– The Ballroom at I Street – 

Next up is the stunning Ballroom at I Street in Bentonville. Guys, I’m not exaggerating at all when I say that this is one of the most perfect wedding venues I’ve ever been to. They haven’t been open very long (I have my first wedding there early next year, yippee!), but it’s very easy to see that they’re going to be successful with what they’ve got going on over there.

From the amazing bridal suite (check out those beauty stations!) to the 12 person dining table, to the super manly groom’s room with tons of sweet, masculine touches…this venue is basically everything you’ll need to pull off a gorgeous wedding all on the same property without a hitch. The Ballroom at I Street is actually also a Bed and Breakfast too, so even if you don’t have a wedding in the future you can still go enjoy the space (like I’m thinking: a romantic staycation or girls night?)!

I sent an interview over to Breann and really enjoyed reading all about their vision, their journey and the place they’re in now. So definitely take a few minutes to scroll through these photos and read what Breann had to say!

 

 

What is the name and location of your property?
The Ballroom at I Street- 2202 SW I Street, Bentonville, AR 72712

What is your name and your role at your venue?
Breann Ashford & Danise Smith, co-owners

When was your venue built?
2016

 

Was it always an event space? If not, what was it?
The Ballroom itself is a new building that is an accessory to the B&B house.

If it wasn’t always an event space, why did you choose to turn it into one?
The trees were our selling point to the well known Bentonville home. One step into the back courtyard area where we host weddings as well as receptions will show you exactly what we saw!

When did the property hold it’s first wedding?
Our first wedding was a very sweet couple that was adamant about using the ballroom even though she only saw it during the construction phase, so we tried our best and had their wedding two days before our grand opening on November 13th, 2016. 🙂

Are there any interesting stories about the history of your venue?
The Ford family owned the house for several generations before us and had farm land all around the home. We completely understood their placement of a farm seeing the rich 2 foot deep topsoil!

What is the thing you most commonly hear brides and grooms love about your venue?
Most brides and grooms love the white everywhere and the huge chandeliers! Our showings mostly take place during the day, so they kind of get a surprise with how beautiful the back outdoor courtyard is at night with the vertical lights in the trees.

 

 

What is your favorite thing about hosting weddings?
Our favorite part about hosting weddings has to be that point in the reception where you catch the bride and groom looking at each other, often laughing or just staring into each others eyes with huge smiles, that just exudes pure love and happiness. That is what it’s all about-unifying two people into one. Seeing that God created union represented in person is breathtaking at times.

What is your favorite thing about your venue?
Oh goodness, that is a hard question. We went over every inch of the venue trying to think about each and every bride, how it could help them achieve their dream in any way possible. The basic look of the venue being clean and modern yet classic with a touch of over the top glamour has to be our favorite aspect!

What is your best advice for brides and grooms booking with you?
Use a planner! Most brides and mommas are super talented and can see the vision, but it does our hearts good to see them calm, excited, stress free and not to mention together on their once in a lifetime day! Planners help so much in giving this gift to brides and their moms.

Do you have any plans for growth/updates to the venue?
This is a strength of ours as well as a weakness! We always have plans and visions for the venue and our brides, but some times it would be nice just to sit back and enjoy the fruits of our labor and beauty that came out in the final product. That being said, we have some surprises coming down the pipe!

 

Do you ever host other events?
We do! Corporate events/meetings as well as short term planning parties are so fun. We have a few nonprofit fundraisers coming up that sound super exciting! We are just happy we get to experience some of them on the sidelines like our friend Nancy’s 60’s themed 60th birthday party! 😉

How many weddings do you host per year?
Well we haven’t completed a full year in business yet, but it’s looking like we’ll wrap up our first with around 30-35. Thank goodness for word of mouth as we get busier every month after hosting some fabulous spring and summer weddings.

Any lessons you had to learn the hard way?
Probably too many to list here! Lol! Let’s just say fake rose petals are not our friend, one construction job at a time is ok but 3 is just a smidge too many, and it’s super hard building in city limits but totally worth it!

Were there surprises you didn’t account for that you wish you had?
Hmmm the cost of construction as well as time is takes was definitely a recurring monthly surprise! We are happy we can laugh about all of this now.

 

 

Any memorable weddings or moments that affirmed why you opened your venue?
Yes!!! At the end of each night when the bride and groom are getting ready for their send off and are standing there in the ballroom smiling ear to ear with guests laughing outside on the patio then they look at us often with hugs and say, “Thank you so much, everything was perfect!”

If you were able to have a “perfect” wedding at your venue, what would it look and/or be like?
We’ve had several weddings at this point and you know what? Perfection is unattainable in anything, BUT when you have a love that has brought two people together and their families and friends surround them in a whole other kind of love celebrating together-THAT IS PERFECTION!

Do you have any wedding vendors you recommend (caterers, DJs, planners, etc)?
We have worked with some great vendors no doubt, but we also don’t believe our limited experience should dictate any of our brides choices. We love to share experiences we’ve had and show how great their work is as options to consider when we book a new client.

 

 

 

Visit CorrieChilders.com
Like Corrie Childers Weddings on Facebook | Follow Corrie Childers Weddings on Instagram

Corrie Childers is a sought-after Northwest Arkansas wedding photographer, engagement photographer and proposal photographer. She has a natural passion for classic, timeless wedding photography in an elegant and relaxed style. Corrie is currently booking weddings in Bella Vista, Bentonville, Fayetteville, Rogers, Siloam Springs, Eureka Springs and all of Northwest Arkansas, as well as Little Rock, Dallas, St. Louis, Kansas City and beyond!