Magnolia Bend

08/05/2024

Hi FRIENDS!!

We are officially closed for REFRESH.

💪🏽🪡🧹🧺🧽🪣🔨🔧🧰

REFRESH is our annual August closure, allowing us the much needed time to spruce up the property after 12 months of “celebrated love”, aka wear and tear 😆. The building takes a beating all year, and every August gets the spa treatment. 🛁🛁🛁

New linens have arrived, floor resurfacing products have been ordered, and we started on baseboards a week ago. Bar restaining, pew treatments, all on the list. I’ve grown to love this every year.

We are not open to events, but if you don’t mind the paint cans and closet contents on display, we are open to tours by appointment 7 days a week this month! A far cry from our normal Monday-Wednesday touring schedule.

Please contact us directly for tours! Please no drive bys. Appointment only. 💚

08/04/2024

Well IM SOBBING on Sunday morning. Great one to consider for Father/Daughter dance, if you can handle it 🥲

782.8K likes, 7936 comments. “Post Malone's new song "Yours"”

07/31/2024

10 reasons Magnolia Bend should be one of your top venue picks!

⛪️⛪️⛪️⛪️⛪️⛪️⛪️⛪️⛪️⛪️⛪️⛪️⛪️⛪️⛪️⛪️⛪️

10) We really like weddings. Insanely knowledgeable on tradition as well as new trends.

9) We can help save you mega bucks on the bar.

8.) Established in 2019 as one of the original modern Cenla Wedding Venues, we have 100s of weddings under our belt! Approx 230 to date!! The information and experiences we have are priceless.

7) We were the original 3 day venue in the area. We know what we can handle, and we prefer to give our clients all the attention for the weekend. So we rarely book multiple events Thursday-Sunday (special circumstances only).

6) We include a LOT for the price. Parking attendants, bartender, chalk art, venue coordinator, maitre Ds, door greeter, golf cart valet, bridal cottage, chapel, ballroom, accent furniture, dining tables & chairs, linens, decor closet, set up, clean up, etc. That just barely scratches the surface.

5) Our community lodging partners. We have partnered with friends and neighbors to offer lesser known air b&b options and great connections through our favorite hotel!

4) Our business style operates similar to that of turn-key. We have GREAT suggestions, but allow the client to bring in their own vendors, allowing them to stay within budget and cut where they need and add what they want!

3) Our staff is fun. I will be losing a good group of girls soon to college, but they also keep coming back, so we must be doing something right 😎.

2) We are the venue of many firsts and pride ourselves on being innovative and flexible to the clients needs. If we can, we WILL! 😎
….Unless it involves holes in my walls or more scuffs on the floor— then it’s a hard no 😆

1) We are days away from revealing our fun wedding rental collection! We have been collecting fun pieces (hopefully) no one else has, that specifically compliment our space! And if we don’t have what you are looking for, we know exactly who to call for you to get it. We hold great relationships with at least 50 vendors!

07/30/2024

Quick history lesson that directly ties into tradition and design: 🤓

Generations ago, we are going way back, Colonial times, people whitewashed homes and barns. Paint wasn’t always readily available. White buildings were aesthetically pleasing for sure, but more so, it created a safe environment free of mold, bacteria and fungi since those items could not grow on a whitewashed surface. And it had fire retardant properties. Also called lime paint. So Churches adapted it too. Thus, the “little white wedding chapel” was born!

“It’s not dirty. It’s whitewashed”.

Every now and then, I get asked about pressure washing the building. We do not do that to the exterior, because our building isn’t made with cheap siding. It’s wood. It has texture and grooves. And it’s not painted, it’s white washed.

Paint is paint, but whitewash is a mixture of (powdered) lime (bugs supposedly hate it), water, sometimes paint if one was lucky, salt, chalk or even flour.

Whitewash can have a translucent to bright white finish, depending on the concentration of the solution and daylight. It's a popular alternative to traditional paints that can preserve the natural texture of surfaces like brick and wood. You are supposed to see the wood grain through the stain. It’s transparent, also allowing brick to “breathe”. And depending on time of day, can look brighter or darker.

Pressure washing it will not make it brighter, it will wear down the white, exposing the brown wood underneath. Our main two buildings are only 4-5 years old, but we wanted them to appear to have been there for decades, thus the appeal.

With our annual REFRESH beginning this week, we are often asked about pressure washing. We only pressure wash the decks and concrete surfaces in order to reseal. 💚💚💚

Photos below are our 2 whitewashed buildings taken at different times of day and seasons. The darkest being later in the evening. The brightest being mid day when all the photos are taken!
And now you know 😉😎.

07/26/2024

It’s time for our last and final 🙌🏽LET’S TALK🙌🏽 post of the fiscal year.

That’s right. Our fiscal year comes to an end tomorrow, and the new wedding season begins again in September (much like a school year if you think about it. So it seems fitting to post one last time!!

Todays topic is
🙌🏽 WEDDING SHOES 🙌🏽

👠🥿👠🥿👠🥿👠🥿👠🥿👠🥿👠🥿

I will never not think a Bride needs a beautiful pair of heels, so we will not be covering western bridal boots or tennis shoes here, at this time. But I have seen some good ones over the years. 😏 Maybe a part 2 post later…

We will be covering the most popular formal styles of today and a few from the last 20 years, the dupes, ultra high end $$$$, high end $$$, and mid range $$ pricing. And I’ll sneak my own in there from 2014 just for fun. It is a testament of “trends of the time” for sure😆. Let’s see if anyone can guess mine.

1. Jimmy Choo , Ari, aka “the Cinderella shoe”. This was the biggest wedding shoe on the planet a few short years ago, for good reason, inspiring a million knock offs.
$$$$Ultra High End.

2. Jimmy Choo, Sacora 100, aka “the Pearl one”. Not to be confused with #5, more on that later.
$$$High End.

3. Badgley Mischka, Kiara Crystal Back, peep toe. What a classic. The lines are just beautiful.
$$Mid range.

4. Badgley Mischka, Cher Embellished Pump. This large embellished buckle style first made famous by Carrie Bradshaw and her wedding day Manolo Blahniks, only deep sapphire blue on the show…
$$Mid range.
(Manolo Blahnik version $$$High end).

5. THE DUPE. lol. Although I have to say, in these times, this looks like an excellent reproduction. You may not have a single pearl left at closing time 😆 but at $15 from shein, it’s a decent gamble!

6. Something Bleu. The Caitlin. Perfectly on trend in 2024 for us Bridgerton fans, floral fabrics are really having a moment! Love the bow detail.
$$Mid range.

7. Betsy Johnson, Blue Line, The Gold Chic. Love this one, Betsy Johnson has a fabulous line of affordable wedding shoes!! Available in many department stores.
$$Mid range

8. Jimmy Choo, Evelyn, glitterati. Hey now, Paris and Nicole would have approved. Every party girl of the 2010s were after these. I believe these were circa 2012 😎
$$$High end for the time.

9. Christian Louboutin, “the satin bow heels”, because I can’t recall the official name; but let me tell you, these came in every color of the rainbow and led the 2000s on red carpet events. To this day, they may be my favorite formal shoe ever created. Circa 2006ish if memory serves me right. I was obsessed with black, cream (pictured from eBay), royal blue, and hot pink.
$$$$Ultra high end for the time.

07/26/2024

07/25/2024

07/21/2024

Summer Summer Summertime ☀️🌳🌈

Magnolia Bend

07/19/2024

Things have been quiet at The Bend the last few weeks. We both love and hate our slower season. But the fresh interior paint has been busted out, the fresh stain purchased, new linens ordered, all in lieu of our annual August REFRESH festivities and in preparation for the Fall season!!! Are you ready Fall girls?!

🍁🍁☕️☕️🎃🎃. Because WE ARE!!!

TikTok’s are a-coming 😆

🔨🔨🔨🔨🔨 🪚🪚🪚🪚🪚 🎨🎨🎨🎨🎨

07/15/2024

Attn Colfax!!!

Contact Timika Price for questions
(318) 407-0871

07/15/2024

The big English Garden/ Bridgerton styled shoot we had scheduled for Saturday was postponed until September.

Will make new posts with details in coming days. 2 major players needed to reschedule or drop out and changing the date seemed to be the best solution given the size of the shoot.

I believe Monica sent word via email to the vendors, but probably not the models we had in mind. Apologies

Please stay tuned.

07/12/2024

SPRING 2025!

Let’s GOOOOOOO Brides to be!

April is booked out.

Jan and Feb still have availability, discounted due to low season!

March and May will be the next to book completely for those wanting a gorgeous Spring Celebration, but some dates still open!

Do not wait to start touring our local venues! We all have a lot to offer and Spring wedding weekends compete with proms, graduations, Mardi Gras krewes and holidays for coveted weekends!

Judging by the last two years, by September of this year, most if not all Spring weekends will be taken 💚

07/11/2024

Welcome to Magnolia Bend!
Pineville, La

Located 10 miles from downtown Alexandria, straight down the Pineville Expressway/167N, on the Grant and Rapides Parish line.

🥇*Established in 2019, we pride ourselves on being Louisiana’s first Open Air Chapel (debuted in 2020)

🔑*Practically turn-key as far as venue spaces go, while still allowing the client the flexibility of choosing the wedding vendors within their budget and vision.

⛪️*Offering Chapel, Ballroom, private Bride and Grooms quarters on site, as well as Bridal Cottage for lodging for one price, seasonally based.

⛺️🎣🦌*Man Camp is available for sleeping 6 guests on stocked pond with gorgeous views of wildlife, and brand new tiny home AirB&Bs are now available only 1/10 of a mile away! All lodging is optional, and included in tours in order to offer them to guests.

🗓️*3 day access since opening, making your wedding our only focus of the entire weekend

🚗*Golf Cart Valet for elderly from Ballroom to Chapel

🥃 first to implement BURYING THE BOURBON

🍽️ first to implement Private Dining option

🪞🪩🕯️*Decor Closet for last minute additions

🛋️🖼️ simple rentals available nearby JUST ASK!

🪟*200 year old stained glass windows throughout event spaces

🎨 *lettering and chalk art provided

👯‍♀️*friendly (dancing) staff 😂

🍰 *cake cutting

🪑🍽️🛋️*All dishes, linens, and furniture onsite included

🅿️* Parking attendants

🍷*Bar Service

👩🏻‍💼*Venue Coordinator for rehearsal, ceremony, and reception included- available at beck and call for questions

💪🏽*Set up provided

🧹*Clean Up included

🗓️*Sunday Morning personal item pickup available

*Discounted low season months, Firefighters, and First Responders.

Due to design and perfect natural light, our space is the perfect blank canvas for your Elevated Rustic, Modern Glam, Traditional, Bohemian, and Whimsical Weddings.

Our tours are thorough and cover nearly every aspect of your day; along with solutions for all your unanswered questions.

Contact us today for information or see our webpage at www.magnoliabendweddings.com

07/10/2024

Photos by Natalie’s photeaux company LLC

07/10/2024

OK OK. So hard. I had to pick my favorites out of 100s of perfect photos, but for the sake of not losing an audience…. Sigh… I want to post them ALLL.

Check these out.

Leeann and Joey, the pleasure was ours.

⛪️Magnolia Bend
💐 Reine Flower Co
📸 Natalie’s Photeaux Company LLC

07/10/2024

07/10/2024

WHEW!!! GORGEOUS PHOTOS!!! EACH ONE IS SO GOOD!!!

07/07/2024

The most AMAZING thing happened today.

Our loft stained glass windows has long been one of the best features of our ballroom. Countless bridal portraits, the streaming sunlight through the filtered glass in the evenings, the joy of giving them new purpose… I remember the day we picked them up!

You see, they are nearly 150 years old. My information is a bit quilted, patched together by my own Google research, the information the auction company gave the couple we acquired them from, and photos.

St James Cathedral, once stood as the first black cathedral in Chicago, Illinois (unproven but still fascinating), on the South Side for all you Shameless fans. But due to lack of funds, it was sadly demolished in 2012. It was cheaper to build a new facility a few blocks over, rather than repair this historic American Gothic beauty. They simply do not build like this anymore. That feels like a crime. 💔😢 The community salvaged what they could, and somehow, these ended up being the crown jewel of Magnolia Bend, right here in tiny South Grant Parish/Tioga community.

Today, I showed the venue to a prospective couple. The Bride-to-be brought her Mother. She gazed at the windows as I gave a quick history. I had the strangest feeling, but in a good way. Her Mom stared at the windows, and asked quietly, never taking her eyes from the windows, “what did you say the name of the place was?”… then she and her daughter exchanged glances.

😳 MY FRIENDS… SHE RECOGNIZED THEM!! She went to Catholic School there as a very young child!!!!! She was a Chicago native!!! And now lives here in Cenla. They had family in Mississippi, so she’s been in the South quite some time. I had chills, I wanted to jump up and down with excitement, but I tried to stay professional 😆 in fact I almost cried.

And, the couple booked! But that’s not even the exciting part. 🤩 Below, I have photos of our loft, the original St James as it stood prior to demo, and the empty lot, which is all that remains now. 💔

We are grateful to have been given the chance to let them shine once more! How awesome that we proudly have a small piece of American History displayed right here in Grant Parish for all to enjoy!

07/05/2024

📸Kari McGee Photography

07/03/2024

Now that the bulk of our Summer events are over… we have just one very special wedding weekend left in July 😉; we are getting ready for August’s annual REFRESH, and drawing up plans and ideas for our annual SANTA WEEK!

No groans please 😆. We, the Christmas loving club, only have 16 weeks to get it together. Thus, the planning time is now! Each year, Santa Week grows, and where I once thought our biggest community contribution would be weddings, Santa Week really gives weddings as a whole, a run for the money!

Each year, Santa Week is hosted the week of Thanksgiving break. We are proud to be Santa’s FIRST public stop of the season, leaving you plenty of time to have photos edited and Holiday cards sent out!! Plus it may give parents a full month of extra nice behavior. Most kids aren’t risking that list! 😆

Typically Wednesday (🦃 day eve), Friday (Black Friday), and Saturday (small business Saturday).

Our main Santa set stays the same or similar with the big man 🎅🏽 at the center of it, but our smaller supporting sets change or rotate every year!

We have done Cajun Christmas House, Victorian parlor, Victorian open sleigh with reindeer and snow, Santa’s mail room, Mrs Claus’s living room with books, Night Before Christmas bed, stockings on the stair nook, a variety of smaller configurations, and last year we had a very grumpy Grinchy visitor to valet families to the door 😆. As always, the most delicious cocoa with all the trimmings served at the end!

This event is like no other, and it gives us great pleasure and joy to bring it back each year.

We strive to put on a TRULY affordable, family friendly, family focused, memorable tradition each year for the Parish. And nowadays, we pull from all over the state!

Even as our young and familiar faces get a little older each year, their chubby cheeks slim down, and our babies get a little wiser, 😭, we hope to continue to see them until they are old enough to work the event with us! The ORIGINAL KIDS 😉. You know who they are! And we welcome all the new additions and new to us families!!

I have thousands of Santa pics, but here are just a few I have right here on my phone from last year!

Thank you to the families who allow us to put this on every year. Thank you to the families that support our efforts, and for sharing your babies with us every Thanksgiving!

See you guys in 4 months!!

Edited to add: we have ideas for 2 new sets. If anyone has any requests for old sets to come back, please let us know!

07/03/2024

07/02/2024

😆

Ohhh, Destinee and Trace's wedding previews...I just don't think you guys are ready.

07/01/2024

Venue: Magnolia Bend
Florals: Where Wishes Come True

07/01/2024

🧑‍🎨 artist: Sarah Arnold