Decorated by nature and surrounded by a down-home, country vibe, Strafford’s Wedding Valley Chapel is a place for those wishing to get hitched in the great outdoors.
Owner Carolyn Davis started out producing wedding cakes, and through her passion for wedding ceremonies, she opened the outdoor Wedding Valley Chapel 12 years ago.
Davis grew up in Pierce City and moved to the Strafford area 36 years ago with her husband, Patrick. She dreamed of being able to make a living on her own property and combined that notion with a willingness to help others.
“I guess I just love to be around beautiful events, and a wedding is the most beautiful in a person’s life,” Davis says.
On five acres at 8396 E. FR 112, in Strafford, the Wedding Valley Chapel is nestled off the beaten path and comes equipped with a water feature, outdoor altar and indoor reception hall that Davis’ husband and three sons helped build in 1999.
Last year, the chapel held 20 wedding ceremonies, and Davis says she’s on pace to at least match that number this year with 10 ceremonies on the books so far.
In May 2010, Affordable Country Heating and Air LLC co-owners Dwight and Anita Parker were married at Wedding Valley Chapel. Anita Parker says they were enticed by the outdoor setup of Davis’ ceremony grounds and, after shopping around, found that the price couldn’t be beat.
“It was all one price. It took care of not only the wedding but where I was having the reception also,” Parker says. “For the people in Springfield, it wasn’t right there, but it wasn’t that far away, either.”
For a wedding with up to 100 guests, Davis charges $750 for the ceremony and reception. Still in the cake business, she also sells her three-tier cakes for $125.
“I’ve always thought that you could have a beautiful wedding and not have it cost a fortune,” says Davis, noting she has considered raising her rates but hasn’t made that move yet. “It can be a beautiful day, and the outdoor pictures are awesome.”
Comparatively, the Samuel Cedars outdoor wedding chapel in nearby Rogersville charges $1,350 per day for a wedding and reception, says Doug Thomas, who owns and operates the facility with his wife, Dodi. Samuel Cedars can welcome up to 300 guests, and it offers a covered cedar deck and disc jockey services starting at $25 per hour.
Competition has increased in the last decade, from about two area wedding chapels in operation when Davis opened Wedding Valley to about 15 sites now, she says, pointing to The Dickey House and Walnut Springs Farm in Marshfield, Historic Firehouse No. 2 on Springfield’s Commercial Street and Branson’s Stonegate Glass Chapel.
Davis, who is Wedding Valley’s sole employee, says her customers have the option of hiring a caterer or handling their own catering, though alcohol is not permitted. In case of severe weather, the reception hall can be quickly modified to accommodate the wedding ceremony, she says.
Davis and her husband, who works in maintenance at Evangel University, have invested roughly $95,000 into their reception building and the surrounding grounds, Davis says. The chapel is open April–November, and May and October are the most popular months for business.
Davis says 2011 revenues were around $15,000, which is roughly flat compared to 2010. This year, she’s set her sights on $26,000 in revenues, and she’s banking on a relatively new membership to the Strafford Chamber of Commerce to increase the chapel’s visibility.[[In-content Ad]]
Springfield event venue Belamour LLC gained new ownership; The Wok on West Bypass opened; and Hawk Barber & Shop closed on a business purchase that expanded its footprint to Ozark.
