You want to feel like royalty on your wedding day, so why not get married in at Minneapolis mansion venue?! Semple Mansion features a grand ballroom with historic elegance to make you feel like the VIPs that you are. We interviewed the venue’s Executive Director, Katherine Bailey, to give you the inside scoop on this Minneapolis mansion venue.
How old is your building, what is its history and when did you start doing events?
The Semple Mansion was built in 1899. Privately owned since 2004 the Mansion was restored for 2 years and we had our first Wedding May 6, 2006. Originally owned by Frank & Anne Semple and their 2 kids. The Ballroom is the largest residential Ballroom in the state of MN and the third largest in the Country.
Their daughter Rebekah married Allen West and they had a daughter they named Rebekah. Their daughter Rebekah Harkness was one of the wealthiest women in the world and Taylor Swift wrote the “Last Great American Dynasty” song about Rebekah. Taylor Swift now lives in Rebekahs Watch Hill home “Holiday House”.
For more details about the history visit their website!
What do you think the best feature of your venue is?
The large spacious rooms. The amazing architecture. The fireplaces. The original fresco ceilings. The stained glass windows. The Wine Cellar/Vault.
The Library. The Copper Lounge. The Bridal Suite. The Billiard Room. So many rooms for guests to experience!
What do you think is the biggest challenge of working in your space, and what are some best practices for it?
One of the biggest challenges of being a Historical Wedding Venue is preserving the historic integrity of the property while still accommodating the needs of Modern weddings.
What do you think is the perfect number of guests for your venue, assuming everyone will be sitting at a table at one time? What is the benefit of having this number of guests?
200 guests is a nice number. Clients can then choose whether to have a Buffet or plated dinner.
What is the most interesting thing someone has done at a wedding at your venue?
Food Stations on every floor with different themes. Mexican Food Station in Ballroom with Salsa Dancers and Salsa lessons. Irish Potato food station with Irish dancers that came in and performed. Italian Station in the Wine Cellar with a Wine tasting.
Do you require a professional planner or day of coordinator at your venue? Why or why not? If you don’t have one, or have one that doesn’t do a good job, how does it affect you as a venue and the wedding as a whole?
We do not require a Planner. I recommend for the larger weddings, especially if guests are flying in and dealing with hotels and transportation.
I have worked with amazing Planners and some that are not so great. For a venue if they are not doing their job correctly then we step in when needed. But it’s nice to have someone that has been in the business for a few years.
We want to thank Katherine for taking the time to do this interview and providing her expertise on their Minneapolis mansion wedding venue! Getting married at Semple Mansion and still need a planner? We would love to work with you! Check out our services or send us a message!
