Who We AreEvent Ideas & Inspiration at The Bonus Room
At The Bonus Room, we believe every celebration deserves a welcoming, comfortable, and affordable space. Whether you're planning a graduation party, engagement celebration, birthday, holiday gathering, family reunion, bridal shower, or business meeting, we're here to help make your event memorable.
Since opening our doors in historic downtown Lakeville, we've proudly hosted hundreds of events of every size and style. Our flexible venue allows you to personalize your celebration while enjoying the convenience of a dedicated event space.
Why Choose Our Bonus Room?
Convenient ParkingYour guests will appreciate easy access with ample on-street parking and a large public parking lot located just across the street
Affordable & FlexibleHosting at The Bonus Room can be more affordable than renting tents, tables, chairs, and other equipment for a home event. We offer flexible rental options that give you plenty of time for decorating, celebrating, and cleanup.
Relax & Enjoy The CelebrationInstead of worrying about your home, focus on spending time with family and friends. Our venue gives you the freedom to enjoy your event while leaving household concerns behind.
Perfect In Any SeasonMinnesota weather can be unpredictable. Our climate-controlled indoor venue keeps your guests comfortable year-round, rain or shine.
Ready For Your EventSkip the stress of preparing your home. Our clean, spacious venue is ready for you to make it your own. Bring your decorations if you'd like or keep things simple. Just arrive with your food, beverages, and guests
Perfect for Every Celebration
Our Story
We live in Lakeville. Our kids go to Lakeville schools. We both work in real estate in this community and Joe is a volunteer firefighter with the Lakeville Fire Department. He’s also a Lakeville native and graduated from Lakeville High School back in 1997.
We’re invested in this city, especially the historic downtown. We believe it’s the heart and soul of the community . Our mission and passion is to give something back, to support our friends and family and provide a place for people to gather. We wanted to keep it affordable so The Bonus Room might be an option for smaller groups as well as larger celebrations.
Since we opened our doors last March we’ve hosted just about any kind of event you can think of: baby showers, groom’s dinners, family reunions, birthday parties, book clubs, networking meetings, game watch parties, pop-up boutiques, classes, bridal showers, and so many more. We feel blessed to be a part of so many celebrations!
We hope The Bonus Room is just the extra space you need, and we can’t wait to share our labor of love with you!
-The Pannkuk Family
Engagement Party Checklist
The engagement party is the first of many milestones you’ll be celebrating before you walk down the aisle. Traditionally, the bride’s parents have been in charge of the engagement party, but in today’s world, it’s not uncommon for the parents of the bride or groom, or even the couple, to plan the festivities. Once you’ve determined who’s hosting, you’ll still need to…
Pick a Date
It’s an engagement party so usually the date should fall within two to three months of actually getting engaged. Be sure to compare calendars with family members you want to be able to attend.
Decide on the Guest List
An engagement party is a chance for those close to the bride and groom to get to know each other before all of the festivities begin. Often times it’s the first time some members of the bride’s and groom’s families will have a chance to meet. Don’t include anyone who won’t be invited to the ceremony or reception.
Book the Venue
The size and type of space you’ll need will depend on several factors.
How many guests do you expect?
What type of event are you having?
What time of year is it happening?
Send Out the Invites
Once you’ve decided on a host, a date and a venue, let people know! Depending on how formal or casual your party will be, invites can be as fancy as the wedding invitations or as simple as an email. Make sure you give guests plenty of notice. Sending invitations out at least three to four weeks before the date is key. Most people will bring a small gift to an engagement party. If you’d prefer no gifts, make sure it’s noted on the invitations.
Make a Plan for the Menu
Are you going to have food catered in or do it yourself? If your party is at a restaurant or event center, they might have rules regarding approved vendors. If you’re doing it yourselves, make a list of everything you’ll need and start a timeline for what can be done ahead of time and who you can count on to help.
Decide on Decorations
Check with the venue to see if there are any restrictions on decor. Some places have rules regarding decorations such as candles, confetti, balloons, glitter, and more. You can make the decorations as intricate or simple as you’d like. This is a chance to personalize the event to the couple as well. Consider using pictures or items that have been important to them in the decor.
Prep Ahead of Time
Plan ahead and try to get as much as you can done ahead of time. If you’re making decorations or food, put together a list of everything you can do in the weeks or days ahead. Things will come up at the last minute and you’ll be grateful you’ve got a head start. If you need to bring in linens or extra seating, make arrangements well in advance.
Consider Entertainment
Will you have a band? A DJ? A playlist of the couple’s favorite songs? Depending on the type of event you’ve put together, it might be fun to have some games planned to celebrate the couple or a photo booth set up to capture snapshots of the event.
Have Fun
Once all the details are taken care of it’s time to relax and have fun! Hopefully this is the first of many events that will take place to celebrate the happy couple!