The Barns of Kanak — Attraction in Hopewell

Barns of Kanak was everything I could ask for out of a venue and more!! Since I was having a winter wedding, I was looking for a venue with an indoor space that didn’t feel like it was only in-case-of-emergency, so I loved that BOK had a ceremony barn separate from the reception barn.

My coordinator was Stacie and I can confidently say that you would have NEVER known she was relatively new to the team. When I met her at the 60-day-out meeting, I was immediately impressed with how professional, organized, and prepared she was! I planned this wedding while in medical school and our date was only a week after the final exam of my busiest semester. In the month leading up to the wedding, I felt SO scatter brained and can’t even express what a life-saver Stacie was. She made sure that no detail was forgotten and asked me about things I would have NEVER considered otherwise. She was also incredibly patient with my frequently-delayed responses, repeat questions, & indecisiveness. She rolled with the punches like it was no big deal, never made me feel like I was difficult, and took so much stress off my back. She sympathized with and adapted to my chaotic school situation instead of making me feel like I needed to work around her schedule and timeline, and for that I am so so grateful!!

The actual day of my wedding was a literal dream, I don’t think I stressed for a single minute. Stacie had put in so much work ahead of time to make sure she knew what I wanted and that the BOK team was prepared. I truly can’t put into words how special it was to get to solely be a bride and have fun without worrying about any behind-the-scenes stuff. In the best way possible, I never had any idea what was going on outside of where I was and what I was doing. When we ran out of orange juice after miscalculating how much to bring, somebody from BOK ran to the store to get more (& I didn’t even know it had happened until later). When my bustle wasn’t cooperating, Stacie called Leora Bridal and Kylie came (literally) running over to save the day for us. When I told Stacie my off-the-wall idea to project the college football playoffs in the barn during the reception, she worked with the owner and they somehow made that happen too.

The family-owned aspect of BOK shined through in the way they worked together seamlessly to make the experience as enjoyable as possible for myself, my husband, and our guests! From the beginning, it was really important to us that we didn't let the wedding planning make us lose sight of the importance of choosing to get married, and the level of attentiveness that Stacie and BOK showed us made that a pretty easy goal! If minimizing stress and being fully present in the moment on the day of your wedding ranks high on your list of requirements for a venue, you literally will not find better than Barns of Kanak!

Thank you guys for making it the best day of our lives!!...

This venue was excellent on so many levels. The aesthetics, the venue's planners and day of coordinators, and all of the support staff--all of it came together to make the day special. Let me break it down further so you know what to expect if you book here:

-When you visit, you’ll see right away why this venue is so popular. The Barns of Kanak is an old working farm with a rich family history that’s been repurposed as a down-to-earth location made just for your special day. I loved the old, rustic feel, and I was impressed that they didn’t sacrifice any practical touches in keeping the venue visually pleasing. There was plenty of space to take bride/groom/family photos as well as plenty of room for guests. It was very comfortable for the 140 people we had present the day of.

-Kylie, the venue’s planner/timeline coordinator, was both helpful and empathetic. Every time she called, she was excited, attentive, and on top of things. She went to great lengths to coordinate with all of our other vendors so we didn’t have to worry about keeping tabs on everyone. Kylie came as a part of the venue, and she made every penny we paid worth it. -Diane & Katherine, the Barn’s day-of coordinators, made our timeline come to life and managed all the logistics with ease. I felt completely comfortable leaving everything in their hands, and in retrospect, I realized they went above and beyond in tending to every little detail. Post wedding, we realized that all the stuff my wife and I thought we forgot or left behind was noticed and managed by these two ladies – tucked away safely in our exit vehicle. Very thankful.

-Along with that, there were several venue attendants available for everything: setup, parking, answering guest questions, assisting the bride and groom, bar tending, tear down, and even ensuring the wedding gifts made it into the proper vehicle. These staff members weren’t always seen, but again in hindsight, were much appreciated. As I think back, I realize how many people were on the flanks, prepared to handle anything we needed.

One last very significant benefit to note: the venue and all of its attendants are very versatile when it comes to accommodating for inclement weather. In having a December wedding, we knew we’d want to keep a close eye on the forecast. Part of the reason we picked the Barns is because they had space to hold the ceremony indoors if it couldn’t be done outdoors. And sure enough, it came in handy. It ended up raining, and it gave us a chance to see the venue shine. Every member of the staff seemed prepared for this. They had the bride’s head under an umbrella every step of the way, and there was still plenty of coverage for all the guests to enjoy the day without getting wet.

Photo credits: Dani...

Having our wedding at the Barns of Kanak was the single greatest decision we made for our wedding. The grounds are absolutely stunning. Every time we were there the owners were working hard to keep everything looking incredibly beautiful. We wanted to do things differently from how The Barns usually does things – we didn’t want our ceremony in front of the barn, which is where virtually all the ceremonies are held, and we wanted to bring tons of florals/greenery into the barn which also hadn’t been done before. A lot of places have a rhythm of how they do things and don’t like to deviate since they have their way down to a science – that was not at all the case with the barns. Not only did they let us have our ceremony in an unconventional place and have our florist cover all the poles of the barn in greenery, they were SO excited about our ideas, which made us even more excited about our ideas! This venue provides so much more than a place to get married. The farmhouse to get ready in is incredibly spacious and beautiful. They also have a décor barn which is FULL of décor for you to use in your wedding that is all included! I am so bad at making decisions and weddings are FULL of decisions, having the décor barn was a godsend both in having way less decisions to make and for saving us money! I didn’t have to spend hours agonizing over which “Please sign our guestbook” sign to spend $40 on – the barns had a couple to choose from, making my decisions easier and it’s all included so I wasn’t stuck with a bunch of things I spent money on after the wedding. Saving the best for last, our coordinator Delaney was the single most incredible human we worked with during our wedding planning. She dealt with all the logistics, talked with all of our vendors beforehand so I wasn’t really involved in any of the logistical stuff – she did it all! And she of course has an incredible team, everyone we worked with at the barns was fabulous, but Delaney went above and beyond to make sure everything went according to plan and made our vision for our wedding come to life. We are beyond grateful for the entire Barns of Kanak team – you made our wedding special, stress-free, beautiful, and a day we will...