About this vendor
Sherwood Forest Event Center is Des Moines' boutique wedding venue for couples who want their wedding designed, not just hosted. Nestled in Windsor Heights, our industrial-chic space features soaring ceilings, cascading chandeliers, a built-in stage, a stunning 32-foot full-service bar, ceremony and reception space, and a bridal and groom suite, all under one roof and included in your experience.
What sets us apart is our in-house design team, Loved + Cherished Décor. We work directly with each couple to bring their vision to life, drawing from our exclusive decor collection, one-of-a-kind vintage, modern and curated pieces no other Des Moines venue offers. No outside rental vendors needed, no coordination headaches. Just a cohesive, beautiful wedding that looks and feels entirely yours.
Our team, Dory and Sandy, are mentioned by first name in review after review. Couples don't just book our space; they trust our people. That trust is what we've built this venue around.
Sherwood Forest seats up to 250 guests and is available for ceremonies, receptions, bridal showers, rehearsal dinners, and corporate events. Be sure to book a private tour to really see why our space is so special and how we can bring your wedding dreams to life.
Catering & Bar
Your wedding menu should be as personal as the rest of your day, which is why Sherwood Forest Event Center welcomes the caterer of your choice. We maintain an open catering policy, giving you the freedom to work with any licensed, insured catering team in the Des Moines area.
What we provide: our full-service 32-foot bar, staffed by our own bartenders, with options ranging from a champagne toast to a fully open premium bar, all handled in-house so you never have to coordinate a separate bar vendor.
Amenities + details
Ceremony Area
Dressing Room
Handicap Accessible
Indoor Event Space
Reception Area
Wireless Internet
Covered Outdoors Space
Liability Insurance
On-Site Accommodations
Outdoor Event Space
Business Attributes
- Woman-owned Business
Ceremony Types
- Civil Union
- Commitment Ceremony
- Elopement
- Interfaith Ceremony
- Non-Religious Ceremony
- Religious Ceremony
Settings
- Ballroom
Venue Service Offerings
- Bar & Drinks
- Rentals & Equipment
- Service Staff
Awards and Affiliations
2-Time 'Best of Weddings'
2022.2021.
Best of Weddings
The Knot independently assesses vendors for this award—it’s never self-reported. We base it on firsthand experiences from real couples and guests, and they must have a 4.5-star average across 7+ reviews in the qualifying year.
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Reviews
Your trust is our goal. Our community relies on honest reviews to help
you make those big decisions with ease.
4.8
out of 5.021 reviews
Dory and sandy were great to work with! I had a lot of specific requests and they were so patient with me! It was so cool to see the space transform from one idea to the next as we...
went in for our planning meetings and seeing it set up for different things. Highly recommend them!
I cannot say enough great things about the venue and staff at Sherwood Forest. From the very first day through the wedding they were so responsive and absolutely amazing to work wi...
th. Gina, Dory and Sandy alleviated so much stress during our planning and execution through the wedding. We HIGHLY recommend them to anyone!
The Sherwood Forest Event Center team is AMAZING. I'll start at the beginning. We toured, asked Gina when we could book it and what the requirements were, and within 15 minutes w...
e had our venue for our wedding.
Sandy, the event decorator, from Loved and Cherished Décor, was very easy to work with. We met with her once and communicated via text. We (I, the bride) showed her the vision I had, and she made it come to life. It was great to work with her because I knew what I was looking for, but didn't know how to put it together, and she did. Our wedding was beautiful.
Gina, the event planner, answered all of my questions in a timely fashion and gave me all details needed. We met with her a couple times before our wedding date. Our vendors (DJ, photographer, and videographer) were all able to get ahold of her if needed as well. Gina worked the morning of our wedding and made sure I had everything I needed/wanted. She ran up and down the stairs to the Bridal Suite to bring us mimosas, a charcuterie board that we had made, the whole 9 yards.
My wedding was everything I wanted and more. I couldn't have asked for a better experience. Please do yourself a favor and check them out. From the Loved and Cherished Decor to the customer service of the event staff, Sherwood Forest Event Center is worth every penny.
Sherwood Forest was a dream to work with and I am so happy I had my wedding there. Throughout the last year, they were wonderfully accomodating when I wanted to meet or had questio...
ns. Gina was always very responsive to my emails and was so fun to work with. Sandy and Dory have such an amazing collection of vintage decor and had great ideas and made the space look better than I ever could have imagined. Even when other aspects of wedding planning were stressing me out, a meeting with or visit to Sherwood Forest always reenergized me and got me excited for the big day. I would absolutely recommend them to any bride looking for a unique, gorgeous and accomodating venue! Thank you Sherwood Forest staff for all that you did!
Gina and Sandy were great to work with. They answered all my questions and were very sweet. Gina even answered my questions late at night when I had them! They were great to work w...
ith and made our special day so easy and the venue looked AMAZING! I would definitely recommend booking your event with them.
There are not enough wonderful things to say about Sherwood Forest!! From excellent communication and prepping, to kindness and support; wedding planning was made easy for us!! The...
y made us feel like the only bride and groom out there, and showed our guests how to have a good time!!
We cannot say enough good things about Sherwood Forest Event Center. Gina, Sandy, and Dori were fabulous to work with as we planned our daughter's wedding reception. They offer so...
much more than a venue location! When you add in the table cloths, available decor options, signage, plate chargers, photo area, lounge areas, and seating chart, it is an incredible deal. When the event was over, we were out of there so quickly because we had to bring very little in to decorate. Tear down was a snap. We would most certainly schedule an event here again. Extremely happy and satisfied with our choice.
Sherwood Forest was very professional and made our day flow by being both flexible and providing great insights. They were very transparent about all their amenities and services a...
nd knew exactly what to ask. Beautiful venue and great service! Definitely recommend!
Sherwood Forest Event Center was one of the most beautiful venues I have seen! A LOT of beautiful decor that I could pick through! The staff there was incredibly helpful with every...
thing!
The Sherwood Forest Event Center is one of my favorite venues to work with as a photographer! They go above and beyond with decor, props and friendly service to the newly weds and ...
myself! I am always excited to hear when my clients have booked them for their venue!
We originally booked with Sherwood for May of 2020- due to Covid they were happy to reschedule for September. However, we decided to do something small outdoor and use the venue in...
2021 for a larger reception. Once our weekend rolled around the weather was going to put a large damper on our wedding day. The people at Sherwood rallied in a little over 24 hours and we were able to have our wedding there. We came in and helped turn what was a storage room into a beautiful reception and ceremony space because they had a family party planned in the large space- then, at 12:30 the day of our wedding (scheduled at 3pm) I got a call telling me that they had moved their own function to another site in order for us to have the wedding of our dreams! I cannot thank everyone from Sherwood and Sandy (Drift Salvage) for giving us the wedding we always wanted... again in about 28 hours!! You guys are the best and we are forever grateful :)
Gina, Amanda, Dory and Sean were amazing to work with! They helped us make our wedding vision a reality, even through COVID restrictions. The venue is absolutely gorgeous. It was S...
O nice to have an area to get ready that was private and handicap accessible. The side space was perfect to accommodate food, leaving plenty of room in the main space for tables and dancing. Plenty of cute seating around for photo ops as well. Highly, highly recommend!
Staff very friendly and helpful. They had fantastic ideas as the best way to set up the space. Everyone had a wonderful time. It is easy to get to with ample parking. If you are...
looking for a venue you must check it out! Thank you Gina, Dory, Shawn and Amanda for making a special day even more special!
The venue did an amazing job! I couldnt have asked for better staff to help out with my big day. They we're attentive, flexible with rehearsals and anything else we needed the venu...
e for prior to our wedding. The only negative thing id have to say was the microphone didnt work for our ceremony but we we're able to use the one our DJ had.
This space is so great!! It was nice to have a couple little sitting areas for the guests to hangout, but still have a nice sized area for dancing. The bar is big so your guests d...
on't feel cramped getting their next drink. Sean & Dory are so easy to work with too!! They had so many suggestions on the best ways to use the space & really make it your own. They had so many little extra decor to use so I didn't feel like I had to buy all of Hobby Lobby to fill the space. We wanted some outdoor photos, Dory suggested the trail behind the next building. It was perfect!! There's even a little bridge, so many perfect places for our photographer to get some great shots. Highly recommend!!
We had our reception at Sherwood Forest Event Center in November. The staff was great to work with and the venue is beautiful!
The owners and staff went above and beyond to make sure everything was done just right. The space is beautifully decorated with antiques and home like decor. I highly recommend thi...
s space if you are looking to have a moderate sized wedding or other event.
I attended a wedding this past weekend at this beautiful venue! I was pleasantly surprised with how customized it was to the bride and groom. Not only was it great to see my two g...
ood friends tie the knot... but experiencing such a beautiful night at a beautiful venue was the icing on top of the cake! They had gorgeous crystal chandeliers that were such a great addition to the night and really added to the whole ambiance. The staff was super accommodating and there to assist with anything we needed. I hope to attend another event here soon!
I would highly recommend this venue to anyone looking for a place to host a wedding reception or party. It is beautifully decorated and the owners were very helpful and accommodat...
ing.
We just had our Little Black Dress Party for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation at Sherwood Forest Event Center and WOW!! The owners Dory and Sean helped make the layout work for our e...
vent. They also had lots of decor on-hand that they offered to us to make our space look even more chic! Our bartender that evening was Joe and he made a killer peach mule. If you're having an event and are in need of a venue, go here. The space comes with a staff full of people ready and willing to assist with whatever you may need. It's clear they care about their customers and those attending the event.
If you are looking for an inexpensive beautiful option, this is for you. However, if you want to guarantee that they’ll have it open for your date, you’ll just have to try and get ...
ahold of them for two months without any response, then, they’ll finally get ahold of you after all that time, tell you your date is available, go see the place days later and love it ( especially If you’re trying to save money or don’t have much of a budget) then, try to book it and they’ll let you know you’re out of luck because it’s actually been booked on that day for a few months now.... thanks a lot Amanda
Contact
7400 Hickman Rd, Windsor Heights, IA
Wedding vendors in Windsor Heights
Sherwood Forest Event Center