The Elms Hotel and Spa Reviews

The Elms was definitely a wonderful place to get married. The Hotel and Spa were beautiful and unique, which made it a destination wedding that all of our guests loved. The planning process was a fabulous experience with Tori, their wedding planner, who made it all so easy and fun for us. She was amazing with her ideas, attention to detail and to us, quick communication turnaround, making us feel like our wedding was the only one she was handling, when in fact, there were others in the same time frame that she attended to just as committed. Tori should get best Wedding Planner of the Year award! Highly recommend having your wedding at The Elms!

Having my wedding at the alms was one of the coolest things we could have done. I've always enjoyed coming here over the years and to get to have our wedding here was very magical. They are so easy to work with and provide quick service and met every need I ever had, even before I thought of it. Highly recommend!

We had our wedding here in June and it was truly magical. We worked with the day of coordinator Tori and she was amazing, I cannot thank her enough for all of her hard work the day of and beforehand. The venue is stunning, historical, magical, and timeless. This is the place to go if you want a classy and beautiful wedding venue. The food was great, service was amazing, and worth every penny.

My wedding was international. I had guests from multiple states, countries, and continents. The Elms was a perfect getaway for us to get back together and enjoy this special event. Lacee and Tori offered great guidance and helped me a lot during this journey. The food, flawless. Even my guests with the pickiest taste enjoyed it. I will never forget how magical my wedding was at this venue and the rooms were awesome. If you're considering, go for it, it's a great option.

We knew we wanted The Elms from the beginning, and they were the only venue we toured. It made it so easy for us and our guests to have hotel accommodations & the event all in the same space. They provide/ handle a lot of the little things like linens, serving ware, glassware, catering, bar tending, etc. The food was wonderful for both the rehearsal and reception dinner, and the staff was amazing! The only issues we ran into were guests had trouble booking on our block using the website and there was a small mix up on when we wanted dinner served, but it was quickly and easily resolved. We can never fully express how amazing our wedding was; we can’t thank Tori, Lacee, and the rest of The Elms Staff enough. Everyone kept telling my husband how calm I seemed all day and it’s absolutely because of how amazing The Elms was to us.
They also surprised us with a bottle of Blue Champagne outside the door the morning of and a wonderful gift bag of some of our favorite snacks in our room at the end of night. We both thought this was a beautiful little touch and greatly appreciated all the tiny details they make happen.

We had both the ceremony and reception in the Regent ballroom which has access to the patio and walking paths of the property. The Elms even provided yard games! Tori was very informative and attentive during the whole planning experience. What seemed very overwhelming and stressful at first, came together flawlessly. The Elms provided the use of table cloths, chair covers, and even provided the use of candle votives for the tables and fireplace mantle. Knowing those small details were taken care of made it easier knowing I just had our personal decorations to focus on. It looked absolutely beautiful once our finishing touches were in place. For dinner, we opted for the buffet option, and the food was delicious. My husband and I felt like royalty seeing as they had servers walk through the line with us and held our plate to make sure we didn’t our clothes dirty. It was a small, but very thoughtful detail we wouldn’t even have considered. On top of the great ceremony and reception service, the rooms were also very comfortable. The room was spacious and clean and we enjoyed every minute of it. They took amazing care of us and helped make our big day go so smoothly. If your looking to book your wedding here, I highly recommend so.

Our daughters wedding was perfect. Tory and the rest of the staff at the Elms was amazing. We held the ceremony in the Gazebo and reception in the Regent room and it was fantastic. I would definitely recommend this venue. Everyone was very accommodating and made the day run very smoothly. Could not be happier with the venue, staff, and ambiance

The staff at the Elms were incredibly responsive and helpful when planning our wedding events. We had a lot of folks flying in from all over to attend, and they were exceptionally easy to work with and very accommodating to our requests (even several last minute ones). The food was delicious and everything went off without nay problems. Would absolutely recommend them again.

Tori and the entire staff at The Elms Hotel & Spa did such a wonderful job of helping make our wedding beautiful and successful. We had a lot of questions throughout the process that were all answered quickly by Tori. The event staff also went out of their way to help keep our guests happy and tended to throughout the event, and made the whole thing a wonderful success.

I had the best day of my life thank you to The Elms Hotel and Spa!Every detail that I had planned was executed perfectly by their team. Our day of planner Tori was so helpful and organized! We did plated dinners and heard things from our guests like "That was one of the best meals I have ever had!" The bar and waiting staff were so awesome and gave excellent service to our guests. I would recommend this venue to anyone looking to get married soon!!

The Elms and Victoria made our daughters wedding day worry free with a storytale ending. There was no task too big or small. Victoria and her team made it all happen. The venue is beautiful, freshly remodeled and ready to make your wedding dreams come true!

Tori and Lacee at The Elm were amazing. I could not have had a more beautiful wedding without them. The team was responsive, respectful, and listened to all of our requests. If there were any problems during the wedding day, we never knew or noticed. I would highly recommend having a wedding reception at The Elms Hotel and Spa.

Short version: We 1000% recommend having your wedding at The Elms!

Long version: The day after getting engaged in December 2020, we reached out to The Elms about hosting our wedding as we had spent our first anniversary at the hotel and absolutely fell in love with it. We knew 2021 would be hard to find a venue and we were delighted they had options in November and December for us. From our very first meeting with Lacee to preview their ballrooms, The Elms went above and beyond for us.

We chose to get married in the Regent Ballroom (room with fireplace) November 20, 2021 and have the staff flip and host our reception in the same room. During the flip, our guests enjoyed a cocktail hour in the lobby (because it was a bit too chilly out on the private patio). Our guests loved this as the hotel had just been decorated for Christmas and many guests took festive photos by the decor.

There are so many benefits in selecting a venue that handles the food, drink, room flip, etc. They knew their space well and they even had most of it set-up on the Thursday before the wedding so we were able to move in decor, etc days before the wedding. The best part is not spending money on a teardown crew or asking intoxicated friends or family to pack-up decor. They placed everything in the corner of the room for us and locked the ballroom. We were able to access it with ease the next day. That is unheard of with other venues.

The process: We filled out a form on the website and were contacted by Lacee to schedule a time to visit the venue shortly after. They have two ballrooms and an outdoor gazebo available to use. Each space has its own rental fee. We fell in love with the Regent ballroom. Depending upon the month/date of your wedding, the Elms sets a minimum amount you need to spend on food and drink for the event. Peak wedding months had higher minimums than others. We found the minimum fair for the size of the event we planned to host and we hit the minimum easily. On top of the food and drink prices, The Elms charges tax and a service fee. This takes out any guesswork on what to tip the hotel for food and drink. Throughout the planning process, all charges and totals are completely transparent and at no point did we have any question on what we owed. We opted to make 4 payments towards our total and it worked really well for us.

Tori Foster was assigned to work with after we signed our contract and she is an absolute pro. She has been in the wedding industry for awhile and it shows. She also knows the Elms very well and was able to answer or find answers for literally everything we threw at her. The planning process consisted of three planning meetings set every couple months where we went through a very thorough document outlining the details of the day. I can’t think of anything that wasn’t included in this list but should have been.

The Elms offers a number of things other venues charge for or you have to coordinate on your own. Some of these include: decor (ALL the candles!, lanterns, chargers, etc), table linens, chair covers, variety of colored napkins, room set-up/tear down, and passing out welcome bags at check in. That is hundreds of dollars of savings right there.

We also met with Tori to do a food tasting and were able to include our parents in for this part. We got to try plenty of options. Our final selection was caesar salads for a starter and waitstaff brought by rolls, then we gave guests the choice at RSVP of KC strip, seared sea bass or chicken breast with roasted rainbow carrots and mashed potatoes on the side. They even have late night snack options where we chose warm, soft pretzels and our guests LOVED them. If you are interested in having a signature cocktail at the reception, be sure to have that included in the tasting as well.

They have a variety of options on how you want to handle alcohol. While we understand we could have saved money here by going with a venue where we could bring in our own, sometimes it is just worth paying someone to handle all the purchasing and bartending. We chose a 5-hour bar package with beer, wine, and spirits. We also offered an Old Fashioned as a signature cocktail for no additional charge. As soon as our ceremony was over, they had two Old Fashioneds waiting for us (at our request) and we spent our first 10 minutes as a married couple enjoying a drink under the twinkle lights in the gazebo.

The only tricky part of planning was the room block. The Elms requires you fill 90% of what you reserve (much higher than other hotels). We found this tricky as we were still navigating COVID and weren’t sure how many guests would end up coming. So we started small and ended making 2-3 revisions to add more. The Elms was fine with this and were able to do it quickly. I do recommend adding some suites to the room block for parents or family coming in town for a few days. We did get access to an event manager page and could easily see who had reserved rooms, types, dates, etc. That was very helpful.

We had The Elms pass out bags to all our guests on the room block (at no charge!) and in there we ended up including a voucher for guests to use at the Cafe. Tori helped us with this and we only had to pay for the vouchers used. We had it set-up as a flat $5 and it was a nice touch for our guests.

Lastly, on the Friday before the wedding, a group of seven ladies went to the spa for massages and relaxing time in the Grotto. We got a contact to work directly with at the spa and we even got a 10% discount for having 6+ people join.

The Elms had a couple little extra surprises for us that day that I won’t spoil here. We just can’t say enough about how wonderful our entire wedding was at The Elms and we can’t wait to go back every anniversary to celebrate.

We are thrilled with our choice to have our wedding at The Elms in Excelsior Springs. It was perfect little getaway for those of us local to KC, and all of our out of town guests had a BLAST and want to come back for their own pleasure, too

We had to postpone our wedding due to COVID, and both Lacee and Tori at the Elms were fabulous at helping us through everything that entailed-while also being so mindful of how difficult it was to make that decision. We were so supported and extremely thankful for that! Tori, our fabulous day of coordinator/wedding planner was simply amazing to work with. She was on top of evert tiny detail and made sure that each small thing I would have never thought of, but that she knew would make a big difference, was planned and done perfectly for us. On the day of, Tori went above and beyond to make sure everything was perfect. She was around to help, but also running around behind the scenes making sure that everything was in place. She was so calm and I just wanted to hug her each time I saw her because she knew everything we needed before we needed it. There were multiple times I turned around to tell someone something I needed done and it was already taken care of by Tori. The wait staff was absolutely amazing as well. They were constantly checking on our head table as well as other guests to make sure no one needed anything throughout the night. So professional and courteous...and so fun too! I thanked them for being there and for everything they had done and was thanked back for allowing them to help with our event...it warmed my heart to its core. I can't recommend The Elms enough as your wedding venue. If I did it all over again, I would chose The Elms again and again. Thank you Tori, Lacee, and everyone at The Elms for making our day so wonderful! We loved it, and we loved you guys!

We couldn’t have asked for a better day, or a better venue. The Elms was the first venue that we viewed, and we left with such excitement knowing that it was the venue that we wanted to get married at. It really did exceed all exceptions of how the venue looked on the day, and how the day came together. Our reception dinner was amazing, and our guests were equally impressed.
We would like to thank you, for all your help from the day we inquired about booking our wedding with Lacee, until the moment it was time for bed on our day.
Nothing was ever too much to ask for, and questions were always answered in a timely manner by Tori. I was extremely happy to have Tori help with so much as she made everything so effortless and adapted to any change that we made at the last minute.

We had a great time as a family spending the weekend there and the entire staff went above and beyond. The paranormal tour with Jay was fantastic and very entertaining. The restaurant staff for dinner on Friday night and brunch on Sunday morning were very thorough in meeting everyone's dietary needs.
We highly recommend this venue! This is a beautiful venue and not much is needed to make it more stunning.

We chose the Elms because we wanted a wedding weekend not just a day so it had to have a venue and a hotel. We didn't want to run all over town for good photos. The Elms turned out to be so much more. The hotel is so charming. It has a historic feel and several acres for photos. The images turned out better than we ever hoped. Almost every guest at the wedding also came for the whole weekend. The spa, lawn games, and ghost tour were just some of the things we did. Our guest were so impressed at how much the hotel offered and how accommodating they were. If you like to eat, you will be very happy with the food. The restaurant and catering staff were our favorite! They were fun, attentive, and the food is so good! Tori was our hotel coordinator. She handled everything we needed help with. On the wedding day, I didn't have to stress or think about anything. If there was an issue, no one told me =) My husband and I plan to celebrate there every anniversary!

The Elms provided the destination wedding I didn't know I wanted. We had originally planned a large outdoor ceremony in our backyard. Covid had other plans. We looked for destination hotels with character and enough activities to feel like a true escape. The Elms came through in spades. The hotel itself has an amazing spa and grotto, beautiful grounds, indoor and outdoor pools, a ghost tour, and historic charm for days. The town of Excelsior Springs has multiple wineries, a nice golf course, a craft brewery with axe throwing, and quaint shops within walking distance. The hotel staff and our wedding coordinator, Tori, were great to work with.

Having my daughters wedding at The Elms was the best choice we could have made. We originally chose this location because of the historical ambiance, the charming outdoor gazebo that was perfect for an outdoor ceremony and also gave us the opportunity to have a more formal ballroom reception. Most importantly it was ideal for bringing in guests from out of town and having everyone at the same place. We didn't have to worry about guests driving home after the wedding and it also allowed for everyone to have more fun with the family together for a weekend with additional activities for them to take advantage of like the spa, pools, outdoor games, patio areas, etc. Our original date in May was postponed until June and then again for October due to the challenges of the pandemic. We could not have been more pleased with the way that the staff handled it. They were flexible, understanding, supportive, and during this time we actually felt they became members of our family. As trying as it was, this situation was beginning to feel like a blessing because we were getting to know Tori and Lacee and Kara even more. We were able to see how The Elms and the staff would perform under pressure and it was during this time that they showed us we weren't just another financial booking and they were there to do "the right thing". In turn, we had many opportunities to change plans and consider a backyard wedding but by this time we were more determined to follow through at the place that had cared so much for us. It was worth it too. From the beginning Lacee offered suggestions and help for anything and everything and we appreciated her constant patience with us! Tori worked tirelessly at the rehearsal dinner and the wedding. I watched her effectively coral talkative family and friends into being where they needed to be in order to keep things moving. She was kind and patient and professional throughout the entire process. Kara was phenomenal during the lockdown period when she had to step in and take care of al of our room blocks, wedding and wedding rehearsal questions. She never sounded confused or unorganized even though I knew this was not her primary job and was part of our planning process. She seamlessly stepped in and kept things moving along. This group of girls will always be considered our A TEAM. They are experienced, knowledgeable, helpful, and genuine. We love our experience with this A TEAM as much as the beautiful grounds, gorgeous elegant ballroom and the historic venue. My only suggestion is that when Tori leaves, that there be someone on hand to take over for her. We could have used a point person to ask for help during the times that we needed help with lights, cake cutting, dance floor drink spills, lost items, etc. I plan to recommend The Elms to anyone and everyone possible. It was a beautiful storybook experience! Thank you for working so hard for us and for helping us in the most important day of our lives!

We cannot say enough good things about The Elms. When searching for vendors, we sought out vendors who were reasonable, affordable, and honest. Tori, Lacee, and the entire Elms staff met all of those criteria. It was fabulous to have so much support from Tori and The Elms staff.

Tori and The Elms have been so helpful in the process of rescheduling our wedding due to the pandemic and have made sure that all of our dreams came true in the safest way possible. The hotel itself is beautiful and we had a fabulous stay at The Elms outside of the wedding. We extended our stay for a few more days as a mini-honeymoon and went on the Ghost Tour with Jim. It was all fabulous.

Tori thought of every little detail and remembered every comment or question we had. She was exceptional. She made sure everyone was in the right place at the right time. Tori and the Banquet staff ensured all tables were in the right place, the decor they placed was beautiful, and my husband and I didn't have to get up for anything the whole event.

In regards to the wedding and reception, the food was amazing, the drinks were strong, and the staff was incredible. The entire weekend was fabulous and we cannot wait to have our larger event next year at The Elms. One of the main reasons why we picked The Elms is because we didn't want ourselves or our family to have to do any work during the event. Everyone was able to relax and have a fabulous time.

A benefit of having the wedding at The Elms is that we didn't have to worry about our guests at the end of the night having to drive home. During our stay, every staff member checked in with us to make sure we had everything we needed and that we were enjoying our time. The bridal suite was beautiful and our hairstylist from The Elms exceeded expectations.

We honestly cannot say enough good things about our experience with The Elms. We cannot recommend them enough and we look forward to celebrating anniversaries and other events there for many years to come.

Thank you to Tori and thank you to the Elms for the best wedding I could have asked for!

Everything was absolutely perfect at The Elms. They helped us plan the entire day perfectly. Even when it looked like the weather wouldn’t cooperate with us, they immediately set up a plan b without even us asking making the day of super low stress.

My husband and I decided to celebrate our wedding at the Elms because it was the perfect wedding venue for us. We decided to have our wedding ceremony and reception in the Regent Ball Room because it was the right fit for our guest count and for our out-of-town guests. The Elms Hotel staff were courteous and professional from the day we checked in to the day we checked out. Their staff did an amazing job in setting up for our ceremony and the room flip for our reception. Their servers were very attentive to our needs during our dinner rehearsal and our wedding day. One item that we emphasized was that our food to be severed hot which they’ve achieved with no problem.

Above all, Victoria Foster, the Elms’s event planning manager was amazing to work with. Her expertise in this field made our experience stress-free. For example, Victoria had a checklist over 100 items that she reviewed with us over the span of our meeting sessions. In addition, Victoria was very flexible with scheduling in person meetings and via zoom calls to discuss various topics from vendor selection, dinner selections to room layout.

Based on our experience and satisfaction we highly recommend the Elms Hotel as your wedding venue because they offer full services and everything you need for your dream wedding.

The Elms was everything we dreamed of and more for our wedding. Thank you!!

Getting married at the Elms Hotel and spa was absolutely amazing. It was 100% stress-free from start to finish and my wife and I could not be happier with the professionalism Of the hotel staff as well as all of the vendors. 10 out of 10 would definitely recommend.

We had been to a wedding at The Elms in the summer and it was beautiful. Our December wedding was even better! They decorate the venue beautifully for winter, and our guests were very impressed with the rooms, the amenities (including the indoor pool), and the food! Would highly recommend!