Robo08's reviews

Justin and I both wanted a photographer on site for our wedding day, and we wanted someone who was a professional rather than one of our friends. We knew our friends would take pictures regardless. We looked for a photographer in the area, mainly because many of the Minneapolis or St-Paul photographers charge extra if they need to leave the city. I think this worked to our advantage, because we found Robert Meyer who is an incredibly talented photographer. His portfolio is amazing, he is professional and artistic, and the photographs he took of us and our families were incredible. I can’t say enough about the photographs. We had three photos mounted and framed so far, because they are works of art. He captured the moments that were important, and I would happily work with him again.

I had read about this new business in the Twin Cities in the Pioneer Press, so I went and checked them out. We had a guest list of about 100, and from that we thought that about 60 or seventy might be able to make the wedding event in Red Wing. I knew that in buying invitations, especially for only a hundred would be about $200 or so dollars, but I wanted something nice. I always send out nice Christmas cards, birthday cards, Thanksgiving day cards, and I don’t mind spending money on cards because they represent something. We came up with a really unique template, they were fun to work with, and I had the cards in less than two weeks. I took care of this about four months before the wedding date, and sent out all the cards the next day.

We booked rooms at the St-James hotel, but we also made arrangements for our parents to stay at the Candlelight Inn. Red Wing has some very beautiful Bed and Breakfasts places, in these huge Victorian houses. My family had stayed here before, and I really wanted Justin’s family to see the Inn. There is antique furniture, lovely wallpaper, and from what I gathered, they still serve an amazing breakfast. This is not an inexpensive place, but considering how beautiful and special it is, it’s a great once-in-a-lifetime stay.

During one of our visits to Red Wing for the preparation of our wedding, I located the hair salon at the hotel. I had originally thought that I would just take care of my hair on my wedding day myself, but once I spoke with the staff at Shear Perfection, I realized that a styling at the hotel could be entirely feasible. We booked appointments for myself, my daughter, and one of the bridesmaids. On the wedding day it took them less than thirty minutes to curl and style our hair. We looked much better than had I gone ahead and done it myself, and it was fun sitting in the chair in my bathrobe. The price was more than reasonable, the staff was really nice, and it made the whole day seem complete.

This is a family owned business, they’ve been in business for about a hundred years now, and the staff at the hotel suggested them to us. I didn’t really think of where I was getting my flowers from, but they made the most beautiful bouquets and arrangements for us. The colors of the flowers were really vibrant, I let them know right away what some of our favorite colors were, orange and pink and red, and everything looked wonderful. My bouquet was amazing, very not-traditional, which was kind of great coming from a store that looked very traditional. What made the consultation and discussion easier was that we walked in knowing how much flowers cost, and how much we wanted to spend. I did research in the cities, and flowers arrangements fall in the same price range no matter where you are.

Justin and I are both conscious people, and so when it came time to discuss whether we would be getting gifts for our guests, like bottles of water or chocolates, we decided in the end to make two donations to two organizations that matter to us both. On the back of the place cards we thanked our guest, and we mentioned that a donation had been made in their name to one of the two organizations. We also handwrote each card, because there was less than seventy guests, and it made it more personal that way. There is a Betty Ford Institute in the city, which needs support, and I wanted to support the women in my state.

Justin and I are both conscious people, and so when it came time to discuss whether we would be getting gifts for our guests, like bottles of water or chocolates, we decided in the end to make two donations to two organizations that matter to us both. On the back of the place cards we thanked our guest, and we mentioned that a donation had been made in their name to one of the two organizations. We also handwrote each card, because there was less than seventy guests, and it made it more personal that way. There is a Betty Ford Institute in the city, which needs support, and I wanted to support the women in my state.

When you visit Red Wing, especially in the summer, you’ll notice a beautiful park right in the middle of town. It had a water fountain and a trellis, and is absolutely beautiful. For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out how to rent the park for the ceremony, and once I did, it had already been booked by couples for the day. We were able to book one of the Bay Point pavilions, and we were able to get the nicer one out of the two. It was lovely, we hung flowers bouquets on the poles, and it was the perfect amount of space for our party. It was also nice to be by the water, and I think we lucked out with the weather. I have no regrets about where I said my vows.

Our reception was held at the St-James, and they have a staff there that is entirely dedicated to wedding receptions. The St-James hotel is a very unique and special place, and you feel like you step right back in time when you walk through the doors. Because of the size of our party, we choose to have a late lunch reception in the Victorian Dining Room. It’s a bright and beautiful place, and they had it set up beautifully for our party. There is an elegance in the room, that added to the atmosphere of the party. I think the St-James must hold dozens of weddings each year, because they are extremely professional with the serving and planning of the food, the drinks, and making sure that everything runs smoothly. We became very close with the staff, and I think it was great working with them.

They are able to provide catering services, so we didn’t need to look elsewhere for caterers. Once we had the number of our guests confirmed, we were able to make a great menu, with appetizers, and even arrange for champagne to toast with. It was a really easy consultation and procedure, and they had good suggestions for us. On the day of, the food service was perfect, their were no delays, and everything was delicious and tasty.

St. James’ Romance Package: We had been staying at the hotel for two nights, but on the night of the wedding we moved to a different room as part of the romance package. It was a really, really romantic room. The party ended at about midnight, and Justin and I were able to go upstairs and lounge in this room with a whirlpool and roses and with chocolates and champagne. After such a long day, I was so happy that I could just rest in the whirlpool bath and go to sleep! It might have been more romantic if we hadn’t stayed in the hotel for the two nights before, because then the antique nature of the room would have really stood out. On the third night, I felt that living in luxury was perfectly normal. I really love Red Wing and the St-James hotel.

I have been going down to Red Wing with my family since I was a little girl, so I have a good idea of where everything is in the town. This bakery is not the most fancy bakery you’ll ever go into, but the cakes and breads and cookies are really the best. Justin’s sister had bought cake decorations online, which they used to decorate the cake with. We ordered a cake to feed sixty people, and they made a two-tier double layer of chocolate and vanilla. It was so delicious. We ordered the cake about a month in advance, had no problem picking it up, and it looked great in all the photos.