Hoff Family Arts & Culture Center
Holds ceremonies and receptions
Deals
Exclusive discountPermanent
10% discount for The Knot couples
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Bitsy Wells
EVENT DIRECTOR
Typically responds within 24h
AWARD WINNER (2X)
Thanks to recommendations from couples on The Knot
The Hoff Family Arts & Culture Center is a wedding venue located in Council Bluffs, IA. This renovated historic building is a blend of authentic charm and modern amenities, creating the perfect backdrop for your celebration.
The Hoff Family Arts & Culture Center dates back to 1894. As you walk through the space, you'll be captivated by the blend of rustic brick, steel, and iron design elements. Your rental options include a spacious and flexible event venue accommodating up to 280 guests, complete with audio and visual capabilities, exposed brick, and beautiful wood flooring. You can also enhance your celebration with access to a full bar, a fully lit patio, kitchen spaces, an art gallery with unparalleled views of downtown Omaha. There is also a state-of-the-art theater space, dressing rooms, and fully equipped conference rooms. At the Hoff Family Arts & Culture Center, your wedding vision takes center stage. You can exchange vows in the 4th Floor Gallery with breathtaking views of downtown Council Bluffs and the Omaha skyline. Or toast to your new beginning in the historic McCormick's 1894 Bar. The PACE Team can provide you with preferred DJ and entertainment vendors, ensuring your celebration continues seamlessly from ceremony to last dance.
When you choose the Hoff Center, you gain access to a wealth of resources designed to make your day perfect. Through their partnership with Kitchen Council, you can connect with professional, locally based chefs who will create custom menus using fresh, seasonal ingredients. With chefs specializing in a wide variety of cuisines, you're sure to find your perfect culinary match.
Amenities + details
Amenities
Ceremony Area
Covered Outdoors Space
Dressing Room
Handicap Accessible
Indoor Event Space
Liability Insurance
On-Site Accommodations
Reception Area
Wireless Internet
Ceremony Types
Civil Union
Commitment Ceremony
Elopement
Interfaith Ceremony
Non-Religious Ceremony
Religious Ceremony
Second Wedding
Vow Renewal Ceremony
Settings
Ballroom
Historic Venue
Museum
Restaurant
Venue Service Offerings
Bar & Drinks
Food & Catering
Service Staff
Awards and Affiliations
Any questions?
Meet the team
Bitsy Wells
Event Director
Thank you for considering the Hoff Center! My name is Bitsy, and I am the Event Director of The PACE Team. Our passion is to guarantee an unforgettable affair for all of our couples. We are devoted to providing stress-free event planning; delivering every element essential to the realization of your vision, and orchestrating your wedding with an obsession with detail, a flair for the dramatic, and an eye for the extraordinary. It is with great pleasure that we provide the impeccable quality and gracious hospitality; understanding your needs and being dedicated to reflecting your unique vision.
Reviews
4.9
out of 5.019 reviews
Your trust is our goal. Our community relies on honest reviews to help you make those big decisions with ease.
Review Summary
This AI-generated summary is a snapshot of this vendor's ratings and feedback.
The PACE venue, also known as the Hoff Center, receives glowing reviews for its impeccable service, beautiful space, and accommodating staff. Reviewers highlight the seamless organization, stunning aesthetics, and flexibility offered by the venue for weddings and receptions, with particular praise for the Events Director, Bitsy. Guests appreciate the mix of modern and historic features, the personalized options for catering and bar services, as well as the support provided by the attentive staff that went above and beyond to ensure a memorable and stress-free experience.Review photos
Showing slide number 1 out of 8
Katie J
Highlighted review.
5.0
10/31/2024
The Hoff Center is gorgeous! All the natural light and exposed brick were perfect for our wedding photos. The layout worked great, we had our ceremony and reception at the Hoff Iow...
a West venue for about 160 guests. The getting ready space was great for our wedding party, and it made things so simple to just have everything at the same venue. Our day was so perfect and fun, Bitsy and her team were incredible, both during the planning process as I had questions, and with how they kept things moving smoothly behind the scenes on the day of! 10/10, would highly recommend!! :)
Samantha S
5.0
12/10/2025
Our wedding went incredibly smoothly thanks to the staff at PACE! I had absolutely no worries the day of and they were so accommodating to all of our requests!
Any questions?
Allison W
5.0
12/10/2025
The minute my husband and I thought about PACE as a wedding venue, we were both certain that it was the perfect choice. I don’t think we could have asked for a better experience. I...
t’s such a beautiful space. The staff were so incredibly helpful, communicative, and supportive both before and during our wedding. Everything at PACE is always so well organized and thought out. Weddings are no exception and I would highly recommend the Hoff to anyone with looking to plan their special day.
Anonymous
4.0
4/21/2025
We had our wedding at the Hoff Center last July. The venue was beautiful and had multiple spaces that made our day perfect. We loved the patio, the option to have the Art gallery ...
open for guest during cocktail hour, the ability to use dressing rooms, and the big bar area which allowed for us to have a buffet line that wasn’t in the way of our seating arrangement. Bitsy was really helpful and responsive during the planning process. She was upfront about not being available during the actual day of the wedding and helped make us feel comfortable with the staff that would be there during our event. Everyone was kind and helped the day run pretty smoothly. I really appreciated the staff accommodating any request we had as well. The staff at the Hoff made me feel comfortable with not hiring a day of coordinator and/or planner. However, I would either make sure to hire someone or designate someone to make frequent check ins with the staff to make sure everything is going according to plan. The big hick-up in the day that I had major concern with was the bar tab. When sitting down to plan with Bitsy we had made it clear that we had wanted to do an open bar until the tab reached a specific amount and that we only wanted guests to be able to put beer and wine on that tab. So all hard alcohol would be guests responsibility. However, when my wedding party had arrived back at the venue after pictures the staff approached me to let me know that my tab was almost out. They told me that they had made a mistake and had been serving hard alcohol on our tab for the entire cocktail period. That staff member apologized and then promised that they would find a way to make the situation right as my parents and I were visibly upset that they had made a huge mistake. Not wanting to stress in the moment, I asked them to add another $1,000 to my bill so the wedding party could have beverages and ensure that they only served beer and wine with that. When I was sent an invoice after the wedding for the additional $1,000, I paid that and then shared my concern about them serving hard alcohol on my original tab against my request to see if they would do anything to compensate for their mistake. They responded with an “I am sorry and we will have better communication between staff in the future.” Not sure how this was supposed to help me as I don’t plan to get married again... So that whole situation was pretty disappointing. Overall the venue was great I would just check in on communication throughout the day more.
Sara K
5.0
10/29/2024
The PACE/Hoff Center was the best choice when it came to our wedding reception. Bitsy and her team did an amazing job from our first meeting through the end of our reception. They ...
are very accommodating and professional. Beautiful hidden gem of a venue.
Cheyenne G
5.0
7/14/2024
PACE was the perfect venue for our wedding on 6/29/24! They have a beautiful building with a mix of modern and historic features. We loved being surrounded by artwork and did our f...
irst look up in the art gallery on the second floor. Bitsy and her staff, especially Tracy and Sabrina, were extremely helpful throughout the entire weekend. These people know how to put on an event! I especially liked the fact that my money is supporting a local non-profit organization that provides so many visual and performing arts opportunities for the community!
Allison S
5.0
5/20/2024
We had the BEST experience at the Pottawattamie Arts and Culture Center (PACE). We held our wedding reception in the Iowa West Venue on the first floor of the building and it was s...
o great. The space was big enough for 225 people, and it was very comfortable. We never felt squished or like there was too much space that we needed to fill. Parking was super easy for all of our guests and it was easy to get to from Omaha.
We had the option to either bring outside catered food in at a fee, or have it be provided from one of the Kitchen Council caterers at no costs. We didn't feel as if the options to choose from at Kitchen Council would be good for our wedding, so we brought in Howard's Charro restaurant in Omaha. What was great was the staff helped set up the food after it was delivered, they packed it up for us at the end of the night, and then kept it overnight for us to pick up the next day.
Our alcohol order was perfect for our event. We were able to break down the packages and only pay for the beer kegs and a number of bottles of wine, rather than spending the full package. It was so nice to have it be custom to what we wanted.
Lastly, the staff was PHENOMENAL to work with. Bitsy, the Events Director, was so easy-going and made me feel at ease with everything. She was great with answering all of our questions and helping make our reception vision come to life. The staff the night of the event was also great. They were super helpful in cleaning up guests' plates and also wiping off the dance floor when sloppy dancers would spill their drink!
I think our only "issue" with the place, which ended up being OK, was that we were told there was going to be a dance showcase that was happening during the day in the theater of the building and nothing would happen during the evening and our reception. That ended up not being the truth as the showcase was at night as well. It ended up not being that big of a deal, but it was a surprise when we arrived that night to see other people there as well that weren't with our event.
I am an Events Coordinator as my day job, and I LOVED PACE. I know what goes into having a great event space and PACE nails it from all aspects. We got so many nice comments from our guests about the reception and the space and we give all that credit to PACE and the staff. We highly recommend this space to anyone!
Jasmine W
5.0
4/29/2024
(Still waiting on wedding pics so these are from our venue tour)
Book your wedding at The Hoff! You won't regret it! We toured several venues and didn't find a single one that ev...
en came close to The Hoff's level of beauty, flexibility and professionalism.
It's a restored historic building, so there's a lot of beautiful exposed brick and modern updates like a gorgeous bar area. Because it's a performing arts venue and ballets and performers come through regularly, they have an awesome dressing room set up for the bride that you can utilize so long as you're not getting married the weekend of a show (which they give you full heads up on when you're choosing your date). The guy's room is less flashy, but it's still awesome to be able to get ready on-site. You get full use of the whole building on the day of your wedding, including the art gallery upstairs (which is elevator accessible). It was cool for our guests to go meander through the gallery during our cocktail hour and then come back down when it was time for dinner. We also took some of our couple portraits in the gallery which was cool and unique.
There's a rental fee for the space of course, but no mandatory bar minimum. We were able to set our own cost for that based on our knowledge of our guests which was a really big deal for us. We didn't want to pay a crazy high bar tab upfront when we knew there was no way our guests would even come close to hitting it. This was the only venue we came across that had that flexibility in letting us set the bar tab where we wanted and it was a huge selling point.
The BEST part about The Hoff is the staff. Bitsy Metzger is your main point of contact and she is the absolute best. She makes sure everything runs smoothly on the day and does everything she can to accommodate your requests and make adjustments to fit your vision. We met with her a couple of times before the wedding and every time I walked away feeling so confident about putting our big day in her hands. Bitsy is also backed up by a great staff. Initially, we were a little unsure about having our wedding 'staffed' at all. Couldn't we just ask family to pitch in and save a few bucks? In the planning process, you're always trying to pinch pennies. But our love for the space and Bitsy's professionalism won out and thank goodness it did. If I had to do it all over again I would've paid the staff double just to make sure they were there. It was such a HUGE relief for our families not to have to work during our wedding and clean up after our guests or set out chairs or deal with vendors or light/blow out candles or set up the buffet or kick everyone out at the end of the night or the million other little things that need done at a wedding. Our families were able to just enjoy themselves and The Hoff staff made that possible. I did a lot of planning for the day, and the staff executed everything to perfection and I am immensely grateful for them. PLUS they were just fun to be around! They danced while they set tables and memorized my guest's drink orders (which I'm still getting compliments on). They had smiles all night and added to the fun, loving energy of the night.
I wouldn't change a single thing about my experience with The Hoff, they made our day so wonderful. And because it's a public space that holds events and shows, my new husband and I can keep coming back for years to come and reminisce in the space where we said "I do."
Anastasia Z
5.0
1/08/2024
This venue is absolutely gorgeous! The venue is so pretty I didn't need to stress about a bunch of other decorations. Bitsy was amazing to work with and made things so easy. They...
were pretty flexible and made sure we had everything we needed. The staff was friendly and fun.
Ellen D
5.0
1/04/2024
We loved using this venue, the service and the space was exceptional
Lizzy C
5.0
11/09/2023
Our experience at the Hoff Center / PACE was fantastic. I got the sense that we were one of the "first" couples to book the space for a wedding reception, since the building opene...
d right before COVID, so I was unsure what kind of support or preparedness we could expect from a team so new to wedding receptions. I had nothing to worry about - Bitsy and her team were INCREDIBLE. Bitsy was in constant communication, answering any of my questions or concerns, and the package they offered to us was quite affordable compared to other, similar spaces we were looking at. For the gorgeous brick and industrial building setting, the fact that you have access to the whole first floor, bar area, patio area, and even the upstairs art gallery if guests wish, would cost tens of thousands of dollars at other venues. Hoff Center was within our budget but delivered the professionalism and beauty which helped make our big day one of the best of our lives.
Alexa W
5.0
9/22/2023
This venue is gorgeous by itself but set up for a wedding it was breathtaking. Bitsy was amazing with helping to plan the day. She was responsive to any questions that I had throug...
hout the planning process. Bitsy actually could not be at my wedding, but Tracy and Caelan took over flawlessly. They took care of everything.
My husbands grandparents were running late to the ceremony because of a train. A member of their staff met them outside in the rain and parked their car for them. They even allowed us to come back at a later date to pick up the decorations we didn’t want to worry about that night. They truly went above and beyond. I would recommend this venue to anyone.
Taylor D
5.0
5/23/2023
This venue was beautiful for our evening wedding. We held the ceremony in the art gallery and the cocktail hour and reception in the event hall on the main floor and it played out ...
beautifully. This is partly because the venue layout is so great but also because the event coordinator, Bitsy, did an incredible job directing the affair. She was super easy to work with; resourceful, accommodating, and patient with any changes we made. She made a huge difference in our whole wedding planning experience. Would highly recommend this venue and any opportunity to work with Bitsy.
BRADLEY M
5.0
3/28/2023
Everything at The PACE was exactly what we needed for our wedding day. Everyone looks for that one place, or that certain thing to make your day not only memorable, but emotionally...
gripping in your heart. Something that speaks to you and says, this is what you NEED to make your day perfect. Well, welcome to The PACE! We're not just talking about the place physically. We're talking about everything they have to offer. From a place that stands out in beauty, to a staff that listens to your every request, and something that doesn't hit too deep into your pockets. Everyone has their own idea for how you need your day to look. From your idea of decoration setup, to food request, and as important as a your wedding coordinator. Everyone here makes it happen. Even all the way up to the event director, Bitsy. She makes sure everything was in place and ran the way it should be. Courtesy, and complete professionalism you won't find anywhere else. All while taking any stress or worry off your shoulders. Making amazing memories that'll last you a lifetime. When we told them of our vision, they never hesitated. Our memory of our wedding was exactly what we pictured. They made it happen because they said they could. They delivered and we truly believe nobody else could of pulled it off as well as they did. We are forever thankful to Bitsy, her crew, and what The PACE has to offer.
Gabriella J
5.0
3/18/2023
The PACE Center met all of our needs and more. They went above and beyond in making our wedding vision come true. We were given flexibility in time to set our clothes/stuff in the ...
dressing rooms before the big day, were flexible in when we arrive on the wedding day, and were given the weekend off before clean up. When it came to that following Monday, we showed up and all of our wedding decorations were neatly packed up and placed somewhere we could just load them up and go. Bitsy was especially helpful, flexible, and wonderful every step of the way. Highly recommend the PACE Center!!
Hannah K
5.0
3/18/2023
The PACE was hands down a choice we will never regret. My husband and I knew from the moment we walked in that we loved the space, but then working with Bitzy and the rest of the t...
eam was the deciding factor. Not only did they make us feel extremely welcome, but they made every accommodation for us. Highly recommend!
Lindsey M
5.0
3/14/2023
Let me start by saying the team at PACE was a dream to work with! Bitsy, the event director was always available to answer any questions I had leading up to the day, and there were...
A LOT of questions! She was also very helpful to navigate our quote revisions and our ever changing vision. I cannot say enough positive words about Bitsy, she was incredible to work with from start to finish.
The venue also works with a rental company so any linens you need you can work with them to coordinate colors and they work these rentals into your quote. This amazed me because it took one less thing off my plate to worry about! They also offer rentals of china and silverware, making it yet another thing less to worry about!
We used PACE for both our ceremony and reception space and they made the transition so very seamless. I loved that we were able to let our guests visit the art gallery during the room flip to entertain them as well, it was a wonderful little touch that just made our day that much more unique. At the end of the night, we did not have to have a plan to pack up all of our things, the PACE team takes care of all of that and we just had to pick up our belongings the next week. I absolutely loved that detail! It really was the icing on the cake to make our wedding that much more enjoyable for all!
My husband and I have said over and over that if we had to do it all over again we would not change a thing. I cannot say enough positive things about PACE and the team supporting them! It is a beautiful, unique space that offers multiple spaces to host your ceremony and reception. We received so many compliments from our guests on the space and how unique it was, and many have visited on Hoff Fourth Fridays since! If you love a modern but industrial look, please do not sit on this venue! No gatekeeping here, I’ve recommended the venue to several family and friends since we had our wedding there!
Ariana W
5.0
3/14/2023
The Hoff Family Arts and Culture center was such a special place to hold our wedding at! Bitsy, the event director, gave us multiple options where we wanted our ceremony and recept...
ion to be held such as the center’s art gallery, theatre, or the main venue. She is such a delight to work with and worked with us to make our day so memorable. She truly cares about making YOUR wedding day special. I would highly recommend this venue for your wedding day!
Erica K
5.0
3/14/2023
We absolutely loved our wedding venue as PACE! It was so beautiful & we got so many amazing pictures.
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Pottawattamie Arts Culture & Entertainment
Bitsy Wells
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Event Director
Typically responds within 24h
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Pottawattamie Arts Culture & Entertainment
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