Basilica of Saint Mary Weddings in Minneapolis

The Basilica of Saint Mary publishes a written policy for wedding photographers and videographers, and it is unusually specific. It sets your arrival time by ceremony slot, gives you the building for one hour before the wedding, requires staged photos to stop 30 minutes before it starts, bans flash and camera spotlights during the liturgy, and keeps photographers away from the altar area entirely, with a fee charged to the couple if that is broken.

It also tells you exactly which spaces are worth using and which ones are too dark to bother with. Read together with the Basilica's fee sheet and its wedding FAQ, it is one of the most useful venue documents in Minneapolis. Here is what it says and how I would plan a day around it.

Before you read any further, check the date you are planning. The Basilica states on its own marriage page that because of a major restoration it is unable to accept any request for 2026, and that weddings resume in June 2027. It has pointed couples looking at 2026 toward Our Lady of Lourdes instead. Directories and vendor listings have not caught up with this, so you may still see the Basilica offered as a bookable 2026 venue. Everything below applies from June 2027 onward, and to anyone already holding a date — confirm the current status with the Basilica before you build a timeline around it.

What time can your photographer get in?

The Basilica's policy for wedding photographers and videographers notes that up to three weddings run on a single weekend, then sets arrival and church access times for each slot:

• Friday 5:00 p.m. ceremony: arrival 2:30 p.m., church access 3:00 p.m.
• Saturday 12:00 p.m. ceremony: arrival 9:30 a.m., church access 10:00 a.m.
• Saturday 3:00 p.m. ceremony: arrival 12:30 p.m., church access 1:15 p.m.

Anything earlier must be arranged and agreed with the coordinator of liturgical celebrations. On arrival the photographer checks in with the Basilica's wedding coordinator to review policy and movement restrictions. Separately, the wedding party gets the Undercroft changing rooms 2.5 hours before the ceremony, which is where getting-ready coverage has to happen if you want it in the building.

Build your morning backwards from the access time, not from the ceremony time. That is the single most common planning mistake here, and it is the reason I treat the access time as the hard deadline on every Minneapolis wedding timeline I write.

The one hour before, and almost nothing after

The policy states the Basilica is available for a photo shoot one hour prior to the wedding, and that staged photos must finish a half hour before the ceremony, with no exceptions. That is a 30-minute working window for anything posed inside the church.

Photos after the ceremony are "strongly discouraged due to time restrictions." If you want them, the policy says the request must be arranged in advance with the coordinator of liturgical celebrations, and warns that even a limited post-ceremony shoot may not be granted because of time constraints.

Practically, that means the Basilica is a first-look venue. Do couple portraits and the large wedding-party groupings somewhere else beforehand, walk in with only the family combinations that genuinely need the church behind them, and keep that list to the people who will actually be standing near the sanctuary. If you are undecided about a first look, my piece on seeing each other before the aisle is worth reading before you lock the schedule.

Where can photographers stand during the ceremony?

The policy is direct: photographers are not allowed near or around the altar area during the ceremony. "There are no exceptions and violation of this policy will result in a fee to the couple." A map in the same document marks two restricted zones during the liturgy, the altar area and the forward block of pews, and marks the rear pew area and the standing room behind the stanchions as permitted, with movement kept to a minimum.

The photographer and videographer must meet the wedding coordinator on the day to discuss placement and movement. Equipment is not permitted to be in direct view of the worshipping assembly during the ceremony, and any cables crossing an aisle or walkway must be taped down.

Read that alongside the ceremony rules at the Cathedral of Saint Paul and a pattern emerges: in the Twin Cities' two largest Catholic churches, ceremony coverage happens from the back, at distance. It is a real limit on the pictures, and it is much easier to accept when you have decided in advance rather than discovered it mid-aisle.

Which spaces are actually worth your 30 minutes?

The Basilica's policy reads like a location scout, which is rare and useful:

• Sanctuary. Photographers are welcome to stage the pre-ceremony shoot near the altar. Nothing, furniture or otherwise, may be moved or altered, and the policy warns that the sanctuary steps are often hard for wedding participants to navigate.
• The Crossing. The midway break in the pews, requested more often now because more of the architecture shows. Note the practical catch: at least 75 feet of extension cord is needed to reach an outlet from there.
• Side chapels. Described as dimly lit even at maximum lighting, with an outlet that may not be readily available depending on which side you choose. Lovely for a quiet prayer frame, hard for a group.
• Balcony. Photographers may have access, but must plan it with the wedding coordinator, and the policy warns that banners and other hangings in the nave can get in the way.
• Outdoors. The east lawn is shaded and green outside winter and is shielded from freeway noise; Mary Garden on the west side has flowers and wrought iron gates; the front steps are called out as ideal.
• Undercroft. Two changing rooms and a green room. The Undercroft Chapel is also available but is normally locked, needs to be pre-arranged, and may be unavailable if something else is booked there.

If you are still choosing a reception to pair with a downtown ceremony, the Lumber Exchange and the Hewing Hotel are both short drives, and my roundup of Minneapolis wedding venues covers the rest of the shortlist.

Flash, lighting and sound

Flash photography may not be used during the ceremony. Camera spotlights are not permitted during the ceremony either, and the policy specifically includes the procession in that ban, which is stricter than the usual "flash for the aisle walk" allowance.

The house lighting is not yours to adjust. The Basilica's system is set by computer to maximise effect and is operated by the wedding coordinator only; the policy says the coordinator alone will control it. Outlets exist in the worship space but extension cords are needed. Plan for a dim, warm, mixed-colour room and a camera that handles it.

Video has its own rules. The Basilica can provide a direct XLR line-level feed from the sound system, and the videographer must check in with the sound technician no later than half an hour before the liturgy, because the technician starts the sound check at that point and will not be free afterwards. Videographers may not set up other types of microphones, although lapel mics are permitted, and a violation results in a fee to the couple. If you are weighing up hiring both, my comparison of a photographer and a videographer covers how the two roles share a restricted space.

The Basilica Send-off

In good weather, couples may request the "Basilica Send-off," a photograph of the entire assembly on the front steps. The wedding coordinator gathers everyone; coordinating the actual photograph is the photographer's job. The couple exits the church last, in ceremonial procession, which the coordinator runs.

It is a genuinely good picture and it is free, but it eats several minutes of a day that has no slack after the ceremony. Decide before the rehearsal whether you want it, and tell your photographer, because it changes where they need to be standing at the recessional. For other frames near the church, my guide to where to take wedding photos in Minneapolis covers the nearby blocks.

What does a Basilica wedding cost, and who can marry there?

The Basilica's wedding information page is the hub for its documents, and its published wedding musician and liturgy fee sheet lists a required organist or pianist at $350 and a required cantor or soloist at $250, with a harp at $350, a solo trumpet or violin at $250, bagpipes outdoors only at $250, a brass or string quartet at $1,000, the Basilica Choir at $1,200, contemporary Mass musicians at $175 per member, a $50 contracting fee for additional musicians, golden candelabras at $250, and a refundable $500 damage deposit. Prices are marked subject to change, so confirm them when you book.

On the liturgy itself, the Basilica's wedding celebrations FAQ explains that a marriage ceremony without Communion is a valid, sacramental marriage, and encourages couples to consider that option when many guests or wedding party members are not Catholic. Couples may request a specific presider or be assigned one, and outside Catholic priests and deacons who are relatives or friends are welcome. If the presider is not from the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, the Basilica gives him instructions on filing credentials with the State of Minnesota and providing a Letter of Suitability from his own diocese.

Minneapolis sits in Hennepin County, so the licence comes from Hennepin County, which lists the fee as $125, or $50 with an educator's statement confirming 12 hours of premarital education, and says the licence is valid for six months and is issued when you pay. The same figures appear in Minn. Stat. 517.08, which also sets out what the education has to cover. Catholic marriage preparation frequently qualifies; ask for the statement in writing.

For more on how a nuptial Mass changes coverage hours, see my Catholic wedding photography page, the broader Minneapolis wedding photography guide, and the shortlist of Minneapolis wedding photographers if you are still comparing.

Frequently asked questions

Can photographers go near the altar at the Basilica of Saint Mary?

Before the ceremony, yes: the policy welcomes photographers to stage the pre-ceremony shoot near the altar in the sanctuary, as long as nothing is moved. During the ceremony, no. The policy states photographers are not allowed near or around the altar area, that there are no exceptions, and that a violation results in a fee charged to the couple.

Is flash allowed at a Basilica of Saint Mary wedding?

Not during the ceremony. The published policy says flash photography may not be used during the ceremony, and separately bans camera spotlights during the ceremony including the procession. The Basilica's own lighting system is computer-controlled and operated only by the wedding coordinator, so the room you get is the room you shoot.

How early can we get into the Basilica on the wedding day?

It depends on your slot. The policy sets arrival at 2:30 p.m. with church access at 3:00 p.m. for a Friday 5:00 p.m. wedding, arrival 9:30 a.m. and access 10:00 a.m. for a Saturday noon wedding, and arrival 12:30 p.m. with access 1:15 p.m. for a Saturday 3:00 p.m. wedding. Changing rooms open 2.5 hours before the ceremony.

Can we take photos inside after the ceremony?

Only if it is arranged in advance. The policy says staged photos after the ceremony are strongly discouraged because of time restrictions, that any such request must be arranged with the coordinator of liturgical celebrations beforehand, and that even a limited post-ceremony shoot may not be granted. Plan your formals for the hour before instead.

What is the Basilica Send-off?

It is an optional group photograph of the entire assembly gathered on the Basilica's front steps, available in good weather at the couple's request. The Basilica's wedding coordinator gathers the guests and runs the couple's ceremonial exit, and the couple leaves the church last. Composing and shooting the photograph itself is the photographer's responsibility.

Sources

• The Basilica of Saint Mary: Policy for Wedding Photographers and Videographers, revised 2026
• The Basilica of Saint Mary: Wedding Information and Documents
• The Basilica of Saint Mary: Wedding Musician and Liturgy Fees
• The Basilica of Saint Mary: Wedding Celebrations FAQ
• Hennepin County: Marriage license
• Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes: Minn. Stat. 517.08