What Should You Look for in a Destination Wedding Venue? | WDP Ep 87

🎧 Listen to learn:

• What to look for when choosing a destination wedding venue
• Why the guest experience matters when planning a wedding weekend
• How on-site amenities and activities can enhance a destination wedding
• What family-friendly offerings can mean for guests traveling with children
• Why accommodations are an important part of the wedding weekend experience
• How the right venue can make a wedding feel like a vacation for everyone

What should you look for in a destination wedding venue? In this episode of Wedding Day Podcast, Iron Diamond Media owner Sonja Babich sits down with Paul Barbaro, Director of Sales at Grand View Lodge, to explore how couples can think beyond the ceremony and reception when choosing where to celebrate.

Located on Gull Lake near Nisswa, Minnesota, Grand View Lodge offers everything from picturesque ceremony locations and a variety of accommodations to dining, boating, golf, spa experiences and family-friendly activities. Paul shares how the resort approaches weddings as a complete guest experience, giving friends and family the opportunity to settle in, spend time together and enjoy a vacation alongside the celebration.

Whether you're planning a destination wedding, considering a resort venue or simply want your guests to enjoy more than a single day of festivities, this conversation offers a look at how the right wedding venue can help turn your celebration into an unforgettable weekend.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to Wedding Day Podcast with your host, Sonia Babbage, CEO of Iron Diamond Media, a leading wedding resource featuring seven localized wedding brands across the country. Hi everybody, Sony here with Wedding Day Podcast, coming to you live here at the St. Paul River Center here in Minnesota. Well, I'm sitting here with my friend Paul from Grandview, which I love Grie. Has anybody been to Grieve? I love Griew Lodge. Thanks, Dan, for raising your hand. Ooh, um, Grandview is one of the prettiest properties in Minnesota. Well, thank you very much. Um, Ango Lake and Brainerd, Niswa. Is it technically technically Niswa, isn't it? It's Niswa, yes. Technically Niswa. How far is it from here? Two and a half hours north. Two and a half hours. Well, it's only an hour from my front door to your door. And I love the spa at Niswa. I like actually I should go this week before I go on vacation.

SPEAKER_01 0:57

Yes, you should. So Blake Place for Wellness.

SPEAKER_00 0:59

Oh, it's so beautiful. It's so and the food, the energy, the staff, everybody's so kind. Um, but this the wedding locations are awesome. You have so many locations.

SPEAKER_01 1:09

Yes, we're very lucky to be here at Minnesota Bride today. Uh we have the chapel, which can hold 72.

SPEAKER_00 1:14

The small at 72, yes. It's such a cute chapel.

SPEAKER_01 1:18

Yes, and then obviously we have the wonderful staircase located on Gull Lake where your guests look at yourself getting married, and then the water in the background.

SPEAKER_00 1:25

I know okay, so there's the Instaworthy shot. Literally on the on your pop up here. That is the Instaworthy shot. And that's your backdrop of your wedding day.

SPEAKER_01 1:34

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 1:35

It's so pretty and the flowers on the property. Insane. Actually, your flowers were my inspo for my yard this year. Oh, really?

SPEAKER_01 1:42

Yes. That's amazing. Yes, we are very fortunate. Every single June we bring in a floral company that does the resorts and they oversee the flowers multiple times a day.

SPEAKER_00 1:51

Yeah, the thing that I love about the property and having a wedding on the property is that you're really giving your guests a vacation. Um, from but and also like multiple things, a welcome dinner.

SPEAKER_01 2:03

Yes. That's what we try to accomplish. We want the guests to come on property from the weddings and families. Like, what can we do to provide a wonderful experience, not only for themselves, but the couples getting married, but also their friends and their family coming to Gull Lake. What can they do to make sure it's a memorable weekend for everyone involved?

SPEAKER_00 2:19

Yeah, and you have uh the tanka, is it tanka verde at Verde Grill right on the water?

SPEAKER_01 2:25

Yes, got the south pool down there as well.

SPEAKER_00 2:27

Which is a nice caveat to your location in Tucson.

SPEAKER_01 2:30

Yes. Yes. I'm not sure if you've been to Italian Gardens.

SPEAKER_00 2:34

I've been to I have not been to the Italian. Oh, yes, I love the Italian Gardens. It's so good and it's family style.

SPEAKER_01 2:40

Yes, family style, Italian cuisine.

SPEAKER_00 2:43

It's so good. The kids love it. So if you have kids coming to weddings, like that's a great night there. It's so romantic.

SPEAKER_01 2:48

Yes, that's another thing as well. We are very family um centric. So if people want to have a wedding is where they allow the kids to come. We are very family friendly. We have a kids' club where you can have drop off the kids and we'll watch them for a little while. So we allow the families and they can attend the weddings with no fans.

SPEAKER_00 3:02

It's so cool. Like the kids club is like a giant playroom. Yes. It's got ping pong, you got foosball, they can paint.

SPEAKER_01 3:09

Got the banana boat.

SPEAKER_00 3:10

You got a banana boat. You sure do have a banana boat. I've never been on the banana boat, but and you have boats just to rent too, pontoons.

SPEAKER_01 3:18

Yeah, luckily we have Brainerd Lakes Best Rentals who offices out of Grandview Lodge, and you can rent pontoons. They can captain the pontoon for you. They also have a Moomba Wake skateboat and four jet skis on the property.

SPEAKER_00 3:30

There's so much to do there. From the wellness, there's two three pools. Three pools? Three pools.

SPEAKER_01 3:36

We got outdoor, outdoor, two indoor. We have two water slides, um, a mini lap pool, gym, yoga studio, and the kids' club.

SPEAKER_00 3:44

So secrets out, I go there for usually MEA and Easter. Oh, okay. And I love the brunches of the breakfast in the morning that's include like in the lodge overlooking the water, too.

SPEAKER_01 3:55

The heritage heritage ballroom.

SPEAKER_00 3:56

And it just like, I just want to just paint that picture of your couples that the I guess your guests that are coming to a wedding get to experience all these things, all these details that you may not think of, and you just let them have joy of the property.

SPEAKER_01 4:11

Yes, we're very fortunate in that aspect that when you can come on property, but pretty much, like you said, they're there, they arrive, and they are on vacation.

SPEAKER_00 4:18

Yep, and the property is so pretty for photos and all those things. But also, you're a great honeymoon spot.

SPEAKER_01 4:24

Yes, we are.

SPEAKER_00 4:25

And an anniversary.

SPEAKER_01 4:26

Bachelorette parties.

SPEAKER_00 4:27

And bachelorette parties.

SPEAKER_01 4:29

We got the golf and the spa.

SPEAKER_00 4:30

And you have golf.

SPEAKER_01 4:31

Yes, two and a half golf course. We got the pines and the preserve.

SPEAKER_00 4:35

You guys are just busy bees. We are busy bees, and all the different houses and condos and villas that you can rent, different varieties.

SPEAKER_01 4:43

Yeah, good point on that. We have the North Hotel, which is a standard hotel. We got 40 um rooms with king beds, 20 rooms with double beds, and then we have more like comfortable budget.

SPEAKER_00 4:51

I would say that's more of a comfortable budget point point.

SPEAKER_01 4:53

Well put, yes. Yep. And then we have luxury homes that can host 25 people in them.

SPEAKER_00 4:59

I had a home that had a like a whole hockey in the basement. Yes. That's the best house. It's in the cottage, it's in the cottage houses.

SPEAKER_01 5:06

Yep.

SPEAKER_00 5:06

It's so good in the fireplaces, it's so homey.

SPEAKER_01 5:10

Just like you're at home.

SPEAKER_00 5:11

Just like you're at home. Well, I think that's that's pretty much it. And there's arcade.

SPEAKER_01 5:17

We got an arcade, yep, in the Northwoods Pump.

SPEAKER_00 5:19

My kids would be like, you have to point out the arcade.

SPEAKER_01 5:21

Yes, I forgot about that.

SPEAKER_00 5:23

Well, thanks for being on the podcast. Thanks for tuning in away today podcast. We'll see you next time. See you later.