Weddings and receptions have evolved in the last few generations. The grandparents of today were – statistically speaking – almost certainly married in a church, and the reception was held in the church basement, a local VFW, or perhaps a golf club or special event center. And while plenty of people still opt for the traditional route, it is becoming increasingly common to do something different. In fact, it sometimes seems almost like a contest – similar to the pink/blue gender reveal baby showers we keep hearing about – to see who can host the most outrageous event: barefoot on the beach in the Caribbean, hanging from zip ties in Costa Rica, or in full cosplay mode in your own backyard.
At The Red Door Resort on the beautiful north shore of Lake Mille Lacs in Aitkin, Minnesota, we meet you somewhere in the middle. We don’t have a chapel or a clubhouse off the 18th green of a posh Country Club. We also don’t offer zip ties, bouncy castles, superhero costumes (though you’re welcome to bring your own!) We are simply your premier Minnesota lake wedding venue… particularly post-Labor Day.
Just picture it: all your guests in one place – not just for the ceremony, and not just for the reception, but for the whole night (or even the entire weekend!) The Red Door Resort offers a unique opportunity for a lakeside wedding and an all-to-yourself reception venue – including lodging! Nobody has to drive anywhere. When your guests arrive on our property, they can hand their keys to the keymaster and settle in for night or weekend. It’s a weekend stay with all your family and friends in an intimate all-to-yourself setting.
If you book the whole resort (which we recommend so that Johnny Fisherman from one cabin over isn’t trying to hit on your Aunt Jean after she’s had a couple of drinks), you’ve got the entire 12-acre property to yourselves. Your ceremony can be set up lakeside (you can even do it on the beach and pretend it’s the French Riviera). Just imagine the fall colors of the leaves and the gentle waves of majestic Lake Mille Lacs at your feet. Honestly, not sure you could do any better in terms of a picturesque setting. And if you rent a large event tent to pitch on the lawn, your guests are all set for an evening of dinner and dancing, rain or shine.
When it comes to Mille Lacs wedding venues, outdoor lake weddings, and Minnesota lake weddings, you really can’t do much better. But can we really handle all your guests? Absolutely!
- 3 three-bedroom/two-bathroom cabins (7 people each)
- 8 two-bedroom/one-bathroom cabins (5 people each)
- 1 motel family suite (up to 13 people)
- A bunch of motel rooms (2-4 people per room)
Total occupancy of 103 of your family and friends, all of whom can gather for 48 hours of laughs, fellowship, relaxation, partying, and celebration!
Here’s the best part: our fee system empowers you to get used of the venue for no cost to you! How is that possible? Well, the fee for the entire property – including the 96-person event center that’s perfect for the Groom’s Dinner and wedding-day appetizers, café with a commercial kitchen to which your caterers will have full access, all cabins, and motel rooms, and as many harbor slips as you might need) from Friday to Sunday is $10,000. You could pay that yourself and let your guests stay for free, of course, but guests aren’t expecting you to pick up the tab for their accommodations. So, when they book and pay for a cabin or room, we deduct that cost from your fee – and if your party fills the resort for both nights, you’ve essentially covered the $10,000 cost, meaning you pay nothing toward the venue cost!
Look, we can’t provide everything, so there are a few things to consider outside of the resort rental:
- Food (remember that your caterer can use our commercial kitchen)
- Alcohol (we have a strong beer/wine license – and can even arrange to serve beer/wine for your event – but we do not have a full liquor license)
- Large tents
- DJ / Dance Floor (if you desire in tent)
- Porta Potties (available for extra cost)
- Pontoon rental(s)
- Decorations / floral arrangement, etc
We recommend the weekend after Labor Day and running through mid-October. Anything earlier will run into availability issues given the popularity of our resort during the summer months; anything later invites too much weather-related risk (though if you’re up for an outdoor winter wedding, so are we!)
Excited yet? We are! Book now your fall wedding: 2021 is filling fast, but 2022 is wide open.
