Metropolitan Weddings Podcast
Metropolitan Weddings Podcast
Meet The Wedding Pro- Regina with Heritage Chapel
Regina Rorrer of Heritage Chapel in Willard, Missouri takes us on a virtual tour of her historic wedding venue, showcasing the perfect blend of tradition and modern celebration in a beautifully preserved 1887 church.
• The chapel features original 100+ year-old floors, beautiful pews, and historical architecture with hewn beams likely milled on-site
• Versatile spaces include the historic chapel for ceremonies, a twinkling light-adorned courtyard for outdoor gatherings, and a banquet room for receptions
• Accommodates up to 200 guests with most weddings averaging 130-160 people
• Well-designed bridal and groom suites include private bathrooms, with the bridal suite featuring a covered private entrance
• Full-service kitchen surprises caterers with four ovens, two refrigerators, and ample prep space
• Flexible booking options include DIY rental or comprehensive décor packages without nickel-and-diming for individual items
• Rich local history includes connections to the old Willard Hotel where Bonnie and Clyde reportedly stayed
• Playful ghost stories add character to this historic venue where unexplained candle-lighting has occurred
Follow @heritagechapel on Instagram for impromptu open houses - stop by, book same day, and receive $200 off your wedding package!
Welcome to Metropolitan Weddings. I'm Meg, I'm Dawn, and we are here to educate couples with information from wedding professionals in the industry.
Speaker 2:Our goal is to make the wedding planning process as seamless as possible by providing you with insight from industry professionals.
Speaker 1:Okay, couples, let's get this party started. Hello listeners, we are here today with a wonderful venue that we love the owners of, and we want to get to know them more.
Speaker 3:Regina, will you introduce yourself and your venue? My name is Regina Rohr and we are Heritage Chapel. We're located in Willard. It's about seven minutes, depending on how fast you drive out of Springfield.
Speaker 1:Those roundabouts will slow you down.
Speaker 3:They do.
Speaker 4:They do slow you down, not if you just drive over the top of them.
Speaker 1:That's true. That is a way around that, just go straight through.
Speaker 2:I've seen it, it happens, it's legal, everyone listening.
Speaker 4:It's totally legal, everyone listening, just do it.
Speaker 2:Not recommended for the bottom of your car, but maybe legal.
Speaker 1:It is not good for the bottom of your car, all right. So once they've safely made it to Heritage Chapel, take us kind of on a mental tour of the high points of your favorite things about it.
Speaker 3:The favorite things about it. Well, we have lived in Willard since our oldest kid was about seven, so he's 35. All of my kids graduated from Willard and I had driven on the main road every day, multiple times a day, and I never saw this little church. The main road every day, multiple times a day, and I never saw this little church. It is a hidden little gem tucked back in behind Pisano's Pizza. It's like the old main drag through Willard and it was built in 1887, and I recently met several of the original church members. It was a Presbyterian church. It was the first Presbyterian church of Willard.
Speaker 3:We are having a bridal shower pretty soon for one of the people that they grew up in that church. It's the grandmother. The grandmother had grown up in that church, so it's really, really cool. We have been up in the attic and we saw all the wood hewn beams and one of the historians here in town said that they were probably milled here and made on location. So the chapel itself was built in 1887 and we have original floors. There are 100 year old floors and the pews are beautiful. Um, that being said, we're traditional, but we're not your grandma's church. We allow alcohol and dancing, so there you go, but we, I love the chapel, I just love how it is. We really would like to do some stained glass in there eventually. We just bought it about a year and a half ago, so we have ideas and, as my husband would say, he has a honeydew list a mile long. So we love, we do love our chapel, our.
Speaker 3:My next favorite thing is the courtyard. Um, we have lights that are strung out around there. We can do ceremonies out there baby showers, bridal showers and most of the people they set up their games and their bar outside and just kind of party away under the stars, if you will. As long as it's not raining here lately, that's fine. Then we have a banquet room that is very, very pretty and it can go either way. We can go elegant or we can do a little bit more rustic, and we've had a couple of kind of breakfasts, that Tiffany's kind of bridal showers here lately, like tea parties, and that has been really great. They've done a really really good job. So I love the. My favorite part is the chapel, and then I'd have to say the outdoor area, which I love, which I want to make some improvements to, because I have a vision, and I want to make it my honeydew list. And then our banquet room is fantastic too, because we don't have to flip areas.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it is nice. You have the luxury of being able to have your ceremony in that like quintessential historic chapel, but then right on site is like a modern room that you can, like you said, take it many different directions decor-wise. You've got a bridal suite, a groom suite right there on site as well Got a small little catering kitchen, so that's easy for everyone. Like everything's just kind of right there.
Speaker 3:Well, our kitchen. One of the caterers came in and they thought that we just had, you know, a sink and a fridge, and that was about it. And I said, oh, oh gosh, no, cause they had brought like ovens with them in their trailer to plug in. And I said I have four. You know, I have four ovens. We have two double ovens and two refrigerators, two microwaves you know the whole nine yards and we have the steel metal, the steel table that's in there to do prep work on, and then we have another table that they can put all their flatware and sort things out. So we've got lots of room to spread out. Believe me, I can trash it in less than 30 minutes.
Speaker 1:Nice, okay, and then tell us a little bit about the, the bridal suite and the groom's room.
Speaker 3:So we have a those and they each have their own restrooms that are inside the suite. The bridal suite has its own entrance and it's under a covered porch or carport. However, you would like to say that that way, if Mother Nature isn't cooperating, they can come in through. That way, hair doesn't get messed up Nothing wrong with the wedding dresses or the bridesmaid dresses. So they can all come in through that door and they're hidden so no one sees them at all.
Speaker 3:And then we've got lots of mirrors back there. Of course we have central heat and air, but I've put a little air conditioner back there because some of our brides they get a little hot back there and all that on those clothes, so they get a little big little hot back there. And then the guys is really a cool. I think it's a really cool room because it's kind of that dark and moody kind of room. It has a big um picture of a train on different um, different canvases and it's just that real deep masculine color and I just think it. I just think it's really neat in there yeah, I think they were designed well.
Speaker 1:They're, they're really cute. So as far as like, how many people? What is your max capacity, if you will?
Speaker 3:our max capacity is 200 people, either in the banquet room or in the chapel. Now I will say um, I personally, when we've owned this, have not had 200 people. We can fit 160 people downstairs completely. We do have a balcony. I will use the balcony, but I always say it's of your shortest and skinniest friends upstairs, I don't. So I'm just going to be real honest about that. I don't think you can see as well. But yes, we do have room for 25 chairs on each side upstairs, so that's another 50 upstairs. Okay, and it is doable, but we haven't had the pleasure of doing it yet. But we're always hip on it.
Speaker 1:So your traditional wedding there, your.
Speaker 3:Your most common number is around 160 um, I think we go a little bit more intimate. I think they're about 130. I'd say 130 ish is about what we usually run. Um, sometimes we're a little less. We kind of like the ones that are a little less. We have more play with how we can arrange our tables. We can set up for 120 with the round tables, but I feel like with 12 of those round tables, with 10 people at a table is a little. It's a little tight but it's. You know, that's what some people do is 10 people at a table. So we try to make it as comfortable as possible and the three brides that have done it that way, they loved it, they were fine.
Speaker 1:I felt like I needed a little elbow room, but well, that's why you go out to the courtyard and play some games that's right.
Speaker 3:Yeah, set up your bar out there and just have at it.
Speaker 1:Exactly, I do, like you know, just kind of thinking through your pictures. Out in front of the chapel is just like a really great spot to get some really fun pics. Inside the chapel is gorgeous and the courtyard as well. Like all three of those spots are some of the most beautiful pictures. I just love the twinkle lights above the head.
Speaker 3:You know the tree in the grass, yeah we like it, we like it, I'm gonna hopefully we're gonna redo our arch outside. Um, I've got some ideas and if my husband was here he'd be holding his head saying I know, know, you have ideas. So because they're a honeydew list for him. So I have so many different ideas for outside to make it, to make the backdrop for whatever ceremony they want to do out there, whether it's, you know, our traditional or sometimes we have very untraditional weddings and ceremonies going on out there. So just want to be open to everybody.
Speaker 3:I can see Adam thinking he's wondering what the non-traditional, what's the untraditional wedding mean people who want to go through the ceremony but really and truly can't be married because of the cost factor, their benefits from different state organizations, that they want that ceremony part and to feel that commitment but maybe they're not quite. It's a special needs situation. Does that make sense?
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, okay.
Speaker 4:So you want to know a little fun side fact yeah, I'm a born and raised Willardian class of 2000.
Speaker 3:Oh, my God.
Speaker 4:And that chapel is actually tucked behind the old Willard Hotel. Yeah, believe it or not, yeah. And Bonnie and Clyde actually stayed there. Then I heard something about.
Speaker 3:Jesse James.
Speaker 4:Jesse James was there, supposedly there is a bullet hole in one of the walls from a shootout that he was in.
Speaker 1:At the hotel yeah.
Speaker 4:There's just all kinds of history around that little spot where that chapel is.
Speaker 1:You know they sat on the stoop of the church.
Speaker 4:You know they did, you know they did and drank moonshine. You know they did, you know they did when they were supposed to drink moonshine, you guys are going to create your own story.
Speaker 3:And somebody else can drink their moonshine out there now, so that's fine.
Speaker 4:I heard Bonnie and Clyde actually renewed their vows inside that chapel.
Speaker 3:Oh, I never heard that.
Speaker 4:I'm making that up. Oh my gosh, I totally made that up. Oh, that's too bad.
Speaker 1:You heard it here first I was like oh my gosh, oh my gosh Adam Totally making that up.
Speaker 3:Totally making that up. Hey, we could write a book about it. They'd believe it.
Speaker 4:What is? It, it doesn't Fargo that show. Every season starts that this is a true story and none of it's a true story. So you can just say whatever you want, really.
Speaker 1:Hollywood yeah. Until you get sued. I don't want to do that. I have a feeling, jesse James isn't going to have much to say about it.
Speaker 4:No, he's not going to fact check you.
Speaker 3:No, he's not. He's definitely not. So we're a little funny. We think that this chapel is really cool and it's old, so there's got to be some spirituality in there somewhere. So I would really like to have the ghost hunters come and just kind of see what's there, because sometimes. So we had a styled shoot and the photographer that approached me about this styled shoot she wanted like a Vegas-y type, feel Vegas-y old times, 60s, retro kind of deal. So she wanted all of my little candle operas. So we put on all little candle operas and put batteries in all the candles and it was all over the stage and I went through and I turned them off myself. I turned them off and I made the comment as I was leaving now don't mess with my candles, I need the batteries. They're good. Oh, no, and I'll be darned if I didn't come back the next evening and one candle on every single one of those candelabras was on. Huh, one, just one. Huh, it's pretty fun, yeah, I know. Huh, I don't like that.
Speaker 1:I don't like it.
Speaker 3:Oh, but it's good, it's a good person.
Speaker 1:I mean, they're just teasing you right, that wasn't malicious, that was just silly. They're just having a good time, they're just saying hi, just having a good time.
Speaker 3:Yeah, they're just saying, hey, here's your battery Right here, right here, here's your battery. No, but we've had a lot of fun. It's really quite fun to do and to meet everybody that we've got to meet and we've encountered some very cool couples that we've got to meet and we've encountered some very cool couples.
Speaker 1:So I just want to throw out there and you can squash this if you want, but I know that you're not going to toot your own horn about this, but I think it's something special about you and your husband that shows who you are. When you purchased this venue, there were several weddings on the books that had been booked out by the people prior to you and you guys upheld all of those weddings without just with your own blood, sweat and tears and love, because you wanted the venue to succeed and you love, love and you wanted the people to have their day, even though it was not a financial benefit to you guys and so, kind of like your almost your first year, ish was just a labor of love am I getting that right?
Speaker 3:it was a. It was a learning curve, yes, um, we had. We had purchased the chapel, the original owner who made it, she had sold it for sell by owner to a young lady and, um, for whatever reason, that didn't work out, and so the lady had kept booking them weddings and she had, you know, to pay her bills. She kept the money. So whenever it was taken back over by the original owner, those weddings were on the book, but the original owner didn't get the money for it either. So when she sold it to us, the money was not there, but we chose to keep the weddings on the book, even though we haven't gotten anything for those.
Speaker 3:There were 14 of prime wedding dates and so 14 free weddings was hard to swallow, but we did it and it was, I think. I think karma is a good thing, so I couldn't see myself not upholding those weddings. I have girls and I have grandchildren that are girls. I just can't imagine somebody doing that to them and I did not want to be that person well yes we're so happy that you know our wedding community.
Speaker 1:I feel like that that shows that we can just kind of count on you guys and you guys are there for whatever needs to happen anyway, so if I'm a wedding couple and I come to you, how would you explain?
Speaker 4:what can I expect my experience to be like there?
Speaker 3:Well, my first questions are usually so how many people are you expecting? What do you have in mind? We're kind of a mix because, like I said, we're getting our feet wet and I'm a nurse kind of a. We're kind of a mix because, you know, like I said, we're getting our feet wet and, um, I'm a nurse, so I feel like I'm taking care of people, still on a whole different level, more on a happier level than what I'm used to in my career. So I feel like I want to, I want to mother these people, I want to take care of them and give them the best experience that they can, but I need to know what they want first.
Speaker 3:So we, so we have it two different ways right now. You can rent the building and it's a DIY. You do it all yourself and that way you feel like you're not spending a fortune on the venue If you want everything in the venue it used to be. We looked at all the little paperwork that was left over from previous owners and they did a little a la carte, if you will, from previous owners, and they did a little a la carte, if you will. You know you get your charge this much for drink canisters or this much for chafing dishes and you know just things that you might need if you didn't bring them yourself, yeah, so we looked at that. People were spending between $200 and $750 on these little cart menus.
Speaker 3:So we made a package and we've incorporated into our full pricing for the venue that whatever you see you get to use. I mean, if you see four arches that you want to use, you get to use all four arches. We're not going to charge you for all of them. So we factored that into the pricing. Now also, I'm working on putting that out for public information, but right now we're still kind of both ways. We call it an add-on package, an add-on decor package, and you get everything you see plus some tablecloth.
Speaker 1:So if they add on everything, they see how many. How many tables and chair? Like how many people can they seat? Do you have enough tables? And chairs for go ahead.
Speaker 3:We have tables and chairs for 200 people. Um, the 200 is usually the straight, the long rectangular tables. Um, about the max we can do, that I feel comfortable doing is 12 of the round tables with 10 people each. It's about what I like. We have 14 or 16 round tables that we can use. If you don't want to use the dance floor and that's been an option before but to use the dance floor, I would pick with 12. Um, so that would be one of my first things to say is how many people are you expecting? These are the tables and chairs that can accommodate you. And then, if you are up to 200 people, this is the only way that I can put you in this space and I'm very upfront with that. If that's how many people they are absolutely solid on, I show them the diagram of how the tables would have to be set up. So we are a little limited once you get up to that high number.
Speaker 1:I mean that's nice, though, that you kind of already have that ready for them and they know, you know they don't have to try and configure it themselves, they just know, that you've done the math and the configuration and here it is.
Speaker 3:Yes, and that's what it is, and lots of the meetings that we've had, um, I've set it up that way but I didn't, you know, obviously utilize the 200 chairs that I that could have been, but they liked how it was set up as far as the conference room type class and things like that. Um, they liked it. So, cause, I was kind of complaining about it and one of the gentlemen said hey, we love this. Don't you dare? Don't you dare say we can't do this? And I said okay, I'm sorry.
Speaker 1:So outdoors, is it? If they want to do an outdoor reception, is it the same out there?
Speaker 3:Yes, yes, absolutely. We have chairs that go outside. We can set up tables out there. There's a couple pictures, I believe, of our kind of like a springtime, summertime table scapes that was set up out there for one of our brides, and I think you can see the bar in the background, one of the round high top tables that we could put out there so people can have something to put their drinks on if they're out there playing yard games, because they can bring their own they can. The only thing that's not included in the, in the rentable items, is or the rentable package, that's, the five hundred dollar package, is the game, because we found that if we kind of just kind of get destroyed, so we have people rent those and then that way they take a little bit more care of them, because we've ended up with the Connect 4 plastic pieces up on the roof, things like that, so they're hard to get down.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I could see that. Definitely not wanting to get on the roof if you're me.
Speaker 3:No, I don't want to get on the roof. That're me. No, I don't want to get on the roof. That's one honey do list that he, he kind of frowns upon.
Speaker 1:But he'll do it oh, my goodness, um, I'm trying to think.
Speaker 4:I feel like we've fairly well, she's done a great job like describing everything, so taking us on a mental tour that felt pretty visual, so it was good I love the idea that you can have your ceremony in one room without having to flip it and you can have your reception in the other room, so that's beautiful it is.
Speaker 3:I'm working on our website, so please know that I'm not real good with WordPress, so I'm learning. Youtube is a wonderful thing, but I'm learning. Youtube is a wonderful thing, but I'm learning and I'm hoping I get some pricing out there that's a little bit easier to look at than what's on there right now.
Speaker 1:Well, I think just being able to talk, you know, getting a hold of you. What's your favorite way of that? Is it phone or email?
Speaker 3:I do either one. If they want to just call me, that is absolutely fine. My, my husband, darren, and I were joking today. We said, you know, if somebody caught us here during you know getting ready or whatever, we could, you know, make a make a game of it. If you, you know, I'll put out that I'm going to be at the chapel today cleaning or whatever. If you come by, then, if you come by and look and book, then you can have, you know, $200 off or $300 off your wedding.
Speaker 3:And I thought because that's kind of a cute little game. You know, I want people to come see you. I don't think I don't think we get justice done in our pictures, because it's just, it's just different. I think that I think you got to see it to go. Oh my gosh, it's much bigger than that.
Speaker 1:So I do. Yeah, property in general is that way. You kind of just got to go see them.
Speaker 3:Yes, absolutely, because there's several that you kind of look and you go, oh, but then once you go out there, oh, my gosh, it's beautiful, it's everything you could dream of. So that's what we want to be.
Speaker 1:We want to be everything anybody could dream of so are you saying that if they follow you on instagram and you say we're out at the chapel cleaning today and they pop in and look and book, you're gonna give them two hundred dollars off?
Speaker 3:yes, you heard it here you heard it here first folks. That's right, all right, that's right Because you know, because I can put on Instagram saying hey, head to the chapel to clean, be there until you know 2 or something like that, or I'm coming back at 7. And you know, some people can't be off work during the day when I'm cleaning, but sometimes I see patients first and then I head to the chapel, like at 6 o'clock at night.
Speaker 1:You never know.
Speaker 3:What's your Instagram?
Speaker 1:handle, so they can follow you.
Speaker 3:It is under Heritage Chapel. Just if I can get to it and make sure I'm not lying. I hate it when I lie. Yep, that's what it says. It says Heritage Chapel, all in lowercase letters. Perfect. And if they want to call you, what number do they call? It is 417-414-2688. And what's your website? It is HeritageChapelnet.
Speaker 1:Perfect, oh net net.
Speaker 4:Note that she's a rebel.
Speaker 3:I guess I inherited it. That's what it is. Oh, dot net, dot net Note that she's a rebel. I guess I inherited it. That's what it is. I don't know, don't ask me.
Speaker 1:She's a rebel.
Speaker 3:She is. I don't mean to be a rebel, but I guess I am.
Speaker 1:I mean, you talked to ghosts and you had Jesse James on your front porch.
Speaker 4:so Drinking moonshine.
Speaker 3:I don't know, I'm just kidding, but nowadays he needs a bartender. But that's okay.
Speaker 4:Yes, he does. It has to be legal.
Speaker 3:True, he needs a bartender, that's all.
Speaker 1:That's fair. We've got to comply, that's fair. That's true. Oh my gosh. Well, I'm sure you have a busy day. It's beautiful out there, you do Well enjoy the weather.
Speaker 3:It's been a pleasure talking to you. Well, thank you for having me. I appreciate it.
Speaker 1:Absolutely.
Speaker 3:Say hi to Jesse for me.
Speaker 1:Okay, I don't think he's there I think he would be a little bit more.
Speaker 3:You don't know, maybe he bit more.
Speaker 1:You don't know, maybe he likes candles?
Speaker 3:I don't know. I don't know. It's fun. I'm still waiting for that Halloween wedding. I'm still waiting for it.
Speaker 1:Oh, I bet, I bet they're out there, I'm waiting. Okay, they're ready All right, all right, we'll talk to you soon.
Speaker 2:Bye, bye Okay.
Speaker 3:Talk to you soon. Okay, bye-bye, bye, bye-bye.
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