Brides, we've put together a favorite venue/vendor list of what would be our perfect wedding! Of course the photographers would be US!
1. Ceremony venue - For a religious ceremony we have to go with
St.Ambrose Cathedral in downtown Des Moines. What a gorgeous old church, both inside and outside, your photos cannot help but turn out beautiful! For a non-denominational wedding, we go with
The Temple for Performing Arts also in downtown Des Moines. The ceremony room is a large room with stained glass windows which is just off the main ballroom. Beautiful!
2. Reception venue - Well you guessed it, again the
The Temple for Performing Arts main ballroom upstairs is just magic! What is most striking are the large pillars that line the ballroom, and for wedding receptions they hang long beautiful transluscent drapes from the upper level all the way to the floor! It is a large room with an upper level balcony so we put strobes in the balcony for additional lighting. This room defines the word "elegance"!
3. Florist -
Hyvee in Des Moines does a fantastic job! Lori McKenna at the
Euclid store is a goddess!
4. Cake - The winner hands down is
Lovejoy's Cake Shoppe in Carlisle, IA. Now we've eaten a lot of wedding cake and Lovejoy's cake is Unbelievable! You have to at least take the drive down there and try it. I guarantee you will place your order!
5. Food -
Christiani's Catering in Des Moines wins this one! Marvelous staff and equally marvelous food! It cannot be beat!
6. DJ/Band - Our favorite DJ bar-none is Tim Bryan at
A Special Event DJ in Des Moines. A great guy, loads of fun and very talented! For a local band we give the tip of the hat to
Flipside, great band and also lots of fun, and they always dress up nice :) If you have the cash, we highly highly recommend the
Hey Jimmy band from Chicago! We were fortunate to see them last summer at Brad and Carey's wedding at the Marriott downtown. They are so good they will make you scream!
