In December of 2017, we began dreaming about a way to invest in the lives of those in our community. We believe marriage matters. We believe weddings should be affordable. And we believe that people should live life to the full.
 
With that in mind, we started searching for land with the hope that we might be able to build a space that would help care for people and for marriage. But we couldn’t find anything in the right location, size, or price range. After driving by an 11-acre lot that we liked (that wasn't for sale), we decided to write a letter to the owners asking if they would consider selling. They lived in California, so we knew it may be a long shot, but we went ahead and gave it a try. 
 
A month later, the phone rang. They agreed to sell it to us. Crazy! We officially became the owners of 11 acres of land. Shortly after, we realized we needed 15 acres in order to be able to do the things we wanted to do in our county. Through some crazy circumstances, we were literally given five more adjoining acres and a beautiful driveway.
 
The Brim was born. The county awarded us a 50-year permit to host weddings and events on our 16 acres, along with growing onsite viticulture and having a tasting room.

It sounds unreal, and it felt that way too. A year had passed since the adventure had first started, and we were looking for guidance: what should we build? 

The story gets better: there was a whirlwind trip to Austin (one we'd planned months prior), and an email that turned into meeting a couple, which led to meeting an architect. The couple believed in us enough to write a check to help us get started, and the architect decided to fly to Kansas City and design our wedding chapel.

Everything happens for a reason, and it was becoming clear that The Brim Chapel would be built, it was just a matter of when. 
 
So we got to work. We resurrected a 1951 bulldozer and started leveling out a parking lot. We brought water up from the road, installed an irrigation system, and planted grass seed. 
 
And we put poles in the ground in the dimensions of the future chapel, painted them white, and paved an aisle. We opened early when COVID-19 hit. Our outdoor ceremony space and affordable tent options ended up being just what people needed, and so we hosted 39 weddings in 2020- our first season. Did we mention we have free ceremony options?
 
Our outdoor ceremony space is currently called “Founder's Square” (although we aren't set on that name), and it's a powerful place. Come and see for yourself. 

In February of 2021, exactly two years after our architect put pen to paper and brought our chapel to life, we broke ground. It officially opened on June 15th, 2021, our 8th wedding anniversary. We continue to offer free ceremonies and affordable receptions in this beautiful new space. We also offer a free premarital workshop called Veraison, to help couples start their marriage strong. 
 
We are looking for folks who also believe that marriage matters and who would want to join the journey with us. If you're interested in hearing how you can be a part, check out our Support Tab.

If you'd like to check out more of the past, present, and future of The Brim, visit our YouTube Channel!