The Barns of Roca

Abbie and Matt, October 2016 at the Creekside Event Barn in Roca, Nebraska.

If I'm being honest, I can't even count the number of weddings I've photographed.

It's a lot.

I've literally photographed weddings all over the state of Nebraska. I've photographed in Iowa. I've photographed in Colorado. I've photographed in Chicago. You get the idea.

The point is, it's been a lot of weddings and I've been fortunate in that in all of my years I've worked with some really amazing, really great couples.

I've also seen a lot of wedding venues and, unfortunately, I can't say that all of them have been great. Most of the time, they are fine. Some offer inspiring locations for photos, some less so. Some are easy to photograph in, some less so.

Occasionally a venue really stands out for being unpleasant to work with. I won't name any of those here, but just be sure that they make my job less fun than it should be. And sometimes a venue is a really great experience. The location and the staff really make a difference for the better.

Rarely, very rarely, does a venue stand out, does it go so far above and beyond that I stop what I'm doing and just marvel.

Let's jump in a time machine back to 2016...

I was hired to photograph a wedding at a new wedding venue. This is always exciting. Although I've photographed in a lot of places, the majority of weddings I get hired for are in Lincoln and there are only so many different venues in town. But this was a new place, not just new to me, but brand new for weddings. I believe my clients were only the second or third wedding ever at this place.

I couldn't even ask my other photographer friends what I should expect.

This wedding was taking place at a barn called the Creekside Event Barn located on Roca Berry Farm in Roca, Nebraska.

It was October 31st, 2016. My clients were Abbie and Matt.

The day proved to be a challenge from the start. Mother Nature doesn't care about your wedding plans, and in Nebraska she can be particularly cruel.

It didn't just rain for most of the day. There were a few times that I was pretty sure someone was over the barn with a giant fire hose turned on full blast.

In many ways, this was a test.

The previous couple of weddings for this barn's first year were in better weather. It's hard to predict all of the things that can go wrong... until they go wrong. So nice weather can be deceiving.

I was working this wedding with Shelly, from Event Design. She was the wedding planner / coordinator for Abbie and Matt. They were a nice couple. Super fun and really easy going.

I don't remember if they had originally wanted their ceremony to be outside in the ceremony space in front of the barn. Regardless, Mother Nature wasn't having any of it and everything had to happen inside. This required some logistical juggling of tables and chairs to get set up for a ceremony and then after for the reception.

Shelly's used to these kinds of situations. She rolls with it like it's no big deal. That's what she does. She makes it no big deal. What she's NOT used to is the venue bending over backwards to help her with her job. But that's what happened here and the ceremony went off smoothly and then like magic the barn was transformed for dinner and the reception.

If that was all, it would be enough.

At one point the rain really started to come down. We started to worry if we were going to have to abandon our cars and start crafting boats to make it off the farm at the end of the night.

Water started to flood into one side of the barn.

It could have been a catastrophe. It SHOULD have been a catastrophe.

Except it wasn't. Shelly and I were stopped in our tracks as the owner of the barn, Jordan Schaefer, went into overdrive. It's like we were watching a sped up film as Jordan raced from one part of the barn to another, putting down tarps and towels. He was soaked to the bone, but it didn't slow him down.

And here's the thing: He moved so fast, so efficiently, that the guests never even suspected there was a problem. And Jordan did all of this with a smile and with jokes. He just saw the problem and he handled it.

Neither Shelly nor I had ever seen anything like it.

That was when we both knew that this venue was something special. See the thing is that I had photographed in a lot of venues that have their quirks and problems. Just the prior season I had been in a venue where rain was pouring in from a leaky ceiling. The response from the staff? "Just don't sit at those tables if you don't want to get wet." Granted, most venues aren't THAT casual about problems. But most just try to limp through the night and fix it the next day.

Jordan wouldn't settle for that. He wanted to make sure the couple and the guests had a great experience no matter what.

Since that fateful day in 2016, Jordan has opened a second barn - the Pioneer Event Barn - and has continued to improve and renovate both Creekside and Pioneer every year since. Creekside no longer floods when Mother Nature gets angry. Jordan is always pushing himself and encouraging his staff to make every event the best it can be.

But more than that, over the years Jordan has become one of my best friends.

If you've been looking through my site and wondered why I have special packages with special pricing just for couples getting married at the barns at Roca Berry Farm, this is why.

Please enjoy some more photos from the wedding of Abbie and Matt.

Creekside is like a blank canvas with nearly endless possibilities for decorating and arranging.

Getting ready is an important part of the day, which is why all of my Roca Wedding Photography packages include time for getting ready photos.

In the beginning, bride's got ready in the bathroom. The barn has since added a gorgeous Bridal Suite.

I love being able to step away from the action for a few moments to get some photos that showcase the rings.

The first look, that moment when the couple see each other for the first time, is always exciting.

Abbie and Matt didn't let the rain stop them from getting their first look.

The rain really started coming down for the formals. I wasn't going to let the wedding party get drenched, so I posed them under the shelter of the barn doors while I stood in the rain. Having a camera that can handle the weather has saved me on more than one wedding!

A brief break in the rain let us get the entire wedding party in front of the barn.

One of the props I try to keep in my vehicle is an umbrella just for situations like this.

Looking back on these photos, I notice all of the subtle and not-so-subtle updates and changes the barn has gone through over the years.

I think everyone can agree that walking down the aisle is one of the most emotional parts of the day.

One of the most common comments about the barn is "This place is amazing, I had no idea it was even here."

No one wants to miss the moment the couple kisses at the end of the ceremony.

The first dance.

I wonder how many couples feel like the entire world has melted away and it's just the two of them during their first dance?

Everyone knows the reception is when the party really gets going.

Maybe not every wedding has crazy socks. Only the best ones do.

One of the things I like doing when editing the photos after the event is trying to remember what song everyone is jamming out to in any given reception photo.

Another benefit you get from my Roca Packages is that I will remain until the very end of the event.