Pinewood Weddings and Events Reviews

I cannot recommend Pinewood enough. The staff are absolutely amazing and great at communicating. They were so flexible given the constant changes with COVID-19. The venue itself is gorgeous. They thought of everything when building pinewood. Future couples, you will not regret booking Pinewood

Pinewood was completely outstanding. From the amazing architecture to the lovely owners and managers, this venue was an absolute dream. They had very prompt with communication and extremely accommodating with covid. They helped me through every step of the planning process and helped me set up the day of. I cannot say enough good things about this beautiful place. I will never forget our day here, it was simply magical!

I am the mother of the bride and wanted to let couples know that although this venue is new, the owners are experienced with years of wedding and event experience and it shows. When my daughter wanted to reserve the space when it hadn't even been built, I understandably had some reservations. I have had 3 of my other children get married in the past 4 years and I know how pricey and unpredictable weddings can be. However after seeing the plans and meeting the team, I knew we could rest assured and immediately reserved the space. I'm so glad I did as this incredible venue will book quickly.

When I recently toured the facility I actually got teary and experienced a strong feeling of peace and gratitude. The setting is like no other with the tall pines and greenery all around. The windows let in light and make the outdoors part of the entire experience even if you choose not to use the outdoor chapel or have a winter wedding a my daughter chose to do.

Kate and Tony mentioned that they wanted to make sure that the many small things that made renting a venue frustrating were not an issue with Pinewood Wedding and Events. Their expertise shows as all the little details ensure you need not worry about every little thing because they have already anticipated them! For instance, there are no hidden fees which I, as MOB, appreciated. Everything is transparent and they answer any questions immediately. Also, they provide a list of wonderful recommended vendors but can use your own choice if desired. (You do have to use their bartender if you wish to have alcohol, but they have been great.) We also love the Bridal Suite and Groom's Room which are beautifully appointed with everything you need to get ready right on site!

The chapel upstairs sealed the deal as it was so easy to do everything in one place. This is a venue a short distance from the Twin Cities and the airport, while also being away from the hustle and bustle. Our guests will love the convenience and beauty of this sweet town.

In short, if you are hesitating on reserving the space for your wedding, take it from me! This is my fourth wedding in five years (a son and three daughters) and I'm so glad to be celebrating at this beautiful venue. Go see it! Words and pictures aren't enough.

Can't recommend Pinewood enough.

I was matron of honor for a winter wedding here and it was fantastic. The ceremony space (whether you do indoor or outdoor) is separate from the reception space, so there's no awkward room shuffle like at a lot of weddings I've been in.

There is also a mini fridge you can use in the bride's room and grooms room, which is great to keep snacks cold for the wedding party. And a sink, and both rooms are stunning.

The building itself is GORGEOUS and located in the woods, only 5 mins from the hotel & groom's dinner. It was really nice to not have to drive far.

I worked with the Beckers on 3 family weddings now - what sets them apart from many others in the industry is that they're truly wedding experts that love their work and are consistent with their brand, not just event space owners. They help keep wedding stress low, which after 5 family weddings in 5 years, I have noticed is easier said than done. 😂

Pinewood was an absolute dream! My husband and I booked Pinewood back in February for a September wedding, and it was done with quite a bit of faith as the venue had not been built yet. Because the venue had not been built, there was still several questions we had as the unknown made it a bit more challenging to plan, but goodness, it was worth it! We worked very closely with their venue manager, Krysta, who is an absolute gem and answered all of our questions as they arose. They finished the venue just on time and it blew us out of the water with how beautiful and serene it is. There's no question as to why this venue is quickly becoming the most popular and beautiful place for a Minnesota wedding.

Truly, I can't rave enough about Pinewood. I loved working with the team, and was so encouraged by their concern for making our big day absolutely perfect!

A venue can be everything you make it to be - so while there are some negative reviews, I would encourage anyone reading these to not to let it deter you from Pinewood. There are often two sides to every story, and as the bride of a wedding at Pinewood, I can assure you - our day was perfect, and the planning process with Pinewood was seamless (although, I truly encourage you to book a wedding planner - I could not have done it without mine).

Pinewood was amazing to work with and the property is BEAUTIFUL. They communicated well throughout the whole process, truly had no hidden fees, cared about our preferences and cared about us as a couple. Our guests had a great time and loved the venue. We would recommend Pinewood to anyone!

Pinewood. Is. Perfect. I knew I wanted our wedding there before we even got engaged. It was the biggest no brainer!!! Krysta was absolutely amazing. We came out to the venue as many times as we needed and she was very flexible with time. She is just the sweetest soul and reassured me about any little concern that I had. The venue itself is just so complete that we had to do the least with decorating, which was perfect because I always dreamed of a minimalistic wedding and always worried about finding a venue in MN that would be gorgeous enough for me not to have to do extra decorating to make it looks just how I want it. Well. Now it exists and I’m SO happy it was built just in time for our wedding. I feel so incredibly blessed with this venue and it’s staff. They did an amazing job and were there the whole day of the wedding asking us if there’s anything we need help with/cleanup. Our day was more than perfect. I wouldn’t change a single thing. Thank you Kate and Tony for creating the MOST beautiful venue in Minnesota, and Krysta for managing better than anyone else could. You guys are awesome!!!! - Kris Grigoriev

We had the most magical, flawlessly executed, relaxing and happy wedding day. This is in huge part thanks to Kate, Tony, and the rest of the Pinewood team. Throughout the entire booking process, the Pinewood team was quick and clear in their responses even with multiple folks on my end asking the same questions multiple times. They were very patient and flexible and made the entire process a breeze.

I think one of the biggest things I appreciated was the time they allowed us to use the space after the rehearsal dinner. We had a big group who set up 100% of the decor the night before, which made the next day so easy. I really appreciate Kate and Tony's grace in handling such a large group and allowing us to run around despite the rehearsal being over. It gave me such a great peace of mind knowing that everything was prepared for the next day and that myself and my family/friends had minimal setting up the next day.

The wedding day itself was truly a dream. Kate and Tony again were gracious and welcoming and offered help with anything we needed. Vendors were able to easily get everything set up and coordinated thanks to the Pinewood team. The bridal suite was such a great perk since I had a very large group getting ready that morning. There was more than enough room and mirror space and it meant so much to me that I could get ready with my loved ones without having to rush to a different venue for ceremony or rehearsal.

The venue itself and the surrounding woods are just incredible. We received so many compliments from our guests on how beautiful and unique the venue is, and even comments on how sweet Tony and Kate are. They have thought of every little detail, from the mini fridges in the suites to the coat closet, to the open lobby and separate ceremony and reception space. Even though it was December, a lot of guests wandered outside to the patio since Pinewood had a fire going as well as heaters. This was the perfect place for our cozy winter wedding. It's incredible how at home everyone felt here, and I wanted to thank Kate and Tony for that. Thank you for making our day so special!

I found Pinewood through its promo video before it was completely built and, technically, since before I was even engaged! They have a gorgeous indoor, as well as outdoor, ceremony space, and the ceremony and reception areas are separate but flow together easily, which is why I chose this venue. It's a perfect option when if you want to be out side the city but not TOO far outside. Also, the bridal/grooms suites are PERFECT! Even though the building is a bit modern for my usual taste, something about it captured by attention the moment I discovered it. Every corner both indoors and outdoors makes a perfect backdrop for an event to unfold and be captured in stunning photos. Not much decor is needed because the natural setting is so beautiful, although I did include a variety of antiques in my tablescapes to help warm and soften the clean modern lines and general black-and-white palette of the place. For me, the highlight of Pinewood was turning the corner around the front of the building and being awed by the immensely tall trees rising above the ceremony space. The Pinewood team is also lovely to work with and were kind and understanding through all the difficulties of wedding planning last year. Though I was frustrated that this venue limited me to a small selection of catering and bar options (making even the lowest-priced vendors fairly high), the choices they offer are top-notch and we couldn't be happier with how everything came together. I wanted my wedding atmosphere to be moody and magical, elegant yet relaxed, and Pinewood was the perfect setting!

It’s as pretty as it looks but we had a really disappointing experience when first attempting to book our date. After several emails and miscommunication, the owners reached out to us to get our feedback and apologize for what had happened. We were so impressed with the humility and desire Tony and Kate had to make things right that we decided to move forward in having our wedding at Pinewood. Looking forward to having our wedding on this beautiful property!

I recently was a personal attendant at Pinewood for a friend's wedding. Although the building and structure is absolutely beautiful, I was unimpressed by the staff there and their lack of professionalism. Upon arrival, neither of the three staff present greeted us, nor introduced themselves. Once the bride arrived (10-20min) later, they greeted her.
While setting up the reception hall, neither of the three asked if we needed help or offered any type of help; they mostly just stood around and talked to each other. It was a little confusing as to what their role at Pinewood actually was. As the day went on, the girls did seem to get more comfortable with asking us questions or coming up to us personal attendants.
I would highly recommend that staff be trained in as to what is expected. The girls working there appeared young and inexperienced based on how shy they were. Although they were really nice, for a place at that price, it would be nice to see a more trained, confident staff working there.

Really nice venue. But management was very aggressive. amount other things. They would follow people into the restroom. Follow people into the coat room. Some of the staff was rude. They just cut off the groomsmen from drinking. When asked why they cut off one of the groomsmen, they could not provide a good explanation or reason.

The property is beautiful. The staff and bartenders were rude and unaccommodating. I can't recommend anyone book this place and spend 10k to be treated with disrespect the way we were.

The Pinewood Wedding Center in Cambridge, MN is beautiful; however, for the cost of renting their site at just under $10,000 (literally), I recommend anyone planning a wedding there consider the following (long) list of difficulties we encountered (and yes, I emailed the ownership a list of suggestions after the wedding.) Sadly, I did not receive the open response I had hoped for to the no cost or very low cost suggestions that would help brides, grooms & their parents/families on the one extremely important dream day in their lives. The email was sent in the spirit of trying to help a very young couple get their business off the ground, especially since they advertise their site as being designed to encompass all the things they looked for (but could not find) in a venue when they were looking for their own wedding venue.
This list of suggestions is provided to help prepare others choosing this venue to arrive prepared rather than having to punt and go purchase these items on your own due to the venue not providing them or offering to assist with problem solving when asked if they had items available on site (e.g. when asked about an iron, we were told no irons were available on site, then when wedding party/or family members inquired about the availability of a steamer as a substitute, they learned that too, was unavailable). Another unfortunate aspect of our experience at Pinewood includes the fact that many of these suggested (low cost or no cost) "amenities" were not seen by ownership or staff as helpful on our big day; rather they were ignored, deemed unworthy of a response (I received a response from them, but unfortunately it did not address any of my suggestions or requests). Please remember, I have nothing to gain personally from this review - this info is intended to benefit others (just as my email to ownership was intended to benefit them).
Here is our family's list of suggestions for others who may choose Pinewood:
1. Take an iron and an ironing board-neither are available (the bridal suite and groom's suite are on different floors, so you may want to take one for each room).
2. Ditto the above with a steamer (or two).
3. Take 3-4 large fans: The Bridal suite/changing room is large, but has numerous mirrored make up stations that pump out an enormous amount of heat (it was a perfect 73 degrees outside on this wedding day!) There is no direct sunlight into that room, but it never got below 74 degrees in the room, frustrating the bridal party & vendors trying to do hair & make-up on perspiring bridal party members. The room temp hovered most of the day around 76-77 degrees (until we attempted to solve the problem on our own) and after having been met by ownership & staff with another "No, we don't have those" response when requesting fans. (Yes, the A/C was on, and I turned down to 67 degrees.) When fans were requested, but unavailable, we left the site to purchase some on our own, opened up the bridal suite doors to blow cool air into a hot room, which helped “cool" things off to 74 degrees.
4. If you choose to open up the bridal suite glass doors leading to the small outdoor deck to attempt to get a cross breeze, take your own door stops, those weren't available either when we asked.
5. Take several very large coolers and ice should you choose to bring food for the bridal party to eat throughout the day. The bridal suite has a small dorm-sized refrigerator in it. Although the bride's parents provided ample food & drinks for all throughout the day, large quantities had to be thrown out due to lack of available refrigeration. Drinks were room temperature (74 degrees) and no ice is available. The Groom's suite has a small apartment sized refrigerator (larger than a dorm-sized fridge) and was able to hold some of their uneaten food & drink (albeit it is a rather small refrigerator too).
6. Take curtains (quite literally) for the groom's suite. The huge glass window (floor to ceiling, I believe) are not covered and when these wedding party members are changing clothes, those walking by can (again, quite literally) see straight into the room during the daylight & evening hours. This room is located on the main path leading to the outdoor ceremony area...it's, a beautiful place, but without several crucial details such as this having been attended to, it leaves some people (wedding attendants changing clothes and wedding guest passersby) feeling quite exposed, embarrassed, and/or vulnerable.
7. Take your own bottles of water, paper cups, paper plates, napkins and plastic cutlery to use throughout the day as the site provides none of these things (easily available at any local Dollar General or similar store). Although both suites have cupboards in them, they were stocked with lightbulbs, and when various members of the wedding party asked about the desired items, the familiar response came again "No, we don't have those, but we have a water fountain on 1st floor you can use."
Note: There is a sink w/running water in both suites and a drinking faucet on the 1st floor near the restrooms (a bit inconvenient for the bridal party suite located on the 2nd floor).
Secondary note: They do provide paper towels, toilet paper and kleenex in both suites.
8. If your ceremony is held outside &/or your wedding pictures will occur outdoors, beware of the landscaping selected for their walking paths: Wood chips. My suggestion is for Pinewood to lay down an inexpensive pea gravel to avoid having the bride (and her attendants and family members) spend an inordinate amount of time trying to disentangle the wood chips out of the bottom of her dress, the train &/or her veil. If outdoors, reasonable people expect their dresses to get dirty at the bottom, so that particular aspect was not problematic - they expected the bottoms of their dresses to get dirty. But the wood chips were problematic throughout the time outdoors (they are on all walking paths and the ceremony area where most pictures will likely be taken).
9. Bring a small step stool (or perhaps two - one for each wedding party suite) to be used by young Ring Bearers, Flower Girls and Junior Bridesmaids of short stature. The toilets, sinks to wash hands, etc. are adult-sized and not designed for smaller guests/participants (this is totally understandable); however, when the ownership &/or coordinators were asked if a small step stool was available for a small ring bearer to use, the response was "No, we don't have that here.” Once again, there were no offers to help problem-solve or assist in any way.
10. Consider hiring an outside coordinator/planner or put a trusted, detail-oriented family member/friend in charge of wedding details prior to and while at the site. Since the bride and her parents were a bit "distracted" on their big day, several unfortunate things occurred:
a) Ceremony programs were not passed out (or given to the ushers to hand out to guests). In fact, this item was never addressed by any of their coordinators on the wedding day and the Bride and her parents forgot (it turns out they don’t plan weddings for a living and they got a bit distracted with other details needing attention). It’s not exactly earth shattering, of course, but we’ve been left wondering why none of their various coordinators/staff ever inquired about ceremony programs.
b) No site coordinator was available when the ceremony began to assist the wedding party with last minute concerns. As a family member/participant that walked down the aisle, I managed to have a groomsman hand me his sunglasses at the last minute, pass out kleenex to bridesmaids & family members, provide instruction to an usher with a last second question, and had to instruct the wedding party on trying to “time” their departures down the aisle, walk slowly, etc. To be fair, the wedding coordinator may have arrived after I walked down the aisle.
*Note: The wedding coordinator was very attentive to the Bride and asked numerous times throughout the day how she was doing (this did not occur for other wedding party attendants or family members). I suggest adjusting your expectations as a wedding party attendant or family member to address this issue w/Pinewood in advance (or procure a detail oriented family member to perform this type of task). This aspect was not included in the nearly $10,000 cost involved on our particular wedding day. Another crucial customer service feature (and suggestion I have for Pinewood) is for the site’s various coordinators to ask how all family & guests are doing AND if they can help them (and then, of course, actually follow-through with some helpful problem-solving during the time it is needed - on the wedding day).
c) Last minute additions for a few decor items (presented by the bride upon arrival at 9:15 a.m.) were not welcome by the coordinators. The bride had been surprised the night before at the rehearsal dinner with five 16x20 engagement pictures in large embroidery hoops hung with twine. The bride so enjoyed this surprise gift and wanted them displayed at the wedding venue (near the card basket/gift table, or on the guest book table, or on the wedding cake display table). The venue has white (mostly blank) walls that would've highlighted these (very light-weight) pictures beautifully. While this is not an exact quote (as I was standing off to the side during this interaction and only clearly heard a part of the response), the coordinator's response was something to the effect of "I think we have enough [decoration]." The bride acquiesced, but was clearly disappointed and needed to go upstairs to start getting ready for her big day so she left this matter alone. (My regret is not returning later and quietly approaching the coordinator myself with this request and emphasizing that I could prop them on the backs of any of the above mentioned tables, by leaning them against a blank, white wall so they wouldn't fall down.) Given the situation, I'm not sure why anyone wouldn't just do this on their own now that I’ve tipped you off! These types of things can easily be done by owners & coordinators dedicated to pleasing a bride with reasonable accommodations & legitimate requests (I want to be clear this is not a demanding, selfish bride - she was not making outlandish demands of the owners/coordinators).
d) Insist on and plan to have a rehearsal built into the early part of your wedding day - unless you would like to spend the extra $2,000 dollars required by Pinewood to rehearse the day before your wedding. No on-site rehearsal was planned and although the wedding party ran through the verbal ceremony instructions the night before, it was not done on site at Pinewood. Another easy (free!) fix would be to include a rehearsal run-through at the site, earlier in the day (although many things must be attended to on the wedding day, it sure would've helped things to run more smoothly during the ceremony if a brief rehearsal was included in the nearly $10,000 price tag.) My suggestion to the ownership & staff was/is to be aware that wedding ceremony & reception details like this is their everyday business - the bride, groom, and their families do NOT do this every day. Hiring their site coordinators did not include their attention to these types of details.
11) My overall message to the ownership & staff was one of "I'd like to make a few low- or no-cost suggestions to improve your renters & guests experience while at your venue." I have nothing to personally gain with this (lengthy) review other than to hopefully assist those who choose Pinewood as well as those who work at Pinewood. It was and is presented in the spirit of wanting to help them grow their young business through the provision of several constructive suggestions (along with my thanks and appreciation for the things that went as planned). Although I wish my feedback had been received in that same spirit, it wasn't until I shared my intentions to post reviews on relevant wedding websites, that I got an email informing me that my suggestions and concerns had been discussed (“[we] had the opportunity to discuss those recommendations you sent at our team meeting yesterday.”) No specifics were given regarding what was discussed or how it might be helpful.
I asked them to please seriously consider these additional items since they were issues for us during the course of our day at their venue:
1) Perhaps scotch-guarding their mostly all-white/cream furniture (a spill the approximate size of my closed fist) had occurred on a couch. At the end of the night when I was assisting with clean up, tear down, etc. I was approached by one of the coordinators. I was informed that they would try to get the stain out, that they took pictures of the stain, and may be keeping the damage deposit if the stain could not be removed. In their email response to my concerns, Pinewood stated that they plan to return the damage deposit to the Bride as they were able to remove the stain.
2) Perhaps Pinewood owners and staff could consider adjusting their expectations for spills/accidents when large numbers of visitors gather in the same location (perhaps expect 1-2 spills/accidents per event?), and particularly when children are also guests.
3) Possibly Pinewood could consider attempting to differentiate between accidents and intentional or reckless behaviors from their guests. I want to be clear with this item because it is a relevant factor: There were no seriously intoxicated guests at this wedding and you'd be surprised at the low number of guests who drank alcohol (this was a wedding with a predominantly conservative evangelical Christian group of guests so it wasn't exactly a wild, out of control group!) I share these details so that those choosing this site can adjust their own expectations in advance as to how Pinewood may respond to any spills that may occur during your big day or should you have any slightly intoxicated guests. Now that you know of their response to our wedding guests, perhaps you can attempt to address this factor with Pinewood in advance of your event and reach a reasonable agreement with them regarding their beliefs about and responses to spills/accidents (as well as intentional recklessness that causes actual destruction.) In all fairness, I would want my guests to treat my furniture respectfully, too, so I don’t see any problem with that. I regularly host large parties/gatherings myself and accidental spills will occur.
4) Consider that those partaking of the food & drink (per the contract, I believe) included various owners & staff (I'm uncertain of the types of beverages the staff had, but their response email assumed that I was stating alcohol was consumed by staff - something that I never thought or stated in my email). As a result, it was unable to be determined what stained the furniture or who spilled.
I have additional suggestions, but I've certainly kept you long enough and hope that you find this information helpful and that it is received in the spirit in which it was intended. I wish you happiness (that includes reasonable expectations!) on your big day. Happy wedding planning to all. Enjoy it- for it is the ride of a lifetime!