Kendra Kasischke – Country Lane Lodge Wedding & Event Venue
This month we were honored to interview Kendra Kasischke, owner of the new Country Lane Lodge Wedding & Event Venue in Adel!
Kendra Kasischke
Nestled amongst 40 acres of beautiful wooded area and Iowa vistas, sits the majestic Country Lane Lodge, Adel’s grand wedding and event venue.
The 8,000 square foot, single story, wooden barn is large enough to seat up to 400 guests for dining, dancing, meetings and more.
When designing the space, Kendra and her team spent time learning what they wanted, needed, and wished for in a venue.
“Unlike some people, it was never a life long dream [of mine to run a lodge.] I have three nieces that grew up in Waukee, that all got married within 3 years. They struggled to find a place, or a place big enough. What few were here [in Central Iowa], could hold about 200 people. One niece had a guest list of 400 and all they could find was ballrooms. Her husband is a farmer and they wanted something rustic, but couldn’t find it. We ended up having the wedding in his father’s new machine shed, and let me tell you it was a whole lot of work to make it look pretty! Three days, of 10 people a day, trying to make it look pretty.”
“One barn my niece got married in was upstairs so we hauled people up and down all evenings, it didn’t have a kitchen to speak of. It was beautiful, and we made the best of it for the evening. Some people like that kind of look and feel. But I didn’t. We tried to take the things we liked about the venues, because there were great qualities in those. We also wanted to include qualities we didn’t see- like a covered car port, lighted parking lot, and USB ports on every outlet. It may not sound like a lot but it is. I’m a firm believer that less is more, thus we keep it pretty simple. But I also know that people may want to hang lights from the poles so we put outlets above all the poles so we don’t have chords lying around from a safety prospective.”
As Kendra was building the lodge, she found that everyone she spoke with was encouraging, even if they couldn’t see her true vision.
“When I was telling people I was building a cabin, or lodge, or a barn out here for weddings, people said ‘great!’, but that’s all they said. When people came back to Country Lane Lodge, to see the size and the scale, there wasn’t a single person that wasn’t shocked. That long road to the lodge sets the stage for what you’re about to see. You pop up from the trees, you get a glimpse of it and ‘Aha! there it is!’ This is exactly what I had in mind all along.”‘
The lodge almost didn’t call Adel home, as Kendra spent the first year searching for the perfect location throughout central Iowa.
“I had kind of given up, I thought I was going with a different property but that didn’t work out. My nieces grew up in Waukee, so when I saw the For Sale sign on the road, and it said Tax Abatement, I thought, ‘that must be Adel.’ You see the growth here, the low unemployment rate, the consistent economy, and you say, ‘there’s a need here.’ I feel in love with the property the day I drove on it. It was shortly after that I put in an offer for it. The City of Adel was excited and accommodating. Fundamentally, they were good through the process. I thought ‘Great! I’ll buy my privacy and my own little secluded piece of land. I bought myself a little island.”
The stately barn was built by 7-8 Amish men, known for their meticulous craftsmanship. Typically, the team is able to complete a barn in 1-4 days. Country Lane Lodge was such a large project it took the team 35 days, over the course of 4 months, which included the wooden finishing work inside the lodge. Much of the building materials and labor were sourced locally, creating a beautiful aesthetic combined with modern amenities to meet the expectations of event planner, brides, and guests.
The tastefully simple Main Room is lit by three stunning chandeliers that create an impressive “Wow!” factor for guests, along with the river rock bar, buffet and drink stations, and a professional catering kitchen with walk-in cooler. The patio area includes a large LP fire pit, a permanent arbor for outdoor weddings, mental benches, and covered overhang.
The Bridal Room offers great lighting with 4 hair and make-up stations for the bridal party, full length mirror and stylist’s chair for the bride, hanging hooks, and a comfortable couch. The Groom’s Loft overlooks the main room featuring natural light, black leather couches, and a linked TV display. This area is also available for small gatherings, such as a yoga class that occupies the space regularly.
“I want to do more than just weddings. In order to do that, you need a state of the art PA system, audio visual, and Wi-Fi for a few hundred people. We included those things on a gamble that’s where the future would go.”
To avoid blowing breakers, or offering insufficient sound to penetrate the room once decorations, linens, and 400 guests had arrived, the AV corner at the front of the room is wired separately, on a bigger amp, for a band or DJ. The venue has regular, wireless, and microphone packs available, with speakers mounted overhead throughout the space.
Kendra is pleased to announce that Country Lane Lodge is already booking into 2020, with plenty of spaces open for events throughout the year. Country Lane Lodge is currently hiring experienced bartenders and event staff to join the team of high quality service providers.
“There are so many things for people in the Dallas Country area that we can help with. It doesn’t need to be 400 people. We’ve got 10 yoga students coming midweek, up in the loft doing their thing. We’ve done events for 40-50 people, and we still make that cozy. We have graduations booked here- one is a single family, another is 3 families going in together. At Country Lane Lodge, there is room for people to think outside the box, and still make it affordable for family and businesses.”
“When I moved here I did not have a professional network. We’ve been very fortunate to get good referrals for reputable people. We’ve been blessed, and we’ve had very good support. The people of Adel have been very supportive- its been a roller coaster of a year and I’d do it all over again!”
Country Lane Lodge
Wedding & Event Venue
Kendra Kasischke, Owner
29300 Prospect Circle
Adel, IA 50003
Phone: (515) 336-9939
Email: Events@CountryLaneLodgeIowa.com
Website: CountryLaneLodgeIowa.com
Facebook: CountryLaneLodgeIowa
