2 | Lee Enterprises - Western Region Bridal Guide 2024
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As you embark on the exciting journey of planning your dream wedding, I wanted to share an invaluable resource with you – 2024 Western Regional Bridal Guide. This comprehensive guide is designed to assist you in every aspect of planning your special day, from photography and flowers to catering and finding the perfect dress. The wedding professionals featured in this magazine are renowned for their expertise and dedication to making your wedding day truly unforgettable. With their help, you can turn your vision into a reality and create memories that will last a lifetime. Congratulations on finding the love of your life and best wishes as you begin this incredible adventure together. Our staff is here to support you every step of the way and wish you many years of happiness
Dee D. Klein, Regional Business Development Director - Western Nebraska Grand Island Independent | Kearney Hub | Lexington Clipper-Herald Scottsbluff Star Herald | The North Platte Telegraph
4 | Lee Enterprises - Western Region Bridal Guide 2024 As more brides seek nontraditional venues, The Farm offers pastures, stars, a renovated barn and a place to roam C harm of the F arm MARY JANE SKALA Kearney Hub
Kern is getting warm feedback from brides who have held their nuptials there. “The farm was so gorgeous. When we toured it, we fell in love with it,” one recent bride told Kern. “It’s a beautiful and unique venue, a great spot for a wedding reception for people wanting anything from rustic to country to simple elegance vibe,” another said. Sarah Ritz, The Village’s events planner, takes prospective clients on tours of the house and property. She also is on site when they arrive for their big weekend. She is a Mason City native and Concordia College graduate who handles the myriad of details involved. “What do I like about this job?” she asked, repeating a question. Her face broke into a smile. “I love all of it, giving people tours, meeting the family, helping them find a date that works. Just helping people.” The Village and more Kern opened The Village in October 2019. She purchased the dilapidated warehouse and transformed it into a site for wedding receptions and other events like parties for birthdays, anniversaries and graduations. Business overflowed, and by early 2020, she began searching for a second location. “We were so booked. We kept getting calls and we kept saying we had no availability,” she said then. Even worse, COVID-19 forced her to temporarily close The Village in the spring of 2020. That disrupted weddings and other scheduled events. But it also gave her the time to find a second site, which she did. On Facebook, she discovered a 10-acre farm and farmhouse for sale north of Gibbon, just north of the Wood River. When she drove out to look at it, the owner wasn’t home, so she peeked into the windows. Inside the barn, she found sheep, goats, two little donkeys, quails, a dog and numerous cats. After purchasing the property, she and her then-event planner, Morgan Karlberg, made plans to renovate. The COVID closures
SHELTON — It’s been two years since an aging barn and farmhouse just west of Shelton experienced a renaissance and became The Farm, a unique wedding venue. That old barn once housed sheep, goats, horses and barn cats. Now, it’s a place where couples exchange wedding vows under a sparkling chandelier, then head outside for a reception. There’s a dance floor, too, and a pergola surrounded by cornfields. The Farm is an offshoot of The
Village, a party and reception center at 1920 A Avenue that, until its transformation in 2019, was a rusty warehouse.
“I think we’re doing well,” Alissa Kern, the owner of The Village and The Farm, said. “It’s definitely nice to be on the back side of the start-up. A few years ago, people heard about The Farm and said, ‘What’s that?’ Now, people know where we are. We’re on the map.”
It’s fully booked for 2023, with 16 weddings scheduled and another already on the books for 2024. In 2022, The Farm was the site of 19 weddings. The 112-year-old farmhouse on the property was separately booked for 12 events.
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gave them ample time to do that. Friends and family helped repaint the home’s hunter green and burgundy walls in lovely pastels. They brought in an old piano. They created a warm bridal suite upstairs and hung fabric on the guest room walls. In the bathroom, they replaced the big bathtub with a soaking tank. Then they went to work on the barn. They poured concrete over the dirt floor and added windows on the north side to let in light. They installed electricity and inside heating and erected a large awning on the exterior’s north side for shade for outdoor events. They also hung a glittering chandelier that Kern had found in a garbage can. “It had metal rings and a few strands of beads. I added a lot of beads, and in the middle, they put an old light fixture that came from an old house. I added more lights,” Morgan Karlberg, the former event planner, said then. With the loft and the second floor removed in the barn, the barn ceiling was so high that electricians installed the chandelier using an old pulley system that farmers used to raise hay up to the loft. Added, too, were 200 old bleachers from the renovated S-E-M high school football field that Kern found on Facebook. Her father, Nick VanMatre, turned them into tables and chairs. Friend Chuck Gomez built a concrete walkway and a 100-by-100-foot pergola. They laid a concrete dance floor between the barn and the pergola and hung tiny white lights outside to make
the barn sparkle. Worth the wait
Now heading into its third season, The Farm is thriving. Couples rent it from 1 p.m. Friday through 1 p.m. Sunday. They must provide their own catering, florist and disc jockeys or bands. The Farm provides tables and chairs and black and white table linens. Kern noted that The Farm reflects nontraditional wedding trends gaining popularity, but it has its own quirks, too. “There’s beauty here. You might have a deer walk up during the ceremony, or you’ll see a sunset in the evening that you’re not going to see in the middle of town. The Farm gives guests an experience they might have never had before.”
6 | Lee Enterprises - Western Region Bridal Guide 2024 groom’s grandma is flower girl L MARY JANE SKALA Kearney Hub
Bride’s Dalmatian is ring bearer at Kearney wedding; ord of the R ings
KEARNEY — Guests may not remember the bride’s bouquet or the color of the bridesmaids’ dresses at the wedding of Emily Garden and Joel Peterson, but they’ll remember the ring bearer. It was Louie, the bride’s Dalmatian. They’ll also remember the flower girl, Norma Schrack, the groom’s 92-year-old grandmother. She tossed flower petals as she rolled down the aisle in her wheelchair. The happy nuptials took place April 22, 2023 in the gazebo at Diva’s at Kearney Floral at 210 W. 21st St. Louie carried the rings in a pouch that Emily found on the website Etsy and clipped onto his collar. Emily kept Louie with her on a leash as she waited to walk down the aisle with her father, Joel. Emily’s sister, Abby Garden, was the last bridesmaid in the wedding processional. Just before she walked, Abby gave treats to Louie and showed him that she had plenty more. Then she started walking, dropping a few more dog treats as she went. When she was halfway down the aisle, Emily let go of Louie’s leash. He trotted down the aisle and stayed with the wedding party without a problem during the ceremony. It worked out just as Emily had hoped. She described her dog as “a mama’s boy. I knew he wouldn’t want to be apart from me, but I thought the treats might make him go faster.” The day before the ceremony, she had said, “Ideally, he will just walk down the aisle, but he has a mind of his own, so there will probably be plenty of sniffs on the way.” Her mother Gina, watching from her front-row seat, added, “Abby left a few enticing treats down the aisle, but he just ran to the front.” Stacy Peterson, Joel’s mother, said, “Louie did great.” Schrack starred in her role, too. She
wore an aqua dress and matching hat that her niece had worn for a wedding in Jamaica. She was escorted down the aisle by her grandson James Schrack, of Windsor, Colorado, the bridegroom’s cousin. James was also licensed to officiate at the wedding. When the couple asked Schrack to be in the wedding, “I thought they were kidding, but I was honored,” she said. Her smiles at the ceremony nearly matched those of the bride and groom. Joel described Schrack as “one of the sweetest girls I know.” A native of Worcester, Massachusetts, she came to Kearney 70 years ago to attend the Nebraska State Teachers College — now the University of Nebraska at Kearney — with a friend whose preacher father had just been called to a pastorate outside Kearney. She now lives at Mother Hull Home. After the wedding Saturday, she said she wished she could get married again so she “could have a wedding that beautiful and elegant.” The newlyweds grew up in Kearney. Both went to Horizon Middle School and Kearney High School and then went their separate ways, but they reconnected in 2019 after Emily moved to Omaha from Lincoln.
Many of Joel’s friends in Omaha had moved away, so he called her. “I was just trying to rekindle an old friendship,” he said. Their first date was at the Omaha Tap House. “When he first asked me to dinner that night, I thought we were just hanging out as friends, but then I realized it was a date,” Emily said. The relationship blossomed from there. “She kept me around. I’m pretty lucky,” Joel said. Emily works in real estate for Berkshire Hathaway. Joel does outside sales for MSC Industrial Supply. The couple live in Millard and will take an Alaskan cruise for their honeymoon in June. Stacy Peterson, mother of the groom, said, “I’m proud of Emily and Joel for doing what they wanted to do for their wedding. It was like a fairy tale. It was so wonderful.” Gina Garden said, “It was a unique ceremony, just what they wanted as a couple.” As for Louie, he skipped the reception at the Kearney Country Club and went home to rest after his big day. “Louie was a very good boy,” Gina said. “He wasn’t the star of the show, but a leading character. He was the third most important person there.”
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8 | Lee Enterprises - Western Region Bridal Guide 2024 R imeless V enue Former NTV anchor renovating old Elks Lodge building in downtown Grand Island eviving a T
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she noticed about the building were the big, white arched windows on the top floor. After touring the inside, Husak thought the building was beautiful and could see its potential. “There’s a lot of unique elements this building had that really just drew me to it,” said Husak. Husak said that renovating the Elks Lodge and continuing at NTV would have been a lot, essentially working two jobs. Husak knew she would have to make a choice and was feeling excited about the project. “I had been doing news for 12 years and I love my job, I love news, but I was kind of ready for another adventure,” said
GRACIE SMITH Grand Island Independent
On June 7, 2023 Stephanie Husak announced on Facebook that she was leaving her anchor position at Nebraska Television
Network in Kearney. She went by her maiden name Crace while on television, anchored at NTV for six years. Husak started her news career working at WVVA station in Bluefield, West Virginia, for two years. She then moved to Lincoln and anchored at 10/11 for three years. During her tenure at 10/11, Husak met her now-husband while he studied at the University of Nebraska College of Law. When he was offered a job in Kearney, Husak applied for an anchor position at NTV so she could move with him. However, Husak had dreamed of opening an event venue while working at NTV. Husak said that her passion for an event hall stemmed from planning her own wedding and feeling that there were not enough venues in Central Nebraska. “Having an event venue was always a
Husak. “And so when this building came up for sale, I was kind of ready just to take that next step and have the event venue.” For renovations, Husak plans to modernize the building, opening the bricked up windows, putting in an elevator, removing the stained glass from the top floor. Husak also wants the building to have different spaces and looks for people to utilize, with the first floor being industrial chic and the second having a more elegant feel. Husak wants to help people find the perfect place for their special day, whether it be a wedding or any event. To help people feel the excitement of finding the right place, like how Husak felt when she found her wedding venue. “I just was like, I really want to help people find that for their special day as
well,” said Husak. “If I can offer them something that they’re going to love and kind of make the spaces their own for their big day, and then leave their guests talking about it well after the event is over, that just really excites me.” When the venue is ready to open, Husak plans to manage everything with a small staff. Currently, Husak doesn’t know when renovations will be complete, but she hopes to host events next summer. “It’s a diamond in the rough,” said Husak. “And it will definitely take a lot of work, but I think it will be good for the community.”
goal of mine,” said Husak. “I always thought it was going to be a long term goal, I didn’t know when it would happen, it’s just something that I had in the back of my mind, like, this is what I want to do someday.” One day, Husak and her co-anchor, Sara Kirkley, were talking during Good Morning Nebraska. Kirkley, knowing about Husak’s goal, showed her a Facebook post about the sale for Elks Lodge. “It was pretty rundown and she was sort of joking,” said Husak. “I don’t think she knew how serious I was about actually doing this someday.”
At the corner of West First street and South Locust street, the building was finished in early 1918 for the Grand Island chapter of the Elks Lodge fraternal organization. In recent times, the building has been abandoned as the group has moved to a new location at 631 S. Locust St. According to Husak, one of the first things
10 | Lee Enterprises - Western Region Bridal Guide 2024 R elighting
Scottsbluff area couple met as firefighters; join together years later in surprise wedding Their friends and family watched their relationship blossom for years before on Nov. 26, 2023, the couple invited them all to a “Winter Wonderland Party.” In reality, the party was their wedding. Carissa and Tim said they had decided that since they had the F ire of L ove and serving a total of 24 years in fire service. She has led the department as its chief for the last three years. Both of them serve in volunteer roles while working regular jobs as well, Tim works for the roads department and Carissa runs the Firefighter Ministry, helping those whose lives are affected by fires. The pair first became acquainted as they worked on a fire prevention committee in the early 2000s. They would not start dating until years later. “We were just in different phases of life and didn’t actually start dating until a few years ago,” Carissa said. “I’m sure we probably met earlier than that,” Tim said, “because it seems like we’ve known each other forever.” To them, their relationship seems as natural as the decision to become firefighters. They both take fulfillment from their careers and Carissa said with her family’s history in the career, “it’s just what I was supposed to do.” Tim also remarked that he found the career choice fulfilling and continued the work because he has been able to help other people.
JACK UNDERWOOD Star-Herald
The story of Carissa Schank-Grubbs and Tim Grubbs’ wedding is nearly as unique as their relationship, and firefighting runs through them both. Tim has served as the fire chief for Banner County since 2008 and has worked as a fireman since 1994, like his father before him. Carissa, a fourth generation firefighter, has been with the Scotts Bluff County Rural Fire Protection District for 14 years
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both previously been married and had households, a more conventional wedding would be too much. “We just decided the simplest thing, and the most important thing, would be family and friends,” Tim said. They enlisted the help of Carissa’s brother to host the occasion in his shop as well as to officiate the wedding. Outside of him, they were able to keep their planned nuptials secret until the day of the ceremony. The pair did not even think a proposal was necessary although Tim did make sure to get Carissa’s father’s blessing ... as they lined up to walk down the aisle. “We brought her folks while she was getting ready and told them they were there for something important, and I showed them the ring boxes and her mom says ‘Oh, you’re going to propose to her?’” Tim said. “And I said, ‘No, we’re getting married.’” Her mother asked, “When?” To which Tim responded, “In about 15 minutes.” When the guests arrived Carissa and Tim walked out with her brother accompanied by Carissa’s daughter carrying a sign that read “Surprise! It’s a
changed. Tim still serves as the Banner County fire chief and Carissa still lives in Scottsbluff, creating a somewhat unique situation. The couple said that neither of them wanted to give up their work and they were comfortable maintaining two houses even after their marriage. “It’s not typical, it’s not for everybody, but it works for us,” Tim said. Another product of their commitment to their work and to each other is the trust they carry for one another when they are going to fires. They both said that even though the work they do can be dangerous they do not worry about each other because of the trust they have built and the mutual understanding that they are both capable at their jobs. “We’re grown ups, we’re capable of taking care of things and we both understand,” Tim said. Carissa expressed similar sentiments. “I think that’s how our relationship is so great, because we understand, so if he’s going to a fire, then I worry about him but I also know he knows how to take care of himself,” Carissa said.
wedding!” Even though it was a surprise, many of the guests said they had suspected something similar was in the works, a product of what Carissa described at their “easygoing and very simple” demeanors. “I think at first it was a surprise, but then after it was all over, everybody said ‘Oh, I knew it was going to happen sometime,” Carissa said. Although they moved forward with their relationship, not much else has
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12 | Lee Enterprises - Western Region Bridal Guide 2024 C apturing E
very M oment Booking a professional wedding photographer for your big day
PHOTOS BY SUNNY FRECKLES PHOTOGRAPHY ©
CAITLYN THOMAS North Platte Telegraph
With so many different styles of photography, photo packages and editing styles, the decision can seem daunting. Jessica Mikoloyck of Sunny Freckles Photography in Scottsbluff has been photographing important life moments for over 14 years. She offered some advice on how to ensure a stress-free, beautifully photographed wedding. One of the most important things to remember when booking a wedding photographer, according to Mikoloyck: booking a year to 18 months in advance. “It is so important to note that many
clients are reaching out a year to 18 months in advance,” she said. “It is very possible that their wants and wishes will change in that time.” She said that time frame can give the couple enough time to think about what they want and to communicate those wants with their photographer. But then the question becomes: How do you know which photographer is best for you? “I truly believe that a client and a photographer have to vibe together from the beginning,” Mikoloyck said. “A client
For many couples, their wedding day is the most important day of their relationship. It’s a day when all their family and friends come together to celebrate and wish the happy couple a lifetime of devotion and love. It can also be something they look back on, to see the faces of loved ones back in the day and maybe show their kids once they get older. But to do that, the couple needs to find a good wedding photographer.
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should prepare a list of questions, and a photographer should provide their package options as well as recommendations from their years of experience photographing weddings. You tend to know right away if the client and photographer will or will not work well together.” It is important to look at the packages available to discern which works best for you. Different packages may include options for how long the photographer will be on site, which can range from four to 12 hours, as well as how many pictures of the wedding day you receive, and how soon. Mikoloyck said most wedding photographers will deliver fully edited wedding picture collections eight to 12 weeks after the wedding. However, different photographers will deliver photos in different ways. Some might deliver “all the greats,” while some might limit the number of photos their client receives. Some provide one or two versions of the photos with similar edits to let the client select their final gallery. “I think it is so important that a client expects to sign a contract and to ask spe- cifically what the photographer’s backup process is to ensure that all digital files are preserved,” she said. “In addition, within the contract they will find turn- around times, cancellation policies, day- of expectations, data loss processes, etc.” She said during her consultations with clients, Mikoloyck will also ask the couples what they envision for their day.
“I really prefer to shoot in the moment,” she said. “But I am in constant contact with my couples, so if there is something that comes up that they know they absolutely have, I’m like sweet, screenshot it, send it to me and I’ll keep a collection of those for them.” For her own personal photography style, Mikoloyck likes to showcase natural lighting and the colors, both inside and outside the venue. “I try to deliver a wedding collection edited in such a way to preserve the natural colors and lighting of the day, while also providing a handful of images that showcase the incredible and very unique beauty of their big day,” she said. “The best advice that I can give is to not only view the highlight reels that a photographer shares to their website and social media but to also view full galleries of completed collections to see each photographer’s style.” One of Mikoloyck’s new favorite photos to take is to put the mother of the bride under the veil with her daughter. “I just wanted to make sure that we captured something super special between the bride and her mom,” she said. “That’s my new favorite thing to do. I would love for somebody else to see that and be like ‘oh my gosh, I want that with my mom.’” Itineraries are also a very important part of the day to keep everything running smoothly. “They are a must,” Mikoloyck said. “I now create a timeline with the client for
every wedding I shoot. Things are going to go wrong and it’s better to anticipate a little drama. It just really helps us make sure that not only do we stay on time throughout the day, but more so that all the photos the couple wants to get, we ensure time to do that.” For destination weddings, Mikoloyck encourages couples to look at the country’s working laws if it is outside the U.S., as well as the venue’s policies. “At some resorts or wedding venues, they provide a photographer for you and you don’t have a choice,” she said. “Sometimes if you choose to bring a photographer, whether they are local to that destination or not, they’ll even charge a fee.” At one wedding Mikoloyck photographed, she was only able to shoot the reception, not the ceremony, because the venue had a designated photographer. It is important to make sure that the couple has a wedding photographer they trust and to make sure that all the details are sorted out before their big day so they can focus on their partner and those there celebrating them. “My favorite part of photographing weddings is spending the day with the friends and family of my clients,” Mikoloyck said. “ While I focus mostly on the wedding couple, I am also working directly with their loved ones, aged anywhere from just a few weeks old to 95 years old. There is so much joy within a wedding day, and I am so honored to be their memory keeper.”
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14 | Lee Enterprises - Western Region Bridal Guide 2024 W hen E very D
Five Tips to Plan Your Wedding Like a Pro etail M atters anticipated. Working with your fiance to define what matters most can help you make adjustments to overcome whatever obstacles you encounter. If the venue is your biggest priority, maybe another date will work. If the photography is the piece of your wedding day that you’ll treasure most, know that you’ll need to trim in other places. 3. Make yourself accountable to deadlines. Timeline may just sound like a fancy way to say “to-do list,” and in some ways that’s true. But a timeline carries an important distinction: the recognition of when, not just what, must be done. Create your timeline with every major planning category (transportation, cake, etc.) and every step and corresponding deadline (research limo companies, secure bids from limo companies, book limo, confirm limo reservation, etc.) 4. Expect exceptional service. Wedding planners have experience vetting and weeding out subpar vendors, and while you may not have the luxury of practice on your side, you can still set the bar high. A friendly but professional approach will take you far, as will an organized and decisive mindset. Avoid growing too chummy, but conversely avoid bringing out bridezilla-like demands. Lay out your expectations, determine whether the vendor can adequately meet or exceed ADOBE STOCK ©
FAMILY FEATURES It may be that your budget doesn’t allow a wedding planner, or maybe you’ve just dreamed of this day for so long that all of the hands-on planning makes you giggle with glee. Either way, there are steps you can take to make your big day go off without a hitch, so flawlessly it seems as though it was planned by a professional. 1. Set a budget and stick to it. It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement and get carried away with your spending. A planner’s less emotional approach leaves less room for letting extras chip away at your wedding fund, but planning your own wedding is a whirlwind of emotion. Your best weapon: set a realistic budget and hold yourself to it. Remember there are hundreds of ways (and at least as many websites and idea boards online) to achieve everything you envision if you’re willing to get creative and be a little flexible. 2. Define your priorities. The truth is you’re going to encounter some curveballs while planning your big day. A venue will get booked out from under you or a photographer’s bid will come in significantly higher than you
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Lee Enterprises - Western Region Bridal Guide 2024 | 15 edding P lanning CHEYENNE ROWE Grand Island Independent from a Bride-to-be W I feel like every girl grows up dreaming about her wedding. To be completely honest my Pinterest board was busy before I’d even gone on my first date. Did that matter, though? No. Did all of my ideas change once I finally became a bride-to-be? Yes. My fiancé, Nathan, and I got engaged in February of 2023. Now, a year later, we’re in the full swing of wedding planning and what I have dubbed “the wedding woes.” Aside from beautiful dresses, delicious cake and the romantic first dance of my dreams, there are a lot of intricacies that Pinterest never prepares you for. And they hit me like a truck in the beginning. Nathan and I had things we liked, or didn’t, and we’re confident in things like not wanting kids at our wedding and reception (surprisingly controversial). And then the opinions of everyone around you enter the chat. Said opinions are usually accompanied by the sentiment that “you can do whatever you want, it’s your wedding,” but if you’re anything like me (a serial people pleaser), ignoring the nagging need to make sure others are happy is easier said than done. My advice? Those people are right. Just go ahead and have that come to Jesus meeting you’re worried about. Your family will understand. Once you come to the conclusion that you physically can’t please every guest, the worry melts away. Yes, indeed, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. “Wait! It gets better, Cheyenne?” You bet, beautiful! After literally a full calendar year of engagement my fiancé and I actually found a venue! It came after a small argument, sure, but we’ve done it! We Google-searched our hearts out around the literal middle- point geographically between our families and found a single option. But it was perfect. And it felt perfect too. And believe me when I say that our wedding vision changed more than once over the course of our current planning process. We went from a wedding venue less than 5 minutes from our home, with more than 350 guests, to a micro-wedding in another state. Somehow, almost comically, we landed somewhere in the middle. The venue had our date (something not totally guaranteed within a year of our preferred date). It is big enough to fit our guest list (after a few cuts, careful selection and, yes, no children). It is flexible (no required vendors). It was almost half way between my family and his (Omaha and Central City). And, of course, it was in our budget (another topic worthy of a column entirely). Instead of the anxiety and unsureness that had come alongside all of our other ideas - and believe me, we had plenty - we seemed to be semi at peace. We asked all of our questions, listed pros and cons and more. Instead of hating the process, it was easy. Things might seem like a mess. You might be overwhelmed now trying to please family and friends. But I’m here to tell you to take a deep breath (and maybe a shot) and hang in there. The wedding planning woes will pass and the view and vibes on the other side aren’t too bad.
ADOBE STOCK ©
them, listen to your instincts and solicit references to verify your impressions. 5. Set your inner OCD free. Planning a wedding is the perfect time to indulge any obsessive-compulsive tendencies. Create a binder to keep track of all your wedding planning. It’s a great place to store photos and magazine pages of looks you like so you can share them with vendors, but it’s also the spot where you can accumulate all of your contracts, receipts, contact information and other documentation. When a guest or vendor calls with a question, you can put your hands on the information you need in mere minutes, keeping stress at a minimum all around. Planning a wedding requires discipline and patience, but the payoff is big – among the biggest in your life, in fact. Take a business-like approach to planning the details, then plan to enjoy your day to the fullest. Find more tips for all of life’s special moments at elivingtoday.com.
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