The Outpost Wedding Photographer — Chaska

Outpost Center: The Venue Itself

What the space is actually like — the details couples ask me about before they ask about photography.

Address

6053 Hwy. 212 East, Chaska, MN 55318. Phone: (952) 475-8095. The venue's contact page renders the street as "6053 U.S. 212"; the site footer uses "6053 Hwy. 212 East."

Capacity

299. The venue states "Attendance maximums for indoor and outdoor events is 299 people." The indoor Celebration Hall "seats up to 299 people" and the outdoor Chapel "can seat up 299 people." No separate, higher standing/cocktail figure is published — a third-party directory lists seated/cocktail as 299/299.

Ceremony & reception spaces

Indoor — The Barn houses the Celebration Hall, which seats up to 299 people and, unlike many barns, has both heat and AC, making it available for events year round. The Barn also contains a "Bridal" Loft, a large open space with a view of the Hall below; a Meeting "Grooms" Room with plush, comfortable furniture; and a guest-accessible kitchen equipped with oven, range, microwave, sink and refrigerator, plus dishware and food preparation equipment. The building is handicap accessible. Outdoor — The Backyard includes an outdoor Chapel that seats up to 299 people against a wooded backdrop, an outdoor kitchen and patio with a built-in grilling station, a bonfire pit, and large grassy areas used for yard games including bags, bocce ball and life-size Jenga.

Catering

Catering is open: choose from the Recommended Vendor list or bring your own caterer. The property provides a large kitchen space set up as a fully functioning residential kitchen with a refrigerator and freezer. Alcohol is the exception — it must be served only by one of three Approved Vendors, though you may provide your own alcohol.

• The venue's address is 6053 Hwy. 212 East, Chaska, MN 55318, with a phone number of (952) 475-8095.
• The venue states that "Attendance maximums for indoor and outdoor events is 299 people," and that the facility is handicap accessible.
• The indoor Celebration Hall inside The Barn "seats up to 299 people" and, "unlike many barns has both heat and AC, making it available for events year round."
• The Barn also contains a "Bridal" Loft described as "a large open space with a view of the Hall below," a Meeting "Grooms" Room with plush, comfortable furniture, and a guest-accessible kitchen with "oven, range, microwave, sink and refrigerator" plus dishware and food preparation equipment.
• The outdoor area, The Backyard, includes an outdoor Chapel that "can seat up 299 people amidst a beautiful wooded backdrop."
• The Backyard also includes an outdoor kitchen and patio "complete with built in grilling station," a bonfire pit, and large grassy areas that support yard games including bags, bocce ball and life-size Jenga.
• Catering is open: couples may "Choose from our Recommended Vendor list or select your own caterer," and the property provides a large kitchen space set up as a fully functioning residential kitchen with refrigerator and freezer.
• Wedding parties have the property from 9 AM to midnight; outdoor amplified music must stop at 8 PM — "Per Carver County Rules, if enjoying outdoor music, amplification needs to cease by 8 PM"; and alcohol "Must be served only by one of three Approved Vendors. (You may provide your own alcohol.)"
• The property was purchased in 2005 and first operated as a garden center known as The Mustard Seed; in 2015 it began its transition into The Outpost, which operates as a MN Nonprofit Corporation. Its buildings are named The Barn, The Backyard and The Cabin.

Best Photo Spots at Outpost Center

• Pond ceremony at golden hour
• Wooded trail portraits
• White barn doors at sunset
• Gazebo first look
• Back patio sparkler exit
• Bridal suite window light
• String-lit barn interior
• Family formals by the gazebo

How I Photograph an Outpost Center Wedding

A Sample Outpost Center Wedding Timeline

This is the timeline from my planning calls, built for a late-sunset summer date with a 5:00 ceremony. An earlier sunset shifts everything forward — everything bends around the pond at golden hour and the trail portraits.

1. 1

   1:00 — Getting ready

   Bridal suite window light for details, the dress, and the last calm hour of the day.

2. 2

   3:00 — First look

   At the gazebo, with enough margin that nobody is rushed through it.

3. 3

   3:30 — Wedding party

   On the wooded trails while everyone is fresh and the group energy is easy.

4. 4

   5:00 — Ceremony

   At the pond site, late enough in the afternoon that the light has begun to soften.

5. 5

   5:30 — Family formals

   By the gazebo, straight after the ceremony while every combination is in one place.

6. 6

   6:00 — Cocktail hour

   Candids of your guests, plus the string-lit barn photographed empty before anyone sits down.

7. 7

   7:45 — Sunset portraits

   Fifteen minutes on the trails, just the two of you. Usually the best frames of the day.

8. 8

   8:00 — Reception

   Toasts and first dances, with the white barn doors open to the sunset.

9. 9

   9:30 — Dance floor

   Off-camera flash once the light is gone, closing with the back patio sparkler exit.

Light Planning at the Outpost Center

Outpost Center Wedding Photography Pricing

Frequently Asked Questions