300 Clifton Wedding Photographer
Historic 1916 Loring Park mansion. Marble staircase, library, walled garden. Collections from $2,700.
Quick Answer
Who is the best 300 Clifton wedding photographer in Minneapolis?
Honey Deww Photography (Emma Ziegler) is a 5-star Minneapolis wedding photographer who shoots at 300 Clifton. The grand marble staircase is the iconic shot — I plan it before the ceremony for cleanest light. Collections from $2,700, no travel fees in the Twin Cities.
5.0 ★ on Google
45 reviews
Booking since 2021
200+ Twin Cities clients
Minneapolis-based
Travel up to 60 mi free
Replies in 24 hrs
Mon–Fri
Recent work
300 Clifton Wedding & Portrait Photography
A look at recent weddings, engagements and portraits photographed around 300 Clifton and the wider Twin Cities.
300 Clifton: The Venue Itself
What the space is actually like — the details couples ask me about before they ask about photography.
- Address
- 300 Clifton Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55403
- Ceremony & reception spaces
- Outdoor: five distinct gardens on the property, with the venue's own wedding page placing the ceremony in the gardens. Two documented exterior architectural spaces per the City of Minneapolis landmark record: a Doric-style portico at the centered main entrance on a symmetrical front elevation, and a large Ionic-style open porch on the east elevation. Indoor: the reception is held in the historic interior of the 1906 Georgian Revival house; named interior spaces referenced by the venue include a speakeasy lounge, a movie lounge, and "the Forge." Weddings are booked as a whole-house rental covering every room, the gardens, and the interior spaces. An original carriage house, formerly a barn, stands north of the main house.
- Parking
- Guests turn off Clifton Avenue, come down the drive, and park on a brick lot behind the gardens. A prominent sign above the door to the original stables marks check-in.
- The venue is located at 300 Clifton Avenue, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55403, on a bluff above Loring Park in downtown Minneapolis, a block from Loring Park.
- Guests turn off Clifton Avenue, come down the drive, and park on the brick lot behind the gardens; a prominent check-in sign is posted above the door to the original stables.
- 300 Clifton is rented as a whole-house buyout for weddings — every room, the gardens, and the grand interior spaces — with the ceremony in the gardens and the reception in the historic interior; the property has five distinct gardens.
- The venue references named interior spaces including a speakeasy lounge, a movie lounge, and "the Forge."
- The house was originally built in the Queen Anne style before 1890 and was remodeled in 1906 by architect Edwin H. Hewitt into the Georgian Revival style.
- The 1906 remodel produced a symmetrical front elevation with the entrance in the middle and many windows, a Doric-style portico at the entrance, a large Ionic-style open porch on the east elevation, and a hipped roof with dormers in place of the original multiple gables; the original carriage house, formerly a barn, is located north of the house.
- The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977 and received local historic landmark designation from the City of Minneapolis in 1978.
- The property offers eight distinct guest room types across the Main Mansion and the Carriage House; Main Mansion rooms are larger rooms in the historic mansion with private en-suites and Carriage House rooms are cozier themed rooms, also with private en-suites.
- Breakfast is not served on site; complimentary coffee is available in the common areas.
How the Light Works Here
- The main entry portico is Doric and centered on a symmetrical front elevation, while the large Ionic open porch is on the east elevation — two documented exterior architectural backdrops on different faces of the building, so they are lit at opposite times of day. The east porch is a covered space that takes direct morning light and reads as open shade later in the day.
- The 1906 remodel replaced the original Queen Anne gables with a hipped roof and dormers, so upper-floor rooms are lit by dormer windows — smaller apertures than the main-floor windows of the principal rooms.
- Five distinct gardens on a single property mean multiple separate outdoor backdrops exist on one site, with the whole-house rental giving exclusive access to all of them.
- Parking is on a brick lot set behind the gardens, which keeps parked vehicles out of the sightlines of the garden ceremony area.
- The original carriage house stands north of the main house, giving a second freestanding historic structure as a backdrop on a different side of the property from the east-elevation porch.
How I Photograph a Wedding at 300 Clifton
300 Clifton is a 1916 mansion in the Loring Park area of Minneapolis, and it photographs like one — marble, dark wood, and window light in rooms built for gathering rather than for cameras. That shapes how I work. Indoors I shoot with fast lenses and available light instead of firing flash into a hundred-year-old room; the library and the parlor fireplace reward that approach, and the images keep the warmth that made you book a mansion in the first place.
The grand marble staircase is the shot everyone wants, and my honest advice is to schedule it before the ceremony. That is when the natural light is at its cleanest, and it is the only stretch of the day when the staircase isn't full of guests. A first look makes this easy — you get the clean version of the iconic image without stealing a minute from cocktail hour.
Outdoors, the walled garden carries spring and summer portraits, and the carriage-house entrance and front porch give exterior variety in any season. Because the ceremony and reception both happen inside, weather never rewrites the day — it just decides whether couple portraits happen in the garden or by the parlor fireplace.
Best Photo Spots at 300 Clifton
- Grand marble staircase
- Library with window light
- Parlor fireplace
- Walled garden
- Carriage-house exterior
- Third-floor bridal suite
- Stained-glass landing
- Front porch portraits
A 300 Clifton Timeline That Actually Works
My standard 8-hour frame here: getting ready in the third-floor suite around 1:00, first look at 3:00, grand staircase portraits at 3:30, wedding party in the library at 4:00, ceremony at 5:00, family formals back on the staircase at 5:30, cocktail hour at 6:00, reception at 7:00, and the dance floor from 9:30 on.
Two notes on why it is built that way. Staircase portraits at 3:30 — before guests arrive — are the only route to the clean version of that image; once the seats start filling, the staircase belongs to everyone. And running family formals immediately after the ceremony, while every relative is still in one room, saves you twenty minutes of hunting for uncles during cocktail hour.
With the Pearl collection's second photographer, one of us stays on cocktail-hour candids while the other runs the formals, so neither half of the hour gets skipped.
300 Clifton Wedding Photography Pricing
My collections cost the same at 300 Clifton as anywhere else in the Twin Cities — the mansion is in Minneapolis, so there is no travel fee. Emerald is 4 hours at $2,700 and fits a smaller, ceremony-focused day. Pearl is 8 hours with a second photographer at $3,900, and is what I recommend for most full weddings here. Sapphire is 12 hours at $4,600 for full morning-to-last-dance coverage.
Small weddings and elopements start at $2,700 for 2 hours of coverage, and hair and makeup can be added to any collection for $150. Sneak peeks arrive within 48 hours, and the full edited gallery is delivered in 4–6 weeks. Full details are on the investment page.
Portraits Beyond the Mansion
Most couples never need to leave — between the staircase, library, walled garden, and carriage house, there is a full gallery on site. But if you want a second look, 300 Clifton sits in the Loring Park area of Minneapolis, and the city's best portrait spots — the Stone Arch Bridge, Nicollet Island, the Mill City Museum ruin courtyard, and the North Loop warehouse district — are a short drive away. I only suggest the trip when a first look leaves time to spare — the mansion is why you booked it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Have you shot weddings at 300 Clifton?
Yes — 300 Clifton in the Loring Park area of Minneapolis is one of my favorite mansion venues. The historic 1916 estate has a marble staircase, library, parlor, and walled garden. I shoot the staircase before the ceremony when the natural light is at its cleanest.
How much is a 300 Clifton wedding photographer?
My 300 Clifton wedding collections start at $2,700 for 4 hours and $3,900 for 8 hours with a second photographer. Engagement session, sneak peeks within 48 hours, and unlimited travel inside the Twin Cities are included.
Best photo spots at 300 Clifton?
The grand marble staircase, the library with its dark wood and window light, the parlor fireplace, the walled garden in spring/summer, and the carriage-house entrance for portrait-style shots.
What's the 300 Clifton wedding-day timeline?
Getting ready 1:00 PM in the third-floor suite, first look 3:00, grand staircase portraits 3:30 (do this BEFORE guests arrive), wedding party in the library 4:00, ceremony 5:00, family formals on the staircase 5:30, cocktail hour 6:00, reception 7:00, dance floor 9:30+.
Is 300 Clifton an all-indoor venue?
Mostly. The ceremony and reception are inside, but the walled garden and front exterior are usable for portraits in any weather. I always plan a 'rain backup' inside the parlor — it photographs beautifully too.
Which collection should we book for a 300 Clifton wedding?
Pearl — 8 hours with a second photographer, $3,900 — is my recommendation for most full weddings here. It covers getting ready in the third-floor suite through open dancing, and the second photographer documents cocktail hour while I run family formals. Emerald (4 hours, $2,700) fits a ceremony-focused day, and Sapphire (12 hours, $4,600) covers everything from first coffee to last dance.
Is there a travel fee for 300 Clifton weddings?
No. 300 Clifton is in Minneapolis, and I don't charge travel fees anywhere in the Twin Cities metro.
How long until we see our 300 Clifton photos?
Sneak peeks land within 48 hours of the wedding, and the complete edited gallery is delivered in 4–6 weeks.
Can you photograph a small wedding or elopement at 300 Clifton?
Yes — my 2-hour elopement coverage starts at $2,700 and suits an intimate mansion day well: ceremony, staircase portraits, and time in the walled garden or parlor. Hair and makeup can be added to any booking for $150.
Do you use flash inside the mansion?
Sparingly. The library and parlor photograph best with window light and fast lenses — flash flattens the warmth of all that dark wood. I bring off-camera flash for the reception and the dance floor once the daylight is gone.
Book Your 300 Clifton Wedding
I send 2–3 real 300 Clifton galleries on request so you can see the venue at every time of day.
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