As the years pass, you and your guests won’t remember the specifics about every little thing about your wedding — but you will all remember how your wedding felt. The ambiance of a wedding venue leaves a much more lasting memory than almost anything else.

Creating a great ambiance is not as simple as securing a luxury wedding venue and calling it a day. A venue having nice amenities and costing a lot does not guarantee that it will feel right for you.

Creating great wedding ambiance is about striking a balance between the existing feel of your venue with its amenities, the way you decorate it, how you light it, the music you have playing in between your big highlight moments, and even something as seemingly minor as the chairs everyone sits in.

Establishing a venue’s ambience can be difficult for someone who is not necessarily familiar with how different design elements go together to establish a feeling in a space. That’s why it pays to embrace venues in Minneapolis like the Lumber Exchange Event Center that offer the services of experienced planners — they can make your wedding feel the way it’s supposed to.

Creating Your Ideal Atmosphere

In order to give your guests an unforgettable wedding and reception, you need to give them sensory experiences. Give them something to look at, something to hear, something to taste and smell, and give them tactile comfort within the space.

Your menu will cover smell and taste. Your choice of music will cover the sound both during your ceremony and at your reception — note that even if you want a live band for the dancing portion of the evening, having a DJ to play some music while your guests eat or mingle at a cocktail hour can help maintain a level of auditory ambiance that is pleasant for everyone at your event.

But what about the other senses? How can you make use of them to create an unforgettable atmosphere?

Read More: How to Choose Music for Your Wedding Reception 

Start with a Style

Before you book a luxury wedding venue, consider what style you want to be the base for the atmosphere of your big day. Is sleek, modern minimalism your style? Or maybe you are more of a cozy, rustic couple. If you have a more traditional sensibility, stick with a more classic theme.

No matter the style you prefer, finding a venue that can fit into that style will go a long way toward establishing ambiance.

For example, a venue with lots of rich wood features will go a long way to establishing a rustic feel.

Light the Lights

Good lighting helps to not only set a mood, but helps subtly direct your guests’ eyes to where you want them to look. It doesn’t matter how nice a room is, if it is bathed in plain white fluorescent light, it will feel cheap and tacky.

Many historic wedding venues will have lighting designed to highlight the features of the space that made them so highly sought after in the first place.

Newer, more technologically advanced venues will have adjustable lighting setups that allow you to adjust the brightness of the lights.

Still other venues can utilize lighting design techniques that you might find in the world of live theater — combining subtle warm and cold colors to evoke certain emotions as soon as your guests enter the room.

The Power of Architecture and Layout

When choosing a venue, consider the number of guests you expect to have. A space that is too small will leave your guests feeling cramped and uncomfortable. A space that’s too large will make it seem like a lot of people cancelled on you and create an undercurrent of pity during your reception.

Additionally, the way a room is built and the way your tables, chairs, food stations, and other areas of interest are laid out will have an immense effect on your guests.

Setting up the venue with clear, intuitive traffic paths will make it easy for everyone to get where they want to go without having to push through bunched up groups of guests.

Making it easy for your guests to move in, out, and around your venue will help them feel relaxed and allow them to enjoy the celebration of your love. The architecture and layout of a venue is not something a lot of people will think about, but they will subconsciously appreciate the care that has been put into them.

Find Your Perfect Venue at The Lumber Exchange

Whether you have an idea of what you want your ideal wedding venue to look like or you are still trying to find the style of space that speaks to you, The Lumber Exchange Event Center can meet your needs. The Lumber Exchange has some of the best wedding venues Minneapolis has to offer.

• The Fountain Room: The definition of elegant grandeur, this room features towering ceilings, vintage chandeliers and sconces, and the massive fountain wall from which the room gets its name.
• Sawyers on 5th: With beautiful exposed brick columns and windowsills, this venue is a perfect blend of rustic charm and modern, post-industrial beauty — the incredible view of the sunset over downtown Minneapolis doesn’t hurt either.
• The River Room: A sleek, contemporary design and an intimate feel makes this a perfect venue for weddings and cocktail hours with guest lists that tend toward more exclusivity.
• Dylan’s: Overlooking the famous Dylan mural, this cozy venue allows for a wide range of decoration choices, from modern to rustic and everything in between.
• Private Suites: No matter the venue you select, The Lumber Exchange has private areas available for the wedding party to prepare for the big day.
• Indoor and Outdoor Photo Opportunities: The Lumber Exchange has beautiful spots inside and outside for incredible wedding photos that you simply cannot get anywhere else.

Elevating the Experience with Great Amenities

When you are planning a wedding, there is a lot that you have to consider. Choosing a venue that helps make that planning easier allows you to focus on the fun parts of wedding prep, like choosing a dress or tux style.

The Lumber Exchange doesn’t just provide spaces for your celebration. You can work with experienced wedding planning services experts that will help you make full use of the in-house catering and bar services as part of customizable wedding day packages.

The list of wedding venue amenities offered by The Lumber Exchange is extensive — you can even ensure that your guests have easy access to safe and secure parking.

Don’t Just Take Our Word For It

There is no shortage of wedding testimonials about the excellence of the experience provided by The Lumber Exchange Event Center. Here are just a few snippets from real customer reviews:

Kate raved about one of the in-house chefs, saying,

“Ali was so incredible and worked with us to make a few changes to an already DELICIOUS menu … and the guests said all night that it was some of the best wedding food they’ve ever had!”

Cally said,

“Will, the Account Executive, helped us work within our budget and he was right there to answer any little question we had along the way.”

Get the Luxury Wedding Venue Experience You Deserve

Wedding day ambiance is created by a combination of style, lighting, music, food, and (perhaps most subtly) architecture. Whether you know exactly what you want or need a little help developing your vision, the team at The Lumber Exchange, the preeminent Minneapolis event space, can create an atmosphere that you and your guests will never forget.

Reach out to the experts at The Lumber Exchange Event Center to ensure that your special day will be unforgettable thanks to the ambiance that only a luxury wedding venue can provide.