Hello, how’s your alternate universe going? Have you found out how to get back to the other universe yet? Asking for a friend. Just kidding, but damn does this new reality feel all sorts of strange. I will say, I have honest and genuine hope that throughout this global pandemic / tragedy, there are and will be many silver linings. I think it is a blessing that we won’t be going back to “normal” — post COVID is gonna look a lot different than pre COVID. Some good ways, some maybe not. But my hope is that we will gain a deeper appreciation for a lot of things we took for granted before, as well as acknowledging that a lot of things need to change to make living on this planet a better place for both humanity and our earth. Woo! I’ll step off of my soapbox now. I couldn’t just post a blog without taking a moment to address our current reality.

Back in September 2019, I had the privilege of photographing Abbie, Tim, and their sweet daughter Clementine on the prairie land that holds Bluestem Hall, the stunningly unique event venue that they own and operate. Creators themselves, Abbie and Tim each styled their own beautiful tablescape to use in our photoshoot, as well as show off just a couple of the endless possibilities that can happen at Bluestem Hall.

As someone who now considers these two as friends and really values / loves the event space that they own, I figured it would be fun to do an interview with them for my blog! I will be, of course, heavily sprinkling some photos throughout this interview as well :)

Bluestem Hall is located in Urbana, Illinois on 120 acres of state protected wildlife preservation. Abbie’s family roots run deep with this land; she is the fifth generation owner. Her grandfather poured the concrete floor and foundation for the building himself. In reading the family history on Bluestem Hall’s website, I particularly loved this sentence, describing her grandparents and great-grandparents decision-making thoughts on where to place Bluestem: "They decided it should be close enough for a blizzard and far enough for a sunset, and that is where she lays.”

The view walking up to Bluestem Hall’s entrance.

The prairie at sunset, with Bluestem’s entrance on the left.

An Interview with Abbie and Tim

Anna: Tell me a little about yourselves — where you’re from, how you two met, how you landed in Urbana?

Abbie: I grew up in Springfield, IL...a true midwesterner at heart! I made the very bold choice to move to Brooklyn, NY to go to grad school in Interior Design at Pratt Institute. As soon as I decided to go there I switched my online dating account to NYC which is how Tim and I connected! Literally my parents dropped me off in my empty (and gross) new apartment and then Tim came over for our first date an hour later! We were fast friends and fell right into it. As soon as I graduated my Master's program I took the chance to say goodbye to NYC. It was fun for 3 years but the wind changed and I never belonged there. At this point my family's farmhouse was empty so we moved here to the 120 acres and I began the design and renovation of Bluestem Hall in my grandpa's shed here on the property!

Tim: I grew up in a small town called Fanwood in Jersey. We somehow connected through match.com, and just in time as my subscription was about to expire. I remember thinking dating someone in Brooklyn sounded crazy but I figured why not give it a shot. It was two months before she moved out to Brooklyn so we took the time to get to know each other and when we finally met, it felt we had know each other forever and took away a lot of the first date awkwardness. I knew Abbie had no intention of staying in the city, let alone the east coast; it didn't suit her, so I knew early on that we'd be hitting the road eventually....and we did!

Anna: You are both wildly creative. What inspires you / gets your creative juices flowing the most?

Abbie: One of the reasons I love working with preexisting buildings is that you had something real to bounce off of! I think working with someTHING creates more of a conversation and adding those boundaries is a fun strategic challenge for me. Limitless is also fun! But collaborating with an element, color, material, or in my case historic building just gives you a field in which to play the game.

Tim: I often enjoy working with others, particularly Abbie as I feel like she's the most creative person I've ever met and her ideas inspire me. Oftentimes we'll build ideas off of each other! To sum it up collaboration is key.

Tim’s table design, with gorgeous gold touches, patterned linens, and earthy elements.

The view facing the prairie in the back of Bluestem Hall.

Sunlight pours in through different windows throughout the day.

Abbie’s table was set in a small clearing in the prairie, just a short walk from the venue.

Whimsical designs and patterns made for a colorful, cozy look.

Abbie’s table with Bluestem in the background.

Midwest sunsets are something spectacular.

Anna: If you could describe yourself in 3 words, what would they be?

Abbie: Grounded, Mischievous, Warm

Tim: Reliable, Fun, Kind

Anna: What inspired you to create a wedding / event venue as opposed to using the space for something else?

Abbie: We planned Bluestem Hall to be 80% weddings and 20% community gatherings, music + art showings, plays, non profit events. The wedding industry - especially in champaign urbana- is booming with amazing creative professionals that are extremely rewarding to collaborate with. So it ended up that weddings was a nice balance of business and creativity.

Anna: What has been the most surprising thing about running a venue? The most rewarding?

Abbie: The most surprising thing about running a venue has been realizing how extremely complex weddings are. I would equate them to a very in depth theater performance in many ways due to the nature of execution that has to take place. It's a very big deal! The most rewarding aspect for me is the friendships I build with our couples and their families. I end up working with the average couple for 9-24 months so in many ways we develop a friendship which makes the job even better!

Tim: Each week is a volcanic eruption with it all building slowly, as the weekend approaches things start to rumble with getting the building in order, doing the rehearsal, and then Saturday is just a day long explosion of excitement and things happening. It all culminates with the ceremony and the reception. Weddings are actually great for people watching and seeing people's personalities in the way they dress. I've met some great characters and heard some amazing stories from the guests.

Anna: If you could host anyone at Bluestem Hall for dinner, who would it be?

Abbie: I am going to take liberty to imagine this can be someone dead or alive! In which case I would choose Elvis! Hearing someone sing unplugged inside Bluestem is a spiritual experience, I swear. So singing, feasting, late night cuddling you know the regular…

Tim: I didn't agree to this cuddling...If I could host anyone for dinner it’d have to be Bob Ross. I loved watching his show as a child and I feel like he would have many insightful things to say. Maybe he'd paint the prairie grasses and give each guy a little friend.

Anna: Any advice for brides and grooms planning a wedding?

Abbie: My advice is to hire a coordinator/planner! Many think this is a luxurious add on for themselves but they are invaluable to your wedding day and stress level!

Tim: Don't get pegged down with tiny details. The day is a blur and try to just enjoy yourselves! None of the guests will ever know if that tiny detail or decoration idea didn't get pulled off.

Thank you so much to Abbie and Tim for sharing with me! I look forward to photographing a few weddings at their venue later this year, if it is safe to congregate in groups again by then. I have high hopes it will!

Below are a few more favorites from their family photoshoot. :)

Abbie had the awesome idea to bring out some props and lay this old fishing boat in their sea of grass.

Speaking of Abbie’s advice to hire a wedding coordinator/planner, they now have an incredibly talented in-house coordinator named Amanda Jean! She is the owner of Inspire Your — not only does Amanda plan events and weddings, she has created an inspirational card deck aimed to help guide and inspire couples as they plan their wedding. Check her out here.

Amanda also created and hosted a wedding open house at Bluestem Hall last November. I was grateful to be a part of one of the design teams, Slow Living. Below are a handful photos I took that day. The models are friends of mine, Jessi and Walter. The Slow Living design team consisted of Pollen + Pastry, Jo’s Country Diner, Dashwood Shop, Bouffant Salon, and myself.

Thank you so much for reading! Wishing you all health and hope.