Bash Events & Catering - Des Moines, Iowa

Allison T.

I cannot recommend bash enough. Catherine is absolutely amazing and will do everything that she can to make sure your day is perfect. Her staff is also amazing. They make sure that you are well taken care of and have the best time. Her food is some of the best food I have had at a wedding. Best venue you can have!!

Doug M.

I own Doug McBride PhotoCinema and was shooting video for a wedding at BASH. Catherine was always making sure everything was perfect; she was a great help. She made sure there was room for my equipment and always let me know the best place to work from. I highly recommend BASH for your wedding. The attached photo is from a drone in front of BASH on Locust Street, downtown Des Moines. You can see the Capitol Building way down at the end of Locust Street.

Stacie M.

I cannot express enough good things about this venue. Not only was it the most beautiful space that needed next to no decorating whatsoever, but also the service from Catherine and her team was un-matched!

We booked this venue for a wedding during 2020, but of course, had to reschedule due to the pandemic. A stressful situation was made smooth by Catherine's grace and understanding in moving our day to October of 2021. She helped us at every step of the process: even having to coordinate with us from where we live in San Francisco. Any time we wanted to hop on a call, hash over questions, or any form of communication, Catherine was always efficient and attentive.

Leading up to the wedding, she helped us finalize everything to create our dream day. The venue is a dual-height space and she executed our vision for both a ceremony and reception using both levels.

We describe our day to people looking back as effortless, because Catherine and her team truly made the flow of the day and evening so seamless without coming to us with any of the coordinating. She truly allowed us to be present and focused on our people which was the most important thing for us.

Beyond the space and service, the food and drinks were impeccable! We had a pasta bar that I still think about to this day (the rolls are dreamy). In addition, Catherine is up front with her clients about drink prices and wants to help you spend your money most effectively. That solution for us was two signature cocktail pitchers, mojitos and margaritas, that were a hit!

I have missed countless compliments that I could continue to list off, but I will end with a giant recommendation to this venue and this team of servant-hearted people!

Stacey

We booked our wedding reception at Bash.
Bash provides two spaces to entertain your guests. The area is very functionable and flows beautifully. Bash offers a third floor bridal suite that had everything I didn't know I needed. We had a huge wedding party and had plenty of space to prepare for the big day. Bash also offers access to the rooftop for photos and oh.my.gawdddd!! What a gorgeous space!

.....But, let's focus on the service provided when you book with Bash.
Catherine is AMAZING! From the moment we met her, we knew we would work well with her. She is honest and straightforward and is not here to blindside anyone or take advantage. Catherine makes it very clear she is going to do what she needs to do to make your day YOURS.....and she did just that. We did not have to request anything twice, and we were working with her for over 18 months. Catherine strives on making sure your day is whatever perfect means to you. In Catherine's words, "You don't get married every day. I get one chance to make this perfect for you" and she did this beyond all expectations. As stressful as planning a wedding is; Catherine managed to keep anything happening at Bash completely stress free. Catherine's staff was also kind, respectful, and professional.

We will remember this day forever and Catherine is the magnet to those memories!!
Thank you SOO much!!

Bailey D.

We had our wedding at Bash on 9/30/2023 and had a fabulous time! From the very beginning of our experience, we just felt like Bash was the right place from the moment we stepped in the door. We loved the building and the fact that we could have both our reception and our ceremony in the same space - we ended up having our ceremony downstairs and had a small enough party that our entire dinner was upstairs on the mezzanine level, but the owner, Catherine, is very open to whatever arrangement you have in mind and the space is versatile in a number of ways. On the day of our wedding, we got a key to the entire third floor in order to get ready, and the bridal suite has multiple rooms with mirrors, couches, a fridge, etc. in order to comfortably host your party throughout the day.

Catherine was our guide throughout the whole process and is an expert at the flow of weddings. We had a pretty open mind when it came to our day, and Catherine had lots of helpful suggestions for how to make it work best at Bash. During the actual event, Catherine and her staff kept things running smoothly and according to schedule - we just got to go along for the ride! We had several compliments on the food from our guests, and agreed that it was delicious! Catherine made sure that my husband and I got our plates first and we were thrilled to be able to enjoy the food we hand picked from her extensive list of options.

Besides the building itself and staff, one of our favorite aspects of this venue is the ease of set up and tear down. We lucked out and were able to drop all of our stuff off on Thursday night, and by rehearsal on Friday, Catherine and team had set everything up with minimal direction from us. This allowed us to totally focus on getting ready and being in the moment on Saturday. After the event, Catherine and team clean and box everything up, and we simply had to pick it all up Sunday morning. This was SUCH a bonus - we've been to many weddings where there's a mad dash to clean up at the end, and that is not the case here!!

Overall we had a wonderful time - thank you to Catherine and the team at Bash for helping us make our dream day a reality!

Elizabeth T.

My husband and I had our ceremony and reception at Bash on 8/7/2020. Catherine was absolutely amazing to work with and you can tell she really cares about her couples and takes pride in her work because she LOVES what she does! We went and toured and fell in love with the charming atmosphere of the venue and we also fell in love with Catherine! We looked at so many venues and there were SO many hidden fees and things that weren't provided that added up. We loved that everything at Bash was straightforward and there weren't any questions we had in regards to pricing. She hides nothing, it's all there; you just have to read and if you aren't sure, ask questions.
Catherine answered each of our questions in depth and with patience. He would suggest things and she would advise another (she wouldn't steer you wrong, she really knows her stuff).
There is NO bridal suite or groom's room which I thought would be a big deal but it wasn't in the slightest. My girls and I booked a 2 room suite at the Staybridge and it was amazing for photos and getting ready and I hung out in Catherine's office before walking down the aisle and no one saw me and I chilled on the couch which helped calm nerves.
Catherine really went above and beyond in making sure we had everything, we were taken care of, and things went how we wanted (within reason, since we ARE living in a pandemic). Something that really stood out to me was my husband and I were setting up our arch after our rehearsal since we didn't want to add another thing to Catherine's list (she drove to Ankeny to get specific snacks we wanted, our 2 sheet cakes and 3 tiered cake since everyone was nervous to pick that up, and even offered to pick up our flowers in Clive. All in one morning!!!!) and she found us setting it up and shooed us out since we had a dinner to be at and she wanted us there instead of setting up an arch. I sent her a photo of an arch with eucalyptus and roses on it and told her to leave the roses off since I wasn't sure how to get them to stay and it was going to be more work, even though I loved the look. As I was walking down the aisle what do I see? My roses on my arch, just how I had wanted but didn't want to ask. She didn't need to set up that arch, it wasn't her responsibility and she certainly didn't need to add those roses but she did anyway and that really speaks to her pride as a venue owner and her personality.
Catherine also did a great thing of keeping things on schedule. We were over at Americana for drinks and lost track of time so Catherine fetched us and told us dinner was ready and since we had pasta we needed to start the grand entrance so the pasta wouldn't expand and get soggy. My husband and I were released for dinner first so we could have enough time to eat before guests wanted to talk to us and we both ate our fill (She makes this a point as she wants you to not be hungry during the night). The food was amazing and all of our guests raved about the buffet foods we had chosen. We had a lot of leftovers as we had people not show up so she sent us home with huge trays of leftovers-something I know is not custom but I thought was so sweet.
She walked around the day of and made sure we were all taken care of, chatted with our family members and even gave me a heartfelt pep-talk when I was nervous to have all eyes on me during the ceremony.
Our day was absolutely amazing thanks to Catherine. We felt confident we didn't forget anything as we ran through everything with her, she pointed out if we had overlooked anything, and she answered countless text messaged questions promptly. Our guests loved her and the venue, we keep getting texts from family and friends about how wonderful everything and everyone was.
I would recommend Catherine and her venue over and over and over again. Our day was an absolute dream and we couldn't have planned it without her help and expertise. We won't miss all the work of planning but we will miss working with Catherine and her team.
Go with Bash. You won't regret it, I promise.

Vic 6.

Beautiful venue, however accessibility has a few items, narrow entry way, one flight down (not a straight shot with a dolly), dining area is usually on the 2nd floor, offloading and parking if you’re pulling a trailer is not convenient.

Tricia P.

We knew from the moment we toured Bash it was the place for us. The space has a wonderful vibe! Catherine is straight forward and we knew exactly what was included and what wasn’t. Our special day couldn’t have gone any better. Thank you Catherine and staff!