We had held my grandpa’s 75th birthday party here when I was in high school and I remembered it being beautiful. So, when the time for us to research venues we looked into it. The more we researched the more we realized how perfect it would be for us. 30 of our guests could stay out there with us (it is also a bed and breakfast), we could do EVERYTHING on site (rehearsal, rehearsal dinner, ceremony, and reception), they have fantastic food (our guests STILL talk about the food), AND they had farm animals everywhere- buffalo, horses, pigs, sheep, long horned cattle, donkeys, and the world’s sweetest golden retriever (as animal lovers this was definitely a bonus!). We flew to Kansas for a long weekend in March to visit the ranch and do a tasting. The rooms were beautiful, the ceremony site was perfect, the people were warm and friendly (gotta love the Midwest!), and the food knocked our socks off. The fact that the chef was committed to locally sourcing as much of the ingredients for our meals as possible was really just the icing on the cake. When July rolled around and our wedding date creeped closer the staff were always quick to answer emails and phone calls (important for anxious brides and mothers of the bride!) and left us feeling incredibly confident. We were able to get to the ranch early on the Friday before the wedding to set up the party barn and finish up some DIY projects. The staff worked with us on seating arrangements for both the ceremony and reception and helped us work out some options for the heat (it was 107 degrees on our wedding day!). As the guests arrived everyone raved about their rooms, the beauty of the ranch, and (of course) the buffalo. Throughout our events there was always someone handy making sure things were going smoothly and to see if there was anything they could do to accommodate us further. As I've mentioned quite a few times, the food really blew everyone away. We didn't have anything too fancy (Southwestern for the rehearsal and upscale barbeque for the reception) but everything was delicious. It was great to be close to Lawrence but far enough away that you could really unplug and relax. Many of our guests commented on what a relaxing weekend it was for them. One of my aunts took advantage of the horseback riding offered and my husband and his groomsmen spent their time before our evening ceremony playing croquet on the lawn. My husband, our families, and our guests all truly loved our experience with the ranch!
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