All White Barn Wedding in Kansas | the Bowman's
The Queen of Wedding Barns
Just wait until you see these pictures!!!
Here’s what Alex + Tate had to say about their day…
How did your talented photographer brain play a role in determining some of your big planning decisions?
Honestly, organization was the name of the game for us! We ended up having a short engagement (just over 5 months), and I knew that between a full-time job, wedding season as a photographer AND moving from Indiana to Kansas, it was going to be a packed 5 months. So I created a master planning excel sheet that's beefy to say the least. It had everything from a monthly checklist, to our guest list, to our budget. This was huge in keeping us sane while we planned everything!
One of the best things about being a wedding vendor for 4+ years before getting married was that I’ve seen a lot of weddings. From styles, to season to schedule, I’d gotten a closeup look and taken mental notes on over 75 weddings! So when it came time to plan mine I had a very good idea of what I did and didn’t want. It made hiring vendors and planning super straightforward (there wasn’t an ounce of waffling and losing deposits because we changed vendors). You gotta know whatcha want!
On a more fun note, choosing our venue was very much influenced by my photography background. Deciding on the Barn at Grace Hill may have been one of our easiest decisions. From the gorgeous architecture, to the clean, white, Chip and Joanna Gaines/Magnolia vibe, I was sold before ever visiting (which worked out well, because our parents + Tate visited the venue and put down our booking deposit while I was in Indiana!).
OUR BIGGEST CONSIDERATIONS
Aesthetic (as a photographer, this was huge for me)
Hannah Crabb, out v talented photographer, described our venue as the “queen of wedding barns.” I haven’t seen many venues that compare.
Tons of window light, white walls, and HOLY COW the bridal suite. Packed with natural light, gorgeous furniture and more than enough space for me and my eight bridesmaids to get ready!
Located in the heart of the Kansas Plains (perfect for sunset photos). I’m a Kansas native, born and raised. I’ve also been obsessed with sunsets for as long as I can remember, so it was real
The decor closet was a huge bonus! I’ve seen lots of brides stress about the spending oodles of time and money on the ceremony + reception decor pre-wedding, and then post-wedding they’re stuck with a garage full of stuff to sell post-wedding. Our venue included access to their decor closer with the rental fee and included things like a pedestal for our officiant, centerpieces/numbers for each table, massive chalkboards, etc. It was truly the easy button and saved us so much time.
Probably the biggest reason we chose the barn was because of how insanely important photos were to us. I knew the photos would be incredible in that space because there was not only tons of natural light, but also every wall (and even the ceiling), was white. Good light is the name of the game with photography.
Price-Point
Determine your budget before you start visiting venues. This will be one of your biggest expenses, and you want to ensure you aren’t falling in love with venues that are beyond what you can afford.
Capacity
If possible, put together a rough draft of your guest list before you start visiting venues. You don’t want to book a space that can’t accommodate your needs.
Pay attention to details like the size of the kitchen and the bride + groom preparation areas and parking.
Availability
This is pretty straightforward! When we inquired for our wedding in late February we had hoped for a September wedding but found that there were only four Saturdays left for the year: one in July, one in August, and two in December. When we realized that August 17th was the one year anniversary of the wedding we met at, it was a done deal!
Owner
Do you jive with the owner? Is the management sincere? Organized? Seasoned? Have they answered your questions well?
The venue owner, Amanda, was amazing to work with from start to finish. She went above and beyond to ensure we understood what the next steps were, was prompt in her communication and organized + direct. I was impressed + sold after the first meeting!
What were some of your favorite details of the day? (could be moments -OR- details/decor/attire from your day)
Oh gosh, this is such a hard question to answer because our wedding day was honestly perfect. I’ll give you my top five!
Anyone who knows me well knows that I’m a daddy’s girl. I’m pretty much a carbon copy of that man, and I’m so darn proud to be. Throughout our wedding day I had some incredibly intimate moments with him. Our first look was full of the sweetest tears and smiles (these are honestly some of my favorite photos.).We also asked my dad to officiate our wedding (I swear that he’s superman, because he walked me down the aisle, did a quick pivot, and then married us! ️). Needless to say, he did amazing and was so intentional in his preparation and delivery. It was beyond special to be walked down the aisle and married by my dad. 10/10 recommend.
Getting ready with my ladies was so special. My sister, Savanna did my wedding makeup. My dear friend Molly, curled + styled my hair. My mama helped me get into my dress, buttoned the back and put my bracelet on my wrist (again, these are some of my favorite photos!). Being surrounded by the women who have so greatly influenced my life and who mean the world to me– my mom, my three younger sisters, and five of my dearest friends– was utterly priceless.
My wedding dress exceeded every expectation I had. From the train, to the material, to the detailed lacework, to the “illusion” open back, I just adored that dress.
Believe it or not, it wasn’t what I was looking for. Like at all.
My mom, Savanna and I walked into Sweet Illusion and I told them what kind of dresses I wanted to see. A-line, nothing strapless or with lots of bling. The store owner looked at me and said, “A-line? Look how small you are! Let’s try something fitted too.” I went along with it because everyone tells you to try something different than what you think you want while wedding dress shopping.
It was the second dress I tried on at that store and I didn’t want to take it off. I tried several dresses after that and at another boutique that afternoon, but I just couldn’t stop thinking about that dress. They say you know when you’ve found the one, and I’d say that proved true!Soo, I love flowers and I love how they reflect the personality of the bride. Our bouquets ended up being one of my favorite aspects of our day. My best friend and matron of honor was responsible for all of the gorgeous florals at our wedding. She has experience working as a floral designer for one of the top wedding florists in Indianapolis, IN. As a wedding gift, she offered to design our wedding flowers and truly took my vision and transformed it into something more beautiful than I could have imagined.
I knew I wanted to use olive branches for the greenery throughout the day because of my college trips to Israel and then Lesvos, Greece (the refugee camp I served in there was surrounded by olive trees).Peonies are my favorite flower (just smell one, they’ll be your favorite too). I’ve always loved when bridal bouquets have white flowers and greenery — there’s something so simply elegant about them. Kaitlyn added some o’hara garden roses, astilbe and dusty miller to my bouquet, and it was truly perfect.Okay, so when it came to finding a way to display our seating chart I was completely ready to delegate this off (you'll see what I mean when you're juggling endless logistics two weeks before your wedding). We ended up hiring a calligrapher to make our seating chart on a 10'x10' chalkboard. I'd highly recommend this route to anyone who wants to not only eliminate the stress of figuring out how to move your seating chart from an excel sheet into reality, but also have a BEAUTIFUL presentation. It was definitely a statement piece, and we got tons of compliments
What advice do you have for couples planning their wedding?
If I were to give three words of advice to summarize our wedding planning experience, I would tell you to (1) not sweat the small stuff and (2) to embrace spending more on the purchases that matter most to you. For us, that was the venue, photographer, catering and our rings. Only you know what that means for you! The last piece of advice (3) would be to GET ORGANIZED and establish your budget + guest list before you start looking at venues. The two most common mistakes I see couples make with this are (1) falling in love with a venue they can't afford or (2) losing a deposit because they booked before making a guest list and then realize that the venue is too small.
And here's one last bonus: Plan the day you want it to be, not what everyone else says it should be. But even more so than that, focus on pouring into and pursuing your fiance. Make time for each other and ENJOY IT! You never get to go back to being engaged again, and it's such an exciting season of life. Last thing (and it's probably the most important): Don't forget that you're preparing for a marriage, not just a wedding day. Sometimes wedding planning can overshadow everything and become all consuming, but I want to challenge you not to let it.
Bride: Alexandra Burt Photography | Videographer: AI Photography | Venue: the Barn at Grace Hill | Catering: Dempsey’s Biscuit Company | Cake: Cameo Cakes | Bridal Dress: Sweet Illusion | Bridesmaid Dresses: AZAZIE | Seating Chart: Emilime Designs
