We picked Chanhassen because we wanted all-inclusive and me being a theatre kid was an added bonus! It's easier to tell you what wasn't provided, and that was florist, photographer, and videographer. They had everything else!! We skipped a flor...ist and made our own centerpieces, but Chanhassen still offered votives as well!
We were very happy that they provided a bundle with a local golf course (Bluff Creek) and we had our ceremony there. It was an added fee, but well worth it to get some outdoor pictures and see those fall colors! They set up and tore down everything but the centerpieces we provided, which was fantastic. They also, when we forgot a few pieces of decor, messaged us and let us pick them up a few days later. A note on the outdoor space, make sure to scope it out beforehand! We ended up hiding at the bottom of a hill because I never asked where a good place to hide would be lol But it worked out great regardless! Our venue coordinator showed up and her and the DJ helped the ceremony along flawlessly.
Speaking of the venue coordinator, Jackie was great! We originally booked with a different coordinator, but she quit soon after booking us. And the next coordinator also quit before our day. That part was a bit stressful, but Jackie looked over all of their notes and was willing to have a few virtual meetings with us before our final in-person meeting to make sure we were on track! She was quick to respond to messages too.
As someone noted, the cocktail hour area was a bit small. We had 150 guests and it was a little cramped! We'd only seen the space fully opened, so we were surprised to see it closed up for that space of time. Luckily, we were a close knit group, so it wasn't the end of the world, and the appetizers (antipasto platters and BBQ pulled pork sliders) were fantastic to make up for it!
Once those walls opened up, we all sat down and had an amazing dinner! Chicken Chanhassen was the meal of choice, but I loved the haddock and our vegetarian guests raved about the lasagna! We had our tasting with 6 full dishes, which was amazing, but unfortunately had not tried the lasagna, so we were very happy that it was a hit! We were also told the kids meals were happily devoured and they had enough high chairs and booster seats for all of the toddlers!
The bakery, Buttercream Bakery, was absolutely great to work with. The cake was delicious! They do offer gluten-free options (we were able to get 1 gluten-free cupcake along with our 4 tier cake), but little else. Chanhassen, thankfully, worked with us and allowed us to pay extra for dessert from their own menu so we could give a treat to our guests with dairy and nut allergies! Also, I do not know if this has changed, but our package included 2 kegs! After that it was cash bar unless you hosted, but it was a great thing to have! We underestimated our wine drinkers and overestimated our beer drinkers, so we ran out of hosted wine before we got through one keg, but still worth it!
Next was dancing. I LOVED that we got to do the first dance and parent dances on stage! I also loved that they played music videos while the songs played. The DJ started with older hits to get everyone on the floor before getting into our more obscure song requests (including some Japanese songs), but the vibe was still there! It was a bit loud, but that's on us for not asking him to lower the volume. Popcorn bar was also a hit.
Despite a few hiccups, I would recommend the venue 100 times over!