If you're looking for an easy, exquisite, and convenient event space for your wedding or reception, there is no better place. My (now) husband and I looked at every venue in Southeast Missouri and some in Paducah, KY. We even looked into some of the venues in Oxford, MS (where we went to school). I don't think any venue compared to the Buckner. From top to bottom, this place impressed in every way.

The food? Phenomenal. We got COUNTLESS compliments. The bar service? Fast and friendly. The three "venues within a venue" we utilized? Classy and functional. The event center staff? Friendly and easy to deal with and professional.

This may sound insincere, but we got compliments on nearly every aspect of our reception at the Buckner-Ragsdale.

Just to provide some insight on how much we used the venue, here's how our weekend went. Friday night we had 80 person rehearsal dinner in The Cellar on the lower level and then a welcome party with over 150 people in The Loft. Saturday, my husband and his groomsmen hung out in "The Board Room" and then we did our first look and pictures all over the venue. After the ceremony (it was somewhere else), we had a cocktail hour upstairs at The Loft. We had redecorated and reused the space both nights. We even went back into the small board room for a private dinner with just my husband and I. After the cocktail hour, we went to the main level known as The Ballroom. Let me tell you, it's one heck of a ballroom! The place was just jaw dropping. We started the dinner with two buffet lines and two bars and seating enough for everyone (plus some cocktail tables around). Did i mention we had 250 folks at the wedding? Then the live band got started and the rest was history. We also had a painter set up in the Main st window!

Another hidden benefit was that the company that runs the event center also runs two hotels in town. So we used the downtown Courtyard Marriott as our official hotel (it was only a couple blocks away) and got a great rate on the room block because we were using the Buckner!

Can't recommend the Buckner Ragsdale event center and it's staff enough. It was a PERFECT weekend!

We recently hosted our daughter and son-in-law’s wedding reception at Buckner-Ragsdale Event Center, and we could not be more grateful for the experience. The venue itself is beautiful and provided the perfect setting for our reception. It created a warm, elegant atmosphere for our family and friends to celebrate, and it photographed beautifully. Throughout the evening, guests commented on how lovely the space was and how welcoming it felt.

From the very beginning, the entire team made the planning process smooth, organized, and enjoyable. A special thank you goes to Jessica M., Lindsay P., and Jessica Y. They were absolutely wonderful to work with every step of the way. They were consistently responsive to questions, accommodating to our needs, and incredibly resourceful whenever details arose during the planning process. Wedding planning involves countless moving parts, and it was such a comfort to know we had a team that genuinely cared about helping everything come together successfully.

What impressed us most was the professionalism and kindness of the Buckner team. They were patient, flexible, and committed to making sure our daughter and son-in-law’s special day was everything they envisioned. Their experience, attention to detail, and willingness to help gave us confidence throughout the process and allowed us to focus on enjoying the celebration rather than worrying about logistics.

We are so thankful for the role Buckner played in creating such a memorable day for our family. The combination of a beautiful venue and an outstanding staff made all the difference. We would wholeheartedly recommend Buckner to anyone looking for a wonderful place to host a wedding or special event. Thank you, Jessica M., Lindsay P., Jessica Y., and everyone at Buckner for helping make their wedding reception truly unforgettable.