The University Club Of Saint Paul Wedding Photos

In the previous article, I boasted about on my talents of advertising photographer in the Twin Cities, Edina or Minneapolis, and how it helped me to capture natural images of my clients.
Today, we will see how I used them to make Sam and Ben relax and fill at their ease in front of my camera to create impacting images.

We will discover their preparation that took place in one of the most luxurious hotels in St Paul. Then they had their couple’s pictures and family pictures taken, their civil marriage at St Paul City Hall, and finally stunning reception at the University Club of Saint Paul, MN.

A Wedding Placed Under the Label of Elegance

Sam and Ben didn’t let much detail chance! He is an engineer reading poetry, and she is the artist organizing events and creating partnerships (among other things) in order to raise money for the Minnesota Department of History. Both characters are complementary to each other.

Given they had family coming from other states, and want to make everything as easy as possible, they decided to host their rehearsal dinner in town. They also took a suite at the luxurious Saint Paul Hotel (behind the Saint Paul Rivercenter).

None of them wanted a religious wedding. Instead, they preferred to go to the city hall to get married. Sam reserved an appointment with a judge (a friend) to sign the marriage certificate. She also booked a small and luxurious restaurant to hold their reception. It was located in front of the Irvin Park, where the bride and groom planned to have their pictures taken.

Unfortunately, two months priors to the event the restaurant closed and canceled their reservation (yes, only two months!)
In less than one week, the bride and the groom found a great alternative for their reception by booking the University Club of Saint Paul.

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Powerful memories

When I first met Sam and Ben in a cafe in the Twin Cities, they were looking for a professional wedding photographer to cover their one-lifetime event a non-denominational ceremony at St Paul City Hall. Thy wanted a true and authentic reportage. They loved and cherish the inherent value of veracity carried by the photography medium. What’s more they also appreciated aesthetic pictures and were eager to have artistic images.

After meeting them, I covered their engagement session. I last all the afternoon! At the beginning they were not very confident, but in the end, I finally manage to win their trust. As a result they relaxed and just had fun.
That’s how I manage to have to great expressions on their big day despite the fact that they are shy: because they knew me and trusted me.

Then we worked together to design the best wedding timeline ever.
As a result, on their wedding day, I had all the time and all the location I need to cover one of the best wedding days ever.

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Some of my best recall from their day:

• The details shots in their magnificent room, helped by the bride’s sister
• The emotion while the bride had her makeup done, and the continuous support of her mother
• The groom preparation, full of excitement with his brothers and emotion when he read his fiancé letters
• The first look at the Rice Park, How the groom hugged his fiancée
• The limousine we used for the bride and groom picture
• The grandmother, during the family pictures
• How they both started to relax during the photo session
• The amazing St Paul Courthouse (that is most beautiful than a lot of venue)
• The City hall grand exit with the bubble and the wind
• The pictures we took on the rooftop just after
• The intimate cocktail hour they had, and how it shoots picture of everyone
• How the bride and and the groom was always motivated when I required them for pictures.
• The sublime decors offered by several room of University Club of Saint Paul
• The romantic dinner lightened by candle
• The delicious food

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Should you plan to get married at the University Club of Saint Paul, MN?

The venue

This Tudor-Style building is perched on the top Summit Hill, at the intersection of the Summit Avenue and the Ramsey Street. The private club was built in 1913 and reminds me of a Harry Potter School.

Beside their sports activity (fitness center, swimming pool) they offer 4 rooms for events and receptions:

• The Summit
  It’s the biggest one with its spectacular ceilings and stained glass windows. It’s the main one used for ceremonies. It can handle up to 200 people standing, and 150 guests seating.
• The Terrace
  With its sweeping views on the city, it’s the one chosen by Sam and Ben for their small reception. After the dinner they turned it into a ballroom. It can handle 48 people seating.
• The Library
  Significantly, darker (with a lot of wood panels and wood furniture), it can handle up to 40 peoples seated.
• The Varsity Grill
  Its vault ceiling reminds me European basement. It can also handle 40 people seated.

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The Service

I have seen and heard nothing but good reviews about this venue. They have been able to set up the wedding in less than 2 months, taking care of the decoration.
The food was succulent, and as a French guy, I am very picky about food.
Each time I solicitude them, the staff members shoes responsiveness and flexibility, especially Julia Struve the manager.

A strong company

Finally, you might be interested to learn that this venue belongs to a big company, the CommonWealth Proprieties (also hosting the New Villa Maria, The Stout island lodge, the Hotel 340, the adjacent Davidson Hotel and the W. A. Frost company).
In other words, they are a big company who will not bankrupt two months before your wedding (which as happened to Sam & Ben).

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Would I recommend university clubs for your wedding celebration?

Sublime decorations, good location, responsive staff, amazing food are all essential qualities required to be a great wedding venue and offer a great picture.
Nevertheless, this club might not satisfy all situations, and thus not satisfy every couple.
So here is a list of the club limitations:

• The club does not have any garden or lawn to host an outdoor event.
  They do recommend 3 adjacent park to do so: the Cochran Park (border by fences and cars park behind), Boyd Park (and its kids’ playground), the immediate Nathan Hale Park, at the intersection of the street which does offer any shade during a sunny day.
  In my opinion, you would have much better pictures if you do it at Irvin Park.
• The park doesn’t have any parking.
  If you have a lot of friends and family invited, they might struggle to park at the Summit avenue.
• The venue does not have the bridal suite which is not a big problem. You just need a nice home, or to book a spacious hotel room.
• If you want your fur animals to join you, it won’t be possible, which is also the case in most of the venues.

Adjacent locations to the University Club of St Paul for your pictures

A variety of Venue you might also consider

It’s always great to compare in order to really judge of the quality of something.
So find here 6 venues in relation to this club.

Conclusion:

Depending on your expectation (outdoor space) and your number of guests (150 maxi seated), the University Club of Saint Paul could be the perfect place for your one-lifetime event.
But it’s for sure one of the more beautiful venues in Minnesota!