ASHLEY STARNES
Owner, Osage House
Osage House is a locally owned wedding and event space located in Cave Springs, with two venues and a chapel on the property. The first venue, The Reserve, opened last July, and the second venue, The Hall, just opened in January.
1. What has changed for your business right now?
So much has changed over the last three months in response to the pandemic. This being our first full wedding and event season has thrown us quite a dual learning curve. Just as we were getting things up and running for the year, everything came suddenly to a halt within one week. Most of our clients have had their event or wedding booked for close to a year at this point, so as many other businesses dealt with the bottom falling out, so did we. We started with what we did know, and went from there. Communication is especially imperative at a time like this, even when we do not have the answers. We came up with a plan of how to help clients who were affected by the closure and restrictions on gathering size, resulting in the postponement of around 25 weddings and events. We did have some clients that held on and moved forward with smaller, more intimate weddings and came to realize how special those times were. Some of those clients opted to move their larger reception/celebration to later in the year and were so happy with the more intimate ceremony time they had with close family and each other. In addition to rescheduling so many weddings and events, we also had to learn to do business in a different way when we were allowed to open. This has been challenging with the constant change in information, and trying to find additional ways to keep people safe at gatherings when so much is out of our control. We have now implemented “Venue Covid-19 Policies and Procedures” at our venue, and have trained our site managers to understand the changes. We are gearing up to reopen to weddings of 150–250 in July and through the rest of the year in relation to the current directives.
2. How are you still helping clients?
In a time like this, the biggest thing we have been able to do to help clients has been to listen and let them know that we are in this together. For many of them, their dream wedding day they had been planning for months has now suddenly changed. Many have had to completely start over in their plans and to top it off, now have to tell guests they have to wear a mask at their wedding. We have been keeping up with the latest information and updates from the Governor so that we have the knowledge to communicate to our clients. The wedding and event vendors we have in this community are outstanding, and have all been amazing to work with to find ways to get things going again. Our main goal has been to keep people safe and healthy, and to support our clients as best we can.
3. How can the Northwest Arkansas community continue to help and support you?
The biggest way the community can help and support right now is by booking weddings or events for the future. Things may look different for a while, but we have found ways to safely move forward and believe things in life should still be celebrated. It gives people something to look forward to in a difficult time, and helps to focus on the good and what can be controlled. The second way that the community can help any local business is to write reviews! These mean so much to us and are so valuable when future clients are looking for what they need in the area.
For more information about Osage House, visit www.osagehouse.com.