The barn venue trend has been going strong for awhile now, but this isn't your average barn.
The History
Nick and Samantha Daniels are first and foremost a husband and wife photographer and film team. They always had a dream to own their own wedding venue and that would later become a reality. Their then friends/now business partners, Joey & Stacy Marrone, owners of Essie Lane Farm, invited the Daniels to establish the Kindred Barn on their farm.
"When we first mentioned wanting to do the barn, on a Tuesday evening in October 2015, we didn't have any plans, just dreams," Samantha says. "Later on that same week Joey and Stacy came to us with the barn drawn on a piece of paper and from there we pursued necessary financing and planning."
Concrete was poured on March 17, 2016 and the Daniels welcomed their first wedding at their new venue on June 18th. They've since had three weddings and have over 30 weddings booked. We'd say that's quite a start!
The Space Itself
The space is an open and airy, rustic but chic, all white wedding venue. It's the barn feel with a splash of modern flair (Think: anything designed by Joanna Gaines). Set upon over 100 acres in Mulberry, the 5,000 square-foot-space is completely climate controlled.
Samantha says that being a wedding photographer over the last six years has taught her what works and what doesn't in a wedding venue layout.
"Every detail was thought out such as the size and look of the bathrooms, the catering kitchen and buffet line," she says. "Of course we are still working out some things and have big plans to add 2,000 square feet of space to our already 5,000 square feet of completed space."
The all-white look came into play because of Samantha's photography background and Stacy's love for all things white.
"We love barn weddings so much but wanted to create something different than other barns in the state," Samantha says. "Barns are popping up everywhere so we considered it a lovely challenge to create something out of the ordinary. The white walls reflect the light perfectly and make the inside of the barn perfect for the ceremony, not just the reception. Lighting truly is everything in photography so painting the barn white was a non-negotiable part of the venue."
Venue Perks
The Kindred Barn also offers a treasure trove of decor to use for the big day. They chose wooden x-back chairs for seating, feeling these sturdy and gorgeous chairs will add charm and will be durable through the years.
The Barn's primary lighting is the ever-popular café stringed lighting. Another special touch is the custom-made, 6-foot-wide floral/greenery chandelier that is available for all weddings. The flowers can be taken off or changed for different colors to better match your color palette.
They are constantly adding to the Barn's decor closet and have ivory linens for all of the tables that clients may use. In the closet you can find over 200 glass votives, mason jars, wooden discs for centerpieces, silver chargers, burlap runners, 9x9 ft rose gold backdrop and so much more. Samantha says they also built a "kids table" that was a huge hit at the Barn's second wedding.
In addition to weddings in the barn, you can also get married in the meadow. Wooden benches fit in with the scenery and there is a customizable wooden arch to get married in front of.
Married to the Industry
At the end of the day, Samantha is in the wedding business because she truly loves it. The best part of her job is all of it — from helping to button a bride's gown to the first look photos.
"The definition of kindred as a noun is a person's relatives, relationship by birth, tribe or clan and as an adjective is having the same belief, attitude or feeling," she says. "Everyone who attends a person's wedding is that person's kindred."
For information on the venue and booking, visit the Barn's website.
