Bavaria Downs Wedding Photographer
Cathedral barn, pond gazebo, vineyard golden hour in Chaska. Collections from $2,700.
Quick Answer
Who is the best Bavaria Downs wedding photographer?
Honey Deww Photography (Emma Ziegler) is a 5-star wedding photographer covering Bavaria Downs in Chaska. 200+ Minnesota weddings since 2018. Collections from $2,700 — no travel fee in the metro.
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
Bavaria Downs Wedding & Portrait Photography
A look at recent weddings, engagements and portraits photographed around Bavaria Downs and the wider Twin Cities.
Bavaria Downs: The Venue Itself
What the space is actually like — the details couples ask me about before they ask about photography.
- Address
- 3919 Bavaria Road, Chaska, MN 55318 (Edward Anne Estate). Equestria West is at 3913 Bavaria Road and Woodland Glasshaus at 3915 Bavaria Road, same city and ZIP.
- Capacity
- Stated by venue per building: Edward Anne Estate maximum 350 guests; Equestria West 400+ guests; Woodland Glasshaus maximum 200 guests. No standing/cocktail figure is published by the venue.
- Ceremony & reception spaces
- Bavaria Downs is a 200-acre campus in Chaska holding three venues, each with indoor and outdoor space. Edward Anne Estate: a ballroom with high ceilings, ample natural light and sophisticated finishes; a separate Club Room; a bridal suite; and outdoors a courtyard framed by lush gardens and sprawling vistas, manicured rose gardens, and a private lake. Equestria West: an event space with rounded chandeliers, an indoor/outdoor bar and high-back chairs, extending to an expansive courtyard with lush gardens, ample seating and a fountain; three ceremony spaces are offered — a courtyard setting, a wooded site, and an indoor space. Woodland Glasshaus: two glass atriums that flow one into the next, a Ceremony Atrium and a Dining Atrium, with floor-to-ceiling glass walls admitting natural light and forest views, set beneath a canopy of trees, plus an outdoor lounge area for cocktail hour; available exclusively May through October.
- Parking
- On-site parking is included in the Bavaria Downs package and is complimentary to all guests. The number of spaces is not published, and there is no published information on valet or shuttle service.
- Catering
- Exclusive in-house. The venue FAQ states all food and beverage throughout an event must be provided by D'Amico Hospitality, which the venue presents as the exclusive food, beverage and service provider to the Bavaria Downs multi-venue campus. Outside catering is not permitted.
- Bavaria Downs is a single 200-acre property in Chaska, Minnesota that houses three separate event venues: the Edward Anne Estate, Equestria West, and Woodland Glasshaus.
- The three venues have distinct street addresses on the same road: Edward Anne Estate at 3919 Bavaria Road, Equestria West at 3913 Bavaria Road, and Woodland Glasshaus at 3915 Bavaria Road, all Chaska, MN 55318.
- Maximum guest capacity differs by venue: Edward Anne Estate 350 guests, Equestria West 400+ guests, Woodland Glasshaus 200 guests.
- Two private getting-ready suites are included at the Edward Anne Estate and at Equestria West; getting-ready suites are not offered at Woodland Glasshaus.
- All food and beverage throughout an event must be provided by D'Amico Hospitality; outside catering is not permitted.
- On-site parking is included in the Bavaria Downs package and is complimentary to all guests.
- D'Amico Hospitality is presented by the venue as the exclusive food, beverage and service provider to the Bavaria Downs multi-venue campus.
- Equestria West offers three ceremony spaces — a courtyard setting, a wooded site, and an indoor space — and features rounded chandeliers, an indoor/outdoor bar, and an expansive courtyard with lush gardens, ample seating and a fountain.
- Woodland Glasshaus comprises two glass atriums that flow from one to the next — a Ceremony Atrium and a Dining Atrium — with floor-to-ceiling glass walls, set beneath a canopy of trees, with an outdoor lounge area for cocktail hour; it is available exclusively from May to October.
- The Edward Anne Estate has a ballroom with high ceilings and ample natural light, a separate Club Room, a bridal suite, and outdoor grounds including a courtyard framed by lush gardens, manicured rose gardens, and a private lake.
How the Light Works Here
- Woodland Glasshaus's Ceremony Atrium is enclosed by floor-to-ceiling glass walls, so its interior light is admitted through the envelope rather than from fixed interior fixtures — brightness there tracks outdoor conditions and time of day.
- Woodland Glasshaus sits beneath a canopy of trees and operates only May through October, so its glass-admitted light falls during the leafed-out months and will carry dappled patterning and a green cast.
- Equestria West's courtyard is an open-sky setting with a fountain as a fixed feature and surrounding built walls that will act as bounce surfaces; the venue's bar is indoor/outdoor, so that boundary is a mixed-lighting transition.
Best Photo Spots at Bavaria Downs
- Grand staircase first look
- Cathedral barn at sunset
- Pond and gazebo portraits
- Vineyard rows at golden hour
- White pillar entrance
- Bridal suite window light
- Chandelier reception hall
- Back patio sparkler exit
How I Photograph a Bavaria Downs Wedding
Most of the day I work documentary — catching what actually happens rather than staging it. Bavaria Downs rewards that, because the venue does so much of the visual work on its own: the white-pillar entrance, the grand staircase, the cathedral barn. My job is to put you in the right place at the right time, then get out of the way.
The spots list above is really a sequence, not a checklist. The grand staircase works best early, before guests arrive, which is why I stage first looks there. The pond and gazebo carry the wedding-party portraits. The cathedral barn with the doors open is a sunset frame, not a noon one, and the back vineyard rows only earn their keep in the last hour of light. The reception hall's chandeliers look warm to the eye but murky to a camera, so I bring off-camera flash and have it set before dinner ends.
A Realistic Bavaria Downs Wedding Timeline
This is the shape most of my Bavaria Downs days take. Getting-ready coverage starts around 1:00, and the bridal suite's window light means those frames need nothing staged beyond a tidy corner. First look at 3:00 on the grand staircase, wedding party at 3:30, then everyone disappears until the 5:00 ceremony. That sounds like a lot of buffer, and it is — deliberately. Buffer is what keeps a wedding day calm.
Family formals run at 5:30, straight after the ceremony while everyone is still in one place — a tight list of groupings takes about twenty minutes, then you are free for cocktail hour. The one thing I protect on every Bavaria Downs timeline: I steal you back around 7:45 for sunset portraits. Twenty minutes in the vineyard rows or at the open barn doors while the light is low and gold — those are the frames couples end up printing.
If your ceremony needs to land earlier or later than 5:00, tell me before the invitations print — I would rather build the day around the light than fight the schedule on the day.
Bavaria Downs Wedding Photography Pricing
Three wedding collections, priced the same at Bavaria Downs as everywhere else in the metro. Emerald is 4 hours at $2,700 — it covers a ceremony, formals, portraits, and the start of a reception, but it will not stretch from getting-ready to a sparkler exit — better you know that now. Pearl is 8 hours at $3,900 with a second photographer — what most Bavaria Downs couples book, because it fits the full 1:00-to-9:30 arc above. Sapphire is 12 hours at $4,600 for days that start with hair and makeup and end well past the last dance.
Hair and makeup is a $150 add-on, and there is no travel fee — Chaska sits inside my Twin Cities metro service area. Every collection includes sneak peeks within 48 hours and the full edited gallery in 4–6 weeks.
Getting to Bavaria Downs
Bavaria Downs sits in the Chaska–Chanhassen corridor, about 28 minutes southwest of Minneapolis — Twin Cities barn-and-vineyard country, with Eden Prairie, Victoria, and Waconia all close by. Worth flagging the drive time for guests coming out from the city.
The venue-facing paperwork is handled on my side: $2M liability insurance, with Bavaria Downs added as additional insured on request and the certificate sent to the venue 30 days before your date at no extra fee. If your coordinator needs it sooner, they only have to ask.
Frequently Asked Questions
Have you shot weddings at Bavaria Downs?
Yes — Bavaria Downs in Chaska is one of my favorite Minnesota venues. I plan around the cathedral barn, the white-pillar grand staircase, the pond and gazebo, and the rolling vineyard-style grounds for golden-hour portraits.
How much is a Bavaria Downs wedding photographer?
My Bavaria Downs collections start at $2,700 for 4 hours and $3,900 for 8 hours with a second photographer. No travel fee — Chaska is in my home metro service area.
Best photo spots at Bavaria Downs?
The grand staircase for first looks, the pond/gazebo for portraits, the cathedral barn at sunset with the doors open, and the back vineyard rows at golden hour. Reception under the chandeliers needs off-camera flash to look its best.
What's the Bavaria Downs wedding-day timeline?
Getting ready 1:00, first look 3:00, wedding party 3:30, ceremony 5:00, family formals 5:30, cocktail hour 6:00, sunset portraits 7:45, reception 8:00, dance floor with off-camera flash 9:30+.
Do you carry Bavaria Downs vendor insurance?
Yes — $2M liability insurance with Bavaria Downs added as additional insured on request. Sent to the venue 30 days before your date with no extra fee.
Do you bring a second photographer to Bavaria Downs?
On the 8-hour Pearl collection, yes — $3,900 includes two photographers. One of us covers you during the ceremony while the other covers your guests' reactions, and during sunset portraits the second stays with cocktail hour so the candids never stop.
How long until we see our Bavaria Downs wedding photos?
Sneak peeks land within 48 hours of the wedding, and the full edited gallery arrives in 4–6 weeks. Portrait sessions run 2–4 weeks.
Is 4 hours of coverage enough for a Bavaria Downs wedding?
The 4-hour Emerald collection ($2,700) covers a ceremony, family formals, portraits, and the start of a reception. It will not stretch from getting-ready to a sparkler exit on the same day — for that full arc you want the 8-hour Pearl ($3,900) or 12-hour Sapphire ($4,600).
Can you photograph a small wedding or elopement at Bavaria Downs?
Yes — if your day is a small ceremony rather than a full reception, 2-hour elopement coverage starts at $2,700. Two hours fits a ceremony plus a relaxed portrait walk through the staircase, pond, and vineyard spots. Confirm the format itself with the venue directly.
Book Your Bavaria Downs Wedding
2026 Saturdays book 12+ months out. I send 2–3 real Bavaria Downs galleries on request.
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