Everything we can think to share about planing a wedding in Des Moines will be covered right here in one post to hopefully save you some time and maybe even a little money.
Our first section will try to assist with planning this on your own by sharing a list of local wedding and reception venues. Some may want to get married in the church they went to as a kid, others will prefer to rent a different venue that can be a great place to host the ceremony or the reception.
Contents
- 1 Des Moines Wedding & Reception Venues
- 2 Bridal Shops
- 3 Where To Get Your Invitations
- 4 Choosing The Right Florist
- 5 Wedding Photographers & Videographers
- 6 Bands & DJ’s
- 7 Hair & Makeup Stylists
- 8 Tuxedo Rentals
- 9 Where To Buy Your Wedding Cake
- 10 Caterers
- 11 Your Rehearsal Dinner
- 12 Des Moines Wedding Planners
- 13 Good Luck Planning Your Wedding In Des Moines
Up next we will discuss the best bridal shops near you to buy a dress and many of the other things you will need. Shops that sell wedding invitations, florists, photographers, videographers, bands, and DJ’s will garner our next few sections.
Then we will get into some of the top wedding hair and makeup stylists and shops to rent a tuxedo so you can make sure everyone involved is looking their best. Our last few lists will be all about the food as we mention where to buy wedding cakes, caterers, and some great restaurants to host your rehearsal dinner at.
The final section will share the best wedding planners in Des Moines for anyone who wants to hand all of this work off to someone else. Most wedding planners in your area will have different packages available ranging from a little bit of assistance all the way up to doing it all for you.
You can also expect to find a map towards the end that has all of these various venues pinned on it so that you can figure out which is closest to your current area. And if you wanted to compare what is available here to some other cities in the Midwest you can check out that link.
Des Moines Wedding & Reception Venues
Choosing the right location for a wedding and reception in Des Moines is a huge key to the whole process:
- Rollins Mansion at 2801 Fleur Dr
- The Tea Room at 713 Walnut St #600
- The Loft DSM at 100 Indiana Ave 2nd floor
- Sherwood Forest Event Center at 7400 Hickman Rd
- Curate at 322 E Court Ave
- Salisbury House & Gardens at 4025 Tonawanda Dr
- The Des Moines Embassy Club at 7th & Grand Ave 34th floor
- Decades Event Center at 1208 Grand Ave, West Des Moines
- West Des Moines Marriott at 1250 Jordan Creek Pkwy, West Des Moines
- Bella Love Event Venue at 8801 University Ave #29, Clive
The Garden Room and Jubilee Room at The Tea Room are suitable for smaller wedding ceremonies and receptions near you with a capacity for 100 to 150 people.
Loft DSM can handle up to 280 guests for events.
The Sherwood Forest Event Center can conveniently seat up to 250 people.
Local wedding parties of up to 220 seated guests can be accommodated at Curate.
There is space for as many as 600 guests for weddings and receptions at the Des Moines Embassy Club Downtown.
Decades has 5,000 square feet of space and seating for 250 people.
The Grand Ballroom at the West Des Moines Marriott can accommodate wedding receptions in your area for up to 320 guests in a banquet setting.
Bella Love Event Venue has a maximum capacity of 181 people standing or 145 people if seated.
Bridal Shops
Buy your dress and all of the other important items you need at one of the best bridal shops near you:
- Bridal Boutique at 412 E 6th St
- Weddings by Design & The Tux Shop at 2020 Grand Ave #400, West Des Moines
- Schaffer’s Bridal at 5445 Mills Civic Pkwy, West Des Moines
- David’s Bridal at 10201 University Ave, Clive
- Perry Bridal Boutique at 2721 86th St, Urbandale
- Stacey’s Bridal, Prom & Formalwear at 11161 Plum Dr, Urbandale
Where To Get Your Invitations
You can get envelopes and invitations in your area by contacting:
- Ephemera at 505 E Locust St
- TandemHart at 304 15th St #201
- The Design Brewery at 4020 146th St, Urbandale
- Gatherie Creative
Choosing The Right Florist
The venue will look stunning when it gets filled with flowers by one of these florists:
- Wildflower at 2718 Ingersoll Ave
- Boesen The Florist at 3422 Beaver Ave
- Flowerama at 3310 SE 14th St
- Something Chic Floral at 1905 EP True Pkwy #209, West Des Moines
- Plaza Florist & Gifts at 2805 100th St, Urbandale
- The Wild Orchid at 2795 100th St, Urbandale
- Lavender Blue Floral
Wedding Photographers & Videographers
Having one of these local wedding photographers and videographers on the scene will make sure that nothing is forgotten:
- Red Door Photo
- Black Photography
- Anna Jones Photography
- Ryan Damman Photography
- Kirstie Veatch Photography
- ZTS Photo
- Amelia Renee Photography
- The Farmhouse Studios
- Invictus Media
- Amanda Basteen Photography
Bands & DJ’s
The reception will be the party of the year if you book the right band or DJ:
Hair & Makeup Stylists
One of the top wedding hair and makeup stylists near you will have you looking better than ever on your big day:
- Salon Spa W at 400 E Locust St #2
- Dsm Salon at 849 42nd St
- Kelsi Ziemann Artistry at 900 Keosauqua Way #440
- J. Michaels Salon at 2801 Ingersoll Ave
- Vanity & Glamour Cosmetics at 547 28th St
- Serenity Couture Salon & Spa at 1551 Valley W Dr #286, West Des Moines
- The Hive Salon at 2211 NW 111th St, Clive
- Art of Life Salon & Spa at 3270 100th St, Urbandale
- Hello Darlin’ Glam
Tuxedo Rentals
The groom needs to look good too and he will if you rent a tuxedo in your area at:
- Skeffington’s Formal Wear at 2453 SW 9th St
- Men’s Wearhouse at 1540B Valley West Dr #1 & 3, West Des Moines
Weddings by Design & The Tux Shop and Schaffer’s Bridal also provide tuxedo rental services for the groom and groomsmen.
Where To Buy Your Wedding Cake
These bakeries are known to make some of the best wedding cakes in Des Moines:
- Crème at 543 28th St
- Molly’s Cupcakes at 215 E 3rd St
- The Cake Confectionery at 4419 NW Aurora Ave
- Let Them Eat Cake at 405 Maple St, West Des Moines
- Lara’s Bakery & Market at 1800 NW 86th St #19, Clive
- The Bake Shoppe at 6611 University Ave #102, Windsor Heights
- Our Creation Cakes
Caterers
Everyone will rave about the food when you book one of these caterers:
- Taste! To Go Catering & Events
- The Tangerine Food Company
- Christiani’s Catering
- Sunflower Chef Catering
- Great Caterers of Iowa
- Food With Flair
Your Rehearsal Dinner
Any of these restaurants will make for a great option for your rehearsal dinner:
- The Iowa Taproom at 215 E 3rd St #100
- Eatery A at 2932 Ingersoll Ave
- Noah’s Ark Restaurant at 2400 Ingersoll Ave
- Latin King Italian Dining at 2200 Hubbell Ave
- Americana at 1312 Locust St
- Gilroy’s Kitchen + Pub + Patio at 1238 8th St, West Des Moines
- John & Nick’s Steak & Prime Rib at 15970 Hickman Rd, Clive
- Machine Shed Restaurant at 11151 Hickman Rd, Urbandale
Des Moines Wedding Planners
Sign up for the full service package or just get a little assist by contacting one of the best local wedding planners:
- White Willow Events at 6011 Grand Ave
- Out of Box Productions at 315 E 5th St
- Stuart Alexander Productions at 100 Indiana Ave
- Perfect Events at 8845 Franklin Ave, Clive
- Mostly Becky
- Honey & Joy Events
- Dawn til Dusk
- Midwest Meets Design
By the way we have also written a:
- Guide To Becoming A Bride In Omaha
- Guide To Becoming A Bride In Kansas City
- Guide To Becoming A Bride In The Twin Cities
- Guide To Becoming A Bride In Madison
Good Luck Planning Your Wedding In Des Moines
Hopefully after reading about all of the above you feel a lot more confident about planning your wedding in Des Moines. You got linked to some of the best planners near you if you want to go that route, or you can save some money and do a lot of this on your own.
We tried to cover it all from local wedding and reception venues, bridal shops, invitations, florists, photographers, videographers, bands, DJ’s, hair and makeup stylists, tuxedo rentals, caterers, the cake, and of course some good restaurants for a rehearsal dinner in your area.
At this point you should be fully informed and ready to plan a great wedding in Des Moines and we wish you all the luck in the world!