For months, motorists traveling north of town on Luther Road watched the progress and wondered about “that new place” next to the river. The Broken Horn Ranch opened quietly earlier this summer, has already hosted a few weddings and threw open its doors to the public Sunday for an open house.
Operations Manager Candice Carper Jones and her staff welcomed future brides and grooms, parents and families to the Broken Horn to look the place over, and visit vendors like caterers, photographers, florists, cake artists and a full-service bar. At the Luther Business Meet & Greet on August 1, Carper said she had booked 22 weddings thus far.
Carper is a native Californian who was a 2007 Miss Rodeo USA Queen with the International Professional Rodeo Association. After her reign, she worked for IPRA in event planning which likely drew her to her present adventure of operating an event venue, and to Oklahoma. This is where she and her husband are establishing roots and raising their family.
The 25-acre spread features a beautiful barn that offers 7,600 square foot of functional and beautiful space for any event from a family reunion, corporate meeting to weddings. The bride’s room features plenty of mirrors, plug-ins, places to hang dresses, and the groom’s room features a poker table and a television! Details matter. The barn also features custom vanities and counters from local artisan Alan Easley from the Luther Mill & Farm Supply.
The Oklahoma Agritourism website says there are 55 such wedding venues in the state, and they aren’t even counting Broken Horn or another long-time event venue north of Luther at the winery.
Word is there is at least one more event venue coming to the area. The foundation is being poured at Eleven Oaks Ranch on Diagonal Road this week with an opening slated for Spring 2017.
A pond with a fountain, Longhorn cattle grazing beyond the ceremony area and indoor climate control that can handle the August heat, Broken Horn is a lovely new addition to the Luther landscape. With all of the (hundreds) of wedding guests coming to our town every weekend, perhaps Luther is becoming an event destination hotspot. We are close to the city and offer rustic charm. Country is in, and it’s a trend the experts say has staying power (making it a classic not a trend!). Makes you wonder what other business ideas could augment the event venue scene for Luther. (Hint – most, if not all, of the vendors at the event Sunday were from the city – florists, caterers, hair stylists, photographers, etc). Growth potential?
It’s a good bet that speeding tickets for wedding guests and tourists probably won’t make any of those idea lists for building an event or tourist destination. But those guests might want to drive through and admire an historic rejuvenated town, get some coffee, snacks or fuel or make another stop or two. Maybe even stay overnight, if there was a place to make a reservation. Maybe.
It’s Luther Local.
