Iowa-Quad Cities — The Knot Community

Iowa City Bachelorette Party

knottie77a055f4eda6dd3e — Wed, 24 Jan 2018 03:23:04 +0000

Hi! I'm throwing a bachelorette party for my sister in Iowa City at the beginning of March. We're planning to end our evening by heading downtown for a few drinks and maybe some dancing? I'm from Wisconsin and don't know the area well, so if anyone has suggestions for bars to hit up, that'd be great! Thanks!

Celebration Farm - Iowa City

mm15-2 — Fri, 01 Jul 2016 03:34:22 +0000

Just wondering if anyone has any experience with the timber frame barn. Online it says the capacity is 150, but I was wondering if there is any way to fit about 200 in the barn or if that is something they would allow. I am worried the larger double round barn will be too large and look empty as I am trying to keep the wedding as small as possible, but we both have large families.

Thanks!

Destination Wedding

Knottie1432241345 — Wed, 14 Oct 2015 18:38:43 +0000

Has anyone had a destination wedding and then had a reception at home? What venues have you looked at?

Venus at home after destination wedding

Knottie1432241345 — Wed, 14 Oct 2015 18:37:37 +0000

Has anyone had a destination wedding and then a reception at home? What venues have you chosen for this?

Iowa "Black Tie" Definition

KellyT22 — Tue, 09 Jun 2015 19:09:53 +0000

Hi ladies! I've recently been invited to a wedding in Southeastern Iowa. On the invitation, it was mentioned that this wedding is a "Black Tie Affair".

To me, black tie means tuxes and ballgowns, however my MIL insists that black tie means something different in Iowa. Her exact words were somewhere along the lines of "black tie in Iowa just means no jeans and dress nice".

So I'd love to hear your input. Is Iowa black tie really something different than standard black tie?

Thank you in advance!

Are you using paper or online invitations? + Get an invitation coupon code!

KnotHolly — Tue, 12 May 2015 14:25:31 +0000

Hi Knotties!

We want to know what’s really trending these days. What type of invitation will you or did you use for your wedding?

Will you use a traditional invitation, like this one from Wedding Paper Divas?

Or will you go the paperless route and send out online invitations, like this one from PaperlessPost.com?

Let us know below!

P.S. Anyone who responds before May 29th, 2015 will be sent a 20% off Wedding Paper Divas coupon!

Recommendations for Day-of Services?

WildMagelet — Mon, 11 May 2015 01:21:55 +0000

I'm really needing someone to set up ~20 chairs, move said chairs inside, and wash dishes. In a perfect world I could also pay them to set up, tear down, and clean up a reception space for ~25 people.

Any recommendations or ideas for places to look?

Who's your favorite band or DJ in your area?

KnotRiley — Fri, 27 Mar 2015 14:42:45 +0000

Hi Knotties!

In honor of our new Top 10 Wedding Songs for 2015 list, we want to know: Are you going with a band or a DJ? If you’ve already hired your musicians or DJ, tell us who it is in the comments below to help give other local Knotties some great ideas and referrals.

Oh, and if you’re getting close to the date and you’ve already made your must-play list for the reception, head over to our Wedding Music Board to share!

January 2015 QCA Bridal Fairs

WildMagelet — Thu, 01 Jan 2015 15:00:25 +0000

These are coming up this month for anyone wanting to hit one up to do some networking with vendors!

WeddingMax Bridal Show January 3rd, 2015 at the iWireless center.

Davenport Jaycees Bridal Expo January 31st, 2015 at the RiverCenter.

Iowa City Wedding

samantha-burke — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 13:09:07 +0000

I would love suggestions for outdoor ceremony/reception venues for the Iowa City area. I feel as though everywhere I look isn't big enough (thinking around 300) or is already booked. Please let me know any idea you may have. Thanks!

Quad Cities hair and make-up suggestions

MauritaLucille — Thu, 12 Jun 2014 18:10:17 +0000

Hi!

I am getting married in Davenport and am looking for suggestions for hair stylists and makeup artists. I have 6 girls in my wedding party, so I think we will need a few extra hands. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

Cheers!

Outside Venues for ceremony?

Ozzie85 — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 20:41:22 +0000

My FI and I are thinking of getting married May 2014 and we haven't even started our guest list, lol. But I am trying to get the ball rolling and I was just wondering, where are some great outdoor location to get married. We were thinking Duck Creek Park where they have the gazebo but I am thinking that may be too small. We are still looking for venues for our reception. Also, we are looking for a church as a backup since weather can be unpredictable.

Wedding Officiant

shanliann — Mon, 21 May 2012 00:31:24 +0000

Any suggestions on who we should hire to perform the ceremony? We just really want to keep it simple and quick and basically need someone to "make it official" haha!

Pew decorations

Gsones — Mon, 17 Feb 2014 03:40:23 +0000

I have 43 of these cones used to decorate the end of the pews. You can add flowers or other color or them too,

Decorations for sale

Gsones — Mon, 17 Feb 2014 02:01:36 +0000

I have 153 painted wine bottles for sale and at least 50 bouquets that fit in mason jars. Pretty summer colors, with a purple and green theme.

Odd request-- public outdoor settling for an intimate short ceremony?

lhn85 — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 05:44:35 +0000

Hi girls, I have the fiance, I have the officiant, I have two timeframes that might work, now all I need is the space. We are being encouraged by both sides of the family to elope (we already have a kid, it's my second wedding, and a traditional wedding seems like a major headache) but the courthouse just doesn't have any appeal to me. I think it'd be romantic and sweet to get our son and an officiant and head to a pretty park or public garden or something to wed in a brief but special ceremony! Am I crazy? Possibly.

I could really use for suggestions for local spots that might be perfect for this idea! I'm not from around here or we'd be hitched already. :)

Also a suggestion for a fancy dinner or lunch afterward would be great!

Scary! QC Photographer rip-off =(

WildMagelet — Wed, 05 Feb 2014 21:47:56 +0000

I hope nobody here had booked her for any upcoming events!

http://www.whbf.com/story/24089345/several-complaints-about-qc-photographer

Duck Creek/Stampe Lilac Garden

WildMagelet — Wed, 05 Feb 2014 19:28:20 +0000

Does anyone know where I can find pictures of the garden (wedding or non-wedding) at various times of year?

I know that the lilacs are more of a May thing but I also know they're fairly booked throughout the year and that there are a lot of other flowers out there besides just lilacs.

Bridal Expo

madstaylor — Sun, 19 Jan 2014 21:54:26 +0000

Here is the info from today's QC Times

Storybook Ending- DeWitt, IA

eflecker — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 13:25:08 +0000

My experience at Storybook Ending has been amazing! My mother and I decided to stop at numerous QC locations without appointments; I did not think I would even try anything on let alone find my dress. After visiting some other locations and being disappointed with selection, appearance of stores and customer service, we decided to make the drive to DeWitt. When we arrived, we were greeted immediately and told of course I could try on dresses without an appointment. I explained this was the 1st time and the sales lady suggested I try on 6 very different styles- especially making 1 something I would never think of wearing. This was so helpful and the best piece of advice- my least likely option was the dress I fell in love with! Since ordering, receiving and continuing to look for garments/accessories for the rest of the wedding party, I have continued to receive the highest level of customer service. They are ALL amazing. Thank you for making this a painless and incredibly enjoyable experience! Erica Flecker

bridesmaid dresses

sarasubbert — Wed, 23 Oct 2013 03:07:31 +0000

All right ladies, I need help! Where is a good place to find bridesmaid dresses in the quad city/iowa city area?

Did not have a good experience wedding dress shopping at Hopes Bridal so reaaallllyyy don't want to go there. BUT any suggestions are welcomed!

Thanks!

Vendor Review for QC

eagle328 — Thu, 26 Sep 2013 19:43:30 +0000

Ceremony venue: St. Anthony's Catholic Church - Davenport, IA

You have to be a parishioner and Catholic to get married there, but for those who are, Father Apo does a wonderful and engaging nuptial mass.

Reception venue: Waterfront Convention Center (Isle of Capri hotel) Bettendorf, IA

Large venue, wonderful for weddings around or over 200 people. I believe they can manage up to 650, but it works great for medium sized weddings as well. The deciding factor for us was that they did their own catering and have a wonderful reputation for making really good food (I can confirm). They have their own wait staff (who were professional and very nice) and do all of their own place settings. They really make hosting a wedding reception simple. A huge shout out to Joy Garcia, their coordinator, who is incredibly organized, enthusiastic, and all-around wonderful to work with.

Photographer: Giraffe Photography - Village of East Davenport

We worked with Stephen Folker for our engagement shoot and Sarah Long for our wedding. Stephen was very funny and really got us smiling for all of our pictures. In about and hours and a half, he got a lot of great shots with a lot of variety. He was very fun and comfortable to work with.

Sarah has a lot of artistic vision. I don't know how she got so many angles of the nuptial mass, I didn't see or hear her during the ceremony, but from her pictures, it seems that she was everywhere. The "couple and wedding party shoot" in between the ceremony and reception was where she really stood out. She seemed to be inspired by everything she saw. I appreciated that she knew exactly what she wanted out of poses and she was very clear in all of her posing instructions, which is great when we have limited time.

Flowers: Damien from Milan Flower shop

Damien is absolutely the person to go to for floral arrangements. He has great artistic vision and lots of creative ideas. He knows all of the QC venues and what types of arrangements work for which places.

Tamara Wendt - Quad Cities

Great work. Brilliant and creative designs. Very reliable. Tamara will work with you and your vendors every step of the to ensure that your wedding looks exactly the way you want. She does designs, acquires all of the items, coordinates with other vendors, does set up and take down, and does an excellent job with everything. Very glad we hired her. Apparently, three couples toured the venue the morning of our wedding after she had set up. All of them booked that day and said they were going to hire Tamara.

DJ SAS - Quad Cities

Our DJ was very professional and friendly. He kept things moving and kept people out on the dance floor. We gave him pretty much free reign and we were very happy with his work. (They also provide uplighting, which was exactly as we asked and cut down our decoration costs.)

Sara Lynn Cakes - Bettendorf

I don't generally like cake, but hers really were wonderful. Very moist and rich in flavor. They have lots of great flavors of cake. It's a small mother/daughter team working out of their own home, but they do very professional work with great result and I was glad to put my money toward a hard-working and talented family business. A "foodie" friend recommended them to us, saying they had the best cake he had ever tasted.

Storybook Ending - DeWitt

It was the last place I went because of all of the spam that goes to this board, but I did end up finding the perfect dress there. I went to all of the bridal boutiques in the QC and found some "okay" option, but none really struck me. I went to take a look and was surprised by how many different styles they had and that they had dresses in all different sizes. I had hated all of the mermaid/trumpet styles because they all had to be pinned on and looked terrible at other shops. They actually had a section of size 6 dresses, and the one I loved was a style that I wouldn't have liked if it were pinned up. Also, prices were way lower at this small-town shop than those with a similar selection in big cities. (Also, they never asked me to post recs for them, so I don't know why people post such crazy recs)

Alterations - Pam King "Alterations and Beyond"

She works out of her home and is very pleasant to work with. She has a lot of experience and does great work. After the first set of alterations, one part wasn't quite right and she fixed it by the next morning (I thought it would take several days). I had a very detailed dress and high expectations and Pam did a great job.

Joe's Photo Booth- From Des Moines

The photo booth was an hit. People used it all night and had a lot of fun. They sent their own assistant, who was very friendly and helpful. Each photo session printed two strips, and they will send us a photo cd of all of the pictures that people took throughout the night (still waiting on that though). We put out a scrapbook as our sign in book so that people could write notes and put in copies of their photo strips. It was really fun to go through the next morning at brunch!

All of these vendors did great work and I would recommend all of them to anyone looking for QC area wedding vendors.

Help! We need a venue! Iowa City or Cedar Rapids

vt&dt — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 01:14:04 +0000

We are looking for a reception venue, and having no luck. Wondering if any of you guys have seen other options? We're looking at 270-300 guests, which rules out a lot of options.

Any ideas? We're waiting to hear from the Celebration Farm, but I'm sure that will be over budget. Bella Sala in Tiffin and South Slope in North Liberty are booked for our date.

Thank you so much! Any potential ideas are greatly appreciated.

Am I allowed to try to sell items on this site?

ameyer16 — Sun, 21 Jul 2013 19:45:15 +0000

I have some wedding decorations I'd like to try to sell. Is there a specific place I can do so or any recommendations of safe sites that are cheap or free for advertising different wedding items for sale. I got married 8 months ago, and I need to get rid of some of this clutter! I am not a business trying to solicit, just a woman looking to make a tiny bit of money off of things I spent a lot of money on. Thanks!

Photographer HELP

kate0422 — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 04:17:36 +0000

Hey does anyone have recommendations on photographers in the Quad City area? I would appreciate specifics on why you would or would not recommend someone. I am planning on having the reception at Hotel Blackhawk so if anyone had their wedding reception there and absolutely loved the pictures I would love to hear it! Thanks much!

IOWA CITY/CEDAR RAPIDS bachelorette party help!!

[Deleted User] — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 21:08:11 +0000

I am living in Denver but my sister lives in Iowa City. She is 22 and her bridesmaids who all will be attending the bachelorette party consist of girls that are over and under 21. I am tryin to create the most memorable bachelorette party for my sister. I have clear instructions from her that she wants to include every person (over and under 21) in all festivities. Some of the girls are wild and crazy, like to drink, penis' would be acceptable... then we have the two under 21 girls who are extremely shy, cant go into bars and don't drink - never having even tried a drink. My sister has also invited my mom as well as the future mother-in-law to enjoy most/all of the festivities. Is there anyone who can help me out with activities that I could plan? I, myself, would not be a penis' all over the place type bachelorette party, but my sister is definitely more that way than I. any help would be greatly appreciated!

I was thinking: pole dancing lessons, mani/pedi/massage, stay at a hotel for a night, go to a restaurant/bar that is not 21+, comedy show that is not 21+, hibachi grill for dinner maybe... ???

I don't know the Iowa City/Cedar Rapids area. Are there places like this?

Just had my daughter's wedding at Watch Tower Lodge- 2 vendors were absolutly outstanding

krisan26 — Sun, 19 May 2013 14:59:24 +0000

Eventfully Simple was a last minute hire for day of help and coordination. Wish I had found out about them earlier. Bridget and Ashley were fantastic, they thought of things that I did't even think about. They made some wonderful suggestions in such a tactful way that made our day that much better. Then they made clean up a breeze. We had 2 major oops that day that we probably wouldn't have had if I had hired them earlier.

Mark from At Your Service did our catering. Food was TERRIFIC and his staff was the best. Thank you

Moral of the story- there are a lot of last minute things to do day of wedding you really need someone who isn't an immediate family member to be in charge of all this. Also the caterer does more then just make food- the service staff and bartenders can really make a difference and make the day go much smoother. Finally CONFIRM ALL your venders a day or two before the event and make sure that everyone confirms date, day and time

Board changes coming!

[Deleted User] — Wed, 15 May 2013 17:34:42 +0000

Hi ladies,

The new board updates are coming to you tonight! Here are some things you need to know about what is changing:

The Knot Community Update– FAQ

How To:

· Tag a fellow Knottie in the discussion or post?

o Just use the @ symbol - @KnotJackie

·
Manage my Notification Preferences?

o Go to your community profile, click Edit Profile

o You can decide if you want to be notified by email or a mini-popup while in community

· Earn badges?

o You can earn badges for a variety of actions – more info coming!

When will I receive notifications?

o New contribution to a discussion you started

o Been mentioned / tagged in a post

o Earned a badge

o Been warned

o New private message

o New posts in your bookmarks

What is changing with Private Messaging?

o More prominent on member profiles

o You can now message multiple users in one PM

o You will be notified when new messages

What are my new options when creating a new thread on a board?

o New discussion

o New poll

o New question

* Creator of question can designate one reply as the answer, awarding points to the member who submitted the chosen/best answer

How do I ignore a user?

o User goes to her preferences page

o There is a ‘Ignore List’ as an option in the left rail

o Click this and type the name of the user, save.

o There’s a max of 5

What is the process when the community rules are violated?

o Warnings take points away from users

o Each warning is for a specified time period

o 5 warnings equate to ban

o Moderators/TK Administrators can send message to users with a warning

MODERATORS --- you will be getting your own Private Moderator board. If you see it, you are a mod! We’ll be posting mod names on the boards as soon as the updates continue. Once the board is live, we will be posting your new roles and permissions there.

As promised, your new KG!

KnotJackie — Tue, 14 May 2013 18:32:19 +0000

Hi Knotties!

So, remember when I promised you a full-time person who will be your advocate and their only focus would be on the boards and TK members?

Well – she is here! Introducing @KnotPorscha!

Knot Irene and I will be sticking around – but she is going to be handling the day-to-day community needs. So, while she gets comfortable and acclimated, please page “KGs” (Knot gods, obvi) on threads and one of us will respond.

Give her a warm (and drama-free) welcome!!

Jackie

A few vendor reviews

bdpbride — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 15:44:03 +0000

I had a beautiful day - one that couldn't have gone much more perfect! And a big part of that was our vendors.

Pastor Gary Ellis - He has a small congregation but does many weddings outside of his own church. He is a great man and wonderful to work with.

Modern Woodmen Park - We had our ceremony and reception there which involved turning over two rooms in a short amount of time to accomodate all that we had going on. It couldn't have been more flawless. Our main contacts Andrea and Shauna were hands down some of the most organized, professional and accomodaing event coordinators I have ever worked with. The service couldn't have been better and the Ballpark environment was not only perfect for us as sports lovers but made for a really fun and unique experience for our guests. I can't recommend them enough.

QC Photobooth - We love photo booths and we were soooo excited to be able to bring one in for our guests. It was a huge hit and our attendant Hans was helpful, friendly and put up with our crazy friends like a champ.

City Savvy Imaging - My photographer is out of Chicago, she is also a friend and assistant to me so maybe I am biased but she did fantastic. I have not gone through all my photos yet but the sneak peaks she provided me with were excellent and even if I had nothing else, those few photos alone would be enough to make me happy.

Twisted Mics - I will admit I was a little skeptical about hiring this DJ. He is a pretty young guy and I hadn't heard of him before. But he was a friend of my fiance and he insisted upon hiring him. But Kelley did an excellent job. He had to deal with some difficult set up logistics but he made it work and we were dancing all evening long. Some of my engaged friends even took his business card and may be using him for their own weddings.

Ceremony Pianist - Patrick Downing. Patrick is an excellent pianist with the ability to play literally anything. He works at West Music and just plays for weddings on the side but I would happily recommend him to anyone!

Clazzy Designs - Lynn made a beautiful bouquet for me, along with the perfect matching mini bouquet for my daughter. She also provided the ceremony draping, tablecloths, unity candle flowers, aisle runner + flower petals. Everything was perfect, she executed the ceremony set up better than I imagined it!

David's Bridal - I've heard so many mixed reviews on David's and as a bridesmaid, had my share of issues with them in the past but my experience with them as a bride was overall very positive. And I LOVED my dress.

Nepo Productions - This was a bit of a surprise. I had talked to a couple of local cinematographers I was famililar with and wanted to work with but it just ended up not being in the budget. My parents ending up surprising me and hired Nepo out of Marion Iowa. I haven't worked with them before and won't have the final product back for awhile but based on their service the day of, I have nothing but good things to say so far. Steve and his crew were invisible to me the day of. I think I can remember seeing them with cameras all of about 2 times on the wedding day. I'm excited to see what they come up with.

Davenport Printing Company - They printed my programs for me. I had a very easy time working with them and have nothing but good things to say.

Spa Luce @ Hotel Blackhawk - I believe it was Nasreen who did my makeup the day of. The place is very serene and relaxing and Nasreen was fantastic. I would easily go back and recommend the spa to anyone.

Michelle Fisher of Margaret's Salon - Michelle did my hair for the wedding and made it look exactly as I wanted it to. She came to the venue to do my hair for me and was excellent!

Whitey's Ice Cream - We knew we wanted ice cream to be the star dessert at our wedding and it was delicious of course! We just preordered the large tubs ahead of time and they had them ready for us.

Popcorn Charlie's - Modern Woodmen Park suggested Popcorn Charlie's to us when we were looking for favors for our guests. I couldn't believe the number of flavors he has and he was incredibly helpful in figuring out how much to order. He also gave us some samples and carried out the giant 80 gallon bag of popcorn to my car for me. He's the sweetest man. It was a really delicious and inexpensive favor to give our guests!

My only disappointment came in the cake but in the scheme of things, it was so minor that it really wasn't a big deal. If anyone needs info on contacting any of the vendors you can contact me by bdpmelanie at gmail dot com.