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”
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.
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, and it was a gorgeous space for this wedding celebration.
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
• 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.
• 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
• 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.
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
Northeast Minneapolis park for wedding ceremony
For a wedding ceremony, they chose Gluek Park, in the heart of Northeast Minneapolis and next to the Mississippi. It is hard to find a space that feels so intimate and private in the middle of the warehouse and residential space of Northeast, but Gluek Park is a stunning little jewel.
Must-Have Dive Bar Photos
If you get married at a dive bar, please make sure to have your photos in the dive bar. That includes some photos with the awesome old school exterior, the inside (hopefully some sort of booth situation) and a meat raffle if at all possible.
Planning a Dive Bar wedding in Minneapolis?
If you are looking for a photographer for your Minneapolis dive bar wedding, I’d love to connect with you! My Wisconsin heart loves a good booth and neon signs!