The River Center - Des Moines, Iowa

Jordan C.

We got married here about a year ago and realized I never left a review when I was planning on it to let everyone interest know the truth! The River Center AMAZING and is a beautiful event space. They worked with us 100% to ensure we got the day we wanted and did not try to push additional costs onto us. When we first contacted them we had a difficult time contacting a person to work with or to even get them to answer the phone or call back. Once Paige was hired to work with us, she was always available and seemed like she was truly interested in actually working with us as a friend. When we were discussing details, food, etc. she let us know how much we would need based on guest size and what items they could provide for free vs purchasing or renting at a cost. She is the absolute best coordinator on site. Our guest still talk about how awesome the staff, bartenders, food, appetizers and space was to this day making me feel great that we chose this location. We chose fish and chicken as our dinner options and I am a big foodie and worried about the chicken being dry at weddings, the food was 100% the best food I've had at a wedding. Since i was behind the scenes i saw how they plated everything and it was not pre plated or sitting in warmers, the food came out and they plated all 150 guests within 20 minutes. We had a guest who has severe food allergies and was served the wrong dish, i caught it while mingling and brought it to their attention, they fixed it on the spot and I was able to get her what she wanted. That service is A+ to me. No issue, no argument just understanding and compassion. All vendors that day did an phenomenal job and we felt they went above and beyond! Thank you, I have included a few photos of the space to see how we decorated.

Bryce A.

My fiancée and I had our wedding ceremony and reception at the River Center, and we loved it! We worked with Sophia Millang to plan our event. Sophia was professional, kind, and always helpful. The food, beverages, and desserts catered through the River Center (via Trellis Catering & Doré Bakery) were fantastic, and we got a ton of compliments on our food. All the staff at the River Center were excellent, including wait staff and bartenders. Thank you River Center for hosting our special day!

Mollie S.

VENU: I absolutely love the new side of the River Center. I honestly think it is the most stunning venue in DSM. However, there were some communication issues with staff throughout the entire planning process. Obviously, if you have an event in this space it will always look gorgeous but I would recommend being very specific and stay vigilant and very clear in communications throughout the planning process.

FOOD: We got so many compliments on our wedding food. The Chef is amazing and our guests could not stop raving about our options (red wine braised short ribs and chicken marsala).

Rachel S.

We chose the River Center and Doré Bakery for our wedding at the Des Moines Botanical Garden. Paige was wonderful to work with and did such an amazing job organizing and helping us decide what to go with! All the food we tried was stellar, and the cake magnificent! Anything you go with is a winner here. We went with an almond cake with berry compote filling and vanilla butter creme, everyone at our wedding couldn’t get enough of it. The wine choice they also had at the bar was a huge hit, thank you again so much for making our day perfect and delightful! 😊🍷💍

Kyndal G.

As a wedding photographer, I always love getting to work at the River Center. It's gorgeous and I've always had lovely interactions with the staff during events! Would super recommend for anyone looking to get married in downtown DSM.

Autonomous G.

Attended a political evert where Governor Reynolds (IA) announced her support for Governor DeSantis’ (FL) run for President. The River Center was a beautiful host for such a spectacular evening.

Rachel Y.

My husband and I had our wedding reception at the River Center in September, and we had an absolutely outstanding experience. Tiffany was a pleasure to work with throughout the entire planning process, and the reception itself was fantastic. The food was incredibly delicious - our guests raved about the food for months afterwards. We had a beef carving station, fingerling potatoes, green beans, a salad with a champagne vinaigrette, and rolls, for anyone wanting specifics. Additionally, the service from every single employee was truly above and beyond. They were all friendly and extremely helpful! One server even brought me a whole personal plate of the appetizer (some sort of pear and brie bite) when I asked if there were any left over, and they always made sure we had something to drink. The owner even introduced himself, brought us champagne, and offered to get us anything we needed.

I hardly ever write reviews, but our experience with the River Center was so phenomenal that we can't rave about it enough, even months later. They made it such a breeze for my husband and I and both our families, so that night none of us had to worry about a thing. If you're looking for a reliable, professional, unique, and beautiful venue in Des Moines, this is it!

Katie R.

We had our wedding reception at the River Center this fall at their South venue. The venue is beautiful and it was the perfect space for our wedding reception. We worked with Paige and she was excellent, going above and beyond to help make it the best day. The venue is beautiful, they have in house catering, supply all place settings and linens, and have bar service in house. Can't recommend River Center enough and had the most perfect wedding celebration there!