reason our experience was so amazing. Thank you, MEC!

We absolutely loved everything about our special day! The team was so helpful in making our day what it was 😊

Minneapolis Event Center/Entourage Events Group were amazing to work with. The Riverside was such a beautiful venue and our guests loved the vibes. We had about 120 people and it never felt crowded, even during cocktail hour when they were flipping the room. All of their staff, during the planning period and on the day of the wedding, were professional and so helpful at every step of the way.

The venue is so beautiful, intimate and classic. The staff too are so helpful that beyond our expectations. We were debating if we wanted the day of coordinator, but little to our knowledge Minneapolis Event Centers provided one! Our wedding turned out perfectly with Wendy's professional and responsive coordination and assistances. We feel lucky that we picked the great venue and very thankful to all the staff.

Working with the Minneapolis Event Center’s team was the BEST! They literally go above and beyond to make sure everything is how you want. We got married and had our reception at Riverside! It’s so beautiful and elegant with huge gorgeous chandelier!! My husband and I highly recommend this venue! Thanks for everything Minneapolis Event Centers!

I’d give 10 stars if I could! This venue was THE BEST to work with, they absolutely know what they’re doing! Extremely easy to work with, and fun to work with. We, and our guests, had the best day! I can’t wait to get married again :)

Located in my favorite part of Minneapolis (the St. Anthony Main riverfront area), I had been to a wedding here and knew I had to look into them for ours. They were more affordable than I expected (especially on a Friday) and compared to other venues we toured. The space is beautiful, the perfect size, full of rustic brick/wood, and requires very little décor which is a huge plus. We also booked their bridal suite which was gorgeous and had plenty of space for our needs. The food was delicious (if a little pricey, typical for wedding food) and had great portions. Look out for their specials too – when we booked there was a 4-hr free spirits package going on! The day went off without a hitch and was wonderful. However, I took off a star because of some stressful moments during the planning process: -They increased their menu prices at the start of 2022 after we signed the contract (somewhat expected given pandemic supply chain issues), but some of the changes were major – like $5 extra for each salad which were previously included in the entrée price (on top of increasing entrée prices), and increasing the ice cream sundae bar cost from $5 to $9 per person. I had to rework our menu and budget to account for these. -I booked Ben & Jerry's for the ice cream sundae bar instead (it was cheaper!) and got MEC's approval, but at a planning meeting five months later they told me that they wouldn't allow outside ice cream. After discussions with the owners I was able to work it out, but it was stressful and ultimately felt like I was being punished for using an outside vendor. -They fought against one of our guests bringing her service dog, which she was completely within her legal rights to do. It worked out just fine on the day but caused some extra stress in the last month. -Bread baskets were supposed to accompany the meals on the day, but after asking a few guests, it sounds like bread was not served. -In general, they have a large staff that turns over frequently, so that produces challenges and can feel impersonal. I got inconsistent information between individuals and I even had to correct a few on some incorrect details. Having said all this, I would likely still choose them again because of the lovely location and space (and how well the day went), but I would recommend reading everything you sign in detail and keeping written records of commitments made.

Katie was phenomenal from the very beginning. She is the most responsive and thoughtful, and she makes the entire wedding planning process so much better! We can’t thank her enough for a great wedding.

The Riverside was a beautiful venue to get married in! The food was delicious and the getting ready suites were lovely, but super gendered so probably not the best fit for a same-sex couple. We had a package that overall felt like a good deal. They provided us with endless water bottles, which was nice. The bartender did a great job and the late night snack pizza was delicious. The food you must carter to the bride & groom suites was also really tasty, but overpriced. I would like an exception for guests in the suites to be able to bring their own food if they have medical reasons. I had a bridesmaid who was dealing with health issues last minute that didn't allow her to eat dairy or gluten and she had to leave the venue to eat lunch. My mother was also supposed to be eating prescribed energy bars to manage her chronic illness but we were too afraid we'd get fined for her needing to do this for her health. If I were to do it again, I'd try to make time to grab lunch with my bridal party between hair and make-up. Once other weddings in the building began having their dances, our getting-ready rooms were extremely loud (hard to have a quiet moment together). We couldn't hear other weddings from our venue room, I don't think, but it was really loud in all the hallways and in the bride & groom suites. There are no gender-neutral bathrooms for guests which wasn't inclusive for our non-binary guests. We had some trouble with communication with the staff, I believe due to staff turnover. Many of the meetings were redundant because of that. It all eventually worked out and was a smooth day, but it could've been smoother leading up to the event with improved communication.

My HUSBAND and I recently got married in the Riverside room in February and had the absolute BEST experience! Our wedding guests STILL talk about how amazing the food was - it truly is some of the BEST wedding food I have ever had! Steve, the owner, was great to work with - he helped us stay within our budget and was available for any questions we had! The Riverside is the least expensive room, but THE MOST beautiful - especially for a winter wedding! We got so many compliments on how beautiful the space was! Overall, we had an amazing experience and would choose them over and over again! Everyone we worked with went above and beyond to make our day so special! THANK YOU ALL!

Everyone there was extremely helpful. I was 100% stress free as a bride on our wedding day. Do you realize how hard that is?? They made the process super easy and they added little touches like catering us food and champagne in our suites, so we had awesome food while getting ready! 1,000% would recommend this venue

My wife and I had our wedding reception at The Riverside in December '21 and it was the best decision. The venue is beautiful and in a great location. We had about 140 guests and there was plenty of space for everyone. Our guests loved all of the food options that we chose. The staff was incredibly helpful leading up to the event. Steve was always available to talk if we had questions as we were planning. Everything ran so smoothly on the day of the wedding. The staff went above and beyond to make sure we were satisfied with everything. Overall, I would recommend Entourage to anyone planning a wedding because of the professionalism of the staff, quality of the food, and the timelessness of the venue.

My daughter got married here this last weekend and it was spectacular. Steve was so professional and could not have been easier to work with. Everyone there was professional, courteous and so accommodating. The venue itself is stunning, we had the whole place to ourselves from Friday night until Sunday afternoon and we were all very comfortable. The food we had was so good and everyone loved it.

We had the most dreamy wedding at Minneapolis Event Centers! Almost every guest at our wedding came in from out of town, and we wanted to give them a Minneapolis wedding to remember. This venue DEFINITELY delivered. The views from Minneapolis are absolutely breathtaking. The riverside is very easy to customize and make your own. I would absolutely recommend this venue if you want to wow your guests with Minneapolis as your backdrop!

This venue was absolutely amazing! It was our first venue visit and our last. We knew as soon as the doors opened that this was the place where our happily ever after would begin. Hiring Haute House as our coordinator only made it better. Bridgette’s attention to detail and how they accommodate not only the bride and groom, but the entire party is beyond amazing. She felt more like an amazing friend rather than a coordinator! We would do a party here every year if we could!!

The Minneapolis Event Centers staff are incredible. We just held are wedding and reception here, our guest keep telling us that this was the best wedding they ever attend. That is due mostly in part due to the professionalism, personal service, and attentive service provided by Kilea and her staff. I would highly recommend anyone wanting to hold a first class event to use this venue and group! Exceeded all our expectations and desires, thank you for making our wedding day so incredible and memorable!

Everything was perfect. Steve made our day amazing and I am so thankful we went with Minneapolis Event Centers. It was the first venue we looked at and nothing else topped it. Steve made our dream a reality.

Our perfect day would not have been the same anywhere else! The entire team at the Entourage was so easy to work with and accommodating of all our requests. We got married in the Our Lady of Victory and had our reception in the Riverside Room, and it was beyond anything we could have imagined! I would highly recommend getting married here. Thank you again to the entire staff at the Entourage!

We cannot thank Minneapolis Event Centers enough for such a special event!!! Steve and all the staff at the Entourage went above and beyond from initial meetings to our tasting and most importantly the amazing wedding reception night!!! It was gorgeous from top to bottom and some of the best service I've had in my life. If you're thinking of using a downtown location with impeccable service, great food with a great value, and with some history - The Riverside is your venue!!! We searched dozens of venues and nothing compared to Minneapolis Event Centers. Our guests still rave about the food!! It's true! Even our videographer that eats wedding food ALL the time said it was extremely good - he was impressed! Happy wedding planning!! Enjoy every moment and partner with Niki. It will be a night you'll never forget.

We hosted our wedding Last Friday in the Riverside room and it was Amazing everyone had wonderful comments on how beautiful it was in there and with my decor and flowers. The whole Minneapolis Event Centers staff is amazing they are all so friendly and attentive to all of our needs. When thought we had to postpone out wedding due to covid the staff was by our side every step of the way. Thank you for everything

We hosted our wedding Last Friday in the Riverside room and it was Amazing everyone had wonderful comments on how beautiful it was in there and with my decor and flowers. The whole Minneapolis Event Centers staff is amazing they are all so friendly and attentive to all of our needs. When thought we had to postpone out wedding due to covid the staff was by our side every step of the way. Thank you for everything

I had my wedding here about less than a week ago. I started planning this 2 years in advance and it has been the smoothest planning ever! Daniel took really good care of us. Every time we had to meet here, we were always offered water, hot or cold coffee, etc. Parking arrangements are awesome. We had to park across the street at a self-park garage & the tunnel leads to the venue. The place has SO MUCH to offer to make your wedding perfect! From decor, to floor plans, to what to offer your guests, etc. You guys should really check it out & take a tour. It is such a beautiful venue & Daniel is on top of it with scheduling your food tasting, final details, when each payment is due, etc. You won't regret it :)

Magnificent venue, staff very professional and easy to work with especially Kilea and food and service were excellent. Wedding was a fairytale! Staff makes everything run so smoothly and really pampers the family.

The whole team at Minneapolis Event Centers made our wedding weekend one to never forget! They were flexible to make our wedding vision a reality from getting us the right vendors to ensuring our group had all the food and drinks we need during hair and makeup. The property is beautiful and everyone working at Minneapolis Event Centers was responsive, flexible and professional. We had an incredible Wedding and I recommend it whole-heartedly!

This place is such a hidden gem in the Minneapolis area! Upon first glance of the building, you would be pleasantly surprised to find the most beautiful space for any wedding! Minneapolis Event Centers are the absolute best and our wedding day was the best day of my life, thanks to all of them. All of our guests have been raving on and on about how much fun everything was, I would definitely recommend this place to anyone!

The team was just amazing and attentive! Our wedding hit some road bumps along the way and they were more then willing to accommodate. All my emails and questions were answered within couple hours of sending. This place is just the most classiest, rustic, and magical place to be married. All the wood pillars and amazing chandelier, the area, are just gorgeous. MEC's team will take what you have in mind and exceed your expectations

Minneapolis Event Centers and staff exceeded all of our expectations! It is a beautiful venue, and the area it's located in you have breathtaking views of the city and river! The coordinators were very helpful in the planning of our wedding and provided us with the referrals we needed. The staff was very accommodating and responsive. Everything was perfect despite COVID and our family and friends had a blast!!