About this vendor
Choose a wedding venue full of character, historic charm, and gorgeous scenery at Living History Farms. Set in the 1876 Town of Walnut Hill, the Prairie Gothic-style Church of the Land is perfect for an intimate ceremony, while the Flynn Barn, built in 1870 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, makes a lovely backdrop for a rustic wedding. The Great Hall of the Visitor Center offers a unique space with exposed beams, skylights, brick, inlaid wood, and French doors that open to a stone courtyard surrounded by evergreen trees. Or explore some of our available outdoor spaces, such as the Walnut Hill gazebo, the front porch of the Victorian Flynn Mansion, or scenic wooded areas located throughout the grounds of the museum. We can accommodate 130-160 seated guests, depending on the venue, and your rental includes complimentary set up and tear down of tables and chairs, and free parking for you and your guests.
Living History Farms is an outdoor history museum located in Urbandale, IA. There are nearby hotels and restaurants, and the museum is easily accessible off of the combined Interstate 35/80. (Exit 125 off of Interstate 80.)
Amenities + details
Ceremony Area
Covered Outdoors Space
Dressing Room
Handicap Accessible
Indoor Event Space
Outdoor Event Space
Reception Area
Wireless Internet
Liability Insurance
On-Site Accommodations
Ceremony Types
- Civil Union
- Commitment Ceremony
- Elopement
- Interfaith Ceremony
- Non-Religious Ceremony
- Religious Ceremony
Settings
- Barn
- Farm & Ranch
- Garden
- Historic Venue
- Museum
- Religious Setting
Venue Service Offerings
- Rentals & Equipment
Reviews
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4.3
out of 5.010 reviews
We were told that we could set up the day before at no extra cost. We confirmed this and were skeptical, but they insisted. Then, 9 months later, 6 months before our wedding date, ...
they said we needed to pay for that time, and had no flexibility or accountability with the miscommunication. We paid full price for it all, even though we'd just spent 9 months operating a budget with different information. This was just one of many communication errors about the cost of the venue.
We asked for an example timeline and barn layout at least 4 times. Never received the timeline. We defined one ourselves and then were told for several reasons that it wouldn't work. The layout came to us more than a year after we first asked for it.
The coordinator did not respond to several emails in the 3 months leading up to the wedding, even after I sent follow up emails.
The bathrooms were filthy. No toilet paper. A clogged toilet. Dirty mop left in the bathroom. We had added to our contract that we wanted them cleaned a year prior after a visit. They day before our wedding, the bathrooms were still filthy. It wasn't taken care of until we called and insisted multiple times on the actual day of our wedding.
Venue was not ready for our rental. My friends had to put out tables and chairs quickly themselves before setting up our decor, etc.
Our wedding was on a humid day. The coordinator did not turn the air on at the church until 3:30, when we, the renters, arrived.
Very substandard speaker set up. Muffled sound. Not tested.
They didn't tell us that a parking lot closed during our rental time, and they made many of our guests leave the party midway to move their cars.
The catering staff, who came a few days before to make sure everything was ready, said they asked simple questions like where do we get water? and the staff responded with blank faces.
Our wedding was beautiful. That church is cozy and quaint and the whole place feels like a home. Living History Farms would be a great venue with more staff who have time and experience to communicate with clients. Simply giving us a small discount would have gone a long way to making me feel like they understood that they were understaffed and had made mistakes. Unfortunately, they did not have much flexibility, with the exception of the 10 minutes extra they let us stay after they didn't set up our venue on time on set up day.
I still love this location. Looking back on our wedding, I’m so happy we picked it. The staff was wonderful to us. Helpful and accommodating.
Absolutely beautiful place for a wedding! The chapel is wet and intimate and the visitors center lends itself perfectly for a reception. Very easy to work with!
The Church of the Land provides a stunning backdrop for pictures. A fun and unique venue.
I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful setting for our wedding! The Church of the Land is such a historic landmark and so beautiful!
The overall rating is hindered becaus...
e we had a few problems along the way. We had to reschedule our rehearsal time to accommodate another wedding (even though we were the ones to schedule our events first) and in some of our early correspondence, the wedding date was listed incorrectly. After a few phone calls and emails, everything was straightened out and everything went smoothly!
It was a very pretty church to get married in!BUT we had a lady that followed us around and peeked out the windows of the church while we took pictures! Thank God we had a good pho...
tographer that could edit her out! There were a lot of rules to follow and time restrictions. It was BEAUTIFUL if you are willing to deal with all of their rules.
We had our ceremony at the Church of the Land at Living History Farms, and everything was beautiful. The church was perfect for our group of about 100 people. Debbie was really e...
asy to work with and let us in any time we needed to get in to check on something. The price was very reasonable. I would recommend to anyone looking for a place to hold a wedding for 100 to 150 people in a unique place. We were sold because of the history of the church and we needed some place we could use our own officiate. Great venue to work with!
Inexpensive and beautiful. For a small wedding, it's a great place!
LHF was great, but not very accomodating. We had to use a wedding planner because we only had one hour to set up for the reception. But it all turned out beautiful and we got what ...
we wanted, all we had to do was work with the coordinator a little bit and it all worked out well. It was absolutely amazing!
Living History Farms was a great venue for us!! The time constraints can be difficult to work around but it can be done! It was perfect with our decor! We hung LED chandelliers fro...
m the beams of the barn and had lots and lots of LED candles and lots of roses. It was all very romantic and vintage.
Contact
11121 Hickman Rd, Urbandale, IA
Living History Farms