Weddings

Juliane James Place Est. 2010

GREETINGS! Thank you for your interest in Juliane James Place! Our property was specifically created to provide a place for creative weddings to flourish in Minnesota. Every detail of the property has been created with thought toward what a couple needs to be able to make their wedding magnificent, whatever that means to them. Juliane James Place is available for rent for the weekend starting on Friday morning and stay until Sunday afternoon. Below is a detailed list of what makes our property unique. We also detail our packages and what are included in them. All packages include use of our hand-built, wooden, harvest-style tables, our vintage, wooden folding chairs, our antique church pews, and other vintage items we have on-site. In total, our chairs, pews, and tables can save you at least $1000 in rentals.i All photos contained in this Informational Document are taken on-site at Juliane James Place by Minneapolis-based destination wedding photographers Photogen, Inc. About Us Jesse and Alyson Newquist knew that some day when they chose to get married they wanted to buy land upon which to do so. After moving to Minnesota from Brooklyn, NY in 2009 and getting engaged in 2010, this became a reality. So they set out looking for places in the midst of economic meltdown. After visiting abandoned farm after mold-laden building they came upon the property that is currently Juliane James Place. And they just knew this was the place. They couldn’t believe it even existed. It needed a lot of work to become a wedding venue, or even a vacation rental, but it was perfect. And then they worked, and worked some more, and learned a lot of new skills. Then one day in July 2011 Juliane James Place hosted its first wedding: theirs. And the venue is now fully-functional to host others weddings, events, retreats, and outdoor workshops.

We are a business setting out to change the way weddings are viewed in Minnesota by joining forces with a lot of great local vendors who want to see weddings in our fine state express who Minnesotans, and those who choose to get married in Minnesota, really are: awesome, open-minded, creative, passionate and fun.  

We have a lot of strong feelings about marriage here at Juliane James Place. And most of them touch on equality, art, romance, and friends and family. We are a business setting out to change the way weddings are viewed in Minnesota by joining forces with a lot of great local vendors who want to see weddings in our fine state express who Minnesotans, and those who choose to get married in Minnesota, really are: awesome, open-minded, creative, passionate and fun. The Property Juliane James Place is 40 acres situated between Finlayson, MN and Willow River, MN. The vision for the property since inception has been to create a modern vacation rental and wedding venue that appreciates the rustic nature of rural Minnesota and the beauty the state offers. The houses contain unique items obtained from local antique stores and hand-built items made by the owners. Creativity can be found in each nook of the property. It is the intention of Juliane James Place to inspire creativity in others and be a canvas for artistic weddings. The property consists of a main house and a cabin for sleeping quarters, a large pond, and spaces for wedding ceremonies, cocktail hours, and receptions. The property has a large garden with an additional koi pond and screened-in gazebo. There are two wood burning stoves accessible to guests and a stone fireplace in the gathering room of the main house. There a fire pits across the property as well.

The Main House

The main house is a 1600 sq. ft. house with two bedrooms and two bathrooms. The master bedroom occupies the majority of the upper level of the house and has an attached bathroom. This room has a king size bed, a reading chair, and a chaise lounge for relaxing and napping. Outside master bedroom there is a loft space with a fainting sofa, library (with tons of wedding-related books and magazines!), and writing or computer desk for guests to use. From the loft you can look out the full wall of windows on the south side of the main house and have a view of the cabin, the cocktail area, and the pond. The south side of the house has an attached deck with seating for relaxing and eating. The east side of the house has a porch looking out

into the woods. The garden is located behind the house on its north side.

The Cabin The cabin is located about a quarter mile down from the main house. It is nestled right up to the pond and you are almost on the water when you are sitting on the front deck. The cabin has electricity but no running water. A system for drinking, cooking, and washing water is in place within the cabin for the convenience of those in your party who will stay in the cabin. The cabin sleeps up to 8 in 5 beds consisting of 3 doubles and 2 twins. There are two wood burning stoves in the cabin for warmth and ambiance. A fire pit and gazebo are located directly outside the cabin for relaxing pondside. If you are interested in playing movies outside please inquire about renting our projector for your stay (also available for weddings). The downstairs bedroom in the cabin is also equipped for screening projector movies on the wall while in bed. The Pond

The pond is large enough for canoeing, kayaking, and using our paddleboat on. It is great for floating on and relaxing. The trail around the pond is about a half mile and the depth of the pond varies. The pond will be stocked with fish for Summer 2012. The ceremony stage backs up to and overlooks the pond.

The Wedding Spaces Juliane James Place has the following spaces available for weddings: a ceremony space with a stage that is flanked with dogwood trees, astilbes, and hydrangeas, and also includes 12 antique 12 foot long pews with your venue rental, a cleared space that fits up to a 40‘x60’ pole tent for your reception, a garden that can be used for sequestering guests upon arrival or for cocktail hour, and a large area pondside

for cocktail hour and reception mingling. With two houses each member of a couple can get ready in a different location or on separate floors within the main house. There is a back entry to the reception space from the main house that allows a couple to move over to the ceremony space without being seen by their guests. Caterers also use this path.

Catering

Catering can be provided by your choice of caterer. New Scenic Café of Duluth is an excellent restaurant that has provided catering on-site and is familiar with the property. They have an excellent, smart staff who navigate any bumps in your event in a way that you would never know there were any. They can also provide experienced bartenders. Many caterers from the Twin Cities have additionally said they would be willing to cater at a location like ours. These caterers include Fabulous Catering, Chowgirls, and Mintahoe. After you initiate your relationship with your chosen caterer we can speak with them to ensure they have their needs met on-site and that they are aware of what

space we have for their staff. We additionally have worked with a local catering company who can provide food for your event. Alcohol Policy You are allowed to bring your own alcohol in and take full responsibility for the actions of those who are served. The venue-required liability insurance you will read about below provides coverage for both you as a couple and us as a venue for a low cost. You cannot sell alcohol on our property. Liquor, beer, and wine are all allowed—kegs, bottle, flasks, we don’t mind any of it. We have vintage items like a wood buffet, trunks, and an antique ice box that you can use for your bar area. We additionally have glass, serving containers that you can use for signature drinks. If you choose one of our higher-tier packages and would like to utilize JJPs in-house design consultation process, we can work with you to obtain rental items from local antique stores and regional vintage rental firms to create the bar look you are dreaming of. If you take part in our planning services we can also recommend to you how much of each item you should purchase and can recommend places for you to purchase your liquor and beer from that you can get a bulk discount and/or can return your unused items to.

Guest Count

We have seating and chairs for 150 guests and this is our limit for guests on the property. Our tables are harvest-table style with wooden planks and are 4’x8’ so they can be arranged separately or in rows to create king tables. They are stained a dark walnut stain that contrasts wonderfully with runners, centerpieces, and place settings. You can also rent linens for covering the tables or different tables from a rental company. Our chairs are mix and match antique and vintage wooden folding chairs in three styles. These can be used for both the ceremony and the reception or you are welcome to use our 12, 12’ long antique church pews rescued from a church in Wisconsin for your guests. These sit up to 100 guests and we have additional antique seating options in the form of antique double-folding chairs from a schoolhouse in Iowa that can supplement the pews.

Bathrooms A local portable restrooms company out of Sandstone, Paul’s Portables, provides the required restrooms for your event. We are unable to accommodate the high demand on our septic system that large crowds require. The portable restrooms range from basic portable restrooms to trailers with multiple stalls. All are cleaned with hospital-grade disinfectant and we have been happy with their condition. Two basic portable restrooms and a portable hand-washing station are included within the basic rental price as this is something we require you to have. It is a $200 value. You can choose to upgrade to a different type of bathroom facility if you would like. Guest Accommodations There are many local options for guest accommodations. Juliane James Place sleeps up to 14 in 8 beds (1 king, 1 queen, 4 doubles (one is a rollaway and can be moved between houses), and 2 twins. The local accommodations are listed here with a description:

Giese Bed and Breakfast Dan and Evelyn Peterson are the proprietors of the Giese B&B in Giese, MN and are the first place we recommend guests to stay. It is located about 15 minutes away from JJP. They have 4 rooms with 4 beds so it is a great place to have close family or wedding party members who may have small children stay. We are fans of the hospitality at Giese B&B but are also in love with

their attached antique store and pole barn filled with flea market finds. Juliane James Place is furnished with many a great find from Giese B&B. Their nightly rental rates are low at around $75 a room and include breakfast. Waldheim Resort Patti Watt and her husband own this lovely place located on the shore of Big Pine Lake in Finlayson, MN. It is about a 10 minute drive from JJP. The property has 5 cabins that can accommodate up to 22 persons in separate beds and up to 39 guests if they are sharing the multitude of queen and double beds they have. Their prices are extremely fair at less than $60 a person on average and the owners are great communicators and are interested in making your guests stay go smoothly. We turn to Waldheim to accommodate participants for retreats and workshops held at JJP, when the staff of the retreat is staying at JJP. Waldheim is a great place to have your out of town guests experience real Minnesota accommodations. America’s Best Value Inn This motel is located directly off I-35 at the Finlayson exit 195. It is a standard hotel that is clean and inexpensive. There are about 30 rooms and the rate is about $90 a night for a room with two double beds. The hotel is about 15-20 minutes from JJP. The Dwelling in the Woods The Dwelling in the Woods is a non-profit organization designed to accommodate hermitages and groups seeking to stay in the woods. There are 5 buildings on-site and it sleeps 22 people in twin beds. It is nestled into significant acreage with trails. It is located about 20 minutes from JJP in McGrath, MN. Hinckley Hotels There are many hotels in Hinckley, MN that are about a 30 minute drive from Juliane James Place. Days Inn offers a great package rate for guests that has lowered rooms to as low as $55 a night in the past. This rate is just given to illustrate a price for the hotel. Hinckley also has the Grand Casino Hotel and various bed & breakfasts.

Local Activities Juliane James Place is located in Finlayson, MN in Pine County. Pine County and its surrounding counties have many great outdoor activities such as hiking, snowmobiling, skiing, and lake activities. General C.C. Andrews State Forest is

located nearby and has 40 miles of trails for cross-country skiing and hiking. You can also go horseback riding here but we are unaware of local places to acquire horses. There is mountain biking and 37 miles of Class I and II ATV and off-highway motorcycling. The towns of Sandstone, Moose Lake, and Sturgeon lake all offer places to golf within 30 minutes of our property. Sturgeon Lake is 20 minutes away, Moose Lake is 35 minutes away, and Lake Mille Lacs is 45 minutes away. Guests can antique locally at the Giese B&B or in Hinckley at multiple locations. Rate Packages

We offer three flat rate packages that each have a range for different numbers of guests. The chart here details the range:

Number of Guests Basic Package Package 2 Package 3

>50 $3,500 $4,500 $5,500

51-100 $4,500 $5,500 $6,500

100-150 $5,500 $6,500 $7,500 Basic Package Our basic package is great for the couple who would like to orchestrate and take care of all of the details for their wedding—or for the couple who is renting our place but using coordination services from an outside wedding planner. When choosing this package you are free to choose to add on services by contracting individually with a company whose services are included within an upgraded package, for example with the shuttle company.

Use of property for rehearsal dinner, ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception

Use of Property from 9am Friday through 1pm Sunday Ability to play music on property until 12am on night of wedding. All

guests not staying on the property must leave by 2:00am. We want you to be able to keep your party going but also want to respect our neighbors!

Use of main house for prep for both members of the couple, either one upstairs/one downstairs, or together in the same room; or use of main house for one member of couple for prep and use of cabin for other member of couple

Use of cabin and main house for up to 14 overnight guests, including the couple. ($1,050 value)

Wedding party and up to ten guests can use indoor bathroom in main house throughout the wedding

Use of solid oak pews for ceremony space Use of 15 8’x4’ tables for reception Use of 150 antique wooden folding chairs for reception/dinner seating Use of various wedding décor, including vases, mason jars, cake

stands, glass drink dispensers, etc. Use of antique silver-plate serving dishes and trays for serving

appetizers and for buffet table or family-style dinner Use of apothecary/candy bar jars for reception (candy not included) Access to list of preferred vendors including but not limited to: liquor

stores, florists, caterers, dessert providers, DJs, musicians/bands, hair and make-up artists, and other related services

Two portable bathrooms and a portable sink for the evening of your wedding

Use of and set-up for one 20’ x 30’ tent

Client responsibilities: Ensure that all food and garbage, serving ware, and dishes are cleared

from tables and used areas of the property. This usually just entails making sure that the catering manager keeps at least one server on throughout the evening to clear tables and ensure that plates and glassware are left in an acceptable location.

Providing or hiring individuals to place your chairs and tables where you would like them. We leave them near the reception and ceremony space for you so that you can easily and quickly conduct set-up once your tent is up. Tents must be set-up before the tables and chairs are placed. Couples often rely on friends to assist in set-up.

Clean-up of property. Property must be returned to the way it was when you arrived with chairs and tables placed back near the reception area. Pews can be left where they were. This is another area

where couples often rely on family and friends but where we can also point you toward individuals to hire for this, or you can choose one of our upgraded packages.

Set-up of all décor and place settings. Set-up of cocktail area and bar as you like it. Take down of tent and round up of rental items if you have chosen to

not have them delivered and picked-up by a rental company. If you choose to have delivery, set-up, and take down by a rental company, they will take care of this. We can discuss in person what their needs are to make this happen. You will need to arrange for the set-up to be on Friday and the take down to be on Sunday if you choose this package. Rental companies are generally flexible with delivery times.

Choosing and contracting with you vendors and rental company. We can point you in the right direction but we do not sign the contract with the companies.

Holding wedding insurance. We require couples to invest in venue-required liability insurance at the $500,000 level. This usually costs around $150 and protects both you and us from any incidents that might occur on the property or to guests. You can choose to insure yourselves for a higher level and for cancellation insurance to. We recommend WedSafe for this insurance.

Deluxe Package: Our in between package offers a little more peace of mind for the couple who is looking to be very involved in their wedding process the day before and day of, but are looking to do a little less heavy lifting and mess control. We also include day-of coordination with a wedding consultant on-site for your time at the property (9am-6pm Friday, 8am-12am Saturday) to ensure that your process goes smoothly.

Includes Everything in the Basic Package AND: Set-up of pews, tables, and chairs before ceremony and reception, after

tent is set-up Early delivery privileges for rental company to ensure that tables are

set-up upon your arrival. Late pick-up privileges for rental company in case there is an issue

with pick-up on Sunday. Two valet parking attendants so that guests can pull directly up to the

property Clean up of property— We deal with taking down tables, chairs, and

pews, cleaning up the bar, and moving remaining garbage bags from tent to dumpster. All guest garbage must be cleared from tables by

client or client-designated person(nel) at end of each evening with an event and placed in allocated garbage cans.

Access to antique rentals if interested in particular era theme for your wedding—we accompany you to local place that allows us to rent items at a low-cost for weddings we host

Day-of coordination of wedding, including two planning meetings to discuss décor and details—we can help you nail down the overall plan and the details to make your day go beautifully and smoothly. We give you helpful budget spreadsheets and timelines

Client responsibilities:

Ensure that all food and garbage, serving ware, and dishes are cleared from tables and used areas of the property. This usually just entails making sure that the catering manager keeps at least one server on throughout the evening to clear tables and ensure that plates and glassware are left in an acceptable location. If you choose the Ultimate Package, we discuss this need for extra service with the catering company.

Choosing and contracting with you vendors and rental company. We can point you in the right direction but we do not sign the contract with the companies or interact with your vendors until the wedding weekend.

Holding wedding insurance. We require couples to invest in venue-required liability insurance at the $500,000 level. This usually costs around $150 and protects both you and us from any incidents that might occur on the property or to guests. You can choose to insure yourselves for a higher level and for cancellation insurance to. We recommend WedSafe for this insurance.

 Ultimate Package This package is designed to allow you to show up on Thursday mid-day and choose to have an entire weekend spending time with your friends and family. It is designed to take the worry out of your nuptials by having us either take care of or assist you with the following: vendor selection and coordination, design and décor decisions and execution, and oversight of the wedding process the week-of your wedding and while you are on-site. The Ultimate Package also includes perks like 4 hrs of shuttle service so that your guests can drink without worrying about driving. We also handle communication with the main rental company of your choosing once you have decided what you want your wedding to look like.

Includes everything in the Basic and Deluxe package AND:

Use of the property from Thursday at noon through Sunday at 5 pm. Rental coordination for tent, china, flatware, and glassware rental—

this means we assess your needs, speak to the rental company, handle the contract, and oversee the drop off of items, tent set-up and subsequent pick-up of all items to the company. You still pay for the rentals and the delivery and sign the contract. We just handle the back and forth for you and can assist you in choosing which rental company best meets your aesthetic and functional needs.

Shuttle service for guests from guest hotel to property, multiple stops can be made. Ultimate package includes 4 hours of shuttle service but you can extend this service to pick up on the hour—great alternative if your guests will be drinking

We handle communications with vendors within the days leading up to your event so that you can enjoy your time and not worry about any questions that may be asked of you.

We handle the set-up of place settings and décor within the tent and on the property so that you can enjoy you wedding week and weekend. If you would like to take the lead on this aspect we can offer our assistance if you would like it.

Client responsibilities:

Ensure that all food and garbage, serving ware, and dishes are cleared from tables and used areas of the property. This usually just entails making sure that the catering manager keeps at least one server on throughout the evening to clear tables and ensure that plates and glassware are left in an acceptable location. If you choose the Ultimate Package, we discuss this need for extra service with the catering company and handle oversight of this process.

Choosing and contracting with you vendors and rental company. We point you in the right direction after assessing your desires and handle the coordination with the vendors but do not sign the contract for you.

If we are handling the set-up of place settings and décor we ask that you prepare diagrams and a seating chart to be given to us no later than two weeks prior to the wedding so we can ensure we have all necessary information to execute your day flawlessly.

Holding wedding insurance. We require couples to invest in venue-required liability insurance at the $500,000 level. This usually costs around $150 and protects both you and us from any incidents that might occur on the property or to guests. You can choose to insure yourselves for a higher level and for cancellation insurance to. We recommend WedSafe for this insurance.

Contracting Process To help you decide whether or not Juliane James Place is the place you want to have your wedding at we invite you to come up and take a sight tour and then spend the evening or a weekend at half price. If you then decide you would like to rent the property for your wedding, that cost is deducted from your final invoice. So if you stay a weekend in September, our nightly weekend rate is $250 a night. You would get to rent the place for $250 for the entire weekend. And you can bring along two friends to help you make up your mind (or just to have fun with!) and up to four dogs. Then that $250 gets taken off your total that is due a month before your wedding. Once you have taken a look around and made your decision, we ask for a deposit to secure your date. We ask for half your total for a deposit. If you choose to upgrade your package between your first and final payment, half the difference is due at the time of signing the new contract. The remainder of your payment is due a month before the wedding. Payments are accepted via credit cards, checks, or cash. After your contract is signed we can set up a date to meet three months in advance of your wedding to make sure we are on the same page with what your wedding expectations and needs are for us. If you choose an upgraded package that includes two additional planning meetings we can schedule one of those immediately to get your planning started and another for a month before your wedding.                                                                                                                i  Estimate  based  on  Midway  Party  Rentals  rate  of  $5  a  chair  for  similar-­‐style  chairs  and  $8.75  for  banquet  tables.    There  is  no  comparable  number  for  pew  rental  but  100  additional  chairs  to  seat  guests  in  during  the  ceremony  would  cost  an  additional  $500.