Word From the Herd: A Florist Tells All

Alright, folks - it's time for an awesome ideas overload!

Kelly Acock from The Monarch Flower Company has been joining us for our recent Wedding Barn Warmings. Not only is she one of the nicest and most fun people we've ever had the privilege to work with, but her creativity is out of this world!
So, needless to say, we are THRILLED that she is joining us today here on the blog to share some of her favorite ideas from our last open house. 

ENJOY!

Rustic Chic Wedding Ideas 

*Burlap is not just for table runners these days ~ Use strips of burlap table runners to create a darling rustic styled chair cover! Simply fold a section of the edge over back of the chair, wrap and tie. Make banners with scrap pieces and layer on the buffet for additional detail.  Its vintage charm adds texture to almost any setting while being eco-chic when re-purposed after the event into home décor items such as window treatments and pillows.

*Prop tiny vintage accents on layers for a big impact. ‘Layers’ can be old trays, blocks covered in burlap, wooden crates, vases turned upside down and wood slices. 

*Hang mason jars or other tiny vases from candelabra for some fun ~ jars can hold flowers, candles or even candy! 

*Burlap doesn’t always have to lay flat. Simply gather and tie the ends with twine to add some texture and depth to tables and buffet. 

*If it holds water, it’s a vase! This list includes these darlings shown above…vintage spice and medicine jars that are the perfect little detail. 

*Pop a solo cup in a clay jar and voila’ ~ instant vase! You can recreate this lovely layered table with a base of burlap, a few wood slices, and perfectly placed doilies…all completed with a pop of fresh to fit your theme.  I chose hydrangea and garden roses…who could resist?!
We love when people add touches of vintage elements to the event décor, especially when those items hold sentimental meaning such as these doilies made by the grandmother. 

*For your cake table, think outside the box.  For example, wouldn't this wagon that was salvaged from The Historical Benjamin Ranch make an amazing addition as a cake base, holding food on the buffet or holding treats for your guests?!

*These floating barn doors are just the perfect feature for creating an indoor altar, focal point for any décor or backdrop for photo booth! 

*I love to have fun with the buffet display by including old wooden crates, rustic tin buckets and wood slices. 

These crates and buckets are the perfect addition to a rustic buffet at Faulkner’s Ranch. …imagine filled with our yummy food!

A big thanks to Kelly Acock of The Monarch Flower Company for these awesome ideas!  Be sure to check out her website and more of her floral masterpieces right here!

Then come see her creativity and more for yourself at our next Barn Warming Open House on Wednesday, February 26th from 5pm to 7pm.  No reservations required!  Just stop on by, enjoy some delicious food and refreshments, and get a first hand look at our unique venue all dressed up! Wedding coordinators will be available to answer your questions and tell you about all that we have to offer when it comes to making your dream wedding come true!

Have a great day, ya'll!

~ Your Friends at Faulkner's

So, What Do You Do the Rest of the Year?

Each year, the end of October brings the end of our annual Pumpkin Season.  It also brings a question that we get asked again and again...

“So, what do you do the rest of the year?”

Well, today we are going to answer that question for ya'll! 

Immediately after we close our gates for Pumpkin Season, we start to deck the halls for our big Holiday Party events!  This year we are excited to announce that we have two unique holiday packages.  Our Country Christmas Holiday Party Package and our Country Cocktails and Hors D'Oeuvres Package are the perfect ways to treat your employers to a fun-filled evening or afternoon.

We love it when Santa comes to parties!

We also have our Indoor Pony Parties, which are perfect for winter birthdays.

But that's not all!  

All throughout the year Faulkner's Ranch is hopping' with private parties such as reunions, anniversaries, and bar/bat mitzvahs. 

When we're not throwing parties, Faulkner's is the perfect location for your next company meeting or team building retreat!

Nothing like a little goat dressing to rally the troops together!

Plus, did you know that Faulkner's Ranch is one of Kansas City's premier wedding ceremony and reception locations?

Summers are filled with Pony Camp, Ranch Round-Up Educational Tours, and of course, lots and lots of company picnics.

So needless to say - we stay busy!

After all, we like to party! ;o)

Need more info?

Just send us an e-mail or give us a call today at 816-761-5055!  

Have a great day, ya'll!

~ Your Friends at Faulkner's

Word From the Herd: Bugsy Tribute

It might sound silly to do a tribute to a giant inflatable toy, but "Bugsy the Caterpillar" held a special place in our hearts.  Here is Christine with the Word from the Herd on our favorite caterpillar.

When I think of Bugsy, there are so many things that come to mind.  He was the the very first "big purchase" my dad and I made together for the Pumpkin Farm.  We were up in Canada at a pumpkin convention and I made the plunge and bought him.  At the time I was preggers with Glory and I remember being so scared because it was a MAJOR purchase.  Little did I know that I would become so emotionally attached.

Here were are now, fifteen years later.  Literally thousands of kids have crawled through him millions of times.  I have personally sang "This is the way the leaves fall down!"  hundreds of times while I scarecrowed field trips as they waited in line to take their turn crawling through his obstacles.
When we pulled him out for this year's Pumpkin Season, I looked in his eyes and he said, "Christine, I should have retired 10 years ago, but I just love Pumpkin Season so much, I hung on.  Y'all stitch me up and put me out year after year and I have been faithful through the elements and so much more. But I think it's time to retire."  But how could we retire Bugsy?!  To us, he is irreplaceable.  So, we did the best thing we could think of.  We searched online and found one just like him!  Same age, less used and less worn.  Safer, but still just as wonderful!  We sent our go-to guy, Mike Foley, on a road trip all the way to Indiana to pick up our new farm friend.  It sounds like he got quite the treatment:

All of our ranch kiddos have grown up with Bugsy as a part of their fall memories, so it brings so much joy to know that this next generation will get to experience Bugsy in all of his glory!

We Love Ya, Bugsy, old and new!
- Cowgirl Christine

Come play in our new Bugsy now through October 31st at the Pumpkin Farm!  We're open everyday from 10am to 6pm!

Have a great day, ya'll!

~ Your Friends From Faulkner's

Wedding Wednesday: A White Wedding

It's a beautiful day for a white wedding!

Well, the Masters-White wedding that is!

We have been so excited to share with you this wedding.  Besides the fact that we absolutely loved the rustic-chic vibe and the colors they chose, they also had a bunch of details that made it really special.  Their attention to the "little things" really made this an event to remember.  Russ Lawrence made their vision come to life with his beautiful florals and decor.  We tell ya - that man is a genius!

But, before we dive into the gorgeous pictures, here is what Mindi Masters, the mother of the bride, had to say about their evening at Faulkner's Ranch:

"We had a wonderful wedding experience. My daughter had to plan this long distance wedding. (We are from California) . We needed a facility that was affordable, flexible and all-inclusive as needed. The staff was extremely helpful and accommodating. The Ranch theme fit perfect for her dream to have a relaxed and fun wedding. All our guests complimented us on how much fun they had, especially playing the outside games during the reception. The catering and decorations was wonderful too. For any bride who wants a stress free wedding on a reasonable budget, I highly recommend Faulkner's Ranch. I have 2 more daughters who are yet to be married, I would definitely seek their services again."

Thanks Mindi!  It was our pleasure!

Now, on to the photos!

We loved the use of bunting!  It really enhanced the building.

Isn't it beautiful?  So simple, yet it makes such an impact!

The set-up for their first communion was perfect!

Gotta love chalkboards!  They are the perfect touch to any rustic-chic event.  This was a smart idea too!  By asking everyone to leave their address, they will have the current ones on hand for thank you notes.

Guests left their address in Mr. and Mrs. White's mailbox.  Can they get any cuter?

The wedding party looked amazing!  We loved the dresses and casual suits (sans coat).  A simple sunflower helped tie it all together.

We were especially digging the groomsmen's shoes!  Casual, yet classy!  Comfortable too!

Comfortable enough in fact that they could enjoy the zip line before the ceremony.  Crazy guys!

Speaking of the ceremony - it was BEAUTIFUL!  We love how the draping created a clean, elegant altar.  The lanterns on the pavilion ceiling (such a cool idea) were such a neat touch.  They looked beautiful all lit up at night too!

Okay, can we talk about this cupCAKE though!  It's like yellow and white tiered heaven!  Beautiful AND delicious!

The grooms cake was awesome too!  It added a really sweet personal touch.

For any future Faulkner's Ranch brides, yellow is a really good color to choose as one of your accent colors.  It just fits beautifully into the ranch setting.  That's why we loved the pops of yellow in the florals.  They were so bright and fun!

In addition to the stunning florals, some of the tables had these neat lit up trees.  They really added to the ambiance of the night.

Guests didn't go home empty handed.  Nothing like some sweet treats to thank your guests for celebrating with you!

Congrats once again to the happy couple!!!

We felt so honored to be able to celebrate your big day with you! 

Are you interested in having your wedding at Faulkner's Ranch or Benjamin Ranch?  Visit our wedding page for more details!

Have a great day, ya'll!

~ Your Friends at Faulkner's

Word From the Herd: Team Building Ya'll!

Alright ya’ll, can I get a big yee-haw for MMGY Global?! 
After all, they deserve it!  They were such a GREAT group to kick off our team-building season!

The Best Dressed Team - Just to give you an idea of the fun that's in store!

For me, there were a few of things that made this particular group really extra special.

1.  Kim Helwig was here!  We went to LSHS together.  She graduated one year behind me (so of course I made her sign my 93/94 yearbooks!).  It was tons of fun watching her and her co-workers go through our old yearbook checking out just what she was like back in high school.  What is even cooler than that?  Kim then went on to become my Gamma Phi Beta pledge daughter at Mizzou, cirque 1995/96!  She hasn't changed a bit and still knows how to work hard and play hard!  I guess I taught her well :)

2.  There was also another very special guest at the party, our very long lost cousin Seth Faulkner!  Well, there wasn’t actually any real relation, but he was just as fun and friendly as all our other cousins and he fit right in!

3.  I have always had a crush on this company.  It goes way back to when I was wondering what to do with my life.  If I hadn’t ended up at the ranch, I would have loved to have worked in a company like MMGY Global.  Coming up with creative ideas for people would be right up my ally! I love all of the personalities in think tank type companies and this company’s creative ideas for the event were flowing way before they even arrived at Faulkner’s Ranch.  

Speaking of those creative ideas...

The thought and extra mile that the committee put into planning their outing to Faulkner’s Ranch showed!  

1.  They arrived on school buses!  You know I LOVE a company that transports their people to and from the party!  It's such a nice touch.  The planners don't have to worry about giving directions or parking  and the attendees get to sit back and enjoy the ride.  Providing transportation unifies the group right off the bat in turn setting the tone for the event.  

2.  They divided into teams before they arrived.  For our team-building events, we can do it either way.  However, by pre-dividing into teams before their arrive it allowed them time to get into spirit and costume!  I for one loved the signs they were able to print in house and bring for each team.  Such a fun idea!

Can you guess what team this was?

3.  The prizes were worth competing for!!!!  These planners secured gift cards from vendors and clients to places like Amazon, Standard Style Boutique, Anthropology, and Southwest Airlines in amounts ranging from $150 - $500.  First place was well worth milking the cow and dressing the goat - one COMP day!  A paid day off?  Earned by being silly and bonding with my co-workers on a beautiful afternoon at the Ranch?  Not a bad day at the office!  

I had such a blast with MMGY Global!  Can't wait to party with them again!

Gearing up to have some fun!

Mmmmm!

Goat dressing brings everyone together!

Nothing like some cow patty golf! 

The horse collar relay is a good way to get to know your fellow employees!

Fun in the sun with some sand volleyball!

A cow on a horse.  That's new!

Nothing like a game that makes everyone look awkward!

Cow milking requires some serious teamwork!

That’s the Word From the Herd!

~ Christine

Are you interested in having your team building event at Faulkner's Ranch?  Just give us a call at (816) 761-5055 or visit our website for more info!  We'd love to tell you all about how we can bring your office together for a rip-roarin' good time!