Twin Elm Smokehouse
Brisket, burnt ends, cheesy corn. Buffet line set from the bar end.
- Per head
- $21 to $28
- From
- Newton
- Bar
- Yes, licensed
The price of a day in the barn.
Every one of these days gets the same barn and the same crew. A Friday costs you only a few guests who leave work early. So hear it again, my friend. Saturdays here go fourteen months out. Fridays are still open.
| Day | Price | Hours | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, May to October | $7,400whole day | 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. | Books 14 months out. Most of 2027 is gone. |
| Saturday, November to April | $5,600whole day | 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. | The barn is heated. The lawn is not, so plan the ceremony inside. |
| Friday | $4,800whole day | 12 p.m. to 11 p.m. | Thursday evening setup included when the barn is free. |
| Sunday | $4,200whole day | 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. | Ends an hour earlier so Carl’s crew can sleep. |
| Monday to Thursday | $2,4006 hours | Your pick | Rehearsal dinners, showers, retirements, up to 120. |
What comes with the day
- 22 farm tables and 220 crossback chairs, set and struck by us
- 300 feet of string lights on the beams and the lawn arbor
- The tack room for getting ready from 10 a.m.
- Me as day-of coordinator, from first vendor to last car
- A 110-car gravel lot with lit paths to the barn
- Cleanup, trash and the walk-through so your deposit comes back
What you bring
- Food. You hire a caterer from the list below
- The bar, which your caterer or a licensed bartender runs
- Linens, flowers, DJ or band, photographer
- A shuttle. We do not run one. I tell you that plainly
A $1,500 retainer holds your date. Half the balance is due six months out and the rest 30 days before. The $500 damage deposit comes back within a week.
You eat on the oak. You dance in the loft.
The main floor is 48 by 112 feet. It is the original oak, sanded, not shined. Pick a setup. Slide to your guest count. If it does not fit, the drawing tells you before I do.
At 160 guests: 16 tables of ten in four long rows, a 30 by 24 foot dance floor after dinner, and room for a dessert table by the bar.
Main floorDinner for 220 at long tables, or 220 ceremony chairs if it rains.
HayloftBar, lounge and photo corner. Fans, no air conditioning. More on that below.
Tack roomGetting ready for the wedding party, two mirrors, a sink and a lock.
LawnCeremony under the cottonwood, facing west. 220 chairs set by us.
Nine caterers who know the barn.
We have no kitchen contract. We take no cut of anyone’s bill. These nine have worked the barn. They know where the outlets are. They carry the Kansas licenses and insurance. Choose by what you want to eat.
Cottonwood Table
Three courses, served. They bring their own warming ovens.
- Per head
- $48 to $66
- From
- Wichita
- Bar
- No
La Mesa de Lupita
Taco bar with handmade tortillas pressed on site. Guests line up for it.
- Per head
- $18 to $24
- From
- Wichita
- Bar
- No
Harvey County Provisions
Fried chicken family style is the one couples ask for twice.
- Per head
- $34 to $52
- From
- Halstead
- Bar
- Yes, licensed
Brushy Creek Pit
Pulled pork and smoked turkey from a trailer smoker on the lawn.
- Per head
- $17 to $23
- From
- El Dorado
- Bar
- No
Eastborough Events Kitchen
Steak and salmon duet. The fanciest thing ever served in this barn.
- Per head
- $62 to $85
- From
- Wichita
- Bar
- Yes, licensed
Comal y Brasa
Carne asada on the grill, elote, and an agua fresca table for the kids.
- Per head
- $26 to $34
- From
- Newton
- Bar
- Yes, licensed
Prairie Chapel Kitchen Crew
A church kitchen crew from down the road. Lasagna, rolls, pie. Cash or check only.
- Per head
- $14 to $19
- From
- Whitewater
- Bar
- No, and no
Sandrock Mobile Bar
Licensed bartenders, your alcohol, their liability insurance. Last call 10:30.
- Per head
- $9 to $14
- From
- Augusta
- Bar
- That is all they do
Your aunt’s caterer is not on the list? Then we add them. Send me a Kansas food license and a $1 million liability certificate. Pay the $350 kitchen fee. Come out for a walk-through before the date. Two of the nine above started that way.
Listen before you sign.
Better you hear these from me than from a guest. Not one of them has ever cancelled a wedding.
The freight train
The rail line runs a quarter mile west of the lawn. Most nights a freight comes through, between 8:30 and 9. It blows for the crossing. We cannot move it. Half our couples now plan the sparkler-free send-off for when it passes.
July in the loft
The main floor has air conditioning. The hayloft has four big fans, and that is all. A 1916 roof will not hold the ductwork. In July and August the loft runs warm after 9 p.m.
If it rains
Decide by noon. Carl’s crew moves 220 chairs from the lawn into the barn in about 25 minutes, then flips the room to dinner during cocktail hour.
Eleven means eleven
Music down at 10:30, lights up at 11, last car out by midnight. That is the county permit, and our neighbours are dairy farmers who milk at 4.
Where guests sleep
Newton hotels are 15 minutes away. They hold room blocks for us. Wichita and Bel Aire are 30. There is no lodging on the property, and no camping in the lot.
No sparklers
It is a wooden barn, my friend, full of 110-year-old timber. We hand out battery lanterns for the send-off. They photograph better anyway.
“That eight-forty freight has been on time more often than any DJ we’ve had out here. I tell couples to put it on the schedule.”Carl Ostrander, who put the loft floor back in by himself in 2019
Come see it with the lights on.
A tour takes 45 minutes. I give every one of them myself. They run on weekday evenings, so the lights are on. Pick a slot. The day before, I text you the gate code.
Book a tour
Next two weeks. Crossed-out slots are taken.
Kendra and Josh’s planning page
Every couple gets one after booking. This one is theirs, for a Friday in April.
Fri, April 16, 2027194 days to go
$1,500 of $4,800 paid
- RetainerPaid March 2, 2026$1,500
- Caterer confirmedHarvey County Provisions, family styleDone
- Half the balanceDue October 16. Card or check$1,650
- Final guest countLocks March 26, three weeks out~180
- Rest of the balanceDue March 17$1,650
Five things couples ask me.
Can you hold a Saturday while we think about it?
For 72 hours, once. Then it goes back on the board. Someone else is usually asking about that date the same week.
Can we bring our own alcohol?
Yes, as long as a licensed bartender serves it. No self-serve kegs or coolers. Your caterer or a bar service from the list carries the liquor liability insurance, and last call is 10:30.
Is the barn accessible?
The main floor, lawn path and restrooms are level and paved from the lot. The hayloft is stairs only. There is no lift. Better I say so now.
Can we set up the day before?
On a Friday or Sunday booking, yes, Thursday or Saturday evening 4 to 8 if the barn is free. On a Saturday, setup starts at 10 a.m. that morning, because there is usually a Friday wedding the night before.
What happens if we have to change the date?
Move once, free, up to nine months out, to any open date at that date’s price. Inside nine months the retainer stays with us and the rest moves.