Renaissance Minneapolis Hotel, The Depot

My husband and I were married at The Depot in August 2018 (I fully intended to write this review much earlier, but clearly time got away from me!). We expected a lot of family and friends to be traveling to Minnesota from out of town and for the first time, so we wanted a venue that was impressive, attached to a hotel, and centrally located in the Twin Cities, with easy access from MSP Airport. The Depot met all our criteria. Serving as a train depot in its prior life, it was historic, classic, and beautifully restored, with the original marble floors, high ceilings, and grand ballroom that we wanted (we had our ceremony and cocktail hour in the Winter Garden and our reception in the Great Hall). As the venue's name implies, it's also now a Marriott hotel, and it was newly renovated just before our wedding, so the hotel lobby and rooms were outfitted with all the modern amenities and aesthetics. The venue is also in Downtown Minneapolis, just a short walk from a light rail station, so we knew our out-of-town guests could access it easily.

The staff was amazing from the very beginning: responsive, attentive, flexible, and able to anticipate all our needs. I never had any trouble reaching our primary contacts at the hotel, and they gave us a discount on our wedding suite for the night before our wedding (it was free the night of the wedding, of course), since I wanted to stay at the hotel with my bridesmaids before our nuptials. The staff also outfitted the bridal suite with an abundant amount of full-length mirrors and chairs (at no extra charge) to ensure the ladies and I had everything we needed to get ready for the big day.

As for the food (which really is what most guests remember anyhow), everyone who came to our wedding still tells us how amazing it was. We opted for the most expensive food package to meet our minimum (we had a small wedding of about 75-80 guests). This included crab and shrimp on ice, many passed hors d'oeuvres, a salad course, a choice of beef/fish/vegetarian entrees for our guests, and a champagne toast. However, we were able to try a variety of hors d'oeuvres, entrees, and wines at our tasting, so even if we had gone with a more mid-range food package, the food still would have been delicious. (The Depot does large, elaborate tasting events about four times per year in their main ballroom, where you'll be able to sample most of the menu offered and peruse other wedding items from local vendors (cake, flowers etc.). This is drastically different from many other venues, which typically only allow you to try a handful of items during a tasting.)

All in all, my husband and I couldn't have asked for a better wedding venue. If you choose The Depot, you won't be disappointed!