KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A local wedding chapel has become the first of its kind in the area. Think: Las Vegas! The Vow Exchange, nestled in the Hospital Hill neighborhood at 20th and Campbell, offers Vegas-style weddings without the travel. The setting is an old ice house transformed into creative spaces.
“You should have seen this space before my husband and I got a hold of it. It was rough,” Kathryn Hogan said.
Hogan, a self-proclaimed wedding junkie, opened the Midwestern wedding destination in May. More than 30 couples have said “I do” in the new venue, including Jami and Brett Ferguson. Hogan described the space as a Vegas-style chapel, without the Vegas.
“When I say Vegas, they think cheap and on the whim, and that’s not the case at all,” Hogan said.
The Vow Exchange stays true to Kansas City roots. The sconces are made of reclaimed barn wood, fastened with mason jars. Other decorations, like one of the tables, was discovered in the West Bottoms.
“When I realized how liberating it was to not have to deal with all the details, that I could just show up at my wedding and have it be beautiful and be able to focus on my husband, to me that it what makes the most special wedding day,” Hogan said.
The space provides another option for couples who want more than a courthouse wedding. There have been as few as five and as many as 28 people attend a ceremony. While the decor stays the same, Hogan says each wedding feels different.
“It’s the energy of the couples and their families. It just feels so unique to them,” she said.
The Vow Exchange was named by the KC Company Blog as a 2013 startup Kansas City is most proud of. For more information about the unique venue, click on this link.