Semple Mansion

sy, elegant, stunning wedding venue in an ideal location in the city, look no further! As soon as I stepped foot in the mansion, I felt my search was over. The main level has a perfect space for your ceremony, along with a bar and lounge area for cocktail hour. The basement has the super funky Wine Grotto, where you can have an additional bar! The groom and groomsmen also have ample space to get ready and hang out in the basement where these is a billiards table. Upstairs, there is a stunning bridal suite, which was one of the main features I was looking for. It was so valuable to me as a bride to have that spacious, private area as I got ready with my girls. It's also the perfect place to disappear to for a few minutes when you need space on your wedding day. Finally, the ballroom is a showstopper. The ballroom is the *perfect* setting for a formal dinner, and after dinner, you can either have your dance upstairs in the ballroom or back downstairs (we chose upstairs). The mansion is of course stunning on its own, but I recommend contacting the in-house decor vendor, Leslie at Charmed Boutique. Leslie has a gorgeous inventory of decor that complements Semple Mansion perfectly, and she is delightful to work with! The layout of the mansion is simply perfect for a wedding. There are ample spaces for your guests to spread out throughout the day, from the Wine Grotto in the basement to the front porch outdoors to the spacious ballroom upstairs. I was having so much fun upstairs that I actually forgot to even visit the Wine Grotto! Beyond the venue itself, the incredible coordinator, Katherine Bailey, makes the entire process so smooth and enjoyable. Katherine is the best! She is incredibly helpful and responsive, and I am so grateful to have had her on my team. I will always remember this place so fondly. Do yourself a favor and book Semple Mansion for your wedding! 10/10 recommend.

ding itself was easy and enjoyable. The staff is so helpful, available, and personable (Katherine is a rare gem!). We felt supported and celebrated every step of the way. It can be difficult to find a mansion venue that doesn't feel broken up into rooms that split up the guests, but Semple Mansion has the perfect layouts for both ceremony and reception needs. It's easy to spend the entire day there and not feel like you need a change of scene. It was also super convenient to utilize the high-quality vendors that are already based within Semple Mansion. Guest parking is no problem, the ballroom is stunning, and we also loved that we could utilize the grand piano for live music during our ceremony. We couldn't dream of a better wedding venue.

as absolutely incredible! She made planning from the start seamless, and was always so responsive and helpful with any questions that we had. 10/10 recommend!

wedding day was the best day and our guests had a fantastic time. We highly recommend Katherine and the Semple!

he dark wood architecture, the grand staircase, the open floorplan, and the mansion’s general charm. Since the Mansion has its own character, very little decorating was needed. We served dinner in the beautiful 3rd floor ballroom, and our reception on the 1st floor. Additional benefits were the bridal suite, ample parking, the ability to stock the bar, and Katherine Bailey, who supported us throughout the planning process.

olutely stunning. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a space more elegant. I would highly recommend Semple Mansion!

ecial day. However, our wedding was right during the COVID-19 lockdown in Minnesota and it became apparent that our plans would need to change due to the pandemic. My husband and I decided to still get married with only 10 people present, as per the CDC guidelines at the time. Semple was not willing to host even this small ceremony - understandable - but they also were not willing to refund our money. They offered us a new wedding date, but we were not interested in postponing our wedding. We were just severely downsizing. Ultimately, we hired a lawyer to work through the process of getting our deposit and full payment back, as Semple was not able to perform the services we contracted them for. The back-and-forth during these legal proceedings was messy, and Semple misinformed their lawyer on several occasions about our history and specific situation. (Perhaps they had us mixed up with different clients? Fortunately, all my correspondence with Semple was in writing and ultimately this was our saving grace.) My advice to future clients looking to use this space is to a) communicate primarily via email so as to have a paper trail, and b) be absolutely certain of the cancellation policy as outlined in your contract. (There were details of what would happen if WE cancelled after paying, but no details about what would happen if the VENDOR - Semple - cancelled after receiving payment.) We spent 4 months trying to negotiate and while we did receive our payments back thanks to hiring legal help, we were left with an overall sour taste towards Semple and their administration as a whole. I know COVID has affected the event industry tremendously and this venue is simply trying to survive, but please read your contract and have those conversations prior to entering into service with Semple to ensure that YOU too are protected should the worst come to pass.

aff were comfortable and safe during our pandemic wedding in July. She arranged our COVID seating well ahead of time AND texted photos of what it would look like. She's so friendly and responsive, and I'm so glad we were able to still have a beautiful, safe wedding at Semple.

help along the way of preparing for the wedding. She was able to answer every question that we had in a timely matter.

nd it really meant a lot to have all of our loved ones there for us. Photography was a import to us. We were ready to spend our money on the best photographer. We talked to many photographers and decided on Brittleigh. Her work was not boring and what you call a "basic bitch". We loved her style, her personality, her professionalism, and knowledge about photography. She told us when and where we should shoot and made our decisions easy. We just got our photos back and we love them. We are getting an album created right now!! Britt is great.

ey had both the ceremony and reception there and there are fantastic spaces for both plus lots of other rooms to explore or for guests who want a break from the action. Katherine, the venue director, was amazing. She was patient, knowledgeable, friendly and very easy to work with. We loved the spaces for both the bride and bridesmaids and groom and groomsmen to get ready and the ease of getting ready on site. We also loved the flexibility and quality of the recommended vendors and being able to provide our own liquor. We highly recommend Semple Mansion to anyone.

r her to promptly answer! The venue is gorgeous and we lucked out with nice weather so we got to make use of the front patio and lawn on our day as well. We loved all the different areas of the mansion our guests could visit throughout the day. I also loved the bridal suite - such a great space to get ready in on the day of! I definitely would book again :)

so all we really brought in for décor was flowers. Rental was reasonable, and they have a fantastic list of preferred vendors. It was such a relief to have everything onsite, and my bridal party loved getting ready in their newly-renovated suite. Thank you!

s own and requires very little in the way of extra decorating. My bridesmaids loved the bridal suite! We could not have asked for a more perfect day!

ase. It made the best place for first look and family photos. - The ballroom. We had both our dinner and dance in the ballroom, and we splurged on additional lighting for the dance. It was worth every penny. - The cozy corners. The getting-ready spaces made for amazing pictures, the wine grotto was a guest favorite, and the library was a great place for guests to escape from the action and have a conversation. - The parking. Our guests really appreciated having a parking lot right across the street, which feels like a rarity in the city. - The up-front conversations about cost. Katherine is very clear about what things you will need to pay for or add on, which is helpful from a budgeting perspective. Things to consider: - We found it much easier to communicate with the venue in person or over the phone, as opposed to email. We wanted to use the ballroom for our dance, which they don't typically recommend, and we had lots of questions about the logistics of the day. It was easier to get our answers and communicate our vision through actual conversations. - Potential couples can tour during the getting-ready time. It wasn't an issue on the day of our wedding, thankfully, but when we were walking through the venue with our photographer to prep our shot list, we didn't like feeling pressured to hurry because another couple was about to start shooting their photos. Overall, we are so happy that we chose the Semple.

nsion is beautiful and elegant as well as providing plenty of space to allow guests to be comfortable. From beginning to end it was everything we could have hoped for in a venue. Thank you to the staff for providing exceptional service on my son and now daughter in laws wedding day!

e had the gorgeous, intimate wedding that we always wanted!

DC and were planning everything from halfway across the country. They have a lot of expertise with weddings, the caterer we worked with at their recommendation was great (Deco), and the space is beautiful. Our foremost objective was for our friends and family to have a good time, and all of the guests had rave reviews about the venue in particular and the wedding in general. The downstairs was a lovely space for the ceremony and dance, and the upstairs worked out perfectly for dinner and speeches. We recently received all of our photos and they really turned out well, in part because of the great lighting and backdrops both inside the Semple Mansion and on the adjacent patio. We didn't know what to expect heading in, but in hindsight the Semple was the ideal place for our wedding. Highly recommended -- we couldn't have had a better experience.

gnage. Guests raved (and are still raving) about how beautiful everything was, and how great the staff were. We were looking for a venue that was able to accommodate getting ready on site, the ceremony, and reception all in one place. It also had ample parking which is a rare find in Minneapolis. The mansion has nooks and crannies that guests are invited to explore, and offers so many unique photo opportunities. The mansion is also GORGEOUS with several ornate chandeliers, original woodwork, hand painted ceilings, stained glass, many fireplaces, cozy vintage furniture, and more. Semple also recently renovated its bridal suite and it is AMAZING! Plenty of vanity stations for getting ready, comfy furniture for lounging by the fireplace (yes, it has its own fireplace!), a storage closet to keep things out of sight for pictures, and a nearby restroom; it comfortably held my small army of a bridal party (7 bridesmaids and 2 PAs). My now husband was also grateful to have his own space to get ready for the guys - the cozy & quiet billiards room in the basement. Katherine, the venue director, is the icing on the cake to Semple. She went above and beyond to help me plan every detail, and was extremely friendly, professional, and knowledgeable. I was so grateful to have her both leading up to our big day, and at our actual wedding helping vendors get settled, coordinating things, and helping with whatever it was we needed assistance with. She was extremely prompt with replies to my questions and provided insight on things we hadn't even thought about. Her help and her staff truly made our wedding the most perfect day. The transitions throughout our wedding were seamless and many guests commented about how efficient and professional all staff at the venue were and that they clearly knew a thing or two about weddings & events. ;) I really can't say enough about Semple Mansion, Katherine, and her brilliant team. I recommend Semple 10000000000% to anyone looking for a fairy tale wedding. I can't wait to get our photos/videos back so I can relive the day again. Thank you for everything! <3 - Olivia & Chris

deal. One being that a tour took place while we were getting ready. Even though this was allowed in the contract, there wasn’t any warning that people were going to come through while people were changing! When we got our wedding video back, we also noticed that the moment we recessed from the ceremony, staff jumped in and started to stack up the chairs, even though a song was still being performed. Overall, we’d still recommend Semple to anyone in a heart beat! Our guests all commented on how much they loved our venue. Compared to farm venues, Semple seems reasonably priced and we were so glad to have AC on our hot wedding day! Thanks, Katherine!

more. The director, Katherine, kept in touch in the months before the wedding, checking on things we needed, etc. The staff we encountered were super friendly and helpful. I highly recommend this venue, it is beautiful!

of our wedding. Katherine is an amazing coordinator, but the venue staff/cleanliness seemed unprofessional.

dding reception the customer service, organization and knowledge of the venue and vendors was exceptional! Our wedding ceremony and reception went so smooth and the day was absolutely beautiful. I hope I get to come back to Semple and enjoy this fabulous venue as a wedding guest someday soon!

they did. Our day went off without a hitch and they made the planning process a breeze.

h everything you need. The girls got ready in the bridal suite which is absolutely stunning! The boys got ready in the billiards room which kept them entertained for hours. Bre and Katherine were such a joy to work with and made sure everything was perfect for our big day. I am so thankful we found this place and I can’t imagine having a better experience anywhere else. It was perfect!

ite has recently been re-decorated and it is absolutely beautiful and very spacious. I had over 10 people getting ready with me, including flower girls and it was very comfortable. There is parking available, and the venue is just a short distance from downtown. Some hotels provide a shuttle, but we hired a shuttle service to make sure we could accommodate everyone. I felt like the price was fair, and that Katherine was always transparent about pricing (no surprises at the end). They also have recommended vendors, which was helpful and made the day go smoothly. We highly recommend Semple Mansion.

ldn't have asked for more. We will definitely be recommending Semple to our friends and family.

for having something done correctly are near perfection, which is perhaps very different than the acceptable standard in the hospitality industry. With that disclaimer, I will give my honest review of our experience at Semple Mansion. 1) It is a beautiful venue. We loved the building itself, and our pictures will reflect nothing but beauty. The details of mansion cleanliness and maintenance leave a little to be desired up close and in person. 2) You pay a premium. All in, we ended up spending $8,000 on this venue for a hosted bar, Saturday night ($5,200 rental fee, $2,000+ for bar tenders not including alcohol, $730 fee to bring in a caterer from their preferred vendor list.) I thought $8,000 would bring with it customer service excellence. It did not. Everything was a confusing mess with conflicting information being given. Maybe this is unusual, but we got tossed around between Katherine and Breanna. The two regularly contradicted one another and inaccurately relayed information back and forth. Katherine is a kind person who generally is helpful. Breanna has a flippant attitude and brought with her a negative energy that was noted by several in my bridal party on the morning of our wedding. Oh, and least I forget to mention, you and your bridal party will be on display to a half dozen tours as you get ready in your underwear and robes the morning of. Cheers! 3) Details, details, details. The day of our wedding many details were off. Nothing big enough to spoil the day. Nothing big enough for outsiders to really take note. However, if I am going to spend hours planning details and putting them into lists and diagrams just as I am asked to do by the venue, I would expect the people charging me $8,000 to read and follow those documents. All in all, we wouldn't have changed our decision. We loved the mansion itself, but the customer service was the low point of our big day. I do believe there are competing venues at comparable price points with far superior customer service.

ding from afar and Breanna and Katherine were such a pleasure to work with and made it easy by being super responsive and organized. We are so happy that we found the Semple Mansion. Also, their ballroom is amazing and the most beautiful space for a lovely dinner and dancing ever.

married! The Mansion is gorgeous, and during/after our ceremony & reception, guests were very happy and impressed with the venue. Katherine is great to work with, knows her stuff, communicates promptly and positively, and helped execute our wedding day plans! Also- I can't imagine getting married anywhere that doesn't give you the full day on-site, and plenty of space to get ready! <3

can have the party or event they want. We couldn't have pictured saying "I Do" anywhere else! We got lots of compliments on the venue also. Everyone loved it. Especially the wine grotto and billiards room! We got married on a Sunday which helped keep the cost down. But Katherine is very upfront with pricing. She explains it all and its one price not itemized and confusing. Just one simple price for everything and for the entire place for the entire day! Take them up on their offer to bar tend for you. Their bartenders are AMAZING. So worth it!

here. Our guests were blown away with how breathtaking and memorable the entire building was. Katherine, the venue manager, was extremely professional and helpful. My father called it a "storybook" wedding and it really was: classic, beautiful, elegant, everything we hoped it would be.

ouldn't stop talking about how beautiful it was and how perfectly intimate our 183+ wedding felt (which can be a hard thing to pull off in many other venues). Plus, the price is definitely reasonable and they offer 10 different catering options, in addition to allowing mansion access (throughout the entire mansion) all day long. One major reason we chose Semple over other mansions is because they didn't nickel and dime us for "extra hours" before 3pm - instead, their rate was up front and 100% fair, which we really appreciated. Beyond that, the staff (especially Katherine!) was phenomenal. They were incredibly helpful with any questions we had, and throughout the entire night, Katherine was there to lend a hand. Plus, the transitions between floors for different parts of the evening was flawless. Our wedding was absolute perfection and we highly recommend Semple to anyone looking for a venue!!

g day, and all throughout the day as well. The space inside the Mansion is amazing and makes for a perfect backdrop for a wedding. Our guests raved about the event and everyone couldn't stop commenting about how much fun they had. Thank you Semple Mansion for making our big day such a great success!

setting was. Katherine was such a pleasure to work with - she knows her stuff and was totally on the ball throughout our planning process.

, with every detail ranging from the floor plan to rentals and day of events. She even helped pack up our decor at the end of the night! Our guests were talking about this venue days after the wedding! I highly recommend Semple Mansion for a wedding venue or any event for that matter. It’s absolutely breathtaking and will make memories for years to come!

ur dreams and it turned out to be even more beautiful than I ever could have imagined. Semple is so unique and special and it fit our style perfectly. I could not ask for more!

e extremely helpful and quick to respond to any questions we had. We had multiple guests say this was the best wedding they'd been to, and we credit the Semple for the majority of that.

e mansion. Also Katherine was so incredibly helpful! You can tell she knows exactly what she is doing and if we forgot something. She was right there to pick it up and make sure everything was taken care of! It really made for a perfect day for us!!

al event. The furniture pieces they provide go perfectly with the space and everything was ready to go the moment we arrived at 9am. We used the mansion for getting ready and taking photos in the morning, we used the downstairs area and wine grotto for cocktail hour (they provide a piano, so it was easy for us to have music!) and the ballroom for dinner and dancing. Our guests loved having the freedom to use all of the different spaces. We found great vendors through Semple and everyone who attended had a wonderful time! We loved that they allow renters to bring in their own alcohol because that made an open bar more affordable than with many packages we saw at other venues. Katherine was a joy to work with. She is very organized, always responds quickly to emails, and made the planning process easy and stress free. I would highly recommend Semple Mansion!

he bar which is a huge financial savings (We spent under $5000 all-in cost on the bar and alcohol for 200 guests). Having 3 floors really allowed us to utilize the space for many different purposes throughout the night without causing our guests to wait for 'change-overs'. Even in the historical space, we were able to have a live band (which was a must-have for me). The open concept on the main floor provided plenty of space for dancing, a separate and quieter, yet connected area for guests that wanted to chat and the bar close by. I enjoyed working with each of the staff members. I appreciated their flexibility with planning and day-of for our wedding. Throughout the planning process, Katherine sent me reminders well in advance on payments, decisions that needed to be made etc. which helped me stay on top of things. It was extremely helpful to have a day-of coordinator there the entire day to greet and direct vendors as they arrived and set-up (which is included in the site cost). Our guests loved the bar tenders who were very personable (not grouchy) and helped ensure our guests had a great time. For brides with kids attending the wedding, Semple provides ample rooms where a babysitter can come and watch children. For my 9 month old niece and nephew, we used the bridal suite after dinner for them to sleep in (you couldn't hear the music downstairs) and hired a babysitter to come and watch them - it allowed our families to enjoy the evening and not take any extra trips home to drop them off. My only recommendation would be to check as part of planning how many wine pours are served during dinner. We only had one wine pour during dinner and I would have preferred 2-3 or that the servers left a bottle of wine at each table after the first pour. Overall, I highly recommend this space!!

set for us. We rented the whole mansion for the whole day so we could feel like we lived there for a day! The guests could not stop talking about how beautiful and perfect the venue was. Half of us stayed upstairs mostly to dance and others used the first floor or basement rooms for a little quieter place to talk. I can't imagine anything better. The ballroom on the third floor is magic in itself. Our other vendors (Deco Catering and Positively Charmed Decor) worked flawlessly with Simple. Wish we could relive the day, it was perfect!

ary wedding. There are lots of unique nooks and crannies, both for the bridal party to use and for guests to explore, and the ceremony space was perfect in every way. While the staff is very up-front about it, it is worth noting that there are a lot of fees on top of the base rental fee: there is a huge bill for the bar (not the liquor, but for the set-up, staff, glassware, etc), wedding insurance, parking fees, etc. We feel it was worth every penny, but this is helpful to know from a budgeting perspective. Our one word of advice would be to also hire an outside wedding coordinator. The money you pay goes toward the building--not toward the staff. While they say they have a "day-of" coordinator, that person does very little during the course of your wedding day. We highly recommend the space and feel it was worth the value.

ne answered all of our questions and was extremely organized and easy to work with during the wedding planning :)