The Hotel at Kirkwood Center makes dream weddings a reality
Hotel at Kirkwood Center Planners Make Every Wedding Shine
Brides-to-be dream of a wedding day filled with style and elegance—a day that’s treasured and remembered by their guests far beyond the reception day.
The wedding planners for The Hotel at Kirkwood Center work one-on-one with their bride and groom clients to iron out the many details required to make their dream weddings a reality. Recently, wedding planner Jennifer Zahradnik had the opportunity to meet David Tutera, celebrity wedding planner, fashion designer, author and host of the WEtv network show My Fair Wedding at a conference in Las Vegas.
“David is an inspiration to many brides and wedding planners alike. His message that resonated the most with me was the importance of unique creativity and that you never settle with just ordinary,” Zahradnik said. “I came away with so many great ideas and practical advice that I can easily apply at The Hotel.”
Tutera stressed that authenticity is one of the most valuable approaches to any wedding. The décor, menu, music and attire should reveal who you are as a couple, your personalities, your values and the things you cherish. “The Hotel is itself authentic and true to its Iowa roots… It doesn’t attempt to be something it’s not,” Zahradnik said. “Anamosa limestone was used in the Atrium and the artwork is by artists with ties to our community. The natural and muted colors are representative of what you see right outside the windows. Generally speaking, Kirkwood has a reputation for recognizing the great resources we have here in our community. It’s so gratifying to see The Hotel used to shine a light on these treasured assets.”
Given The Hotel is a one-of-a-kind venue for the Cedar Rapids area, its wedding planners offer an unmatched level of customization to area couples. The goal is for each event to be distinctive and executed at a five-star level.
“Every wedding has its very own unique blueprint. There are no duplicated models,” Zahradnik said. Because diversity, creativity and individuality are encouraged, Zahradnik said she responds to special requests and challenges based on individual circumstances instead of preconceived notions about what a wedding “should be.”
An imaginative example is a recent couple that spent several months hand folding 1,000 origami cranes, a Japanese tradition that symbolizes the effort, perseverance and patience needed to make a marriage work. To incorporate their labor of love into their reception, Zahradnik and the banquet team at The Hotel collaborated with the couple to design and install a giant mobile to hang the cranes from the 20-foot ceiling of the Atrium.
“It certainly required greater effort and planning, and the commitment to go beyond and outside of the norm of what we do, but the end result was simply stunning and meant so much to our client,” Zahradnik said. “What may seem impossibly challenging at first can become incredibly meaningful, rewarding and special—given the time and dedication to work through it.”