Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrea Peoples.
Hi Andrea, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I have always dreamed of owning my own wedding venue and my handsome hubby of 33 years has always wanted to go back to the country and at last our dream has come true. After raising our 3 daughters In Katy Texas, we started looking for our forever home in the country. We knew we wanted to start a venue, so I started our company and we picked a name…Country Oaks. The property we now own was on our route from Katy to the country and we watched the owners transform these 40 acres into the most magical and beautiful grounds we had ever seen. My husband, Keith said as we drove by one day in 2016, “Some day, when we own land that’s what I want our property to look like”. Five years later, while driving back home after a weekend in the country with family I saw it…a FOR SALE sign! I quickly looked up the listing. The next words out of my my mouth were, “Keep driving, there is no way we can afford that!” Over the next coupled of week I could not get the property of out my mind. I had it saved on my phone and looked at it 10+ times a day. Come to find out my husband was doing the same. We decided to just go look in person and take it from there. Once we arrived on the property I felt this amazing feeling we were supposed to be here. We had the grand tour on a golf cart. We went on trails in the woods, walked on the covered bridge and foot bridge, stood under 100+ year old oak trees that would take your breath away. I already knew that the owners used it for a venue due to the tables and chairs I saw in the photos. All Keith could see was the trees, lake and wildlife. Now I am a talker as you can gather from this long story however, I could not hardly speak on our tour because every time I tried to say something emotions would well up inside me and I would start to cry. They must have thought I was wacko! We left feeling like this was it! We had finally found our place. I quickly got to work on our Business Plan and presented it to the bank only to get a NO. This was October of 2021, and we all know that 2020 put a big damper on social event venues. My husband and I are strong Christians and we knew God was telling us this was it. We even had the name of our soon to be venue before we found the property. We had to have the oak trees. A couple of weeks later we found a wonderful banker that believed in us and truly went to bat for us. 11 months later the property was ours. We have been the proud owners of Country Oaks since September of 2021.
We are truly blessed to be able to share our beautiful grounds and venue with all of you.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Once we were moved in, we started with renovation designs and changes almost immediately. The existing reception barn aka “Party Barn” was just a metal barn. We knew we needed to raise it up for the views and we needed more space inside. The next two years were filled with long day, even longer nights in the Texas heat. We had a company from Houston called Planet 3 Elevation come in and raise the barn 5 feet. This was and exciting process. Then we painted and built decks. The next year we added 1500+ sq. ft. which included a Bride Room, Groom Room, Bathrooms, Bar area, and my “Something Borrowed Closet”. This was a game changer for your clients and guests. My husband has been in construction for years so we did a lot of the work ourselves in the evenings after our “Day Jobs”.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Throughout my entire working career I have always been a project manager in some capacity. Running an office, running a construction job, putting on events, I even did 4 wedding before owning a venue. You could say I am an organizer at heart. After raising 3 daughters I can manage anything! Customer service is my specialty when putting on an event. I pay attention to the details and make sure everything works as ordered. I treat people as I would like to be treated. With respect, understanding and professionalism.
What makes you happy?
What makes me happy is seeing the look on the guests faces as they arrive at Country Oaks. Once they see the grounds they are in awe of the splendor. My husband and I like to say ” we are professional wedding crashers”. By the time there is a wedding at our venue we have know the clients for several months if not over a year. They have become family. I cry at every wedding…yes everyone.
We are happy that we have something for every budget. We keep our prices lower than most venues because we don’t feel you should have to take out a lone to have the weddings of your dreams. We also have a “Something Borrowed Closet” with hundreds of décor items that our clients can use absolutely FREE. My husband like to say “there are no hidden fees at Country oaks. Oh yes and we provide all the ice as well.
Seeing couples have an elegant wedding on a budget and still be able take that honeymoon or buy that first house makes us happy!
Pricing:
- Friday $5,000.00
- Saturday $6,000.00
- Sunday $4,000.00
- Micro wedding negotiable
- Family & Corp. Events negotiable
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.countryoaksvenue.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/CountryOaks
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CountryOaksVenue
Image Credits
All photos take by Country Oaks owner.
