WHY DID YOU CHOOSE SPARROW CREEK RANCH FOR YOUR DESTINATION WEDDING IN TEXAS?

We love to travel, so we had actually decided to have a destination wedding in Colorado. We had settled on a venue called The Chandelier Barn before getting engaged! We visited the venue, and while it was beautiful, something didn't feel right about it. Not to mention that I got extremely ill from the altitude. After the first day in Colorado, we knew we would need to find a different venue. The perfect venue had to be out there. I got home to Texas, feeling a little disappointed, and googled Texas Chandelier Barn, hoping to find the same kind of beauty at home. That all changed when I clicked the first link that popped up and fell instantly in love with SCR. We visited in person that same week and knew it was the place. The peaceful atmosphere and the history behind every reclaimed item in the barn. - Bride Mindi

Advice for future Ranch Wedding Couples planning a destination wedding in Graham, TX?

Be intentional about booking your vendors and trust your gut. Make sure you feel a connection to your photographer. I could say that 50 more times, and it wouldn't be enough. Your vendors can either be the biggest BLESSING or an unfortunate burden. Take your time choosing your vendors, and if something doesn't feel right when you are interviewing vendors, don't ignore that feeling. - Bride Mindi

WEDDINGS WITH A TOUCH OF DIY - SCR’s KIND OF BRIDE

SCR has a type, but it’s less about “theme” and more about a bride’s control of her vision. Usually, SCR Brides have the luxury of hosting stunning weddings with amazing vendors but want to do a little DIY but not the entire wedding. SCR isn’t a DIY wedding, as we do require Full Service Catering and most of our couples do hire professional vendors for all categories — yet, with our Weekend Wedding Package, we draw brides who want to use that Friday to the fullest! They usually show up with a trailer (or two) and a family crew ready to unload and set up their unique, family-built, or custom decor pieces!

Mindi is the perfect example of this. She spent months creating wedding decor like her incredible ceremony backdrop. But she also hired some of our favorite wedding vendors to bring her day to life! I hope you love this day as much as I did! Mindi and Nathan feel like family, and I’m so thankful they added to our history at SCR.

CHANDELIER BARN RECEPTION AND DETAILS

In Mindi’s words, her wedding theme was “… Country Music Lyrics. We love going to concerts, and country music lyrics have helped us express our feelings toward one another from very early in our relationship. The style of our wedding is Thrift Store Boho. I tried to DIY as many things as possible so they would all be one-of-a-kind. The BIGGEST compliment I can receive is when someone looks at something and says, "That is SO you." It makes me feel seen and understood. I want people to be able to walk into the venue and know that it's our wedding, even if they were not told. It has to be an expression of us.”

BRIDES REIVEW

You're going to book it for the barn, but that's not the best part. Kalli is the best part.

Sure, SCR is BEAUTIFUL! Every inch of the space is gorgeous. There are so many options for how to utilize the space. We got married in front of the barn, had cocktail hour on the new back patio, the reception in the barn, spent quality time with my girls in the bridal suite, and posed for bridal photos in the new gorgeous loft. The options are endless, and the value for this venue is exceptional. There was not a single complication or inconvenience on our wedding weekend in terms of the venue.

The venue is stunning, but it also allows you to put your own touch on everything and make your wedding personalized to your relationship.But, truly, Kalli is priceless. She is the best wedding advisor that you could ever ask for. She will take care of you. (You're not going to understand what I mean until you meet her.) She helped me, encouraged me, gave me suggestions, and reminders, answered my questions, helped me brainstorm, and responded quickly. Everyone at SCR is kind, generous, patient, welcoming, professional, and they treat you like family.I can't say enough good things, and words can't describe how grateful we are for this experience. It was a dream. Treat yourself, and book the log cabin as well for some quality family time and ease of travel back and forth to the barn.

WORDS OF WISDOM FOR THE DIY BRIDE

I made a commitment to myself to be fully done with DIY's and wedding projects by September 1st, one month before our wedding date. I was serious about honoring my commitment because I wanted the month before our wedding to be solely focused on enjoying our engagement. It will be over before we know it, and we don't get to experience this again! I have planned date activities for us each weekend leading up to our wedding. Don't forget that the whole point of this celebration is to be in LOVE! Yes, it's a huge event, but if you forget or neglect the meaning of it then it's just an expensive party.

Our ceremony backdrop was a labor of love for FOR SURE. I wish I had kept track of how many hours it took me to make that. I really don’t even know how I came up with the idea, but I decided I wanted circles of lace. I wanted something romantic, boho, vintage. and I wanted to do it all by hand myself. That part was really important to me. I wanted to put in so much work and love into this piece because it was going to be standing with us on the most important moment of our lives.

So I bought lace, and I ordered vintage lace, and finally, I had beautiful lace left over from my wedding dress. Since I custom-made my sleeves with my dress lace, there was extra so I made circles of lace from my wedding dress too. Nathan built the frame, and he painted it. I again spent hours arranging the circles in the just-right locations. And I turned out EXACTLY how I envisioned it. - Bride Mindi

Most Looking Forward to on Wedding Day with each other?

The First Look, and our last private dance together before we exit the venue as husband and wife. Getting engaged and planning our wedding has made us even closer and has been a fun journey. We are best friends, so it has been fun to work together to create our perfect day. Plus, Nathan is the most easy-going person ever so he is the ideal groom. I am not an easygoing bride, but he still loves me.

AMAZING DFW WEST AND ABILENE

WEDDING VENDOR TEAM

• Double Knot Weddings, Micah Schmidt

• DJ Ken E.G.

• KB Wedding Films - Kyle Bibblecombe

• Tipsy Trailer - indoor mobile bar

• Bumble Bee Occasions for Catering

• Joys Flowers

• Back Home Bakery

• BB Wellington HMU

• Gowns of Grace

• Chalk Art - Every Little Letter

• Live Painting - Alyssa Love Wedding Painter

THE BRIDAL LOFT

Mindi added on our Bridal Loft to give her a clean “bridal party mess-free” space for photos and to relax before the ceremony. This space is an add-on to all our packages, while our Bridal Suite downstairs is always included!

ADDING FURBABIES INTO THE WEDDING DAY

We can’t help but show you the sweetest cookies and invitations that highlighted their adorable pups, who also made an appearance down the aisle! See here an entire blog on incorporating your pet into your wedding day — yes, SCR is pet friendly! We even had a bride bring her prized longhorn once!

THEIR STORY, BECAUSE LUCKILY NOW THEY

ARE PART OF SCR’S STORY

Our Story

We met online. I actually took myself to the beach for a little solo getaway, but once I checked into my Airbnb it just rained all weekend. So I spent time relaxing in the room, reading a good book, drinking coffee and scrolling on my phone. Nathan and I began chatting online, and since it continued to storm all weekend so we got a chance to chat a lot. We found out that we only lived about 15 miles away from each other, and had spent 10 years working across the parking lot from one another! No doubt we had crossed paths before and didn't know it. We had our first date when we met up for dinner, and then had our second date less than 12 hours later when we met up for breakfast.

Our Engagement Story, Mindi’s Version: I knew the engagement was coming, but I had no idea when. When my beloved grandmother passed away in April of 2020, I inherited her diamond rings. She and I were so close, and I loved the idea of wearing something on my hand that she wore every day of her life. But I hadn’t met Nathan yet. When Nathan and I started discussing marriage, we met with a jeweler to design the ring. It was such an exciting time! As soon as the ring was completed, Nathan hid it away in the safe. In May of 2021, we went on a trip to Colorado. We were in awe of the beautiful scenery as we drove across the entire state together. On our way back to Denver, we were driving through a beautiful snow storm, in May! Sometimes it was snowing softly and sometimes, it was snowing like a blizzard! We kept pulling over at roadside scenic stops to take photos. At one point it was snowing like crazy, and we pulled over in the mountains to take photos. I was snapping away photos with my phone and making Nathan incredibly nervous by getting too close to the edge of the mountain. I had no idea that he was nervous for another reason! I was taking photos of the mountains and the snow and I turned around to look for Nathan, and he was down on one knee with snow falling all around him. He had the ring with him all long and he asked me to marry him! Of course, I said YES! 💍

Our Engagement Story, Nathan's version: In 2020, we went to Orange Beach, Alabama. While we were there we had our first professional pictures taken. Once we got them back, we loved them. I say that to say that this year we had another beach vacation planned for Destin, Florida. I was sure we would have the ring we designed back by then. Once we had the dates set for our trip, I contacted the same photographer we used in Orange Beach last year and told her my plan to propose to Mindi on the beach. In the meantime the ring came in. It is so beautiful! May 2021 rolled around and the wait was killing me. I wanted to ask her to marry me all the time. We had a trip planned to go look at a venue that we both liked in Denver, Colorado (yes I know we were not engaged yet). I just had to take the ring with us in case the perfect time came up for me to ask her. I had to think how I would take the ring with us without her knowing. I finally came up with a cover story that I was going to take my laptop with us in case we needed a computer. This was it, the perfect way to take the ring and make sure it didnt get lost at the airport. Once we arrived in Denver we went to look at the venue and then to our hotel. On May 2nd, we went to meet up with my Grandmother, Aunt Celesta, and Vikki to spread my Dads ashes at his favorite place on the other side of the snowy mountains. This was an emotional day. Once we finished that we continued to Grand Junction, Colorado. On our way we saw a few Eagle nests, which were Dad's favorite animal. The next day we got up and headed back to Denver. Once we got back in the mountains we hit snow. I knew that I wanted to find the perfect scenic location to stop and ask her to marry me. Along the way we stopped at what felt like every one of the overlooks until we reached one at Silver Plume and Georgetown scenic outlook. There was noone else there, I knew this would be the place I would ask her to marry me. Once we were parked, I got into the back of the car and got the ring box from my laptop bag. Mindi was looking at the snow covered mountain. When she turned around, I went to one knee and asked her if she would marry me. She asked if I was sure a few time but she said Yes.