The Castle Lounge & Venue: Rochester’s Historic Wedding Destination

Looking for a unique wedding venue in Rochester? The Castle transforms a 1915 armory into an elegant three-level event space in downtown Rochester. The Castle is housing multiple businesses, including Latitude 44 restaurant and Pereira’s Wine & Whiskey Lounge.

Important note: The Castle operates as a multi-business building, so the venue is not exclusively privatized during your event. Here’s everything you need to know about pricing, photography, and planning your wedding day.

Historic 1915 Armory Architecture turned into a New Fancy Wedding venue in Rochester

The Castle started as Rochester’s armory (for the national guard) from 1916-1970, then served as a senior center before becoming an event venue in 2017, known as The Castle Community.
But the vibrant community hub that hosted renowned artists like Charlie Parr and Pert Near Sandstone closed after COVID (and so did the previous restaurant). The building was sold in 2023 to a new owner, a Rochester local family, the Arnett.

After a complete remodeling of the building (but not a change in the name), The Castle Ballroom doesn’t look like a theatre anymore. It’s been refined!
The ballroom doesn’t look like a theatre anymore. It’s been refined! From the Armory, the interior of the building kept the vaulted wooden ceilings with steel trusses that create this remarkable post-industrial look, but it’s now also offering a touch of modernity.
The Castle is now a fancier, more chic, more luxurious wedding & event venue for couples who desire more than a regular venue.

As we will see, the building also includes a sophisticated whisky bar (the Pereira’s) and a restaurant (latitude 44).

Three Distinct Levels for Your Wedding

Upper Level – Castle Ballroom

The grand ballroom showcases the building’s armory heritage with its soaring vaulted wooden ceilings supported by steel trusses. Several chandeliers anchor the space, while white and black walls add a touch of modernity. The restored wood floor, surrounded by a wax-cement floor, works as a giant dance floor.

One of the major beauty of this room are the historic arch windows. Those who face north with a few in the north part of Rochester (see below the view of the parking lot).

The room accommodates 300 seated guests or 400 for cocktail style. If you are planning a ceremony in the room, be aware that a stage can be added.

Middle Level – Gallery Room, Board Room & Pereira’s

The Second floor is composed of several rooms, all connected to one another, physically and visually, by large glass walls and glass doors, and even an interior glassed garage door. For a wedding day, you could rent the Gallery room, and if needed, the other room, and have the entire floor to yourself.

The Gallery Room

The Gallery room is a huge white room with a wood floor. As you can expect from an Art Gallery, this room has pure white walls.
Notice on the floor those black lines that remind one of a basketball court, adding a sporty, dynamic touch to the place.

From a lightning point of view, this room has no windows on the outside, even though there are some windows and a glass wall, providing an opening and connection with the rest of the floor. The lighting is performed with powerful spotlights.

That’s a room to rent for a small to medium-sized ceremony (125 people) or a large rehearsal dinner.

The Board Room

The boardroom is an elongate rectangular room, with a long table, paired with sumptuous metallic sculpted chairs. Several windows (facing north) provide uniform lighting to the room. It’s perfect for a rehearsal dinner. It can be privatized as well.

From a lightning point of view, it’s one of the brightest rooms in the building.

Pereira’s Wine & Whiskey Lounge

This Wine and Whiskey lounge features a chic bar with tables, high tables, low tables, and a variety of seats, chairs, and couches. Additionally, there are three mini rooms for privacy, each with its own color theme: the red room, the green room, and the blue room.

On a wedding day, those rooms can give your guests a private salon to chill out and discuss, while they are not on the dance floor.

Important: This is an operating lounge Tuesday-Saturday, so if you want the exclusivity, you would have to rent it as well.

Lower Level – Latitude 44 Restaurant & Caterer

High-end restaurant perfect for rehearsal dinners. The space blends historic features with modern dining.

Important: This is operating a restaurant, and also the caterer for the wedding.

A venue with a Rare Level of attention to the Design, especially for Rochester, MN

The Castle isn’t your typical Midwest wedding venue. Forget barn wood and mason jars. If the exterior of the building is in red brick, the interior transports you to a different place. This is sophisticated interior design that belongs to big cities, such as Manhattan, not Minnesota.

You can notice it as soon as you enter the building, with its entrance with a black wall and special white and black tiles.
Walk the stairs into the Pereiras’ Lounge and you’ll see what we mean. Rich emerald velvet chairs with gleaming brass legs. Carrara marble tables that cost more than most people’s cars. The kind of crystal chandeliers you’d find in a European hotel.

Glass partitions with sleek black frames separate intimate spaces. Modern bar stools mix with tufted leather Chesterfields. An antique secretary desk sits perfectly next to chrome cocktail tables. It shouldn’t work, but it does.

The color palette is bold. Deep jewel tones, polished metals, premium materials everywhere. This feels like a high-end speakeasy, not a wedding venue in southern Minnesota.

Finally, let’s mention the chairs and couches! Each room has its signature chairs. They are distinctive elements that really change how a place looks. You just want to steal all of them to bring them back home!

Just with the decoration, we are hundreds of miles away from the basic, cheap chairs from the nearby cheap Midwest venue (no offense). Most of the rooms are very photogenic, which makes the Castle one of the most Instagrammable venues in Minnesota.

Most Rochester venues (except a few luxury hotels) lean toward a rustic or historic style. The Castle went in the opposite direction. They created something cosmopolitan: something rare, something unique in the area.

If you want elegant sophistication over farmhouse charm, this design aesthetic is unmatched in the area.

Pricing and Catering Options

Pricing varies based on guest count due to increased staffing requirements for larger events.

Comprehensive Ceremony & Reception Packages

The Castle’s price starts around $10,000. They offer different prices for “small groups” (under 125 guests) and bigger groups (for 250 guests). If that may sound impressive at first sight, keep in mind that their inclusive package includes all that you need. So, no need to add a $1500 – $3000 hotel suite or a shuttle service for your wedding party.

Package includes: Bridal party luncheon, champagne toast for head table, cake/dessert fee, wedding arbor, house audio/microphone, tables, chairs, linens, centerpieces, setup, and cleanup.
Yes, we said an inclusive package, not the kind of venue where you bring your own tablecloth and need your family to clean after the party!

Important financial considerations:

• All prices subject to applicable sales tax and 21% service charge
• Contact venue directly for current quotes

Photographer’s Guide to Castle: Lighting

The Castle, a Nice Venue with Lighting Challenges for photographers

Despite large, beautiful arched windows facing North, they don’t bring much natural light, maybe because they are not very high enough for the height of the ceiling, and start at ground level (see the photos). If the venue has a bit of natural light, we can’t say it’s a bright venue. It won’t say it’s dark, either, but the primary light sources (during the day) are electric lights. As a result, the natural light (mostly blue) would mix with the artificial light (mostly yellow). And they can be tricky to work with.

Another challenge is the nature of those electric lights. If chandeliers create a mostly diffuse light, the numerous spot lights (especially in the gallery room) can create “hot spots”, which create dramatic shadows on the human face, which is, let’s be honest, not great for portrait photography. It can indeed create what we call in photography “raccoon eyes”.

Here are three illustrations of what I mentioned here. Note that they have not been taken at the Castle.

So, is that really an issue, and how can photographers deal with that?

Good photographers manage to see and understand how the light works.
My recommendation would vary depending on the type of photos you are willing to do (couple photos, group photos, or unnoticed ceremony pictures).

• For the couple’s photos, I will usually ask the couple to come as close as the windows, where the natural light over power the artificial yellow light
• For the group photos, I will usually use flashes to “clean” this yellow light
• For candid shots during the ceremony, I will recommend the couple to adjust (or ask to be adjusted) the spot light (especially in the Gallery Room), BEFORE the ceremony, so we don’t have a partner under a spot light (with raccoon eyes), and another partner in the shadows.

For the Conclusion in this part: it’s a venue with huge potential, but to use it, you need an excellent photographer (and if he is French, it’s even better 😀 ).
My TIP for your timeline: Compared to an outdoor wedding, add 5/10min between each different light set, so your photographer has the time to install his flashes properly.

Best Photo Locations around the Castle

Here is a list of spots you might want to use on your D-Day.

If you need more options for locations for your photo session, you can check the entire list we recommend.

What your Wedding Timeline Could look like

Weather backup: Multiple indoor ceremony locations available.

For more information about the timeline, check our timeline recommendations and our timeline builder.

Getting Ready Locations

Dedicated Preparation Suites (Second Level)

The Boudoir Room: Accommodates up to 25 people, features natural lighting, full-length mirror, beauty bar, and lounge furniture – perfect for bridal party preparations.

The Studio Room: Accommodates up to 20 people, offers a “man cave” feel with podcasting equipment and gaming systems – ideal for the groom and his party to relax.

What to Know Before Booking The Castle

Perfect for:

• Historic character seekers
• 150-300 guest weddings
• Full-service experience
• Downtown, so convenient

Consider:

• Operating restaurant/lounge in building
• Downtown parking uses nearby ramps
• 1 AM closure (generous for Minnesota venues)
• Professional lighting system, not natural light venue: challenging for photography

Nearby hotels: Hilton Garden Inn, Kahler Grand Hotel, and Marriott all within walking distance.

Who Should Get Married at The Castle in Rochester MN?

The Castle delivers unique historic character with modern event capabilities. It’s built for couples who expect high-end service and excellence in the details. It attracts an elite crowd, people who want refined spaces, but also couples from the Twin Cities, who want to be at the top of the not-experience, without the Twin Cities-associated price.
Of course, for Rochester, the entry price sits above the local wood barn, yet it’s a different league.

The Castle has everything you need for a wedding, under one roof (except maybe the hotel night, but luckily you have some at walking distance):

• Bright and convenient getting-ready rooms.
• A dramatic ballroom with gorgeous arch windows and wooden ceiling.
• Latitude 44 for elevated dining.
• Pereira’s Wine and Whiskey Lounge for crafted cocktails, a deep whiskey list, and quiet corners to talk.

Booking the spaces together keeps the day smooth, the timeline simple, and your guests happy.

Light can be tricky in parts of the building. But that is fine, given that couples who choose this venue also choose an experienced photographer, someone who knows how to shape light, balance mixed sources, and use off-camera flash when needed.

If you value service, a planning process that feels effortless, and a venue with a modern and chic design, then The Castle is worth the premium. Go in person to visit the location.

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Last Word : The Castle is one of the best venues in town with an amazing potential, but also a big challenge regarding the lighting.
Therefore, you would need a good and experienced photographer….(do you see the CTA coming?).
If you are not afraid of a strong French accent, you probably already know a French Photographer with more than 20 years of experience shooting weddings and who knows the place…. 😀

I invite you to check my portfolio to see if my work and style fit your expectations. And if so, contact me today to secure your date!