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!!

Flip Salon

Didn't have a chance to see us at FryFest??? Stop by Flip Salon in North Liberty to get the latest and greatest Hawk Gear!  visit Flip Side on Facebook to see the cutest styles! https://www.facebook.com/FlipSalonSpa

Also....stay tuned, for the latest project we have started working on, IT'S AWESOME!!!!!!

Love & Pride

FryFest!!!!!!!

Looking for a great new look for this season's football games?!

Keep an eye out on our blog over the next few days for our AWESOME new Hawk Gear!!!!

We will be at FryFest again this year with a fantastic set-up of the trendiest Hawk Garb and Accessories...Check us out at the Marriott, Friday Sept 7th!

~XOXO

Congrats Jenny!!

Congratulations to one of our beautiful brides!!!  

What a stunning gown! ~XOXO

Shoes for Sale!!!

All Sample Shoes in Boutique Only $20!!!

Looking for a great pair of formal shoes?

Stop in and grab one of our remaining pairs!!

Sneak Peek.....

Fall is finally here!  Here is a sneak peak at some 

new fall decor we are working on.  

More pictures to come at the end of next month!!

Thanks for Everything!

Hi Melissa and Lyndsie,

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 and saw the area that was for us I was so happy.  I know it was just the way you decorated but to have my son's wedding at Kinnick Stadium and then have the room we were in with Hawkeye stuff on the wall just made me feel like this was the right place to have this.

I really don't have anything to tell you to do better.  Both of you were so nice to talk to.  You made my life so easy.

I would recommend Bella Sala to all my friends.  Not only is it a beautiful place to have an event, but all of you were wonderful to work with.

Keep up the good work.

Thanks again for everything!

ML

ANNUAL SALE!!!

Today and tomorrow, we're getting ready for our big sale! 

We're excited -- are you?!

https://www.facebook.com/events/442163509139443/

What do clients have to say about us?

Looking for a great spot to host your next event???  Here are some testimonials from some of our clients this year!

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.

really organized which made me feel at ease.

bella sala has beautiful facilities and great staff!! We had a great experience.

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!"

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

Everyone complimented how beautiful the venue was and that we picked the perfect place, and we agree! The pictures will be beautiful. Everything was perfect at bella sala, including the rehearsal dinner!
-Jamie

We wanted to thank you for allowing us to have our wedding at bella sala. We loved it! All our guests commented on how beautiful it was and how nice it was to have everything in one place. All of the staff was so helpful that night and did more than was ever expected. We had such an amazing night and are so happy in our choice of bella sala. Thank you!
Jacie & Dan

Thank you very much for making our wedding reception perfect. Of course, bella sala is a beautiful facility, but working with you was more than wonderful! Thank you again!
Kate & David

The staff at bella sala makes planning so simple!  They provide expert and professional advice on how to facilitate the wishes of the couple within their facility.  The staff gave us timely reminders when decisions were needed, yet we never felt pressured.  We heard, “Trust us, this works best,” so many times, and they were right!  
We really appreciated that the facility offers many services that eliminate the need to work with multiple vendors.  Bella sala can provide nearly everything you need for your wedding day!  Working with one of their preferred caters was also a great experience, since they work together on a regular basis.  Even the DJ knew the “routine.”  We didn’t have to make decisions like “the buffet table goes here,” or “the DJ will set up there.”  Those details just happen.

The staff was wonderful on the wedding day, as well.  When it rained at the last minute, the ceremony was quickly moved indoors with little effort on our part.  Once the decision was made to move inside, bella sala’s staff went into action, and we were ready to go with only a brief delay. Over 350 people were quickly moved indoors!
Other than the weather, the day was perfect.  The staff was attentive and made sure that every detail was taken care of for us. We’re still smiling when we think about it! 

Sue


Our time at bella sala was absolutely wonderful! The staff was a great help and was a delight to work with. I was glad that I didn't have to worry about the refreshments being replenished. And the fact that I had help cleaning up all of the tables and decorations at the end of the night was such a relief. I really enjoyed the atmosphere and the hospitality that bella sala offers. Thank you for all that you did in making our day special!

Shannon

Thank you once again for the outstanding service given by the team of bella sala. You have been an absolute joy to work with! Your professionalism, attitude, understanding and dedication were apparent throughout the planning and execution of this event. Every detail was planned well in advance and executed to perfection the night of the event. The beautiful venue, professional and friendly staff and attention to detail made this a truly spectacular evening for all of our attendees. I hope to have the opportunity to work with you again in the future.

-Amanda L. Horton
Business Development - Boeing Defense, Space & Security 
The Boeing Company 


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

Everything was well done at bella sala. We appreciated the excellent staff in all phases of our experience -- booking, center pieces, and the event!

Erin

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 



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


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.
Shawna


Thank-you for all the kind words!!!!!

We're Back!

With our large following on facebook the past year, we completely fell off the wagon with our blog.  Seeing as all of you wonderful folks out there are still interested in seeing what we have to say, we are going to start up again!!

Keep an eye out over the next few days for a new and improved blog giving you the most up-to-date info and insight from XOXO Bridal and bella sala.

For further updates and deals, make sure to subscribe to our mailer list as well!!!!

(Just go to the contact page on bella sala and send us your info)

XOXO~
Lyndsie & Melissa