Today we’d like to introduce you to Prianna Staley.
Prianna, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Hey there! Thanks for having us on Voyage Dallas!
We’ve been in the hospitality business for 17 years, actually. When my husband and I got married, we were looking for a place to have friends and family gather around for a few days and enjoy that time without being rushed.
That’s where this dream started. I thought- if being on a farm was this relaxing, why don’t we start a wedding venue in a serene setting, away from the hustle and bustle of the city, but still be close to home, right here in North Texas?
And so, we searched and searched. Then, in 2019, on a much-anticipated family vacation with our parents to Jamaica, we were golfing at the Cinnamon Hill (home of Johnny Cash-hey!), and fell in love with the lush greenery, surrounded by water. We took that as a sign, and around the same time, we found this beautiful 9-acre property with 2 natural ponds minutes away from Lake Lavon, and like they say…. the rest is history.
The Cinnamon Barn was born, and we will be officially opening our doors in January 2023 for weddings, corporate events, and family events!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
I don’t think anyone has a smooth road in anything they do in life- even if they are an expert at something. I say everything is a learning process. Some humbling, some not. However, everything is a blessing in disguise.
COVID hit right after we purchased the land and our projected completion date pushed out by about a year. However, in hindsight, that allowed us to really take the time to fine-tune features of the barn the way we wanted it to ultimately look and feel for our guests and their families instead of being rushed to open our doors.
Secondly, with every new construction built, we are giving tours of renderings and aerial shots until we can physically show a building. While I was worried that would be an issue for most people, every interested wedding party has been able to picture their day solely based on the renderings, which makes my heart happy! You’ll see some pictures and renderings of our barn and current view of construction going on below.
Other than that, we didn’t face anything too challenging. We somehow hit the jackpot and were blessed with a great team of contractors and consultants who helped guide us through this journey, and dedicated every waking moment we had to getting trained, attending seminars, and listening to podcasts, with a goal to be your advocate when you choose us for your day!
As you know, we’re big fans of The Cinnamon Barn. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
I think what really sets us apart is the location of The Cinnamon Barn. We are located minutes from Lake Lavon and the local State Park, off a quiet country road with no businesses around so you really do feel like the whole property is yours!
(Speaking of the whole property being yours- I’m actually not kidding. We only host one event a day so you’ll only see your family and friends that whole day!)
In addition, we’ve added these beautiful barn doors that serve as a backdrop for those perfect “golden hour” pictures that will last a lifetime of memories for you and your family. Our venue comes with a variety of round, rectangular, and farm tables, as well as two types of seating chairs to hold a maximum capacity of 300 guests! Weekend rentals come in a 12-hour block, and weekday events can be rented by the hour.
Finally, (…and probably the most exciting bit) … as we are a new build, we are offering hard hat discounts for the first booked events- weddings, corporate, or even family and social events for 2023, and we would LOVE for anyone interested to reach out to us to hear more about these offerings!
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
Oh COVID… How you’ve changed the world. Remember we were initially going to build right before the pandemic hit? And then literally EVERYTHING was shut down and all gatherings were not allowed?
It sure taught us a lot. We saw friends’ weddings get canceled overnight. We saw families, unable to spend time with each other. We saw families missing milestones. We saw grandparents isolated from loved ones. I think emotionally, we felt a lot.
While any wedding venue is considered a business, the fundamental reason a person builds a wedding and event venue is to have a place where friends and family can gather and spend time together celebrating a happy moment.
What we felt the most during that time wasn’t so much that the venue build got pushed, but how important it was to cherish time with friends and family, to spend the time to celebrate the milestones, to make that drive to see your loved one be happy, and most importantly to create memories together.
Contact Info:
- Email: info@thecinnamonbarn.com
- Website: http://thecinnamonbarn.com
- Instagram: thecinnamonbarntx
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecinnamonbarn
- Other: https://www.theknot.com/marketplace/the-cinnamon-barn-princeton-texas-tx-2059857
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