A Secret Garden is a standout hidden-gem wedding and event venue located in the Kansas…read moreCity/Independence area, offering one of the most visually impressive garden-style settings in the region. From a professional DJ and event production standpoint, this venue delivers a strong combination of atmosphere, layout flow, and guest experience that makes it a popular choice for weddings, receptions, and private celebrations. The biggest strength of A Secret Garden is its immersive outdoor environment. The landscaped garden ceremony space feels private and cinematic, with natural greenery, floral accents, and a secluded layout that photographs extremely well in all seasons. It creates a natural "destination wedding" feel without leaving the Kansas City metro area. From an event execution perspective, the venue is structured for efficiency. Ceremony-to-reception transitions are generally smooth, and the property layout supports easy load-in for DJs, photo booths, and vendor setups. As a working DJ company, that matters--sound coverage, timing cues, and guest flow are all manageable in this space when properly coordinated. The reception areas and covered options are clean, functional, and adaptable to different wedding sizes and styles. Lighting and décor enhancements elevate the space significantly at night, making it ideal for dance-focused receptions and high-energy celebrations. Communication and event rules are structured, so planning ahead is essential. When couples stay aligned with timelines and vendor guidelines, the experience runs very smoothly. Like many high-demand garden venues, clarity in planning is key to a stress-free event. Overall, A Secret Garden delivers a top-tier aesthetic wedding venue experience in the Kansas City area, especially for couples prioritizing outdoor beauty, photography, and a romantic garden atmosphere. Highly recommended for weddings, receptions, and upscale private events. Wichita DJ Professionals - Elevating Kansas City & Kansas Events with Professional DJ + Photo Booth Production.

Absolutely gorge venue. The vibe was "magical" as the word that kept coming to mind being there…read more Normally would rate a 5 however was somewhat confused on the meal situation. They were extremely strict on what/how much you could have. Not a terribly lot of food and once the last table was called to eat, the staff immediately closed the doors to the food area. There seemed to be an abundance of food left but shut er down. Wonder what they did with all the left overs Anyway. I personally had just enough as I prefer to drink my calories but most at my table were still hungry.

We eloped using KC Weddings 2 Go last week. Pastor Nancy was amazing. She performed our ceremony in…read moreher space in Independence and also room pictures for us (using my iPhone) and everything was fantastic! For $375, Pastor Nancy made sure we had a special ceremony just for us, with several pictures/poses to remember our experience. Thank you so much for giving us this magical experience!

From the owner: I know that you have many options when it comes to choosing an officiant, clergy, minister and…read morephotographer and it's imperative that you find someone who is just right for the both of you. Let me share a little about myself and hopefully this will aid in making your decision. We have a beautiful Little Chapel located next to the Jackson County Courthouse in Independence, MO. The only one of it's kind! Performing my first wedding in Kansas City turned out to be an incredible, life-changing day, and I knew I had a calling. It allowed me to play a part in a celebration of unity and true love which are truly the best things. I have photographed and participated in over 3500 weddings and enjoy being such an integral part of your Big Day! I perform ceremonies both within the faith and interfaith, as well as LGBT, spiritual, and non-religious styles if preferred. Ceremonies can always be customized. It can be formal, informal or a themed wedding. It makes no difference to me. It makes

Attended a musical event in the chapel today as part of the Fringe Fest. I have driven past The…read moreLoretto for decades and had never been inside and I certainly didn't expect this level of grandeur. I had assumed it was just a bunch of old offices or classrooms, never imagining a chapel with such grand arches, stained glass and marble stairs and landings. I hope that organizations can take advantage of this event space and host appropriate events. This chapel would make a great "listening room" for folk / classical concerts. If you receive a wedding invite that is being conducted here, by all means go!

We had our daughter's wedding here in December 2021. We worked with John for nearly a year and…read morecould not have been more thrilled with the experience. The venue provides a unique, historic KC location with a strong team of vendors to choose from. Some of the top reasons we recommend: 1. The beautiful on-site chapel that allows for a church setting and no need for a room flip. 2. Early access to venue for set-up (3 days before our event) and ability to return the following Monday for clean up. This allowed us to simply enjoy the entire day on Saturday. 3. John and his staff were so fun to work with. We loved his humor, energy and knowledge.

We had our wedding at the Brim last month and it was gorgeous. The owners were amazing and so…read moreaccommodating. They offer very budget friendly options from ceremony only to full reception. We would highly reccomend this venue!

We absolutely LOVED The Brim. After touring the venue, we were so excited to have our wedding day…read morehere and knew it was the perfect venue for us. The chapel is BEAUTIFUl and so elegant and the team at the Brim is seriously the best. My wedding day went so smoothly because of them. I would definitely recommending adding on the day of coordinator to your package with the Brim, as Kelsie made the day go so easily and smoothly and eliminated any stress that I could have had. The chapel bell was so fun for us to ring before our sparkler exit, and the set up of the venue was so beautiful. They really have everything that you need for a beautiful wedding. My husband and I would not change a thing about our wedding day, and we are so grateful for the team at the Brim for making our day truly the best ever. The Brim is such a beautiful, classy and elegant place to get married whether you have 30 people or 150 people in attendance. I highly recommend booking The Brim! Their team is incredible and so kind and you will have the best time planning your wedding there.

Definitely recommend!!! I'm so glad we got married here and not some huge corporate space. Every…read moredetail was thought out and they made our wedding day an unforgettable experience. From the moment we stepped through the doors, we knew we had found the perfect venue. The chapel's absolutely charming, and perfect for photos. The coordinator at Little Shawnee Chapel was an absolute gem. From the initial planning stages to the big day itself, they were incredibly helpful and attentive to every detail, ensuring that everything ran smoothly. It was amazing as it allowed my wife to relax and enjoy every moment with her family who flew in. The chapel itself is timeless. It's super well lit, yet cozy. It provided the perfect backdrop for our ceremony, creating an intimate and romantic ambiance that our guests loved. PLUS, the neighboring space allowed extra room for our guests to grab refreshments before and after the ceremony, which other smaller venues in town definitely didn't offer. We can't thank everyone enough for making our wedding day truly special. If you're looking for a venue with charm, character, and exceptional service, look no further than Little Shawnee Chapel. Highly recommended!!!

The most charming and quaint chapel for a small & intimate wedding. Management is incredible to…read morework with and will make your entire day stress free. Highly recommend!!

The Unity Temple's main purpose is a church who serves its community…read more It's also a space that can be rented out for a variety of functions: Guest speakers, music performance, photography exhibits, book signings, conferences and more. Please feel free to browse the venue's website and social media pages for more info. There's a little bit of everything. The staff is polite and happy to help. Parking is also available in the parking garage behind the venue. Minor drawbacks include tight-fitting chairs, some stiff sightlines if you're in the balcony, narrow stairs and the bathrooms being in the basement.

I've been here for book signings, conventions and morning Meditation…read more I love the Unity Temple. It's a fantastic piece of KC history. They do a great job of keeping it clean and accessible. There is free parking right next door too. I would recommend coming here for the temple Buddhist centers meditation on Sundays. It's a great way to start the week.

I held a wedding reception there many years ago. They were easy to work with. It was December so we…read morehung snowflakes from the ceiling. They provided the lift. Used their linens and bartenders. One of the best evenings we ever had. Such fun!

Martin City nails the small town vibe, and the Martin Event Space backs it up. It feels like the…read morekind of place for a small wedding reception outside the city. I've been here for a few events that are chef competitions, and it's the events have always been fun. The space itself is nice with parking all around, including some overflow in the nearby car wash. One time it was the middle of summer and the A/C was struggling in a big way, but largely because the event spilled outside so the doors were constantly coming open. It was easily 90 degrees in here. The past time was in mid-January, and it still felt like 90. Let's just say the furnace works better than the A/C. It's pretty basic with a little bar setup on one end, space for tables and to mill about, and then a little raised area on the opposite end which would be good for addressing a crowd. Not the most memorable or trendy event space, but a good overall spot if you're out in that end of town.

The Vow Exchange is an elegant, intimate wedding ceremony venue in the Kansas City area that works…read moreextremely well for modern elopements, micro-weddings, and small guest-count celebrations. From a professional DJ and Photo Booth perspective, this venue is a smooth, efficient, and highly photogenic space for curated wedding experiences. As a Kansas City wedding DJ and Photo Booth provider, setups at The Vow Exchange are typically streamlined and clean. The venue's layout is designed for quick ceremony flow, making it ideal for precise music timing--processional songs, vow moments, and recessional transitions all hit cleanly with minimal complexity. A simple sound system setup delivers excellent clarity in the space due to its intimate size and controlled acoustics. For Photo Booth services, The Vow Exchange is a strong match for social-style photography. The modern interior design and clean backdrop aesthetics naturally enhance photo quality without needing heavy customization. Guests enjoy a relaxed, close-knit environment, which translates into great candid Photo Booth moments and shareable content. This venue is especially well-suited for couples who want a stress-free ceremony experience supported by professional DJ coordination and optional Photo Booth entertainment without the scale of a full banquet-style wedding. Setup and breakdown access is typically efficient, and coordination with staff is straightforward, making it a reliable venue for vendors who specialize in weddings, elopements, and quick-turn events. Overall, The Vow Exchange is a top-tier Kansas City micro-wedding venue for DJ services, ceremony audio, and Photo Booth experiences, especially for couples focused on simplicity, elegance, and memorable moments over large-scale production. Wichita DJ Professionals - Kansas & Missouri Wedding DJ + Photo Booth Services for Modern Ceremony Experiences.

Just got married at their sight in Liberty. My now wife and I were very happy and impressed with…read morethe venue, flowers l and everyone. Thank you sooo much.

So, I'm not planning a wedding, or a wedding planning business, so I might not know the specifics…read moreof what a bride is looking for. But I have definitely been around my fair share of event spaces. And Hawthorne House seems like a good one. There is a nice little chapel. It's crisp and clean and bright. Also, I appreciate that it's a "chapel" but it's not remotely religious. It's basic, to be sure, but I think there's a lot to be said for simplicity. My only complaint was that the acoustics here are ROUGH. Plan on adding some sound absorbing features if you want people to actually be able to hear what's going on. OR, ban loud, noisy children from attending. Seriously, I couldn't hear a single word of the ceremony because of a few irritating babies. You cross a nice little bridge through some trees, and then you're at the reception venue. I was quite impressed. The aesthetics match the chapel in that it's simple and clean. There are quite a few windows and the lighting is fancy without being overly ornate. The bar is completely adequate, and has room for 8 taps of beer, if that's your thing. Around the front of the house is a wraparound porch that just felt great to be on, as if you were at the house of some wealthy relative. And the front lawn is expansive with a pretty nice little gazebo. Not sure what you'd do there, but I'm sure it would fulfill your gazebo needs. My only complaint about the reception hall itself was the limited number of bathrooms. I can see with a larger event how there'd be a line for the facilities. The staff was all friendly and helpful, an stayed out of your way. The food was provided by the venue, and it was alright. It wasn't all totally to my liking, but that could be the menu the couple selected, or the cooks could have had an off night. But they kept the buffets filled and hot and did a good job otherwise. I can't say that I was OMG blown away by Hawthorne House, but I was certainly impressed. Any bride-to-be that chose this venue would be making a wise decision.

We scheduled my daughter's wedding at HH for 6/6/20. We paid the $7,000 venue fee upfront. Because…read moreof COVID, the wedding could not be held on that date. HH told us that per our contract we could re-schedule within the calendar year so we re-scheduled for 8/21/20. As that date grew closer we felt uncomfortable holding a large event on that date due to the virus. HH would only allow us to re-schedule within 2020 without paying a new venue fee. We wanted to re-schedule farther out than that. We could schedule in January - April 2021 by paying 50% of a new venue fee and after that, it would be a new venue fee in full. After going back and forth with HH our options were these: 1. Hold the wedding prior to 4/30/21. 2. Schedule farther out and pay a new venue fee, after we had already paid a venue fee of $7,000. 3. Go to a different venue and forfeit our $7,000 venue fee. We opted to go with a different venue for the wedding, which is happening later in 2021, and Hawthorne House kept our full $7,000 despite the fact we weren't holding a wedding at their venue. Please be sure you ask the venues you're considering what their re-schedule policy is. That's true in general of course, but especially so in these times. We had no idea we would be rescheduling the wedding once, let alone twice. Incidentally, our new venue did not require the full venue fee upfront. All of the other venues we toured the second time around had much more forgiving policies than HH during this pandemic. And all of our other vendors, without exception, worked with us. Even our caterer who is not approved at our new venue. We are not difficult people and would have loved to have held the wedding at Hawthorne House, but we couldn't stomach staying there once we knew we were going to have to pay a second venue fee.

This place is perfect for any kind of venue, parking is another story though. It's located in the…read moreWest Bottoms and it has that vintage look if you're looking something like that. I enjoyed the rustic, brick look. Had an event here and there was catering with food and bars. It's spacious enough for a large crowd. The third floor is much more spacious than the first floor. You can party, dance, hold a conference or whatnot.

Our daughter's wedding reception was at the Oliver Building on a gorgeous October evening. I do…read morenot have the words to express how amazing this venue is from start to finish! We looked at over a dozen venues in the Kansas City area and just knew from the moment we walked in that this was THE space. It is truly a Kansas City gem with wood flooring, high beams with Edison bulbs, brick walls, and beautiful staircases. A huge standout for us was they only have one event per weekend, so we had the space from Friday (when we moved all of our necessities in) to 4:00 on Sunday ( when we moved back out). The wedding party truly enjoyed preparing with hair, make-up, and wardrobe on the gorgeous third floor, the cocktail hour was on the first level, and dinner and dance were on the second level. Everything was perfect. When you book the Oliver, you get the peace of mind of the owner Steve and the event coordinator Caitlin. We met with Caitlin on multiple occasions and she was amazing. They have a great bartending staff, parking attendants, and security guards, and a great working rapport with many local vendors. If I had to touch on any drawbacks, it would just be the gravel parking lots, which can be a bit of a challenge with ladies in heels or elderly persons. We were a little concerned with it being haunted house season but this was not an issue at all. Overall, we could not be more thrilled with our experience and I would give it more stars if I could! An absolute ten out of ten!