Wedding Reception or Party Locations in Emporia, Kansas: Cole's Bar Review

Some of the earliest decisions for a wedding should be the venues where the ceremony will be held, where the reception will be held and where the party (if you separate the party from the reception) will be held. These decisions must be made early for one reason, other people will take your locations if you don't reserve them early. I have heard many of my friends complain about how they found the perfect place for their reception only to find out it was reserved for their wedding date by someone who was better prepared than they were. Although I could discuss the first two locations, it often most crucial to find the location for the dancing and drinking party. This is the place where your guests will have the most fun and you will have the chance to blow off some steam after the hectic day, so you want it to be right. In Emporia, Kansas, there are a variety of venues for a party, but one of the best for a small to medium get together is Cole's Bar on Commercial street.

Cole's bar does not look like much from the outside. This bar has changed hands and names several times in the last few years so it has yet to gain the devoted clientele of some of the other locations in emporia. However, the bar offers one of the best locations for a wedding reception or party in the Emporia area. The main bar, although nice, is not the focus here; it is the upstairs bar that is important. The small bar upstairs can be reserved for a variety of events, such as graduation parties, birthdays, and yes Wedding reception/parties.

For $150, you get a private area upstairs. The area has a small dance floor, a wide range of tables and two pool tables. You also get a partial bar (it is not fully stocked, but has much of what you will need) with your own personal bar tender. This means that your guests will not have to venture downstairs to get drinks and you'll have the private attention of your own bartender. Further, the bar features a sound system that can hook up to mp3 players, laptops, boomboxes etc. with little problem. The sound system also has a microphone for any announcements you might like to make.

The space above the bar has a whole wall of windows that looks out onto downtown Emporia. You may not think this is much considering the size of Emporia, but commercial street at night is actually quite captivating. The bar was clean and the bartender was friendly. I have been to a variety of dancing receptions at weddings and have yet to see such a perfect place. In fact, a friend from out of town attended my wedding and cursed me for having such a great place for my reception (he had already paid quite a bit more for a less desirable place in Topeka, Kansas).

Not only was the location great, but the owner of the bar was very friendly and willing to work with my fiancé and I. We were somewhat demanding, but he was willing to listen to our concerns and deal with our eccentricities. He gave us his cell phone number and told us to call if we had any problems or needed to get in early on the day of the wedding. Since the wedding, we have been back to the bar several times and the owner has greeted us warmly and asked about the marriage.

All of these elements went together to make an excellent celebration at the end of a long and tiring day. If you are having a wedding in Emporia, consider Cole's for your reception because you'll need a place where you can hang out with the least amount of stress possible.