Minneapolis Dive Bar Wedding at Grumpy’s Northeast – Alicia and Bill

At some point in the evening, Bill had a beer in one hand and said “I don’t know why we didn’t do this before”

dive bar wedding couple in sunlit trees by minneapolis park after their wedding
Summer sunshine for Bill and Alicia’s wedding at Gluek park – a classy start to their dive bar wedding

Sometimes wedding planning is about anticipating details and expenses and emotions and logistics. It can be easy to lose site of how much fun you can have, surrounded by everyone you care most about, celebrating with the person you love best.

Alicia and Bill clearly had this balance in mind when they planned their amazing Northeast Minneapolis wedding – casual park wedding under the trees, a little walking with their close friends for a quick drink, and then a reception at Grumpy’s bar Northeast.

couple embrace in minneapolis park before their summer wedding
I live for moments like this – Alicia and Bill, seeing each other for the first time. No frills needed.

Let me just be clear. When I say that their wedding was in a dive bar, I mean that in the totally loving and awesome way that anyone should describe Grumpy’s Northeast. It is a local, it is so northeast, it is welcoming and dark and has booths that squeak slightly.

bride and groom in grumpys dive bar in northeast minneapolis during wedding
Yeah its a dive bar. Alicia and Bill made Grumpy’s classy as hell.

Amazing things about a dive bar wedding:

• The looming potential for a meat raffle. Despite growing up in Wisconsin, I had never heard of meat raffles until I moved to Minneapolis. The met raffle sadly had to be postponed, but the mere chance of winning meat in a game of chance remains delightful to me

minneapolis dive bar wedding couple in booth at grumpys northeast
Midwest dive bars are the best

• Beer and lounging whenever you need a break. Alicia and Bill took a few moments to grab a drink and sit in a booth together, away from their guests chatting in the outside space. Its rare in a wedding to have so many quiet conversations with your spouse.

couple dance outside grumpys bar in northeast minneapolis for wedding
A first dance

• Dancing under the stars. Alicia and Bill planned for amazing music, and their DJ CHristy Costello definitely obliged. Dancing on grass, with Grumpy’s behind them, in the twilight, is one of my personal favorite moments from their wedding

mn dive bar wedding groom and maid of honor laugh at cocktail hour
Hilarious notes were exchanged during the extended cocktail hour.

• Time to enjoy their guests. They had an extended cocktail hour and had real time to hang out with their guests. Long conversations, guests meeting each other, dogs hanging out and dancing with kids running around.

happy couple at minneapolis parks wedding in northeast minneapolis
These two are perfectly, casually, classically paired.

Ceremony: Gluek park
Reception: Grumpy’s Northeast
Music: DJ Christy Costello
Food: Holy Land
Bouquets and Boutonnieres: Bloom & Buttercup
Dress: Davie & Chiyo
Cake: Dairy Queen