Ceremony Site - HELP!

crsprns

We are getting married next September, and are struggling to find the right ceremony site! Neither of us is religious, so we are looking for an alternative to a church. We're looking for an outdoor venue (like a garden? park?), that also has indoor space available should it rain, be cold, windy, etc. And we'd like to keep the cost around $500.Anyone have suggestions??!!

Lil Lar

We looked into having it at Jester Park. We are having ours at the Des Moines Rose Garden, but there's no back up there we had to find a facility elsewhere. You could also use the reception place as a back up too

kellidanae

I don't have any outside suggestions that weren't already mentioned. However; I would try the Sheraton in West Des Moines for an inside alternative location. Their atrium is really nice with the way the waterfall sits if you are looking for a small ceremony.

ScarletGem

Ours was at the rose garden behind the Art Center (good choice, lil lar!) and it was absolutely perfect.  We seriously couldn't have asked for a better location.  But as mentioned, it doesn't have a backup for weather; we relied on space at our reception site for that, and were prepared to put signs and people at the abandoned outdoor site to let guests know to go straight to the reception site for the ceremony. 

k<3m

I am getting married at the Blank Park Zoo in their outdoor pavilion. Since the pavilion has a roof, we'll be covered for the most part. But they also have an indoor conference room that overlooks their rainforest area that can be used as a backup. The cost for just the ceremony is $495. You can also do the reception as well there, and they do their catering through Johnny's Italian Steakhouse (YUM!) Plus, you get the use of the entire zoo beforehand for pictures; and you can get some really unique pictures! Okay, spiel over (can you tell I'm excited!?) Here is their link for more information http://www.blankparkzoo.com/en/rental_facilities/Hope that helps!

turtle1573

We're getting married next Saturday at the Simpson Barn in Johnston.  It's a little more rustic than some people's taste, but it fits us perfectly.  We're having the ceremony outside on the lawn providing the sun comes out again and the wind calms down.  Otherwise we'll have both the ceremony and reception inside the barn.  It's $45 an hour to rent and you just pay for the time you reserve, like Friday we're paying for 11am to 7pm to decorate and to have the rehearsal. 

lilaah82

A few options to look into... 1. Blank Park Zoo 2. Des Moines Botanical Gardens 3. Any golf course or winery with reception facilities 4. There is something up in Boone but I can't remember the name of itGood luck!

MrsEmJay

We had our ceremony outside on the golf course at Toad Valley in Pleasant Hill. The cost was $600, and if there was rain, they would've moved us inside. We had our reception there as well (inside), so if you don't have your reception site chosen, I highly reccomend it!

phoeny_moonstar

Birdland Enclosed shelter. 120$ for 10am-9pm. Right next to the river, lots of spots outside for ceremony, tables/chairs included in rental... place for kids to play.. HTH

mrsbjoloughlin

I was in the same position as you, we didn't want a church wedding and we wanted it to be outdoors.  We chose Jester Park Lodge in Granger, Iowa.  We can have the ceremony on the deck outside overlooking the lake and it's half covered by the roof of the lodge and if you need extra shade or coverage you can get umbrellas or use a big white tent.  Check out their website.  jesterparklodge.com Let me know if you have any questions, we are getting married June 4th out there.

crsprns

Thank you for all the wonderful suggestions! We've even looked into some of them! Jester Park seemed like the perfect solution... until we learned that if you aren't using their catering service there's a really large fee, on top of the site rental! (We've already booked a reception hall) Right now we're considering the Jasper Winery or the Nature Lodge at Raccoon River Park. Any opinions?