The MV Skansonia by Landmark Event Co. Reviews

Great space on Lake Washington. Gorgeous boat deck makes you feel like you are literally on the lake. Wonderful space inside for dinner and another side for dance. If the weather is good dance outside. As a wedding DJ I love thins space for a party. I highly recommend uplights and sparklers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZrzNVj1I0w
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYIwfbkupug

Darius
Groove on Hyde Street DJs

The Skansonia was a serious dream to work with from the beginning. The communication was easy and they worked with us to easily make decisions as worked through the process. The venue vibe is beautiful-with the view and the twinkle lights. Our guests loved the evening reception on the boat getting to enjoy the summer evening. We wanted to have a wedding that was simple but enjoyable and provided a “classic” experience for our out of town guests.

My now-husband and I were absolutely sold on the venue just from the view and the boat's charm alone. The bow of the boat is dreamy for a ceremony as well as a first dance as newlyweds. What really was the icing to our amazing wedding day was the team on the Skansonia. The venue team is so knowledgeable, quick to respond and very friendly. At every step of wedding planning, they were informative and patient, and when it came to the wedding day, we were able to be completely hands-off and just enjoy knowing the Skansonia was on top of everything. The catering team was just as incredible. The food was soo delicious and many of guests came up to us after dinner to tell us so! You won't regret having your wedding on the MV Skansonia.

My husband had one request...to get married on a boat, and the Skansonia was fantastic. We had to post-pone from Sept. 2020 to Sept. 2021 and it was so easy.

Having an all-inclusive venue was great and made everything really smooth. I went to their Open House in 2019 which lead us to find our DJ and try the food.
Originally we were expecting 80-100 guests but ended up only having ~45. The space is great for small groups or larger ones.

We had to switch our ceremony to inside as there was some rain but it didn't take away from anything. The flowers were incredible and our photos turned out amazing.

The team at the MV Skansonia were great to work with and put together a great wedding for us. They made the planning process easy by including almost everything you need for the event (just booked DJ and photographer separately). The food, flowers, cake, and staffing for the event were all planned through them. Everything went smoothly for our wedding. This venue also has one of the best views of Seattle and a great rainy day plan for the ceremony. Definitely recommend!

Photographer: Aaron Meyers Photography
DJ: JP entertainment

We are both from Illinois and wanted to give our guests a truly Seattle experience. This was it. The staff was amazing to work with, gave us extremely helpful suggestions, and truly took effort to get us the special day we were looking for. They were extremely responsive and helped us numerous times with all our questions. The venue offers decor, catering, and floral options which made planning so much easier (plus, the options were awesome)! The food was FANTASTIC. Our guests have told us again and again how they usually hate wedding food, but loved our menu. So impressed and happy with how our wedding turned out and can't recommend the Skansonia enough!

Love this venue and their staff! They are extremely easy to work with and very responsive. They seem to adapt well to however you and your partner treat wedding planning. We are not super into wedding planning so it was fantastic for us to have a one-stop shop for everything. I really appreciated their flexibility as well. We brought in all of our own alcohol and dessert and our dogs! And the venue, what is not to love? Views of the city, mountains, water, and Gas Park. I want to live on this boat. I would recommend this venue in a heartbeat to friends and family.

Thank you SO much, Anita and Finni! Both of you are absolute superstars! We got married in Canada, and then we celebrated our wedding aboard the MV Skansonia in August of 2018 with a beautiful brunch, mimosa bar, and cake reception! We had about 80 guests, and the Skansonia was the best decision that we made for our Seattle wedding event! The entire process was filled with so much joy, and we had two outstanding people make the day flawless and fun! The venue itself is gorgeous and required very little extra decor, as it has some of the best views in Seattle and historic charm. The food was delicious! It was served fresh and piping hot! Our guests were raving about the venue and catering! We are so grateful to the staff at the Skansonia who worked tirelessly to make the day extra special! They even sent the sweetest card after our event. We feel so lucky to have found such a beautiful venue and to have worked with such incredible people! Thank you so much for making our dreams come true! - Mr. and Mrs. Smith

From our first tour of the venue to the last dance on our wedding night, the MV Skansonia met and exceeded all our expectations! The Skansonia provides the perfect backdrop! The inside and outside details of the boat are unique, very vintage and everything I dreamed of for our special day! The staff is so attentive and kind and made sure the focus was always on us and making the day perfect! The food was phenomenal, the flowers absolutely beautiful and the bakery brought my dessert vision to life! Our friends and family are still talking about our wedding and how perfect of a venue it was! My husband and I will forever reminisce about the best day of our lives in what we believe was the best location and venue to begin our forever together!

Best wedding venue in Seattle! We got married in June 2018 and we couldn't have asked for a better wedding. With Anita and Finni's help, we planned our wedding in just four months. We loved that it was all inclusive so we didn't have to waste time or worry about finding other vendors for food, dessert, flowers etc. That made the planning very efficient. So if you're a bride/groom that wants to keep the hassle of planning a wedding to a minimum, I'd recommend the Skansonia. Their staff is amazing. P.S. the food is delicious. Everyone loved the mushroom ravioli. I hope to be invited to a wedding there so I can have the food again :)

The MV Skansonia is an amazing place to get married! The ferry is so unique that I fell in love!

I don’t think I could have imagined having my wedding at any other venue! Between the view, history, staff and food it was by far the most amazing venue I have ever seen! From the first time I saw the venue over, a year ago, the planning process couldn’t have gone better. The day of the wedding was just amazing. Finni was the most helpful ever and making sure the day ran close to on time and making sure everything ran smoothly. I personally didn’t add much decorations to the venue has I loved all the character that the ferry had from the years of history that it shared. All of our guests were just shocked how amazing the venue and staff was at the Skansonia. I’m so glad that I accidentally found this venue and got to experience the most amazing adventure I could have in my lifetime. Thank you to everyone and all the staff over this last year making it the most memorable wedding of a lifetime!

What an awesome place to have our wedding! The day was perfect and we couldn’t have felt more supported than we were with Finni and her team. She did a wonderful job, always willing to help and so patient throughout the whole process. She was extremely accommodating and so helpful throughout the whole day.

The venue was gorgeous and the food and dessert were excellent. We lucked out with beautiful weather and our guests, who were mostly from out of Seattle, couldn’t stop talking about the venue. I highly recommend this venue, and this staff, if you’re looking to get married.

Finni and team - thanks so much for helping make our special day perfect!

The Skansonia was the perfect place to get married! From our first email to a post wedding thank you card, my husband and I were supported every step of the way by the wonderful event coordinators. I couldn’t have asked for a better team to make our dream weddin a reality!!

Amazing staff, value, and most importantly FOOD! Anita was very attentive through the entire planing process answering any questions and organizing every detail. The boat is a unique and breathtaking venue and the food is phenomenal. Because of their organization, the day went off with out a hitch (except for us, we got hitched).

The MV Skansonia is a wonderful place to get married. It is fairly affordable in the off season, and we loved that it is located in the city. The venue offers most of the services you need for your wedding; such as catering, item rentals, floral, baking, and beverage. The staff are extremely responsive and helpful. There is no need to use a wedding planner if you get married at the Skansonia, since they are able to take care of pretty much everything for you. The pricing is very straightforward and they offer you a detailed price quote before you commit. Our guests loved the venue and enjoyed themselves very much and we did too!

Our experience with the Skansonia was far better than we could've hoped for and we can't recommend them more!! We absolutely enjoyed every step of the process of working with the team there. They communicated consistently with us (including over Skype since we were overseas) and took the stress out of the event by taking care of the millions of details involved with planning a large event like this. The event went seamlessly and we felt like the Skansonia team was part of our family! Our guests LOVED the venue and we did too. We were also highly impressed with the food - our guests and family commented on how impressed they were with the quality (rare for large events!). The Skansonia team truly enhanced our experience with their kindness, organization, and expertise and YES, exceeded our expectations. We cannot recommend them more highly!

These people are PROS. The #1 thing I'm glad we did in the wedding process was decide to have our wedding here. They have their own caterer and bakery, so no running around to find more vendors, plus everything at the venue worked in perfect harmony. It was nice to just have one point person, Devon, who was amazing and thought of everything, down to what drink we wanted waiting for us after the ceremony!
As soon as I arrived on my wedding day, I asked like 3 questions, and then had to worry about NOTHING else the rest of the night. This was especially helpful when it came to keeping on schedule -- when it was time to do the dances, or start eating, or wrap up, I was gently prompted and things moved along like clockwork. We never felt rushed.
Devon was also our ceremony coordinator, and she ran the rehearsal and ceremony. It all went perfectly and was the loveliest moment of my life.
Quality wise, everything was exquisite. The food was AMAZING (the mushroom ravioli is to die for!) and the service at the bar was speedy and friendly. (We brought in our own alcohol and they served.) The space is just absolutely gorgeous on it's own (you don't have to do any decorating, which was a huge relief for me). It has an elegant vintage feel, and contains everything you could need. PLUS you have the incredible view! Most of our guests were from out of state and were absolutely blown away by it.
On the business end, they are very organized, the invoicing is clear and up-front. They worked with us adjusting, adding, changing the headcount, with no issues. They answered questions quickly and clearly.
I would recommend the Skansonia to anyone who will listen. I'm so happy we found it and booked it, the staff and the boat absolutely MADE our wedding.

Wonderful place to have an event. The staff is great to work with and the food was delicious! The venue is unique and your guests will love it. The view of the Seattle skyline is amazing!

The crew of the Skansonia could not have made our wedding day any better! They were very patient and accommodating with adding extra time and making desserts that weren't on their usual menu.

We fell in love with the charm of the ferry immediately! Our first trip to the Skansonia was on a rainy day in November and the space was cozy, warm and welcoming. Victoria and Vicki were always available to answer questions and to meet at the last minute. They truly made planning easy with in house catering from Lake Union Cafe (which the food was amazing - our guests raved!) as well as an in house florist and bakery. You don't need to go crazy on Pinterest either since the space is so unique and beautiful.

So here is where our story takes a bit of a twist. Our wedding fell on the same weekend as Seattle suffered through the remnants of Typhoon Songda. The winds that weekend were consistently 30 - 40 mph, with gusts up to 70 mph. We were informed on Friday that the boat might not be safe for everyone to board on Saturday due to predictions of even worse weather the next day. Gulp. So we slept on it to see what the weather would do and the next morning it looked just as bad. We decided with Victoria not to hold the wedding on the boat since we might lose power or have to evacuate if the weather made the boat unsafe. I say all of this not to scare anyone away from the venue. This was one of the fist times they ever had to move an event. So this is not common, at all. But what Victoria did do is move our wedding over to Hotel Deca and busted her ass to pull off a pretty fantastic wedding. So if you want a venue that can handle unexpected problems. . . which will happen. . . this is your place and Victoria is your woman!

After all of that we had the most amazing event. Everything went off without a hitch. Other than lots of nautical themed koozies, our guests would have never known we hadn't planned it to be at the new venue. Thank you Victoria, we were sad not to get married on the boat, but couldn't of had a better backup wedding without your help. I would recommend this venue to anyone looking for a great place to celebrate!

I only have good things to say about the MV Skansonia and its staff. Our ceremony happened to be during sunset and was amazing. And the entire event was executed flawlessly.

What a beautiful venue and what an extremely helpful and knowledgeable staff. Getting married with the skyline in the background made for a magical experience our guests will never forget and neither will we. The staff answered all our questions and made us feel comfortable and relaxed on the day. Vicki and Victoria were amazing and we are so grateful for everything they did for us!

Hands down, the BEST venue we could have asked for. My husband and I could not have been more thrilled with the Skansonia. The planning process was a breeze from start to finish, and the Skansonia's planners took care of anything we needed. The whole process was streamlined, and we were definitely happy that we didn't have to deal with the little details like renting chairs or linens. Whenever my husband and I had questions or concerns, they were always quick to respond and very flexible to meet our needs.

Our wedding day was pretty much perfect. The day-of-coordination was super helpful, and it was wonderful to know that all of the details were taken care of without us having to step in. The planners are true professionals - they helped with everything from pre-wedding jitters to finding pins to fix a broken zipper on a bridesmaid's dress. The service was also great. We were greeted with our signature cocktail and hors d'oeuvres upstairs following the ceremony, and one of the servers made sure we had food and drinks throughout dinner. Our guests loved the food, cake, decor, and (obviously) the setting. You will not find a more romantic or scenic venue in Seattle, especially for the money. We cannot thank Vicki, Mikaela, and Victoria enough for the care and hard work they put into our wedding. Highly recommend!

The venue is gorgeous - so unique and so Seattle. To top it off, Vicki, Mikaela and Victoria are amazing. So kind, calm and extremely helpful. They executed our wedding day flawlessly. The food and dessert provided by LUC was incredible - our guests couldn't get enough! We wish we could go back!

We had our wedding at the Skansonia in October of 2015. I highly recommend the Skansonia for anyone looking for a great venue in Seattle. It is not only unique and has a great view of the city but the staff was amazing and we had a great time. The staff was professional, helpful, and extremely prompt in their communication. Having Vicki as our day of wedding coordinator made the day go seamless and I didn't have to worry about a thing. We had their sister company, Lake Union Cafe, cater and provide the cake & flowers, all of which were absolutely amazing. Skansonia took care of so many of the little details in house so we didn't have to go out on our own and piece it together. Thanks for making our day amazing Skansonia!

I cannot recommend the Skansonia highly enough! We got married on 11/7, which turned out to be a cold and rainy evening. We had our ceremony and reception inside, and it was so cozy and beautiful! The wood floors, bulb lights, and many LED candles made it super romantic and lovely.

The Skansonia staff, particularly Mikaela, were so helpful before, during and after the event. It was never a problem to stop by during tour hours to take another look at the layout or ask a question, and they were super responsive via email as well. We were able to store decorations at the venue in advance of the wedding, which was super helpful in minimizing last minute to-dos. On the day of the wedding Mikaela made sure everything ran smoothly, from starting to set up our decorations before we arrived to orienting the person running the music (we used their sound system instead of a DJ and it worked out great!).

If you're looking for a venue with a beautiful water/skyline view and lots of historic charm, this is it!

We got married on the Skansonia on 10/9 and had a great wedding! The venue is absolutely gorgeous! The food and cake were delicious! Vicki and her team were amazing and helped make our day seamless. Strongly recommend this venue for your wedding or special event!

My husband and I were married on the Skansonia on July 24, and cannot recommend the Skansonia highly enough! We had a wonderful time, and are still hearing from guests how much they loved the venue and the food!

The Skansonia was recommended to us by a friend whose sister had been married there a few years ago. We were able to see the boat the next day at an open house, and were immediately in love with the ambiance and atmosphere on the Skansonia. I mean, how much more "Seattle" does it get than a retired ferry boat on Lake Union, overlooking the Seattle skyline?

We loved the fact that the Skansonia team works closely with a bakery, florist, and caterer, and while we could have used our own vendors, why re-invent the wheel when you have such an excellent team already on board (no pun intended)? I'm always someone who wants a "Plan B," and I loved the fact that they could move everything for the ceremony inside within 15 minutes in case the weather didn't hold out. We had rain on the morning of our wedding, and with a quick email to Vicki on the Skansonia, she reassured me right away that we could make a game time decision to move things inside. It turns out we didn't need to, but it made the day much more relaxing to know we wouldn't be rained out!

Vicki and Mikayla were incredibly responsive to all of our emails, and never made it seem as though I was pestering them with questions (I really, really tried not to be a Bridezilla!). On the day of the wedding, Vicki was SO calm and reassuring, I was able to hand everything over to her and just enjoy the day! I never felt like I had to worry about anything - Vicki and Mikayla had it all taken care of. All we had to do was show up and have a wonderful time, which we did!

As I mentioned earlier, guests have been coming up to me for weeks, telling me what a fun time they had, how great the venue was, and how much they loved the food (including the cupcakes)!

The people at the Skansonia are wonderful to work with, and the reception was perfect! I am so happy we went with them! They catered with delicious food, they set up tables/chairs/tablecloths, they set up the mic, and they worked hard to make sure the reception went smoothly. They also let us do a practice rehearsal two days before, and drop off our own beverages ahead of time. The venue is absolutely gorgeous, and perfect for a Seattle wedding. I highly recommend the Skansonia!

Had an incredible experience on the skansonia. VERY affordable and provided guests with an authentic Seattle experience. The staff was very helpful, professional, and easy to work with. The day-of went off incredibly smoothly and everyone loved it!

The Skansonia was a beautiful venue! It was raining - a downpour really - on my daughter's wedding day, but the Skansonia was warm and cozy. Not stuffy and humid at all, which was my greatest fear. Everyone involved was very professional - friendly - and accommodating. We have awesome pictures and awesome memories from our special day on the Skansonia. Thank you!

Excellent Affordable Venue and Team!
Food was amazing, everyone raved about the butternut squash raviolis afterwards. The mini cheesecake bar was delicious.
The team was excellent to work with, responsive with any questions we had, willing to work with us to make our day special and memorable. The day of we didn't have to worry about one thing. James was our coordinator that day and really went above and beyond.
The whole ambiance of the venue is so romantic and unique. I fell in love the minute we stepped foot on it to see it. I recommend stopping by to check it out.

The MV Skansonia team is amazing! The venue is outstanding, not only in historical value, but location location location. What's more NW than a ferry boat?!

Jen and Kristen walked my husband and I through the whole process and our wedding went perfectly. When we worked with the Skansonia team, we felt like their top priority and they were clearly focused on our needs.

Make sure to take time to check out the venue, if you're looking for views of Seattle and a waterfront wedding this is the place! You won't be disappointed! (oh ya, and it is affordable!)

We had our wedding and reception at Skansonia this past summer. It's hard for me to put into words just how much we loved our experience! To start with, the view is amazing (it's hard to beat being right on Lake Union with a view of downtown) and the venue itself is beautiful with so much character. The food is excellent, we still have guests talking about how much they enjoyed the food at our wedding. Also, you can bring your own alcohol with no corkage fee (this is a great deal for a wedding reception in Seattle). The whole process from initial planning to the day of our wedding was completely stress free thanks to Jen, Kristine and the rest of the staff at Skansonia! I highly recommend Skansonia, on top of being everything that we wanted and more, it was a great value! I just wish we were having a party there again this summer! :)

Worth every penny! For a flawless event with a professional staff this is where you should be married. Rain or shine, both of which happened on my wedding day, you couldn't go wrong with this timeless Seattle venue location.

For our wedding we researched a few places around Seattle and the Skansonia was by far the most beautiful and romantic. At first we thought we cannot afford it, but once we run the numbers in Excel it was much cheaper than all the other places combined so we went for it.
Jen was our wedding coordinator and she was amazing! Actually that would be an understatement. She was extremely professional and she went way beyond to make sure everything was very good and exactly the way we planned it.
We would say, if it wasn't for Jen maybe we wouldn't have chosen this place. She made the whole difference in having the wedding exactly how we imagined it. We highly recommend her if you want your wedding to be a positive and enjoyable experience and most of all, stress free!!!
We loved the food and the vintage feel of the boat. Our guests from out of state and out of the country, enjoyed the beautiful view of Seattle and South Lake Union.
All in all the pictures were great, the day was gorgeous and sunny and the boat is extremely romantic.

From the first moment that we set foot on the MV Skansonia, my future husband and I knew that this was the place we needed to get married. It offers a uniquely Seattle experience, full of elegance and charm. The staff is first rate, and provides outstanding service. The venue itself is incredibly gorgeous, and requires little decoration on the bride and groom's part.

The Skansonia provided an amazing experience at a price that was incredibly affordable. Two years later, we are still receiving comments on how much our guests enjoyed our wedding and what a unique and special venue the Skansonia is.

The Skansonia was the perfect place to have our wedding. Their prices were reasonable compared to other waterfront venues we looked at. They were also very friendly and available for meetings to discuss details. They made all of the arrangements for cake, food, and wine tastings since we worked with them and their partner Lake Union Cafe and Bakery for the catering and cake. They also have a pretty good partnership with downtown spirits where they will deliver your alcohol for free and you get buying in bulk discounts with no cork fees with the Skansonia bartender. The day of coordinator is also part of the package and they make sure everything goes smoothly with the DJ, alcohol service, floral, and food. I didn't have to think about much on my wedding day other than saying the right words at the ceremony and having a good time. The Skansonia made the whole process seamless and wonderful.

The staff at the Skansonia made my wedding so easy! As a business owner, I had very little time (and a budget) so I was unable to spend time planning my own wedding, and didn't have the finances to hire someone to do it for me. The Skansonia made sure our wedding went smoothly and also setup our cake and dinner options. This is almost a one stop venue! They recommended other fabulous vendors for the officiant, photographers, and more which made the search for good people to help with my wedding that much easier. Our wedding was perfect in everyway and the venue was gorgeous!!

I absolutely loved having my wedding at the Skansonia!!!! They made it so easy and beautiful. There were so many places to take pictures, hang out and celebrate. The food was phenomenal, the service was amazing and the setting was oh-so romantic and pretty. I highly recommend The Skansonia if you want a stunning, worry free wedding on Lake Union!

SO WONDERFUL. The venue is beautiful and the best part was that it is all-inclusive! We didn't have to organize bringing chairs, tablecloths, or anything like that. They even had table runners and electric tea lights (classy ones) to rent for decor. They have an on-site caterer, and day-of planner, who was indispensable.
When we looked at the boat for the first time, I thought "wow! This place is going to be way out of our budget!" I was pleasantly surprised. They charged us like a caterer! It was awesome!
Jenn and Kristine are very nice and professional, and they really made our day special and just how we wanted.

After a little bit of shopping around for venues, comparing costs, and options for our wedding day, we were at a loss. Until we stumbled upon the MV Skansonia. Let me begin by saying that we were looking for something that was hassel-free and all inclusive. We didn't like the idea of booking just a venue and then having to book separate vendors for everything - which is the case for weddings here in the U.S. We loved that the MV Skansonia included a food vendor, cake vendor, decorations, set up and clean up - all in their package. The other big thing that we loved about working with the MV Skansonia was that we were able to do an open bar that we wanted. Using their crew and staff we served our own homebrew and wine - that we made ourselves! This would not have been an option anywhere else.
Aside from those two things, the MV Skansonia staff was so easy to work with, was very professional and always available and responsive to any questions I had. Even after the wedding, we forgot a few things there and they were so accommodating to us when we went back to pick it up.
The venue is just beautiful and unique. You have to go visit it, there's just no way to describe the experience of it. The view from the bow of the boat pointing back to the skyline of Seattle; The charm that it is a historic decommissioned ferry boat - what a great experience for our guests who were from out of state.
I recommend this beautiful venue to anyone who wants a unique wedding experience.

The MV Skansonia is a great place to work with. I'm not good at planning lots of details for a big party and the staff were especially helpful in the planning and on the day of. The day of coordinator, Paige was amazing and super patient with my indecisiveness. All of the staff were friendly and the food was awesome. My friends and family are still talking about how good the food was! Finally, I feel like we were able to have an event that reflected who we are. They even let us have our dog on the boat for the ceremony and reception! I highly recommend this venue for anyone who wants a Seattle waterfront wedding!

I really cannot say enough wonderful things about our wedding aboard the MV Skansonia, except that I wish we could relive that day again and again. We planned our wedding long-distance from New York City and were never able to visit the venue, meet the planners in person, or attend any tasting events. Despite the distance, I feel completely prepared and well taken care-of. All of my emails and calls were answered promptly, everything was explained to me clearly. All policies were fair and easy to understand. The day of, everything went absolutely perfectly. Staff were professional, warm, and helpful, I really didn't need to do anything except enjoy myself! Obviously one of the best things about the venue is how breathtakingly beautiful it is: the stunning view, the interior dark wood and porthole windows, all the outdoor space and flowers...we did not decorate at all aside from flowers, there was no need because it's already gorgeous! Having the upstairs space to drink champagne and take pictures and watch guests arrive was also really wonderful. It was a special time for me and my wedding party and closest family, and something not many venues have. The food, which we chose without tasting, was phenomenal! Everyone was raving about how great the food was, and although we just chose the light entree/heavy app option plus one extra pasta dish, everyone could eat their fill. We had a huge wedding with 14 in the wedding party and 220+ guests including plenty of kids, and it was cozy but never felt crowded. After dinner, it was wonderful for some guests to sit outside and enjoy a glass of wine while other danced and kids ran around. My wedding was an absolute dream, and the Skansonia was a huge part of that!

My husband and I got married on a spectacular sunny day in May last year. Lake Union was our front yard and the MV Skansonia was our boat to celebrate our 17 year relationship. One of our 8 year old flower girls made our beautiful paper flower decorations to place on the arbor. The staff were responsive and professional, the food was delicious (what I remember of it) and the reception was a blast. A group of friends serenaded a love song to us. One friend said that " the delightful theater of our ceremony made the appearance of us and our officiate and the real circumstances of our lives hit [her] harder and began to cry even earlier than [she] usually does." (Sarah Galvin) A dream came true May 5, 2013.
Gary

The entire Skansonia experience captured the essence of our personalities, highlighted one of the best views of our city and was truly the wedding of our dreams! Their clear organization skills, and calm, positive staff were very much appreciated throughout the day and night! Everything from the weather, the atmosphere, the delicious food and transition from ceremony to rocking party were seamless.

I could not believe what a beautiful setting the MV Skansonia was when we first saw it. How could we not pick it! The food was amazing, our cake was amazing, and everything we needed was attended to upon request. I have to say also that having so many things handled by one vendor is the way to go...I can't imagine having to choose a venue, then a caterer, then a bakery, etc. This is one great package. So many costs included in the low price, too - no cake fee, no cork fee, no extra fee for the bartender. Also, the dinner that is hosted in the spring for all the wedding couples to come and taste and plan their menus is brilliant. And best of all, SO AFFORDABLE! BEST WEDDING IN VENUE IN SEATTLE'S OUTDOORS! (and they can bring you inside in front of the fireplace if it rains with 5 minutes notice...how cool is that? we had sunny and 80, but just sayin')

We loved having our wedding and reception at Skansonia. The view was unbelievable and the charm of the boat was wonderful. We loved the food (signature salmon and lemon grass chicken). A few of the guests said it was the best wedding food they have ever had. The staff was always very helpful and everything went smoothly.

This is a beautiful venue! If you are looking for a last minute Seattle summer wedding then you can get a great deal for Sun Aug 4, 2013 (afternoon or evening). Sadly my wedding was cancelled so you can benefit from my deposit and have it for almost half price: $3200 for 100 guests including catering!! (It is already reasonably priced compared to other Seattle venues). This place has so much to offer. First the quintessential Seattle backdrop (Lake Union with a view of the Space Needle). And the boat has so much character, sure it may be a little slanted, but thats okay. You hardly need to decorate because it already looks great as is. And the food was delicious too (check out their menu online). And a great money saver is that you can supply your own alcohol. And lastly the people have been wonderful to work with. I hope it works out for you; I think you will love it.

I cannot explain how amazing the Skansonia was with my every need. Almost everyday, I had a question or concern and Shauna (manager?) would answer them within the day. The food is AMAZING. It's been over 2 weeks since we got married, and my friends are still raving about the food!! The only negative would be the size, which was not a problem for us, but I think any more than 100 people would be too tight. All in all, I LOVE THIS VENUE!!!

Without hesitation, the MV Skansonia could not have been better! No glitches, no hang-ups, no oopsies...Nothing! Just a great time all around in an unique venue with fabulous food, tons of charm, and a spectacular view. A true "Seattle" experience! It was everything I could have possibly wanted. The coordinators, Shauna and Ellie, were both amazing - friendly, professional, with solid opinions based on tons of wedding experience, remained calm which in turn kept me calm. Our wedding was 4 weeks ago and my coworkers are STILL talking about it every single day, and I'm sure they think we broke the bank paying for it, but we didn't! Of note, the Skansonia allows you to bring your own alcohol on board (with a permit), instead of paying the $32 for a $8 bottle of wine that every other venue I researched charges. This will literally save you THOUSANDS. As far as food goes, Lake Union Cafe caters the Skansonia and you attend a tasting so you can choose what you serve at your wedding based on actually trying it beforehand! They have MANY choices (Beef, Chicken, Seafood, Vegetarian) and you can pick as little or as much as you want - i.e. reception vs. dinner style, paper vs linen, small plates vs dinner plates. I've heard time and time again that the food at my wedding was the best "wedding food" that my guests have ever had. The spread they provided for us was unbeatable. Lots of extras, including grilled veggies, cheese plates, bread/crackers, and our choices of chicken piccata, hibachi steak, chop chop salad, caesar salad, penne pasta with champagne cream sauce with fried leeks... We also used their flower person who did an unbelievable job sculpting mango calla lillies into a breathtaking bouquet and table arrangements. I just could not be happier with choosing the Skansonia. The experience was above and beyond my highest expectations. Absolutely flawless. From the bottom of our newlywed hearts - Thank you, Skansonia and Crew. You equal perfection!

I cannot say enough of why this venue gave us truly the dream wedding. In fact I had to erase my review because I got too wordy. So to be brief: We planned this wedding from across the country with 500-1000 emails. Never once were they not responded to both in a timely manner but with warmth and genuine kindess. The venue itself is GORGEOUS- On the water. The food is SUPREME (not just according to me, but to many chefs that were present at the event) you can bring your own alcohol which saves thousands, but what really makes it a lovely experience...ya know besides the gorgeous setting, delicious food, affordable prices, is the planning process was so smooth, because Shauna who we worked with, was so meticulous, calm, 100% responsive and caring--- we had a dream wedding. We had the challenge of an extremely diverse crowd, the range in background and lifestyles were infinite and could have been something other than it was.... It was my goal to bring all these cultures and backgrounds together in a true celebration of love and The Skansonia was perfect- the environment spoke to the artists, the traditionalists, to the conservatives, to the liberals, the internation array of guests......it was perfect and the staff made it so.

The wedding and reception on the Skansonia was a dream. Everyone we came in contact with was wonderful. We were lucky that the weather was nice enough for the ceremony to be outside, but good to know that the wedding can be inside, should the need arise. The wedding coordinators are extremely helpful and the food tasting was an event in itself. I would use this venue again in a heartbeat!

This venue is absolutely charming. Shauna is the wedding coordinator, she was incredibly professional and very easy to work with. The food was delicious too! We wouldn't change a thing about our experience with the Skansonia.

Great experience, Shauna and Ellie are amazing!

Best Venue ever! Jeremy and I cannot tell you guys how much we appreciated all the effort, hard work and good service that you guys gave to us. You guys made our pictures, and wedding day really special. All my guest love the Venue. I will recommended 100% this venue for future wedding or parties! great catering staff! :D

The staff for the Skansonia (Shawna, Ellie) and was amazing the entire step of the way. Not only do they have one of the best Seattle skylines in town, but it happens to be pretty reasonalbly priced considering the other places we looked at. If you are looking for something that isn't cookie cutter and has a lot of character, this is the place I would recommend. We just loved how nice and all inclusive they were also! I should also point out that the food was really really great and we got a ton of compliments on it!

We LOVED our wedding at the Skansonia. We got married during the daytime in June, and the venue was just perfect for our 75 adults and 15 kids. Shauna Wu is absolutely lovely, and so kind and so good at what she does, and she was there to make sure everything went smoothely the day of the wedding. Our guests LOVED the venue, as did we, and we got a lot of compliments on the food, and how unique it was. I researched just about every venue in Seattle, and the value at the Skansonia is GOOD. And the great part is they are a wedding one-stop-shop! You don't have to do all the management of vendors, because they are the venue and the cateror. They were also very helpful in setting up our flowers, and favors, etc. I think Tamara put it best, if you love the venue, you will love your wedding at the Skansonia. An old boat was perfect for our Seattle wedding, and I'm so glad we picked it.

The team at the Skansonia gave us our dream wedding! Shawna was so great to work with, gave us lots of ideas and recommendations, and was so efficient and professional for the rehearsal and day of set up and organization. The food was fantastic, we got so many compliments on it. The venue and the view are inherently beautiful, making for a romantic wedding, but the best part part is that the team quietly takes care of everything, so you can just enjoy your wedding day! The value is great for the beauty of the venue and quality of service. Looking elsewhere, the extras quickly added up with table linen rentals, separate catering, and event organization, Skansonia provides all of this at a reasonable cost.

The entire experience of working with the Skansonia was excellent. We chose the Skansonia for both the ambiance and cost. One of the selling points was being able to bring your own alcohol on and only have to pay for a bartender - no corking fee or outrageous prices. This allowed for us to not have our guests pay for their drinks. The food was great. Many of the guests commented on how much they enjoyed the food and it went beyond their expectations of "wedding food". They staff was very attentive the day of the wedding. They made sure we met the timeline provided and that everything was in place.

This was a perfect site for our wedding. The views from the Skansonia are breathtaking and a perfect backdrop for photos. The inside of the ferry has been perfectly restored. The only issue we found was with parking. That is somewhat limited. The food was exceptional. I wish they were open for regular dining. The professional staff made sure everything went smoothly and offered lots of wonderful tips. It was a fabulous wedding!

The people at the Skansonia were very helpful and made my wedding day run very smoothly. It was a BEAUTIFUL setting, and everyone told me I had the perfect wedding!

This was a fantastic place to get married! Paperwork was easy, the website contains pretty much all the information you could need and their staff helps to make sure everything is going well. On top of it all, it's VERY affordable. The food is A-MA-ZING.
For the penny pinchers, they are fine with SO MANY things to save: your own decorations, beautiful ceremony setup/take down, great in-house audio, and you have a staff helper to make sure your night is flowing exactly how you like or can extend a bit longer. Oh, and you can bring your own booze for a minimal cost. SOOOO great.
Seattle waterfront is beautiful setting and even with other boats going by, you never get seasick or anything close to choppy waves. Great evening temperature even in the heat of summer.

I had to plan my wedding from the distance and Shauna and Ellie from Skansonia were amazingly responsive. I got a response to my emails or calls the same day. If you are thinking of a ceremony outdoors, this place is really beautiful. We got married on the deck of the boat (80 guests) Also, we used their catering and we and our guests loved the food! Shauna was there on the day of our wedding making sure that all goes as planned. Thanks Shauna and Ellie!!

For couples looking to capture the Seattle and PNW vibe for their ceremony and reception we definitely recommend the M/V Skansonia. The view of the downtown skyline against Lake Union is hard to match at other venues. Another perk of the Skansonia is all of the in-house services such as catering, bartending, bakery, and florist all in one. This took a lot of stress off our backs! The only critique I have is that some minor menu and table arrangements were made the day of the ceremony without it being communicated to us (it seems the day-of-coordinator wasn't in the loop either), but the changes were only noticed by us and none of our guests. Afterward we communicated this to the venue, so I hope the issue has been corrected for future couples.

I really can't sing the praises of this venue enough. It's beautiful, we did any decorations, the food provided by the new catering company (the Ruins) was wonderful, and the staff were extremely warm and professional. Finni was our main point of contact, and she was a delight. She was flexible, responsive, and asked all the right questions to make sure we had every detail covered.

My husband and I absolutely loved the venue. It has a gorgeous view of the Seattle City Skyline, but even better than that, is the day of coordinator. Vicki was very helpful in taking over the day. She kept the party on track! Furthermore, it is basically an "all in one" venue. Decorations, food (which was absolutely delicious!), silverware etc. can be provided. Highly recommend.

This was absolutely the perfect venue for us! With many friends and family traveling for our wedding (more than half traveled from out of state!), what better way to show off our beautiful city than to be on a ferry w/ a view of the Space Needle across Lake Union? Aside from the perfect setting, everything else was spot on. The food was delicious! I would pick something and say "you must have _________", but there isn't just one thing! You can't go wrong w/ the menu. The space is well laid out to allow guests to move about easily, find a quiet spot, or even escape outside. The onsite staff were wonderful during the event. Perfectly kind and helpful all evening. Looking back, there is not a thing we would change and given the chance, we would do it all over again!

We were so happy with the Skansonia. We booked 18 months in advance to secure our Fourth of July date and the staff was kind enough to offer us the current year pricing. If you are booking this venue, book well ahead to get the best pricing.
When our big day drew closer, I was impressed with the tasting and planning process. Mikaela and Victoria were so helpful and accommodating and took the time to listen to us and really made everything work so well. On the day of, everything went off perfectly and I couldn't be happier. I wish they accepted credit cards. Our guests have told us many times since that the Skansonia was one of the best wedding venues they had been to.

We had 4 months to plan our wedding. Our wedding coordinator, Dann Richey, and the staff at The Skansonia made our wedding absolutely perfect. We appreciated that we could get a detailed breakdown of costs on the first meeting. We especially liked that they don't nickel and dime you to death. This is one stop shopping at its best. It was also great to have them do the catering, and also the cake (mini cupcakes in our case). The buffet got rave reviews from our hardest to please relatives!

This venue is a great value. We would highly recommend it.

My husband and I just got married at the Skansonia- the wedding and venue were wonderful!! We had a blast working with the Skansonia staff from the start- Shauna and Jen were incredibly helpful and accommodating- from specific requests on linen colors, to setting up our customized decorations, to arranging as many pre wedding appts as we desired to make sure our wedding day was well-organized and what we envisioned. They also coordinate with your vendors in advance to ensure a smooth day. On the day of, Jen created plates for us since we were so busy socializing with guests and enjoying our day. That was very much appreciated! The food was delicious, and you can bring your own alcohol on the boat which is a cost-saver.

The venue is gorgeous- the dance floor is lit up with vintage lights after the sun sets, and guests loved taking pictures with the Seattle skyline(and space needle) as the backdrop.

The only critiques I have were the long lines for the buffet and somewhat limited bathroom capacity, but I think with a bit more structure (tables going to buffet one at a time) this can definitely help!

I would absolutely recommend this vintage ferry- a wonderful way to celebrate a very special day and give out of town guests a unique taste of Seattle.

The Skansonia is a beautiful venue that is truly emblematic of Seattle, you have sweeping views of Downtown across Lake Union, and the venue itself has a great ambiance as a converted ferry boat. It was also super convenient to have an all-in-one type venue where decor, catering, bartending are all a package deal, and they have preferred vendors for floral and dessert which makes it easy to coordinate. I had initially a wedding scheduled in 2020 and the staff were very helpful and understanding to postpone to a later date and still honor initial pricing for catering. I would recommend attending multiple of the Landmark "open house" events in order to try their catering and meet partner vendors.

On this day last year, I was getting ready to marry my best friend. Ben and I had been to the Skansonia many times before our special day because, unlike many other venues, you can stop by anytime! When Ben and I first saw the MV Skansonia, we knew it was absolutely perfect for us. We had a nautical themed wedding and we wanted to be on the water. The MV Skansonia provided us with the perfect place to get married: 360 degree view of Lake Union, a vintage nautical theme, both indoor and outdoor space, ceremony and reception coverage as well as an attentive and charming staff.

Overall, the MV Skansonia exceeded our expectations! Ben and I had the absolute perfect wedding for us. The staff helped us customize our day to perfectly represent our love story and provided us with everything we needed. The food, drinks, environment and service was beyond our wildest dreams. Thank you, MV Skansonia, for giving us our perfect wedding day. We cannot recommend you enough.

From the moment we stepped onto the MV Skansonia, we were in love and knew we and to get married there. The boat has so much charm and was truly the perfect site for our wedding day. Our guests loved the location and we had a truly spectacular summer evening--just what we were hoping for. The staff did a fantastic job of coordinating everything to our liking and making everything feel so special. I was especially impressed by James and his hard work, especially since he started the job less than a week before our wedding! Thank you for everything you did to make our wedding memorable and wonderful!

If you want a truly unique venue for your wedding that embodies Seattle, go for the Skansonia! We loved the food, and the set up for the day and all went well even if the main coordinator could not be there for our wedding. I scored the Skansonia less for this as we didn't know it would happen until the day and that as a bride about to get married made me a little nervous. They were accomodating (although the boat set up is not all that accomodating so you have to go with a certain layout. But it works!) with us brining our own beverages and lots of decorations!! The value is a bit expensive but considering other venues, it is right on par for cost. The best part about this venue is the view. Its amazing and our guests were raving for weeks about how wonderful it was!

Very laid back staff that are confident in what they do. Jen was great at coordinating with us to make sure everything was taken care of. The food was absolutely amazing and you certainly can't beat the view! Most of our family came out of town and having our wedding at Skansonia was a perfect Seattle experience!

We had our wedding on the Skansonia 7/6/2014. Overall, we had an extremely positive experience with the staff and the venue. Here are a couple of points worth mentioning:

Food: On the day of, the food was DELICIOUS! We ordered the stuffed chicken (with and without prosciutto), couscous and quinoa salad, and gorgonzola and caramelized pear ravioli for the main courses. Everyone raved about how good these items were. Of note, the food that we tasted during one of their seasonal "tastings" for couples to be married was really not very good at all and was cause for some concern (also, they only provided about 1/2-3/4 of the menu at the tasting, so we couldn't taste everything). We are glad and thankful that the staff totally stepped up the quality for the day-of, though.

The staff: Mostly awesome. We had a flower girl wagon that started falling a part at the rehearsal and Jen was quick to step up and fixed it for us so that it looked beautiful the next day. However (again at the food tasting), we had a bad experience when the other main coordinator greeted us at the door. As I started telling her our names, she barked "Wedding date, please!" I felt that was a bit unprofessional and rude, considering we had met with her several time before. Our other interactions with the staff were all very respectable and cordial. I think the tasting must be a stressful day for everyone given how it went. The day of the wedding, all of the staff treated our guests with as much courtesy as we could have asked for.

Overall: This is a great venue with an absolutely stunning view. It doesn't have AC, so if you're lucky enough to get a sunny day, be prepared to pay for that in sweat on the dance floor. Also, there was a little trouble getting the venue to cooperate with the DJ (they wouldn't let him use the sound system for the boat, which was frustrating because our dinner music wasn't as good as it could be).

Overall, they really came through on the big day.

Gorgeous! We had our wedding here in early September. The boat is gorgeous and a really unique space that was perfect size for our intimate wedding and dinner. The food was good, but nothing too special. Having the coordinator included was a real help, although I did have to correct several of the things that we had settled beforehand. One thing that was a bit inconvenient (but understandable due to the nature of the venue) was that we were only allowed on (or any of our vendors) 1 hr before ceremony time. This was a bit hectic, but everything worked out and was great. The cost compared to other venues was really good. Being able to bring our own alcohol for them to serve saved us A LOT of money.

The venue is quite beautiful, but very time constrictive. Only one-hour for setup and then about 5 hours for the wedding including take-down. We made it work by employing many hands, but keep it in mind.
The food comes from the Lake Union Cafe and is very good. The base package includes a light meal (small plates) so make sure to add the extra food to your budget if you're looking for a full sized meal.
Our day-of rep was amazing and very helpful. Did not like working with the main manager. Some things we had talked about during our pre-wedding meeting did not occur on the wedding day, so talk about things loudly and often.

We loved the view and the vintage feeling of the venue. The only thing we would change is the amount of time to setup for the wedding and get pictures taken before your guests arrive. We felt rushed and that everything did not get set up on time as it could have if we were allotted another hour. Other than that, the food was great and Tamara and Shauna were wonderful to work with.

Just had our wedding here on 10-9-11. The team at the Skansonia was great, and all of our guests had a fabulous time at this unique venue. We chose to do it here because it was affordable, fun, and many of our out-of-town guests LOVED the Seattle skyline view! They have the ability to do both an indoor or outdoor ceremony, and we were able to do it outdoor. They also allowed us to bring on our own beer and wine (which they served) without charging a corkage fee. Would do it again there in a heartbeat! The food was delicious!

I was really happy we chose the Skansonia for our wedding. The pictures were great because it is such a unique venue. The food was great and the staff were all very responsive to my questions, emails that I had. It is really nice to book your venue and catering all in one stop. They don't give you very much time at all to set up or decorate so that is a little stressful on your wedding day.

The MV Skansonia is a beautiful venue with fabulous employees who took excellent care of us. They took care of all our food as well as our ceremony and reception. They also allowed for a rehearsal, which was nice. The menu selection and food taste were both awesome as was the presentation. They took great care of us on our perfect day and I would highly recommend using them!

For more than a year I researched all the venues in the Seattle-Metro area that could satisfy five very simple elements on my list:
1. A stunning view of the water
2. Affordable
3. Vintage and charming ambiance
4. Abundant and easy parking
5. Nice bathrooms (a lot of the city’s venue near the water had metal toilets! Ew!).
Beyond this, the Skansonia Ferry Boat is one of the most romantic and unique wedding venues in Seattle. We had a glamorous October evening wedding and everyone had a phenomenal time and the wedding was truly a unique experience for our guests who have been attending the wedding circuit for awhile now!
The food was delicious (the meat was tender, and everything else tasted fresh!).
Tamara and Shauna are amazing and took care of all the details! There was no high-pressure sale tactics and they are both warm and genuine people. My other vendors showed up, set up and I was allowed to be a carefree bride for the whole night.
There were only two challenging situations:
1. You only get an hour for all your vendors and decorations to set up, so make sure you have a clear and easy plan for what you want! Everything turned out beautifully for me, but it was definitely up to the last minute and I had the most amazing help!
2. I was upset about the bartender’s behavior - one of my bridesmaids had to ask the bartender to make “special” (i.e. non-alcoholic) drinks for one of my guests (who has mental issues) and had too much to drink. The bartender told my bridesmaid “it was an open bar and he couldn’t monitor who was drinking.” While I do not think it was his sole responsibility (as we had several people at the wedding watching my guest), the bartender could have attempted to help out a little more with this sensitive situation.

We were happy with the Skansonia as our wedding location. The view is absolutely breathtaking, the boat was VERY clean and well put together.

Additionally, the food was INCREDIBLE! The Skansonia was flexible with the food that we wanted, so they created a taco bar for us with strip steak, chicken, and vegetables. Our guests were raving about how great it was. The appetizers were also phenomenal. We had prawns and empanadas as well as chips and salsa and we were so pleased with all of them.

The best part of the day though had to be James - our day of coordinator. He was so wonderful. He was kind, he was hard working, and he really cared about us and made sure that our day was exactly perfect for us! He did a great job of directing everyone where to go, but not feeling overpowering or too aggressive. Also, he did everything in his power to get us what we needed (including my flats when my shoes were killing me:)).

The only thing we would have changed would be leading up to the wedding and two things on the day of. We were planning our wedding from out of town, so we had to do a lot of phone or email correspondance. Sometimes it felt like when we were calling and asking questions we were being a bother to them. They were also not super quick to respond.

Then, on the day of the wedding, they didn't do two things that we asked them to do in our prior calls. First, we asked them to use the bottles of beer we provided before the ceremony, then to tap the Keg, and then go back to bottles when the keg ran out (because we could save the bottles but not the keg). But, they NEVER tapped the keg, so we wasted $150 on a keg. Also, we asked them to reserve two tables next to our head table for our families, which also didn't happen. So, our family had to sit apart from us.

Overall, great, but the communication prior to the wedding should be improved and ensure that all details are executed (instead of wasting $150 on an untapped keg).

the Skansonia is a lovely place to have your wedding if you want it to have a real "Seattle" feel to it. The view are spectacular. We had our wedding in the middle of winter in the evening and it felt warm and cozy inside with outstanding views of the skyline outside on the deck. The food is pretty good; what you'd expect of a buffet. Nothing too special there. The staff is great, and knows what they are doing.

I would really love to give Skansonia 5/5. It is a beautiful venue and a great value overall! The way it is packaged with the catering, ceremony space, reception space, wedding cake/dessert options, and flower options, as well as a day of coordinator, is very organized and helpful for your wedding! The only reason I did not give 5/5 was that our day of coordinator had an emergency and could not be there for our wedding (we of course understand this!). The person who stepped in for her did not seem to have much experience with coordinating the ceremony and such (like how to have the attendants and children walk in and out and cueing the music) during the ceremony rehearsal. Victoria stepped in to support the day of the wedding with Makayla. Victoria was extremely helpful and really helped put my mind at ease and even created a new fake flower head for us when ours ended up going missing somehow. She really helped save our wedding day and we were so glad to have her there! We were slightly bummed that during our ceremony the dj was not cued at the right time and the ceremony music didn't start on time or loud enough. The music cueing and time and noise level did seem to be a problem during the ceremony. The dj had been instructed to wait for a cue to start the music and apparently didn't get the cues in time from the coordinator, but it is hard to know where the communication break down came in, at any rate this did not ruin our wedding:) the other rather unfortunate thing that took place was our cake topper falling off of a cake and shattering :(, but again this did not ruin our day. We loved our venue and the scenery was breathtaking! The weather held for us and the night air was perfect, warm but with a nice light breeze. The skyline looked amazing and our pictures are so perfect! Everyone loved the night and the food and drink service was right on point!
I would recommend the Skansonia to other brides, we just loved it's old world charm.

The venue is very nice location and a cute venue for a ferry, food is delicious though a bit on the expensive side, they were slow to get food out and put it away early. They offer cake cutting service, though they dont know how to cut cakes and werent getting the cake out fast enough so over half our guests didnt get any cake cause they thought it was gone. The staff on board gives mixed messages and will say they can do things and often dont get them done, or absolutely refuse to do things that could easily be accommodated, like how the bridesmaids entered. Also there was limited time on the venue for decorating, and limited time for the day.
They also promised to make a to go box of food for us, and it wasnt ready till well after we were gone even though they knew for months before the event when we were going to be leaving. So we never got to really eat on our wedding day.