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1. Foodie Find
If to you, the rehearsal dinner is really about the dinner, check out W.A. Frost and Company in St. Paul. In one of three private dining rooms, 16-50 guests can feast on award-winning Mediterranean cuisine. (651) 224-5715
2. Sound Selection
Music lovers? Then strike a high note with a soulful rehearsal dinner setting. According to event planner Geri Wolf of the Style Laboratory, jazz buffs should look to Dakota Jazz Club & Restaurant, which has private dining rooms to host 35-80 guests for a seated rehearsal dinner. The menu: regional Midwestern fare. (612) 332-1010
3. Bowling Bash
Not your typical alley (or rehearsal dinner), Bryant Lake Bowl knows how to throw a party. Even better (and rather surprising), this establishment relies on local farmers and purveyors to create menus from the region’s freshest ingredients. (612) 825-3737
4. Dinner Cruise
Take to the seas aboard the Minneapolis Queen. Event planner Michelle Thayer of Mochablue suggests a sunset cruise on this authentic paddle wheeler, where you and your guests can feast on a dinner buffet or a heavy hors d’oeuvre menu while sailing through historic downtown Minneapolis by way of the Mississippi River. (612) 378-7966
5. Chic Cafe
Having a formal wedding? Set the rehearsal dinner apart with a relaxed gathering at an upbeat lounge. Geri Wolf loves Azia Restaurant’s Caterpillar Lounge, where guests can chill out at the sake bar then head into the Kowloon Room for an Asian-fusion meal. (612) 813-1200
6. Train Ride
All aboard the Minnesota Zephyr in Stillwater. Consider hosting a five-course meal in one of five newly restored dining cars, reminiscent of the 1940s era. This locomotive can accommodate up to 56 guests in its glass-domed car, which affords gorgeous views of the St. Croix Valley. (651) 430-3009
7. Gallery Space
Modern couples with an appreciation for the camera (and their own caterer) should consider the Minnesota Center for Photography. Michelle Thayer led us to this state-of-the-art facility that can accommodate up to 85 guests for seated rehearsal dinners surrounded with works by local, national, and international artists. (612) 824-5500
-- Christa Vagnozzi
Photo: Courtesy of WA Frost