Honey Creek Resort

to your needs and are sure to take the time to hear you out! Not to mention the amazing views this resort has to offer. Our wedding and pictures are absolutely magical!

and wanted to get married surrounded by nature. Honey Creek worked with us to create a brand new ceremony site that was exactly what we were picturing! But really we couldn’t have done it without Delaney and all the hard work she put into making our experience as stress free as possible. If Honey Creek isn’t on your list of possible venues yet, be sure to check it out!

ressing safety concerns! We did have a few misconceptions about time of arrival and reserving the pool for kiddos, but all in all, we enjoyed our decision to get married at HoneyCreek! The kegs are about $100 more than some of the vendors in Des Moines charge, and we had a mix up with the bridal parties free drinks. But they corrected their mistake with grace!

re of so much more than expected! The facility was beautiful and had lots of spaces for great events and photos! The day was a fairy tale!

the many ceremony & reception location options, tons of beautiful photo opportunities—but what really sold us on Honey Creek was Delaney Evers. A Honey Creek wedding without Delaney would be like a peanut butter sandwich without jelly, like fresh baked cookies without a cool glass of milk. Delaney was AMAZING. She is a YES-woman through and through. If we wanted something, Delaney made it happen. I never once doubted her commitment to our big day or to our vision. She will pull all the strings, speak to all the right people, pull all the tricks out of her sleeve, and make it happen for your wedding, just like she did for ours. When the inevitable mishaps or changes in plan occur, you can feel safe knowing that Delaney is somewhere out there on the Honey Creek grounds doing battle for your dream wedding—and THAT is worth a million dollars!! Honey Creek was a dream. If you’re considering this place as your venue—just go for it! I promise you won’t regret it. All of our guests commented several times about how beautiful the grounds are, how delicious the food was, how quick the banquet service was, and just how seamless of a wedding it was. People always say, “something will go wrong at a wedding”, but all my guests and I can truly say, thanks to Honey Creek, everything went right!

e perfect place WAIT NO LONGER- book it! This place helped make my wedding day everything I had imagined, all while in the middle of COVID-19. The grounds are beautiful, a true gem in Iowa! We had our ceremony and reception lakefront behind the Resort- gorgeous spot in my opinion especially when paired with canopy lights. There are multiple different venue locations to choose from, inside and out. They also have walking/running trails (some lakefront) we enjoyed for father daughter runs, vow writing, after dinner walks, and stunning wedding pictures. The staff worked very hard to make sure they were putting together mine and my husband's vision for the day, set up and tore down all decorations etc in a timely manner. The food was great and they were willing to work with our budget- something we were SO thankful for. The rooms are wonderful -clean and accommodating- so you can rest assured that your guests can truly relax and celebrate with you! The resort itself has such a welcoming and inviting feel to it, we absolutely felt like family walking it and were taken care of as such. The front desk staff members were attentive and kind, always willing to go the extra mile with joy. They made some of my favorite memories possible!! Honey Creek's diamond is Delaney (their wedding coordinator). This woman is kind, calm, caring, levelheaded, and passionate about what she does. She is a problem solver and creative thinker - similar to the rest of the staff- going the extra mile to make your day perfect! She thinks ahead and helps you have a plan ready for whatever may happen. She also is a tough cookie, ready to take charge and keep the peace so the day runs smoothly. She works diligently in the months leading up the wedding, keeping you organized and on schedule. All that to say, you are in good hands at Honey Creek Resort. With COVID-19 going on, we weren't sure we would be able to have the wedding we had wanted...but Honey Creek Resort helped make our wedding day the best day of our lives. They were flexible, professional, and kind- and choosing to have my wedding there was absolutely one of the best decisions I have ever made. The memories we have there are so sweet of course because of the people and love that are housed in them, but also because this special place (Honey Creek) made them possible. This is a place my husband and I look forward to visiting for years to come.

ver. Delaney, the HCR wedding sales manager, was beyond amazing and the resort was a great spot for a family reunion type gathering and our wedding since our guests could stay on site with plenty of activities. Since we are from out of town, this was a big seller. We visited again for a menu tasting and vendor fair in November. There, we met some preferred vendors that work together seamlessly. We ended up working with the DJ (Joe Tafta with the Sound Doctor Mobile DJ), the Officiant (Crystal Creations), and one of the Bakers (Dawn’s Couture Cakes). Throughout the planning process, we worked with Delaney for all of our needs and she answered countless questions from us. She was so patient with us and way exceeded our expectations. It was such a relief to not have to hire an additional wedding planner because she really handled everything. She also was in contact with the vendors making the behind the scenes plans which was the icing on the cake. As the wedding day approached we were right in the midst of COVID. Delaney kept in touch and we were lucky to have her back at work a few weeks before the wedding. The entire staff at Honey Creek worked so hard to make the day possible despite regulations due to COVID and the changes/uncertainties with our guest list. In addition, Honey Creek was very accommodating with last minute changes due to weather and provided helpful and realistic recommendations. We originally booked the pavilion for both the reception and the ceremony so everything could be in the same spot. However, the thunderstorms had other plans and we moved the reception inside; which surprisingly made our families VERY happy. Delaney and Stephanie make a great pair when it comes to wedding planning, setup, and coordination during the wedding day. The day of went very smooth and the food was delicious. They handled everything seamlessly and we didn’t have any worries on our wedding day. We couldn’t have asked for better. Perks/recommendations HCR: Getting ready at the cottages or the Bridal suite. Hair and makeup can come to HCR. All decorations and linens you could need are provided unless you choose to customize or bring your own. Rain backup and plenty of ceremony options. On site coordination team. Option to bring your own dessert. Great food with the ability to customize anything; including a Gluten free meal identical to our main meal. Reasonable bar and food pricing/options. Family time at the Resort: golf, beach, boating, walking, biking, restaurant. On site lodging (cottages or lodge/hotel)- pavilion is 1 mile from lodge and a 10-15 minute walk to cottages. Many places on site for a variety of photos including: dock, lake, beach, fire place, large pavilion, smaller pavilion by lake, paved or unpaved wooded areas, and golf course/bridge. Least favorite components: Driving personal cars around for photos for site since the rental buses are a little pricey due to remoteness of HCR. Bar at restaurant could be closed due to COVID of you’re looking for an after party. Reservations and booking was complicating and frustrating at times. Rehearsal is available on site but you may have to pay to rent the space you’re using or it could be being used for a wedding/other event. You can do a potluck style at their spaces or have HCR cater.

planning our wedding. Honey Creek offers a ton of onsite activities for guests including golf, a water park, bikes, and nature trails to keep guests of all ages busy outside of the wedding festivities. Our wedding coordinator, Delaney, was phenomenal. She was in constant communication with us throughout the entire planning process, and never made us feel like we were bothering her when she had a whole bunch of other weddings on her plate. She was incredibly flexible and listened to us to help bring our vision to life. We reserved a cul-de-sac of cottages for the wedding party and it worked out perfectly! We had our rehearsal dinner there where we grilled and had yard games, and it was so much fun! We had an issue where the water heater went out in one of the cabins the 2nd night we were there, but we texted “BUZZ the Bee” at about 7:30am the next morning, and maintenance was there within 10 minutes to address it. I’m taking a star off the review only because there were a few issues that came up during the weekend that really shouldn’t have happened (however, we did tell Delaney about them, and she took notes and assured us that she would discuss it with the staff). We had several guests tell us that their check-in process didn’t go very smoothly (ours included). There was only one person working the front desk and also taking phone calls. She made it pretty clear to the guests that she was overwhelmed and made them feel like they were an inconvenience to her. We also had guests inform us that the service in the restaurant was incredibly slow. My aunt and uncle had gone down for breakfast on Sunday morning, and they waited for 20 minutes without being greeting or brought water/menus before just deciding to leave. There was also an issue with our room the night of the wedding. My husband had gone to check into our suite after the reception, and was told that there wasn’t a reservation. (We did end up getting a room, just not the one we were originally promised in our contract). Other than that, if we were to do it over, we would definitely choose Honey Creek Resort again. The grounds are beautiful, the services are extensive, and everyone had a great time!

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we though. Thanks to her everything went smooth and if anything didn’t we had absolutely no idea! We couldn’t have asked for a better or more memorable experience. It truly was a perfect day thanks to her and the staff at Honey Creek Resort!

y was moved indoors to hide from the rain, but because of the seamless transition, it was as if it was the plan all along. As a guest of the wedding, I was in awe of how smooth everything went for her. The Grand Ballroom was perfect for an intimate, classy and GRAND wedding.

omeone to bring to life the wedding design as opposed to doing an event barn. Delaney and the Honeycreek team does all of the leg work for you ..... So thankful that my daughter future son in-law could enjoy the wedding adventure 💍

ct long-weekend get away for our families who lived hours away. We were able to make this weekend special for so many of us, and that is thank to Delaney Evers in so many ways. Delaney's professionalism and get-it-done approach to planning and hammering out the details made sure everything flowed perfectly. More times than I can count she went above and beyond her duties to make sure everything was perfect for us. The day-of was thunder storming and looking a little bleak for our would-be fairytale ceremony, but Delaney had faith and the weather radar and convinced us to go for the "high-risk, high-reward" option. Best call we could've made! Everything turned out to be exactly what we wanted, and people could not stop telling us how much they loved Honey Creek. If you are looking to have a venue with low-stress planning, plenty of space for you and your families, endless things to do, a beautiful backdrop, and the best staff - you've found it! We are so lucky to have found Honey Creek Resort!

negative reviews should be discarded now!). Delaney comes with event planning experience from Los Angeles, California! And it shows! Better yet, she is local to the Honey Creek area, so can suggest local vendors or other hole-in-the wall ideas! We cannot thank Delaney enough for the assistance in planning the most beautiful, perfect wedding we could have ever imagined for our oldest daughter. We also had day-of assistance from Marsha. Both of them were in constant communication before the wedding, the day of the wedding, and even after the wedding is complete, they are still going above and beyond to execute wrapping up the loose ends to make the entire experience seamless! The banquet staff pulled off a delicious plated meal for over 200, and the bartenders were humorous and kind. We highly recommend Honey Creek for couples and parents seeking a wedding spot!

e patiently answered each and every question (I had MANY), in a timely manner. Delaney addressed potential hurdles and challenges professionally, and ensured each detail was accounted for. She had the entire staff prepared for our weekend, and we truly believe if it was not for her thorough orginazition, things could not have gone as seamlessly as they did! Even a month after our wedding has passed, our guests continue to compliment us on how much fun they had, and how Honey Creek was an impressive "diamond in the rough". In addition to our excellent experience working with Delaney, we appreciated the wonderful banquet staff of Honey Creek - how friendly they, and the bartenders were the day before (for setup), and the evening of our reception. A special shout out to Kip and Linda. Guests were amazed that they were able to pull off serving a multi-course, plated meal to over 200 guests, and everything was served HOT and delicious. Friends and family commented how refreshing it was to attend an event like Delaney helped us plan at Honey Creek, one that is not the "new normal": plastic folding chairs and a buffet line... but a plated, sit down, served meal. I could go on and on, but in closing, what a wonderful place to host our wedding! Engaged couples living in the Kansas City, Des Moines, Iowa City, Kirksville etc. surrounding areas : you definitely need to consider Honey Creek for your wedding and reception. Get in touch with Delaney. You will be SO thankful you did!

magic and made it possible!! The day was perfect and I couldn’t have asked for anything more!

oing to the court house on such and such day! Oh my was all I could think! Calling them begging for just a small family only style wedding. Proclaiming I could find a place they would like... Setting out immediately in search for such a place. I found Honey creek. I spoke with my son his response great! Now just get his future wife on board. I made an appointment with Delaney the wedding coordinator. My daughter in-law and I went down viewed everything and we found it peaceful and fun. We booked 2 nights for 20 people we reserved a boat and jet ski for a half day on Saturday before wedding play time! We arrived Friday early afternoon rooms were ready! My husband and I set out to place our pre made arrival baskets of treats in each room along with the 3 day planned schedule. Starting with Dinner at the Rathbun marina. ( Share the wealth with other local business is our approach) We had a Wonderful dinner and much fun at Louie's. We Returned to Honey Creek for an evening at the firepit. Early rising for breakfast and boating on site so easy. Each family member had a time slot for their own use and a time for all to enjoy together. Golfing in between and picnic lunch mid-day for all. Time to get ready for wedding and sneak in a nap. We had suite king rooms and that gave the girls plenty of room to be together. although we were offered the bridal suite if needed. My daughter in-law wanted easy no fuss. We booked the new gazebo lakeside chairs preset. We strolled down and everything was ready to go! We had a private cocktail hour on the patio following with a private patio with a little elegance by adding white linens white roses and navy napkins with the king set table outdoors. It was a marvelous prime rib plated dinner. My children all 4 plus spouses and small ones enjoyed being together more than anything. We retired shortly after and the children headed out for an evening of bike rides and more firepit time. They had the best time and have planned a return trip for next summer together! We enjoyed the Sunday brunch and ended Sunday afternoon with kayaking and golfing late into the day. With the little ones loving the indoor water park. Now all that said...we are a very laid back family that works hard and relaxes well! So if this is your way of life you will not be disappointed! The staff treated my family amazing! We travel in a pack as much as possible and we don't take life for granted! Working is to afford to be able to live well and enjoy the life we have together! Honey creek is in a remote area. This is not the city! Its a lodge environment with Plenty of wonderful amenities to be enjoyed. We have had 2 weddings prior with 250 and 300 hundred guest in amazing accommodation's. My 2 other children said they wish they would have kept it more simple as this was so much less stress and much more enjoyable!

as very helpful putting together our wedding, and accommodating our requests. We were even able to have a Game of Thrones viewing of the series finale on the projector screens at the end of the reception with popcorn as a snack!

st say to think of EVERYTHING they could charge you for before you sign the contract because if you sign the contract and small things aren't in it, they will nickel and dime you to death. We had the highest dollar package and didn't use their backdrop which was a cost in the contract. I wanted chair covers and they would not substitute these two things out. They wanted $2.50/chair to put them on...that didn't include rental of the covers. Also, they wouldn't allow us to take the chair covers off on Sunday. They had to be off Saturday night. So bottom line is make sure you have thought of everything before you sign the contract because they won't budge once it is signed. Flexibility is not their strong suit. Once again, beautiful venue and we had a great time.

ond to calls/emails but all my questions did get answered. When we first checked into the resort to when we checked out, the staff was so welcoming & friendly! We had our ceremony and reception at the Pavillion which is the perfect location if your looking for something outdoors and private. The only thing that was a little frustrating was on the day of our wedding when I was getting ready, I had one of the staff members asking me about beverage questions for at the bar which should've all been squared away before the day of our wedding. Overall, our wedding weekend was amazing & our guests had such a fun time! The food was delicious!

ul person, she is kind and helpful. Unfortunately, the rest of the staff is AWFUL. We had problems checking in, a guest of our wedding had a cabin with bedbugs, the food/rooms/service is extremely overpriced for the quality received, the staff was absolutely awful (our wedding guests still talk about how rude the bartenders were—not what you want people to remember about your special day). Save yourself the heartbreak and book somewhere else. I would never go back.

was stunning. Seen deer during the service. The resort for the reception was roomy & beautiful. The staff was very accommodating. Food was incredible, got tons of compliments over it. Tonia Benson, Wedding coordinator was very detailed & easy to work with. Our wedding was a success!

e and all of the features to us, she made it feel seamless, and it was a great experience until it came to the day of the wedding. We were 1 of 2 weddings that day, and we were the smaller one so we booked the private pavilion for our ceremony and the mercy-Winslow room for our reception. There were sooooo many problems the day of the wedding, (I do not have enough time or space to list them all) but to list a few.... Our linens did not match the day of the wedding, and when we asked where the rest of the ivory linens were we were told they ran out. The waitstaff ate our leftover desserts (due to a miss understanding) and the waitstaff pretty much acted like guests instead of servers the whole night. This is just a small list of some things that went wrong, I brought all of this to Tonia's attention the day AFTER the wedding and she was very apologetic and worked with me to get the situation rectified. It took a FULL 2 MONTHES to get all of the issues resolved. Needless to say, NONE of my family will be recommending honey creek to any friends and NONE of them will ever stay there again.

ding and I am 100% sure that each and every person left happy and impressed with the venue. The wedding coordinator, Morgan, was absolutely amazing. She works with you to make the smallest details perfected. She was basically a wedding planner who knew every in and out of the resort - it was wonderful! Even with rain on our wedding day, it couldn't damper the mood, as guests had the option of having a blast at the indoor waterpark! I would highly recommend Honey Creek Resort!

room) and were hard to contact and slow to return calls. There was a lack of follow through and added extra charges at the end. The resort management was quick to resolve our issues instead of the coordinators (which unfortunately took most of the reception time). All in all, we would come here again, but plan everything ourselves.

was professional and easy to deal with and made our big day wonderful and hassle free. I highly recommend this place!