Willow Creek

Home
United States
Shelby, IA
Willow Creek

Willow Creek We are one of a kind wedding and reception venue located near the Omaha metro. Our facility is surrounded by native wild flowers, grasses and trees.
(425)

We are a unique wedding and reception facility located just 25 minutes east of the Omaha/Council Bluffs metro. The beauty of our glass chapel is that you feel like you are having an amazing outdoor wedding but you are in the comfort of a climate controlled building regardless of what cards Mother Nature deals you on your special day. Your guests will appreciate the convenience of our reception space just a short (and very beautiful) walk away!

01/09/2025

One of the questions we often get while conducting tours for couples is if we are a pet friendly venue. The answer to that question is YES!

Please click on our link below in the comment section to read our blog post on this subject for more information.

01/05/2025

“The best thing to hold onto in life is each other”- Audrey Hepburn

Photo courtesy of Alicia McIntire Photography

01/04/2025

Over the years we have seen a big shift in how couples go about their wedding & reception. Back when we first started doing this, everything was very traditional. You’d have the wedding, dinner and dancing. Pretty simple. Nowadays couples are stepping it up big time to create experiences that typically weren’t part of a wedding day in the past.

Have you ever thought about having a traveling tattoo artist at your wedding reception? How about a caricature artist? What about a karaoke jam? Ever consider a scavenger hunt for your guests? How about circus performers? That’s right, weddings have evolved a lot over the years to create unique experiences for guests that will have them talking about your wedding for years to come.

One of the most unique add ons I think we’ve ever seen was when a couple hired a professional company to provide a mechanical bucking bull for their reception. I’m not kidding!

Have you ever been to a wedding reception with a unique add on outside of the norm? If so, please tell us about it!

01/03/2025

According to search engines such as Google, the most sought out wedding venues for couples right now are unique, unusual and unexpected. Current research shows that more couples are choosing venues that have stories or character associated with them, over traditional country club or ballroom style wedding venues. In short, couples are looking for something more than just a building with four walls & a roof.

Our farm has now been in our family since March 4, 1893. This coming March will be 132 years now for anyone doing the math. The stories that our property can tell are endless. From gypsies traveling through and watering their horses in the creek to lightning traveling through one window and out the other during a storm in the original farmhouse. Each story holds its own unique history that will forever be a part of our farm.

My parents chose to add to the history of our farm by having the Glass Chapel built. In 2004 we started booking weddings and in 2005 hosted the first one. Maritza and I ended up buying the chapel from my parents and have been adding to the property ever since. For the past 15 years we’ve continued to expand upon the grounds by adding more buildings, nature trails and tons of boardwalk paths and a bridge that crosses the pond. We’ve even added an outdoor ceremony space and now have plans for lodging. The barn that we built for wedding receptions was even built by using as many recycled materials as possible that were gathered from other old farm buildings. From Wiota, IA to Creston, NE we gathered materials until we were able to build what you see today. In total there are bits and pieces from 11 different old buildings and barns used to make that one building.

Being unique is something we’ve always desired to be. Choosing the same path as others has never been part of who we are and this is a trend I hope to continue on the farm for as long as I live and to one day have our own children make their mark upon the farm as well.

If you’re interested in doing something outside the norm of a typical wedding venue, look no further. We are currently booking for the 2027 wedding season so if you’d like to schedule a tour with us, please contact us and we’d love to schedule a time for you to come see our place in person!

01/02/2025

1st annual Alpaca Days coming this July.

01/01/2025

Once a couple books their wedding with us they receive our preferred vendors list. This is a list of vendors that we’ve worked with hundreds of times over the years and that we have confidence in when it comes to taking care of our couples. With that said, we don’t require couples to use any of our preferred vendors. We feel that this is the couples special day so we want them to have the freedom to choose vendors that match up best with their wants & needs. If a couple chooses to go outside of our preferred list, there are some things we’d like to help them look out for when choosing a vendor.

Over the next few weeks we’ll be spotlighting each particular category of vendors and what to look for when making your decision. Today we’re going to focus on catering. For many couples, the food that is served during their reception is top priority.

Key points to consider:

1.) Assess if the caterer offers a variety of dishes that align with your event theme, dietary needs, and taste preferences.

2.) Prioritize a caterer with high quality ingredients and excellent food presentation.

3.) Check if the caterer is willing to customize menus to meet your specific requirements.

4.) Look for a caterer with relevant experience catering events similar in size and style to yours.

5.) Compare quotes from different caterers to ensure the price aligns with your budget.

6.) Schedule a tasting to sample the food and assess its quality before committing to a caterer.

7.) Carefully review the contract to understand pricing, cancellation policies, and other important terms.

8.) Last but not least, choose a caterer that has an open line of communication. A caterer who truly cares about your wants and needs will be prompt and prepared to answer any questions or concerns you may have.

The picture below is from a wedding we had at our place last August. Who else loves an incredible charcuterie board?!

12/30/2024

Good morning everyone! I know it’s been a little while since we last posted but we have good reason for that. Over the past month we’ve been incredibly busy and blessed in ways we weren’t expecting.

Our 2025 & 2026 wedding season is now officially all booked up! At this time we are now only conducting tours and taking bookings for our 2027 season. If this works for you we would love to schedule you for a tour!

Don’t forget about our upcoming Open House this Spring. We’ll be announcing the date in the next couple of months with all the details. We hope you have all had an incredible holiday season and we wish you all a very prosperous and happy New Year.

11/28/2024

We are beyond thankful on this Thanksgiving day. From our employees to our couples that choose to celebrate one of the happiest days of their lives with us. We hope that your day is blessed.

Thank you!

11/22/2024

When you’re asked to officiate a wedding during the off season in a tropical location out of the country, what would you do? Well, I said YES of course!

It was an absolute honor to play such a big part in this couples special day and to get an opportunity to get to know their families while we were there was amazing. It was a little over a week of unlimited fun, sun, food and drinks. After a very busy wedding season for us this year, a little R&R was just what the doctor ordered.

Congratulations Kelsey & Brett!

11/21/2024

For several years now we have been very supportive of all the local schools in our surrounding communities by offering our venue to any who wish to use it for their prom. With that said there is one school in particular that is near and dear to our hearts. It’s the school in which all five of our children attend. Today their school played for the state championship in football for the first time in school history.

Well….

We are beyond proud of the parents, teachers, coaches and players for everything they’ve done this year to make this happen.

STATE CHAMPIONS!!!!!!

P.S. Let’s do it again next year!

11/14/2024

Good luck today boys!!!

11/09/2024

The weather tried to rain on our parade, but nothing could dampen anyone’s spirits today!
The guys even enjoyed themselves outside prior to pictures - a great way to burn up some energy and get rid of any pre-wedding jitters.

Despite the rain that started the day, it was a perfect blend of fun, love, and peaks of afternoon sunshine.

Congratulations Kylee and Keenan!

11/07/2024

Only one more time watching the sun come up over the ridge down here - our season is almost done!

We’ve got a lot of exciting things planned for our off season and part of that means we will be unavailable this month from the 11th through the 21st for tours. If you’ve been wanting to come do a tour of the property make sure you snag one of our remaining times before then!

11/04/2024

Saturday’s bride had attended her cousin’s wedding eight years ago and knew back then that this is where she wanted to have her own wedding. We love hearing stories like this 🥰

Congratulations Zandria and John!

10/30/2024

Sunday wrapped up our October weddings in the best way possible!

The massive ceremony alter made by the groom’s dad made a beautiful backdrop for the ceremony. And vibrant, dried leaves made for the perfect exit at the end. 🍂🍁

Guests got a nice surprise when the bride and groom gave them a swing dance lesson during the reception and then a chance to put it to use!

Congratulations Shaylee and Payton!

10/27/2024

Yesterday’s wedding was perfect! So many personal touches that made the day so special for everyone there. From the cupcake bouquets at each table (made by the couple!) to a doggie treat station so guests could take home something to their pets. And let’s not forget some more specialty cocktails named after the couple’s pets! The festive fall flavors were a hit!

Congratulations Christine and Nathan!

10/21/2024

Fall weddings 💛🧡♥️

10/20/2024

😍😍😍

Address

4066 325th Street
Shelby, IA
51570

Website

http://www.willowcreekglasschapel.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Willow Creek posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Videos

Looks like I made an unexpected new friend this morning. Glad I had my phone in my pocket. (sorry about the slow motion video. Hit the wrong button)

We’re getting the property ready for tomorrows wedding and as I’m crossing the bridge over the pond I notice this little one grabbing a quick drink.

As promised, here are the winners for those not currently booked with us: $250 - Briana Overhue $500 - Molly Burke $750 - Pam Woodward Congratulations to the winners and thank you again to all who stopped out today!

Thank you so much for everyone that stopped out today at our Open House. It was a great turnout! Lots of questions regarding lodging, but we’ll be addressing that very, very soon. In the meantime, we know many of you are anxious to hear the winners of our drawings! (Don’t mind our very vocal turkey in the background!) Here are the winners for our currently booked clients: $250 - Beth Zimmer $500 - Anh Hoang $750 - Olivia Reynertson The winners for those not currently booked with us coming up as soon as we get the video uploaded!

Our off season is typically spent working on projects and catching up on odds and ends tasks. Today we took a break from work and it was simply amazing. Almost 3 hours spent outside sledding (and apparently me laughing 🤣). Sometimes you have to take what you’re given (in this case snow and freezing temperatures) and make the best of it. We made memories together as a family that we will probably still laugh about years from now.

I (Maritza) was sent this video from my brother this past week of him doing a duet with my niece. He has always wanted to record them when she was in high school, but never got around to doing it. Now that she is home from college and having ample time on his hands, he saw the opportunity to accomplish this goal. It has brought me much joy in listening to it and so I’m passing it on to you. Enjoy! *There’s a reason my brother is known as crazy Uncle Karl in our family, as you’re sure to see in the beginning and end of the video!

Another beautiful day for a wedding.

Having a nice steady rain this morning and then clearing off to what looks to be a beautiful afternoon. I hope you’re all having a great weekend!

Just doing some cleaning to get ready for the day. I can’t begin to tell you how peaceful it is out here this morning. Don’t forget, coming soon we’ll have around two miles of this along with a bridge crossing the creek, gazebo, etc. I hope you are all having an awesome weekend!

Just a nice day to go for a stroll and listen to the birds sing as well as the sounds of the creek flow over a beaver dam.

Shortcuts

Our Story

In 1893 Shane McCool's great, great, grandparents bought the Zolck family farm from the railroad on which now sits Willow Creek. The creek however has nothing to do with how the McCools came up with the name. We’ll get to more of that later though. To this day there have been six generations of family that have lived on the farm. Shane McCool even recalls his Great Grandfather telling stories of traveling gypsies and Indians coming through to water their horses in the creek when he was a child. If the dirt from this farm could talk it would tell stories of love, family, hard work and helping one another out in times of need. The stories that the farm could tell truly are endless.

It was in 2002 that Gene & Peg McCool came up with the idea to construct a wedding chapel on their family farm for couples to have a unique country location to get married. They chose a spot nestled at the bottom of the valley of rolling hills right next to a creek. Shortly after deciding to go ahead with the project is when construction began, but of course they needed to come up with a name to call the business first. Within a matter of minutes the McCools came up with the name Willow Creek. When Shane played high school basketball he used to play against a little town named Willow Creek. It was a name that the family had always loved and it was at that moment that they would be known as Willow Creek as the umbrella for the Willow Creek Glass Chapel & the Willow Creek Barn as well as the future Willow Creek Trails.

Gene, Peg and their son, Shane, began construction on the bridal cottage first and then the bridge from that building to the chapel. Soon after they poured the concrete for the sidewalks. Peg was in charge of doing most of the landscaping with flowers, trees, etc. Gene hired a construction company to construct the majority of the chapel, although the McCools put their fair share of work in on that as well doing finish work - even recycling & refinishing old pews from a church in Missouri that are in the chapel to this day.

It was in 2009 that Shane and his wife Maritza took over running the day to day operations of the business full time after Gene & Peg took on a new business venture that took them away from the wedding business. It was in 2011 that Shane & Maritza began construction on a banquet hall which soon got a name change in 2012 to the Willow Creek Barn. During construction of the barn, Shane & Maritza received a hard hit when an early April 2012 storm came through, accompanied with near 70mph straight winds that ripped a good portion of the roof off. Six of the next eight days after that they received rain, and lots of it, which poured inside the barn destroying the flooring. Although they were down and out, they continued moving ahead with their project never letting anything get them down.

The whole idea behind the Willow Creek Barn started when Shane tore down some of a barn off of his Uncle's farm years ago that was going to be bulldozed over and burned. He constructed a couple of pieces of furniture out of the wood he reclaimed and it got him to thinking that you could probably build nearly an entire building out of recycled materials if you really put the effort in to it. Shane began with tearing down an out building on a friend's farm close to home. After that he was getting stuff here and there and even spent every waking moment he could driving all the way back and forth numerous times to Creston, NE reclaiming material from old farm buildings. Eventually he had enough to finish out the inside the way he wanted to and at the same time reclaim as much material as possible to give it a second life. About half of all you see on the inside of the barn is recycled/reclaimed material and is an accumulation of eight different buildings ranging from Wiota, IA to Creston, NE.

Despite nearly having their dreams sidetracked by a bad bit of weather, the McCools moved on and have not only completed this project, but have added on another 2600 square feet of deck and a bridge that spans across the pond to an open air outdoor area for couples to say their "I do's". Couples now have two options of where to get married - indoors or outdoors. They are now in the process of adding over two miles of boardwalk pathways for closer access to nature throughout the property that the business sits on. You won't find a location as unique as Willow Creek and you won't likely find anyone quite as hardworking as the McCools either.

When you come to visit Willow Creek you are in the country and there is no doubt about that. There is dirt, dust, mud and there are even things that could poke, scratch, sting or bite you. If you're really lucky on just the right day, when the breeze is blowing perfectly, you might even get a good whiff of pig manure in the air. Along with all of those things though comes a great deal of beauty and serenity on the property that you will not find anywhere else. Shane & Maritza are a laid back couple that up until the 2018 season did nearly everything themselves other than a few jobs that were necessary to hire out. Now they employ several people from the surrounding communities. They believe that marriage should be based on love, helping one another out in times of need, and a great deal of hard work. LOTS of hard work. With that lies the foundation to begin a family. For those reasons is why they choose to do what they do for a living.

Aside from the slight possibility of something maiming you out in the wilds of the country or getting your car a little dusty on a couple miles of gravel roads getting to Willow Creek, Shane & Maritza hope that everyone that spends their day with them has a remarkable time and they hope to see all of you that visit come back again and again for many decades to come.