Thank-you to 2012!

Thank-you to everyone for an amazing 2012!  We are looking forward to another great year and can't thank our clients enough for being so great!!  Here are some of your kind words from 2012:

I had an amazing experience working with the staff . When I first booked, they had only been open for one summer but it is gorgeous and was perfect for me and my husband because we wanted to have the ceremony and reception in one location. Almost all of our guests were from out of town so it was much easier to have it all at one place. I decided to rent all my center pieces from them and when I first met with them they only had a few option. When i went back in closer to the wedding they had SO many new awesome ideas for center pieces. I told them my budget for decor and center pieces and they made up a couple different samples to pick from, I was also able to add or take away elements of the center piece. Right before my wedding, they bought these great rhinestone wraps for the vases and added those in for free because they thought they would look great! I don't think many companies would do that! At the end of the night, I didn't have to do a thing! Since I rented everything, I left with all my guest and we headed downtown Iowa city for a little more partying! 

Communication with the Owners, Melissa and Lyndsie, was amazing. One of them was almost always at the Bella Sala so when I would call I got a hold of them. They always responded to emails very quickly. They were so helpful and friendly. I really didn't know what I was doing and since my family lives out of town I was taking care of most wedding stuff by myself. They referred me to businesses for catering, flowers and photographers. I was able to get ready in their bridal suite, get dressed in their bridal shop and they were even nice enough to steam my dress before I put it on! 

I thought the prices were great. Anywhere else in Iowa City is going to charge a ton for the location rental, bar, food and decor. The location was a straight fee which was nice because I was able to figure out if it would work with my budget from the beginning. The outdoor ceremony space was great and cost less than using a church! They set up all the chairs and made sure the space was clean and beautiful. The Bar prices were very reasonable. I have a lot of friends getting married right now and we have compared prices and by far, what I paid was much less than other venues.
-Sam

We loved having such a beautiful venue so close to everything in Coralville. We also loved the outdoor area and giving our guests that option for the evening. The service was very friendly and helpful! Everything in the planning process regarding bella sala was laid back and easy. We had tons of compliments on how beautiful the venue was.  Also, your staff was amazing to work with!
-Sara & Nick

It was so nice to be in one spot for the wedding and reception and not have to switch locations! Everything that day went well. If we had questions or concerns they were answered readily.
-Kelsey
 

It was great to have everything in one place — the dress, décor and reception needs— and it’s a beautiful facility. We will absolutely recommend bella sala and XOXO Bridal to our friends! We love the one stop shop, and everyone remembered us each time we came in.
-Emily & John

We had a very beautiful location for our ceremony, and it was nice to have the reception at the same location. bella sala is a beautiful facility. All of the staff members who helped at our event were great!
-Mikeala

I want to thank you and all your staff for the most awesome experience @ Sarah's wedding. Your staff was above and beyond! My husband is from a family of 12 and numerous nieces want to check into your facility. Thanks again for an experience beyond our wildest dreams!!
-Theresa

Thank you so much for your warm hospitality during Rick Santorum’s recent visit. You have a beautiful facility and are great people to work with.
Thank you so much!
-Jill

You guys did an amazing job with helping plan and decorate. I loved how your approach was laid back. It made a difference for us because everything went so smoothly! Everything looked beautiful, too.
-Nicole & Charlie

Having the wedding rehearsal at bella sala was the right choice. What a wonderful place you have there! It was beautiful and very relaxing.

When I walked in for the first time, I was so happy! To have my son’s wedding at Kinnick Stadium and then the room for us decorated with Hawkeye pictures — that’s when I knew bella sala was the right place!

Your staff was wonderful. They made us feel very welcomed. It was like they were part of the family, and they did such a wonderful job!

Thank you so much for your catering referral. They were nice to work with, and the food was the best! Everyone was still talking about it at the wedding.

I really don’t have anything to tell you to do better. You made my life so easy.

I would recommend bella sala to all my friends. Not only is it a beautiful place to hold events, but all of you are so wonderful to work with. Keep up the good work, and thanks again for everything!
-Maggie

bella sala’s location, environment, and staff were perfect for my graduation party. The bartender was absolutely fantastic. Assistance with planning and the ability to use the kitchen was priceless.
-Melissa

The staff at bella sala made everything much easier for me. I was living in Des Moines and helping plan a wedding in Iowa City. The communication was great! My phone calls and messages were always returned.  I never had to email you twice — I received a response every time.
-Debra

bella sala did all my centerpieces and décor. It made everything so easy! It was really organized which made me feel at ease.

bella sala has beautiful facilities and great staff!! We had a great experience.
-Sam & Nathan

Bella sala is beautiful!! The good management and smooth operation made the wedding and reception gorgeous, fun and so easy for us!
-Jessica & Jake


When we look at the pictures taken that day it’s so amazing.  It was so wonderful! Everything was great!
-Linda

Bella sala is a beautiful venue that made my dream wedding a reality. It was everything I imagined and then some! The staff was awesome, the bartender was great, and the entire planning process was skillfully managed.
 -Molly
 

I can't think of enough superlatives to compliment all that you did for our wedding reception. You were on top of everything, and I received many compliments about that from the guests. In addition, when I could feel myself getting a little stressed, I appreciated your calming nature.

You have a very well trained staff—they were all very professional and sweet. Nick was extremely impressed with how you handled the open bar, asking questions and keeping him updated as needed. He said he couldn't have asked for better. All of our guests were very impressed with the venue.

I know this is your job and business, but I can't express my gratitude enough. You really have found your calling. I will recommend bella sala to anyone considering a reception/wedding hall.
-Amy & Nick

Simple Elegance

It has become more and more common for brides to find creative ways to cut their wedding budgets yet accomplishing the vision of their special day.  If you are looking to include additional linens (IE: runners, seat covers, ties, etc) to add a "pop" of color or just to finish your arrangements with an air of class, we have a few suggestions!
1.) More Fabric = More Cost  It seems obvious, but keep in mind that the larger the item (a seat tie vs. a table square) the more expensive the item is.  If your initial thought was to use table squares on your guest table, opt for a table runner instead.  You can still accomplish added color without as much cost.

2.) # of items = More Cost  Another point to keep in mind.  Seat covers and tie backs will eat your budget away quickly purely because of the amount needed for every guest and head table seat.  Still want the elegance that the seat/tie-back combo creates?  Try folded napkins with water goblets at each setting enhanced by candle light.  If your facility has good-looking seating, don't worry about covering the chairs and instead focus on the table enhancements.

3.) Limit the number of large centerpieces.  It is always a good idea to use more than one style of centerpiece to give dimension to your set-up.  However, another great tip to save money is to limit the number of your more expensive centerpieces.  For example, if you have 20 guest tables, instead of setting 10 of the tables with your larger centerpieces set 7-8.  Even though it isn't a drastic change, $10 here and there will make a difference in the end!

Dinner Theatre

Well we all know how "cabin crazy" you can get in Iowa during the winter so we figured we should give you some options of fun things to do to get yourself out of the house!  bella sala has a wonderful evening out for you to attend Saturday, January 19th.  We are teaming up with The Old Creamery Theatre to bring you a night of wonderful food and entertainment.  Check out the press release below for more information!  

The Old Creamery Theatre Company to perform Talley’s Folly at Bella Sala

Amana – The Old Creamery Theatre Company and Bella Sala will bring you an evening of great food and entertainment on Saturday, January 19.

The evening begins at 5 p.m. when the doors to Bella Sala will open for cocktail hour followed by dinner at 6 p.m. The menu includes smoked pork loin, zesty herbed chicken, party potatoes, California blend vegetables, bread and salad. A cash bar will be available.

The Old Creamery Theatre Company will then take to the stage at 7 p.m. to perform Talley’s Folly by Lanford Wilson. The play is a romantic comedy set in an old boathouse in rural Lebanon, Missouri in 1944. The story follows two unlikely sweethearts, Matt Friedman and Sally Talley, as they once and for all settle their feelings for one another. Talley’s Folly features Old Creamery favorites Deborah Kennedy and Tom Milligan and is sure to be a treat for all.

Tickets for dinner and the show are $45 per person and can be purchased by calling Bella Sala at (319) 545-4255. Purchase of a full table (8 seats) includes a complimentary bottle of white and red wine served with dinner.

Bella Sala is located at 3232 Jasper Ave. NW in Iowa City.

Can't wait to see you there!!!

Sneak Peek!! Tis the season....

Not only is this the "most wonderful time of the year" for the obvious reasons :)....It's bridal show season!!!  Last year we had killer displays at the major shows in the area, just wait until you see what is trending now.
Make sure you stop by and see bella sala at Z102.9's bridal showcase January 6th CLICK HERE and at The Gazette's: Iowa Bridal Expo on January 13th CLICK HERE.  XOXO Bridal will be highlighting the runway at the Gazette show by bringing a true "East Coast" flair to the runway you will not want to miss!!!

Something New!!

In case you haven't heard, our road is paved! Hope you'll enjoy a visit to XOXO Bridal a bit more now that you don't have to drive on that stretch of gravel. Come visit us soon!

Here we are raising a glass to celebrate one of our biggest accomplishments -- the paving of Jasper Avenue! We are so excited that coming to bella sala and XOXO Bridal is now a more pleasant experience for you, our customers and guests!

~Lyndsie & Melissa

Decor in a Dash

If you have planned a wedding, helped coordinate aspects of a wedding OR you have simply been a bride, you know that there is always something (whether anyone notices or not) that does not go exactly to plan.  When you are in the industry you always FIRST plan to make sure there are no instances like this and then SECONDLY always know how to act "on the fly" so that if something does happen it falls into the "no one noticed" category.

So follows one such scenario...

A wonderful bride that we had the chance to get to know over the last months was preparing for her wedding day.  Everything was in place, the photographer was beginning to take pictures of the wedding party getting ready, the tables were set, the dj was set....but where were the decorations or centerpieces???  Long story short, there were NO decorations or centerpieces.  The anticipated plan for the centerpieces had fallen through the morning of the wedding.

On opposite ends of town, our phones begin to ring...we were notified by our event manager of the situation.  We dropped everything we were doing and flew into work to save the day.  Melissa (who happens to be amazing with floral), grabbed what we had on hand and began to construct centerpieces to accent the eggplant hues in the linens that they had chosen.

With an hour to spare, the room looked beautiful; and I can guarantee other than the wedding party watching  us decorate and set as fast as our hands/feet would take us...no one knew that the beautiful table arrangements were designed, constructed and set in a matter of minutes.

Do any of you have last minute "hiccups" that make for a great story???

PB&J

There are many trends when it comes to decor in weddings.  Some that have been around the longest are the  unique use of numbers or initials.  Many brides strive for sequence dates like 10.11.12 or looking back five years ago everyone was jumping at 7.7.7 to have for their wedding date.  I've seen multiple couples use the classic "M&M" logo to incorporate their first initials as a part of their scheme.  One couple that we had at bella sala this past weekend was looking to incorporate their initials....PB&J.  We went into the decorating consultation wanting to incorporate the initials with a flair of our own.  Of course, we started with what Pinterest had to offer in ideas :)  After sifting through many pictures and bouncing ideas back and forth, we came up with the perfect marriage of eggplant and sepia tones accompanied by a rustic natural centerpiece.  AND what a awesome way to incorporate the initials by burning them into the logs that we cut for the centerpieces!  Unfortunately, I don't have pictures of the adorable favors the bride put together of individual mini mason jars of peanut butter and jelly with the inscription "spread the love" (she was a very crafty gal!  The banner for the head table was awesome!).  Take a look at these great pics!!