Polaris Hall was the perfect wedding venue for my daughter. We really appreciated how easy it was to work with Leslie, how quick she was to respond to questions and help us (we were extra pesky because my daughter was out of the country, so there was a lot of back-and-forth during planning).

I appreciated how upfront the costs were. Every other place we visited had hidden fees (for lights, for music, for outside catering, you name it). We had toyed with the idea of self-catering (so glad we didn't do that!), so it was really nice that we could reserve a spot and decide later about catering. We did end up adding two hours to the 8-hour rental, which gave the caterers plenty of time, and also meant it was easier for us to get in before the off-site ceremony to do a little decorating (twinkly lights on tables, flowers...)

For the party, the layout is great. The kitchen is much bigger than many of the sites we visited, so the caterers like it (and if we had self-catered, it would have been a godsend). There are three extra rooms downstairs, the bar room, and the hallway--it made for a much more pleasant party. People who needed a quiet break could retreat to quiet spaces, and come back into the ballroom for cake or a little dancing.

The ballroom is really quite lovely--our party started at 6 PM. When we arrived, sunlight was streaming in through the second-story ballroom windows. As the sun set, the chandeliers gave off a soft light. It was really just lovely.

Our only complaint: We really wish they'd kept the old name, North Star Ballroom!

Leslie is wonderful to work with! North Star is a cute place at a great price, when looking for venues so many we found charged corkage fees for bringing in your own alcohol on top of the already high price of the venue itself, but North Star Ballroom doesn't have any of those weird hidden costs. They provide tables and chairs which they set up and break down, and Leslie was really flexible with us coming to see the venue a few times before the wedding and having our rehearsal at the venue.

We knew immediately that North Star was our venue when we took a tour. We really loved their flexibility (no preferred or required vendors!), as well as their responsiveness, the low price, and the charming decor and character of the space itself. Because you get the entire building to use for your event, we were able to have a bridal ready room, a childcare room, a spot for our photobooth in the separate bar room, and a full kitchen for our caterers to use.