Any UNIQUE reception venues near downtown Kansas City? (lofts, art galleries, etc. at a reasonable p

laurennwilson1

Hi ladies! I am having so much trouble finding a fun unique place to have my wedding reception, especially since I live out of state! I want something unique and fun in or near downtown, but I am having trouble finding this in my price range. Any suggestions? Right now I am leaning towards Arts Incubator, Californos or the River Market Event Space... but I want to know if there is anything else I am missing with a similar price point?? If you have any unique ideas please share!

rknox88

We are having ours at the Arts Incubator. It has so much character-I fell in love.

I would make sure you have some time on your hands to plan though if you go wiht them because you have to outsource everything. I had to do a lot of research and negotiating with other vendors which was pretty time consuming.

But it really is lovely and the events coordinator is very friendly and helpful.

missTst

And I am getting married at the Arts Incubator too! Love it. Comfortable, affordable, but books up fast. Lydia's might be another option. It's an Italian restaurant but it has a private party space and is in the freight house district so it looks unique!

[Deleted User]

I am getting married at The River Market Event Place. I liked the space in person and you can do a lot with it. The proprietor is also really nice and very responsive will all my emails. You could also check out The Berg Event Space. 

http://bergeventspace.com/

KatejMiller

I am having mine at Black on Burlington. It's VERY new, but is right across the river North of downtown! It's got a warehouse look to it with deep brick walls and high ceilings. Google it-- It's pretty neat, but the website doesn't do it much justice at all! I'd go check it out in person.

It's a big space, and has a pretty big bar space too...

jenajjthr

I don't know what your price range is since I haven't looked at any of those places.  That being said I've heard Club 1000 in downtown is a good venue.  I don't know it's price range either since we are only looking north of the river. 

teamdynamite

Kim Anderson with The Uptown Theatre seemed to be a lovely little lady! I'm not sure what your price range is, but Kim was able to break things down to give an exact price - tax and all. If the number of guests is under 100, you should be able to book food, venue and basics for $6,000 or so. We chose a different venue, but I think she was a gem to work with in the short time we did. HTH

lauraf1202

Check out http://photostudiob.com/RentOurSpace.php also.  Very reasonable ($2000 for a Saturday) but you do have to find vendors for tables and chairs and all that.  But, a nice big space, comes with a parking lot, art gallery.  Its really charming. 

rknox88

Oh yeah, I looked at photo studio B too and it was very cool.

Berg and Nara event spaces are neat as well.

laurennwilson1

Thanks for the tips ladies! I have been interested in most of these places - except Club 100, it is very expensive! I requested info from Studio B, I am excited about that one.

I am curious, rknox88, what vendors are you using at Arts Incubator? Since I live in California, I am very intimidated about taking on too much in terms of planning all the little pieces. What has been your experience? Also, was the Special Event Liability Insurance expensive?

Does anyone know of any other art galleys in the Cross Roads area that also have event spaces? I heard something about Blue Gallery.. anyone heard of it?

rknox88

Oh I forgot about Studio 2131. It is very cool too. It has a very Tuscan Vibe which just didn't mesh with what we wanted. It is a art gallery in the Crossroads district.

anyway, to answer your questions:

We are using Oklahoma Joes to cater
Doing Apps and Drinks ourselves
Celebration Rental Co for place settings, extra tables, etc.
Rocco Morando for DJ
Dotte Cakes
Upper Crust (for pie)
Jim Powers for photographer

It wasn't really that bad I just had to do a lot of research to make sure we stayed within budget. It just wasn't like walking into a place where it is an all-inclusive type of deal.

I don't regret it by any means, it was just a little more time consuming than I originally anticipated. Since we booked in 2010 the special event insurance wasn't a requirement so I can't help you there. I really would reccommend contacting Ashlee, the events coordinator. She is very nice and I am sure she would be able to answer any questions you may have. 

NAB4Ever

save

blrunner

The Hobbs Building.

s403045

We're also having ours at Black On Burlington!!  We love it and it gives that lofty urban vibe without the horrible parking!

sbuchan4

We are also getting married at the Arts Incubator. I toured the venue and fell in love! The loft space had so much character and charm to it. Very different than anything I had come across in Kansas City. The Berg Event Space is compelling as well. It didn't work for us though, its a lovely place just not a perfect fit like the Arts Incubator. I would definitely recommend the Arts Incubator for couples on a budget and still looking for that interesting, unique downtown venue. 

Enjoy