Vendor Spotlight - Landmark Center

Landmark Center is, well, a landmark. This ornate, beautiful building in the heart of St. Paul is the perfect venue for both a wedding and a reception. Especially if you have regal taste! It is situated next to historic Rice Park. On the outside, Landmark boasts intricate architecture and a grand, palace-like appeal.  In reality, this amazing building was built in 1902, and served as the Federal Courthouse.

The inside of Landmark Center is impressive! Three floors with Romanesque columns and balconies  look down onto the spacious first floor atrium. Weddings and receptions are easily accommodated here, and it's a perfect space if you have a large guest list. The capacity for a sit-down reception in the atrium is 320 people!

Of course, this space is also very accommodating to more intimate weddings. In addition to the large main floor, the Landmark has several other spaces available. The Ramsey County courtroom can host 125 guests for a cocktail reception, and 80 for a dinner. Other options include the Butler Room (48 person dinner capacity), the Sanborn Room (20 maximum capacity) and the Chief Justice Room (40 person dinner capacity.) Therefore, if you wanted to have an intimate ceremony and reception, you could use these beautiful rooms to create a "Great Gatsby" style wedding without the price tag.

 I can say nothing but great things about Landmark Center! It's beautiful, their rental terms are quite reasonable and it is an affordable option for many couples, considering the downtown location and historic status. However, if you plan to get married here, be aware that you need to plan ahead. This space books up quickly, so be sure to check their availability calendar. Saturday dates tend to be taken, but there are still some Friday dates for 2014/2015.

If you're planning on doing both your wedding and reception here, make sure that you have a way to create a ceremony space. I would suggest pipe draping, staging or large centerpieces on columns to define the area. You can reuse these items for the reception, a stage and draping backdrop for the band or DJ, and large centerpieces flanking the entrance/exit or head table would be a great way to recycle these event props.

I think the Landmark lends itself to many styles. However, modern with clean lines, really isn't one of them. Traditional, Victorian, vintage, jazz-era, and art nouveau  styles tend to work best in this space because of the architecture and period pieces found here. In my opinion, event design featuring jewel tones or neutrals with mercury glass or metallic finishing looks absolutely stunning!

A great, yet cost effective way to get a good amount of color on your tablescape is to use the plain white or black catering linens provided by full service caterers and then add a runner. Runners can be made very inexpensively, and you don't even have to know how to sew! If you use hemming tape, you can simply iron the edges for a finished look. Joann Fabrics, Hancock Fabrics, and Walmart all have a variety of fabric available at reasonable prices. Standard runners are 108" in length and 12" in width.

Of course, if you would prefer not to do it yourself, there are so many websites these days that have runners you can buy very inexpensively! My favorite is Smarty Party.
However, you can also purchase runners at Save on Crafts. Another option is to rent them from a local rental company or do a colored napkin (many full service caterers have napkins in a variety of colors, be sure to ask about this option when interviewing caterers.)

As for centerpieces, because Landmark is such a huge space, I would suggest going with impactful centerpieces. Tall centerpieces (3ft or above) staggered with lush, low centerpieces and plenty of candlelight would be just beautiful. Candelabras with crystals and floral also give a very regal and rich feel to your event design. Don't go with small centerpieces because the building will dwarf them. In this case, bigger truly is better. If you don't have a large floral budget, use cylinder vases of varying heights in sets of three and submerge the floral, and top with a floating candle. The water magnifies the flower, making them appear larger. Great options are roses, orchids, and spider mums. 
 
The Landmark Center does have a preferred catering list, however, you may use any licensed and insured caterer. However, they have quite a few great caterers on their preferred list. My recommendations are Three Sons Signature Cuisine, Deco Catering and Brie Cater. Each has their own style, and an excellent staff. You will be in good hands! :)

I hope that I've given you some insight into this fantastic venue! It's definitely a premier wedding and event space, with great photo opportunities inside and out.

 I've included a few photos from Rebecca & Britt's September 2013 wedding. They hired me as their Day of Coordinator, and she did an absolutely fantastic job on her event design! It's the exact "look" this space was meant to create, regal, and elegant. It was such great fun to set it all up and see it come together. STUNNING! :)

I truly hope that I've inspired.  Happy planning!

PHOTO CREDITS: LANDMARK CENTER, AGAPE MOMENTS PHOTOGRAPHY

TO VIEW MORE PHOTOS OF REBECCA & BRITT'S WEDDING ( THEY PURCHASED DAY OF COORDINATION PACKAGE ) VISIT WWW.WONDERFULDAYWEDDINGS.COM.