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Memorial Union - Iowa State University
Memorial Union - Iowa State University
Great Hall Reception
Great Hall Reception
South Ballroom Ceremony
South Ballroom Ceremony
Gabi glover photography
Gabi glover photography
Gold Star Hall
Gold Star Hall
Campanile Room Windows
Campanile Room Windows
The Fountain
The Fountain
Kay Eileen Photography
Kay Eileen Photography
Memorial union
Memorial union
Ceremony venue - gabi glover photography
Ceremony venue - gabi glover photography
Campanile Lawn Bridal Party
Campanile Lawn Bridal Party
Destri andorf photography
Destri andorf photography
Reception - destri andorf photography
Reception - destri andorf photography
Memorial union
Memorial union
Sun Room Reception
Sun Room Reception
Wedding portrait
Wedding portrait
South ballroom ceremony
South ballroom ceremony

Interested in this vendor?

Gabi glover photography

About

Memorial Union - Iowa State University is a banquet wedding venue located in Ames, Iowa. Memorial Union - Iowa State University offers both intimate elegant affairs and larger, extravagant celebrations along with a professional staff for weddings and other special life events. This wedding venue is situated in the center of Iowa State University and offers a historic and nostalgic feel to your wedding or other life celebration. Memorial Union - Iowa State University is an elegant and sophisticated venue to host your special day.

Facilities and Capacity
Memorial Union - Iowa State University offers a variety of spaces for you to utilize on your special day. Memorial Union - Iowa State University has a rustic, yet elegant space for weddings and other life celebrations. Memorial Union - Iowa State University is home to a large banquet room that can be customized to your theme, offering a unique setting to celebrate with friends and family. This adaptable space can be used to its fullest extent or broken down into smaller spaces for more intimate gatherings. Memorial Union - Iowa State University can accommodate parties with up to 550 guests banquet style. These flexible spaces at Memorial Union - Iowa State University are fully equipped with state of the art lighting and sound systems for you to utilize throughout your celebration. Memorial Union - Iowa State University is happy to accommodate all aspects of your big day or just one piece of it such as the engagement party, rehearsal dinner, or bridal shower.

Cuisine
Memorial Union - Iowa State University provides on-site catering services in a variety of forms. You can choose to have your meal served buffet style, as a plated meal, or in stations. Additionally, these catering services include all the set up and clean up of tables, chairs, linens, silverware, glassware, flatware, and barware.

Services Offered
Memorial Union - Iowa State University offers a variety of special events packages for you to choose from. This wedding venue can is happy to host engagement parties, rehearsal dinners, ceremonies, receptions and much more. The team at Memorial Union - Iowa State University offers on-site planning coordination services so that you can focus on enjoying your special day with friends and family. This team will ensure that your event will run smoothly and all the details are expertly executed.

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Frequently asked questions

Do you have a site fee for wedding receptions at your venue?

Yes

What is the starting site fee for wedding receptions during peak season?

$970

What is the starting site fee for wedding receptions during off-peak season?

$970

Do you have a site fee for wedding ceremonies at your venue?

Yes

What is the starting site fee for wedding ceremonies during peak season?

$650

What is the starting site fee for wedding ceremonies during off-peak season?

$650

Which of the following are included in the starting site fee?

Chairs
Clean Up
Event Planning
Lighting/Sound
Set Up
Tables

Which of the following are included in the cost of wedding catering?

Server(s)

What is the starting price per person for bar service?

$6

Which of the following are included in the starting price for bar service?

Bartender(s)
House Beer
House Liquor
House Wine
Open Bar

How many event spaces or rooms does your venue offer?

8

Describe your venue:

Ballroom
Banquet Hall
Historic Building

What kind of settings are available?

Indoor
Uncovered Outdoor

Which of the following wedding events does your venue service?

Ceremony
Reception
Bridal Shower
Engagement Party
Rehearsal Dinner

What event services do you offer?

Accommodations
Bar Services
Catering Services
Clean Up
Event Planner
Event Rentals
Get Ready Rooms
Liability Insurance
Outside Vendors
Wifi

What catering services do you offer?

Buffet
Cocktail Reception
Dessert
Family Style
French Service
Hors d'oeuvres
Outside Cake
Plated
Server(s)
Stations
Tastings

What bar services do you provide?

Bartender(s)
Cash Bar
Champagne Toast
House Beer
House Wine
Open Bar
Signature Drink
Specialty Beer
Specialty Wine

What event items are available?

Audio Equipment
Chairs
Dance Floor
Drapery
Tables

What food and beverage items are available?

Barware
China
Flatware
Glassware
Linens

What transportation and access is available?

Parking
Wheelchair Access

What months are included in your peak season?

April
June
July
September
October

What months are included in your off-peak season?

January
February
November
December

Reviews of Memorial Union - Iowa State University

Write a review
Write a review
K
Kayla Sent on 11/30/2019
5 out of 5 rating

Amazing Service & Expertise!!

I had the BEST experience working with Jessica and Cheryl when planning my wedding day (and during the wedding day). They were prompt, helpful, respectful, and incredibly fun to work with! We got nothing but compliments about how wonderful Jessica was (the wedding coordinator), and how amazing the food was (props to Cheryl for that!!).

Jessica handled anything and everything that needed to be addressed the day of the wedding. She was incredibly kind and helpful as well. I didn't have to worry about a thing the entire day!

Jessica and Cheryl are truly the dream team. I had so much fun planning with them, and they made everything so easy. Two wonderful people that know what they are doing!
K
Karen Sent on 09/10/2019
5 out of 5 rating

Mother of the Bride

Jessica & Ashley went above & beyond to make sure that Samantha & Connor had a prefect stress free day. The few hiccups at the reception were addressed or fix as soon as we made them aware. Several that attended had their reception or their child’s reception at Memorial Union & loved how well they handled Samantha & Connors day giving us all wonderful memories.
Stephanie
Stephanie Sent on 08/10/2019
5 out of 5 rating

Great Experience

We loved our experience with the Memorial Union events planning team. They made the entire process smooth and had great suggestions on ways to make things easier for us. Clare & Jessica were great to work with!! I didn't expect such professionalism from the ISU students especially that were helping with the day. And Jessica went above and beyond during every step!
G
Gail Sent on 07/09/2019
5 out of 5 rating

Nothing but professionals!!

ISU Memorial is a perfect venue for your wedding, and the staff is excellent. Jessica and Cheryl go out of their way to make sure your day is ALL that you want it to be.
S
Sarah Sent on 08/13/2018
5 out of 5 rating
The wedding events team at the Memorial Union were outstanding and took the stress off of our wedding day! Highly recommend!
U
User2482591 Sent on 01/26/2016
5 out of 5 rating
The events staff was so helpful and very responsive to the many questions that come with booking a venue and the ensuing planning. Working with a student coordinator was also a very pleasant experience, Rebecca was so eager and positive! I can't say enough nice things about working with the Union. Not to mention the beautiful interior and exterior architecture provide many wonderful photo ops
N
Nora Sent on 08/14/2019
4.8 out of 5 rating

Very Professional, Lots of Great Input

This was my first wedding, and hopefully my last, so I didn't really know anything about how to plan it, but the MU staff seemed like they had seen it all and were able to help us with everything we needed help with. They asked thought provoking questions that we hadn't even thought about. We mostly coordinated with Jessica, and she was very on top of things which was very helpful because we aren't planners. The rental package I think was high value, and it included a lot of things which were nice to just have in one price that included everything. They were able to accommodate pretty much everything we wanted.
We had our wedding in the Great Hall, which is the best room in my opinion because it is so naturally beautiful and has those wonderful high ceilings and chandeliers. The only decor we brought in were votive candles and I don't think it could have looked more elegant. If you have your wedding specifically in the Great Hall, then I 100% recommend candles as it is dimly lit (in a good way) and the candles add to the mood lighting.
The fact that ISU Catering always does the catering at the MU was a blessing because I didn't feel like I had to worry about the coordination between them and I just knew both the MU and Catering staff were experienced together and things would go smoothly -- and they did! It seems like most weddings always have something that goes wrong, but not ours. The only tiny complaint I have is that I don't think anyone told us there was extensive construction going on to the roads on campus and around the MU, which caused some problems for people getting to the reception, but everyone ended up getting there in the end. If I got married again, I would have it at the Memorial Union again.
M
Mother Sent on 06/11/2018
4.7 out of 5 rating
I recommend this location and catering. The staff were very helpful explaining services and setting up the schedule for the day. They assisted in planning for the back-up option for the outdoor ceremony. The event planners were easy to communicate with when we had planning questions and available most of the day to address issues if they occurred.
K
Katie Sent on 10/08/2015
4.5 out of 5 rating
My husband and I met at Iowa State University, and decided to celebrate our marriage at the memorial union. We had our ceremony in the Campanille Room and reception in the Great Hall. We booked about a year before our event, and enjoyed our experience.

I did the majority of the planning remotely. I live in Boston, Ma and was only in Iowa a few times before the wedding. Iowa State did host a wedding expo, which helped us find some of our other vendors (e.g. flowers and tux rentals). It was also nice to be able to taste the food and wine before the big day.

The people we worked with were all awesome, especially our caterer, Jill.

One thing that was unexpected with this venue was a five hour bar maximum. However, Jill was flexible on what was served at the bar, which was awesome.
J
Jess Sent on 07/16/2019
4.2 out of 5 rating

Iowa State Wedding

Jessica and her staff were amazing during our whole process of wedding planning! During our wedding planning process, Jessica always listened to what we wanted and tried to make our request happen. She was always willing to provide her input without being overbearing. After a long planning period, our wedding day was more than what we could have imagined! I really appreciate Jessica and her wedding planning staff in helping us create the most amazing day.
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Awards

11
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2020 Winner

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Professional Network & Endorsements

Preferred Vendors
ISU Catering
ISU Catering
4.9 out of 5 rating , 5 reviews
· Wedding Caterers

Map

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Memorial Union - Iowa State University frequently asked questions

Memorial Union - Iowa State University includes the following items and services for wedding events in its starting site fee:
  • Chairs
  • Clean Up
  • Event Planning
  • Lighting/Sound
  • Set Up
  • Tables
Memorial Union - Iowa State University includes the following items and services in its wedding catering costs:
  • Server(s)
The bar service starting price at Memorial Union - Iowa State University includes:
  • Bartender(s)
  • House Beer
  • House Liquor
  • House Wine
  • Open Bar
The space offered by Memorial Union - Iowa State University for wedding events is known for:
  • Ballroom
  • Banquet Hall
  • Historic Building
Memorial Union - Iowa State University offers the following indoor/outdoor options for weddings:
  • Indoor
  • Uncovered Outdoor
Memorial Union - Iowa State University offers the following types of wedding events:
  • Ceremony
  • Reception
  • Bridal Shower
  • Engagement Party
  • Rehearsal Dinner
Memorial Union - Iowa State University offers the following services for wedding events:
  • Accommodations
  • Bar Services
  • Catering Services
  • Clean Up
  • Event Planner
  • Event Rentals
  • Get Ready Rooms
  • Liability Insurance
  • Outside Vendors
  • Wifi
Memorial Union - Iowa State University offers the following furniture and decor items for weddings:
  • Audio Equipment
  • Chairs
  • Dance Floor
  • Drapery
  • Tables
Memorial Union - Iowa State University is recommended by 95% of couples who have used their services. Their overall rating is 4.8 out of 5 with the following breakdown: 4.9 in quality of service, 4.9 in professionalism, 4.7 in average response time, 4.7 in flexibility and 4.6 in value.
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