Today we’d like to introduce you to Magdalena Jacobo.
Magdalena, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I first bought the property in 2001. It took me one year to renovate the home. I had a cleaning business for I added a master bedroom, sanded and refinished the floor, rebuilt the kitchen, repainted the walls, and added light fixtures. The previous owner was a photographer. I turned the tiny dark room into a laundry room and closet. We did find wedding photos from the photographer, but I didn’t think much about turning the house into a bed and breakfast. Originally, I renovated the home for personal use and wanted a large property for family parties and for my grandchildren, so later I added a gazebo and a pool.
I decided to turn the house into a bed and breakfast in 2008. My son Orlando gave me the idea in the winter. I hadn’t lived in the house for a year because I got divorced and had moved out. He took me to see a bed and breakfast close to Old Town Spring so I could see how they had made put white stones down on the long entrance. We stopped by and talked with the owner. She told us that the bed and breakfast would not make us a lot of money, but that weddings would. That winter, we started making plans to turn the house into a bed and breakfast. We made a website and checked around for prices. We decided to put prices very low so we could get some customers and to also do weddings.
My daughter in law Haydee and son Jose are the facility managers here. Our first wedding was in the summer and was only for 30 people. We had many more weddings that summer and the business got out to a great start. Now we have an indoor wedding hall and do weddings for up to 200 people. In a busy month, we do about 12 weddings in one month. We have a staff of about 20 people, so we have grown quite a bit. We mostly do weddings now but still rent rooms from the bed and breakfast whenever we can.
Has it been a smooth road?
Not at all. I had a lot of debt when I started the bed and breakfast. The crash happened, and I was about to lose some of my other houses. My cleaning business was dying down because cleaning prices had dropped a lot. The county wanted to expand the road in front of the house because it was going to build a big toll-way in the area. I negotiated with them and sold them a piece of my property.
My son Orlando helped me make sure that we kept the large oak trees that were closer to the road. With the money from the county, I built the indoor reception hall. That helped to pick up the business because brides were nervous about renting an outdoor wedding venue with no other options in case of rain. One of the special things about Oak Tree Manor is that we only do one wedding at a time so that brides do have some options.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Oak Tree Manor – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
We are a bed and breakfast and outdoor wedding venue. The main home on the house was built in 1876 by the Wunsche family, one of the German families who settled the area.
We are known for our award-winning live oak and willow oak. The live oak is especially popular for our outdoor weddings. People are always surprised that a place like Oak Tree Manor exists in Spring, TX. It has history, and we are constantly taking care of the property, listening to our customers, and making new additions.
Most recently, I turned an upstairs bedroom into a hair and make-up suite for our brides and bridesmaids. The small farmhouse next to the reception hall is a great place for extra family members or for the groomsmen to gather. It used to be a little barn house where we had Halloween Parties but now is a great place to rest.
One of my favorite things is making breakfast for the newlyweds after their wedding and getting to share that special morning with them before they head off to their honeymoon. I often invite them to come back for their anniversary or when they have their first child. I like them to know that they are part of a family now that they have gotten married at Oak Tree Manor.
Contact Info:
- Address: 5310 Spring Stuebner Rd. Spring Texas 77388.
- Website: www.oaktreemanor.net
- Phone: 281-704-9639 281-851-2367
- Email: staff@oaktreemanor.net
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oaktreemanor/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Oak-Tree-Manor-Bed-and-Breakfast-and-Outdoor-Weddings-296139490403456/
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