Science Center of Iowa Reviews

The science center was great. We had our ceremony in the star theater which was absolutely beautiful. And they were very accommodating and easy to work with.

We had both our reception and ceremony at the Science Center. Ronnie and the Science Center staff were so helpful and made our day go off without a hitch! Our entire day there was so magical!

Our ceremony was in the Star Theater, with 120 guests, which I would guess is max capacity. We got to pick out star displays for before, during, and after the ceremony, so the guests got a little bit of a show. I wasn’t sure what to do with ceremony decor so Ronnie recommended basic flowers/ferns in front of the podium. I’m so glad I took his advice because my ceremony looked so classy. We had fireworks go off right when we kissed which was a big crowd pleaser!

Our reception was in Principal Hall with 170 guests. We went minimal on decor here too, and instead got three BOGOs (stars and a moon). People were taking selfies with the moon all night (it looked very realistic), so that was a hit.

Overall the price was very reasonable for such a unique location, and if you hold back on decor, you can really pull off an affordable wedding here! I highly recommend.

The Science Center of Iowa is the perfect place to have a wedding. It is fun, big and classy. Ronnie Wells , the facility rental manager is a life-saver. He is professional, kind, enthusiastic and sincere. He worked very well with my husband and I and he showed us the absolute best that the SCI had to offer. Ronnie made everything a breeze and I truly believe our wedding would not have gone so perfectly without him. He made every accommodation for myself and my family possible, even though the facility was going through some minor remodel on the escalator and stairs which made getting around the venue difficult, but with his help it wasn't an inconvenience.

It feels like they do everything for you at SCI. The base cost of the venue was easy to understand, and the upgrades (Bar, tables etc) were also transparent and very reasonable. Ronnie and the others at SCI worked hard to tie their responsibilities in with the catering and cake and everything went smoothly. Ronnie did his best to keep my husband and I involved, to make our ceremony and reception perfect and unique to us. The space was perfect for my family and everyone had fun. I know that a crazy group like us can be a lot to handle but Ronnie and the others were amazing at putting up with us and helping us out entirely. I will recommend SCI to anyone and everyone for all types of events and I will be working with them again if ever I need space for entertaining again!

We could not be happier for our kids wedding than working with Ronnie and Lillian at the Science Center! The facility was so easy to use, staff were great to help set up for our evening wedding after the SC closed. Ronnie and Lillian were quick to address our every need. Thanks so much!

We used the Science Center for our welcome party/rehearsal dinner, but it would also be really nice for a modern reception venue. The food was mighty tasty (not your generic catered fare) and they were more than happy to work with us on special requests. They were very professional and easy to work with. When a minor glitch came up, they went above and beyond to rectify the situation without any prompting from us.

The Science Center was the perfect venue for our wedding! We had the ceremony in the planetarium (Why the Sky), the cocktail hour on the upstairs exhibit platform, and then the reception in a room downstairs. The planetarium ceremony was absolutely magical and SO unique. Forget the barn, this is the place to get married in Iowa! The guests were raving about everything all night, and the staff were able to accommodate pretty much all of our requests. They do have a list of caterers you have to choose from, and they do the alcohol. The only reason I'm giving a 4-star for responsiveness is that the event coordinator left for another job with about 4 months to go, so that made things a little more complicated.

We worked with the Science Center for our reception location. They were great to work with! Everyone was very flexible with all of the planning. They helped set up the area right away so nobody from our parties had to help at all. They were great at coordinating with the caterer as well. I would recommend them as a great reception location.

We held our ceremony and reception at the Science Center. I was initially very excited about it because there couldn't be a more fun space in Des Moines! The coordinator from SCI was terrible at getting back to me with answers to small questions and at the big stuff too. Early on in our planning, I had some questions about the contract and it took Marti over 2 months to get back to me after multiple calls and emails. It was the same throughout the process. Every time I reached out to her, it took at least two follow-ups before I got a response and I'm still struggling after the wedding to wrap up loose sends with her.

The wedding events were amazing. My guests raved about the great space and how fun everything was-they'd never been to a more enjoyable wedding. Looking back, I'm not sure if I would have changed venues. It certainly added a lot of stress, but it was a great space. My advice-if you're looking for a fun wedding space and can tolerate the lack of responsiveness, go for it. If that will bug you, choose another venue.