Powell Gardens Reviews
Reviews
We're all about trust. Our community relies on honest reviews to help you make those big decisions with ease.
-
![Alaena]()
Alaena Sent on 09/13/2025Powell Gardens – A Place Where Our Love Keeps Blooming
Powell Gardens will always hold a special place in our hearts. We were married at the Arbor back in 2005, and returning this year for our 20-year vow renewal felt like coming full circle. The beauty of the gardens, the professionalism of the staff, and the overall experience were just as magical if not more, than we remembered.
The staff was outstanding, responsive, thoughtful, and genuinely invested in making our day special.
Being able to celebrate both our wedding and our vow renewal at Powell Gardens made the experience deeply personal and meaningful. It’s more than just a venue. It’s a place where memories are planted and continue to grow.
We’re so grateful to Powell Gardens for helping us celebrate our love story twice. If you're looking for a venue that offers beauty, value, and heartfelt service, this is the place. -
-
![Eliza]()
Eliza Sent on 10/03/2024Unforgettable ceremony at the Island Garden
We had an unforgettable wedding at the Island Garden at Powell Gardens (more specifically, the sunken garden right off of the lily pond). Destiny and her crew set everything up for us, and Destiny gave golf cart rides to our guests back and forth between the Good Earth Spot building (where the ready room & parking lot were) and the actual ceremony site- quite a walk, and we had a few guests with mobility issues, not to mention refreshments to cart back and forth! Powell Gardens is just GORGEOUS- most folks get married at the chapel and I understand why- it is stunning. But if you have a small wedding like us (28 of us total), consider the Island Garden. We enjoyed feeding the carnivorous plants before the ceremony started. :) And the lily pond was just lovely. It was a perfect day, and there are so many spots to do First Looks (in the woods/on the bridges) and photos (backdrop of native wild flowers). The staff is super on top of it!! We just had the best day. We did not do our reception here, FYI. I'm sure it would have been lovely though! -
![Lindsey]()
Lindsey Sent on 03/09/2023Powell made our wedding day the most magical day of our lives.
If you’re reading reviews on Powell Gardens, I question whether you have had a proper visit because the property truly speaks for itself. Powell Gardens is one of those spots where you fall in love with the place. When my husband & I toured the Marjorie Powell Allen Chapel, I felt chills just walking the path TO the chapel - let alone being inside the chapel itself. Once guests saw the property and chapel themselves, there wasn’t a single question as to why we decided to get married 40 minutes outside of downtown Kansas City. To me, the drive is always worth it. The staff is kind & as knowledgeable as they are passionate about the gardens.
We had only our wedding ceremony at Marjorie Powell Allen Chapel & our wedding reception in downtown KC - out of a concern for guests drinking as well as proximity to more hotels.
Due to limited October availability, we landed on a Friday evening. Powell allowed us access to the study (getting ready building) from 2-6pm and the chapel from 4-6pm. We decided to have our ceremony at 4:30pm, giving us 30 minutes for sound check and guest arrival. We did not do any additional decor because (1) we didn’t want to deal with the set-up and clean-up and (2) the chapel doesn’t need it!
The chapel fits 90 guests comfortably, and 110 with chairs set-up in the back. We were very nervous about the amount of guests who would show up and, therefore, did not invite all of our reception guests out to Powell for the ceremony. On the day-of, the chapel felt full but no one was left standing outside.
We had a handful of ushers (friends) place reserve signs on the front pews, hand payment to the musicians, assist people from the bus and their cars to the chapel, direct them to the restrooms and hand out programs. One challenge we had was when guests arrived, they saw the restroom sign for the study and infiltrated our (private) getting ready suite. We suggest having an usher (friend) stationed near the study at least 40 minutes prior to the ceremony start time to direct guests to the restroom at the rear of the chapel if needed. Unfortunately, due to the drive out to Powell, guests will likely need to use the restroom upon arrival.
As ethereal as the chapel is, we highly recommend hiring live music to really elevate your ceremony. We hired a string duo, Forte Quartet, who set-up and played in the rear corner of the chapel. The sound of both the musicians and officiant was incredible, crystal clear, no guests' complaints.
We hired a Showtime Transportation limo for the wedding party and an executive bus for guests who traveled (and didn’t have a car). The bus went from the hotel to Powell to our downtown reception venue. After the reception, guests were on their own and it worked out fine.
All in all, Powell Gardens is well worth it and truly made our wedding day the most magical day of our lives. -
-
![Emily]()
Emily Sent on 07/15/2020Helped pulled together wedding in a month!
When we had to completely replan our entire wedding within a month, Powell Gardens was amazing! They took care of everything, answered all my questions quickly, and made sure our day was beautiful! We did our ceremony at the Garden Arbor and it was absolutely perfect for our small gathering. The setting was gorgeous and easy for our guests to find with the help of their staff. I would recommend this place to anyone! -
![Grace]()
Grace Sent on 12/11/2019Stunning Location
This location was our 1st choice the moment we saw it. I was just a little disappointed that items were left around the chapel, but our amazing reverend was able to clean things up a little. Overall, fantastic experience. -
![Marcella]()
Marcella Sent on 07/11/2019Intimate, amazing architecture, beautiful botanical garden
When I came here to tour the chapel for my wedding, I knew immediately it was where I wanted to exchange vows with my husband. I came here as a child, with my mother and grandmother. On the day we visited, there was a wedding that had just ended at the chapel. I admired the bride in her dress, and my grandmother and I walked down the aisle together. She told me, 'Maybe someday, you could get married here.' So it was also a sentimental reason that led me to get married here, since she passed away when I was 13 years old. It was a great way to feel connected with her, since she could only be there for my wedding in spirit.
The chapel itself has a 'wow' factor. You have to stop and take a picture, because it just grips you. The chapel itself is small, and only fits about 120-125 people. It is an intimate setting. Our chapel was completely full, and the room had such a feeling of energy and love. It was an incredible experience. The chapel feels inviting, and the architecture is impressive. The lines and windows are just outstanding. We had a harpist play at our wedding, and the acoustics were great. I absolutely loved it!
Everyone was easy to work with. They set up the space for me exactly the way I wanted for my wedding day. The chapel is air conditioned, which is great. They will take you to the chapel in a golf cart if you don't want to walk the whole way (great when you're in a heavy dress with heels in the hot summer!). They also have a space for you to do some last minute touch ups before you walk up to the chapel. I completely recommend Powell Gardens Chapel! -
![Adrienne]()
Adrienne Sent on 10/22/2023Great venue space
This was a wonderful space for our wedding. Destiny was amazing at helping us make sure everything ran smoothly day of. -
![Julie]()
Julie Sent on 10/04/2020Powell Gardens to the rescue!
After we had to cancel our destination wedding due to covid, we had 7 weeks to replan our wedding in KC and Powell Gardens saved the day! They offered a beautiful venue at an affordable price. We loved having access to the Study to get ready in before hand. They worked very well with our vendors for a stress free experience. Finding this venue was a little tricky for guests the day of rehearsal but the day of the wedding they had signage which was very helpful! The only thing we said would have been a helpful addition, that was missing, was if the venue offered adding on a day of coordinator but they did at least offer helpful recommendations. -
-
![Meredith]()
Meredith Sent on 01/05/2020Dream Wedding Ceremony Venue
I grew up about 10 minutes from here and have always wanted my wedding ceremony to be held in the chapel. This was worth every penny we paid for the rental. You get the Chapel Study to get ready in the 2 hours prior to your chapel rental time, which was perfect. All pictures came out fantastic in both these spaces. There is very little you need to decorate, because of the natural beauty of the spaces. The staff here is so easy to work with and did fantastic. I would recommend the Chapel any day to someone who is on the fence about it. -
-
![Soon to be Mrs. Keller]()
First Sent on 12/20/2008Powell Gardens is a beautiful place! We had a beautiful wedding! However if you choose to have your reception there too you have to use Cafe Thyme. I wan't thrilled with with the way it was set up, it was not set up properly like jamie and I had discussed, there was no room for the dance floor we had to move it around after the reception had already started. Also, I was told I could only have 2 hours to get ready before my wedding, so I called back and asked for more time to get ready, luckily I was the only wedding that day so I was allowed in, but you might have to make prior arrangements to get ready somewhere else to have enough time for pictures too.
Are you interested?
Are you interested?