Listen to the Podcast About Burns Bluff Wedding and Event Venue
Podcast Summary
In a fascinating conversation on the Felix and Fingers Dueling Pianos Podcast, venue manager Stacy McClendon and social media manager Natalie Horton illuminate the storied history and charm of the Burns Bluff Wedding and Event Venue. Host Steve Sipes engages these two passionate team members, revealing a truly enchanting locale.
McClendon and Horton, respectively, manage the operations and social media presence at Burns Bluff. Their spirit shines vibrantly as they recount the story of the venue’s origin. The property, located in North East Alabama, near a state park known for its stunning waterfall, was originally owned by a former slave named George Burns. The sentiment of the venue’s name draws deep into historical roots, honouring the legacy that Burns and his family left behind.
The venue stands as a classic testament to love and devotion, much like the undying spirit of its founding family. Sarah Burns, George’s daughter, was a local midwife, who served wedding meals – a legacy that found its way into the essence of the Burns Bluff Wedding and Event Venue.
The journey of McClendon and Horton brings a unique perspective, demonstrating the alluring attributes of Burns Bluff. Whitney connects her academic background in events and hospitality to her role at the venue, claiming her happiness in witnessing many couples cherish their special moment at this magical site. Horton, on the other hand, has a personal connection to the nearby land, making her connection deeply intimate and heartwarming.
The narrative of Burns Bluff stands replete with profound history and charm that makes it ideal for memorable occasions. These elements, recounted by McClendon and Horton, establish it as a premier southern venue and reveal why the Burns Bluff Wedding and Event Venue is the perfect backdrop for any celebration.
Learn more about
Burns Bluff Wedding and Event Venue
This interview was provided by
Felix and Fingers Dueling Pianos
Podcast Transcript
Steve (00:24)
Hello everybody, this is Steve with Felix and Fingers Dueling Pianos. Today we are doing a podcast and we are talking to Stacey and Natalie at Burns Bluff at High Falls. Say hello. That’s you.
Stacey And Natalie (00:37)
Good morning!
Hey, good morning!
Steve (00:40)
I’m gonna let them introduce themselves, tell us who you are and what you do.
Stacey And Natalie (00:44)
My name is Stacey McClendon and I am the venue manager here at Burns Bluff. I’m Natalie Horton and I’m the social media manager here at Burns Bluff.
Steve (00:55)
All right, well, how was your morning so far? Anything notable, anything happen so far, just getting to work today?
Stacey And Natalie (01:03)
It’s been a great morning. On my drive in, a bald eagle actually flew over my car. We see eagles quite often out here. So was a good, good sight to see.
Steve (01:13)
Bald eagle,
very nice. All right, well, so let’s go ahead and get started. Tell me a little bit about the venue. Tell me a little bit about the background of Burns Bluff at High Falls.
Stacey And Natalie (01:23)
Okay, we are named Burns Bluff at High Falls and the reason for that being was this property was owned many years ago by a man named George Burns and he was a slave. He fought in the Civil War and he came here to Alabama and traded the gun that he fought in the war with for this very property. He and his wife and his very young daughter Sarah lived
until him and his wife were deceased. Sarah remained here on the property. never married. Sarah was the local midwife.
And Sarah was also the one that people would drive their wagons to down here and she fixed their wedding meal for them. So when this property was was purchased by the tilleries and the decision was made to put a wedding venue here, they wanted to honor the Burns family. So therefore the name became a Burns Bluff wedding venue. And we are located in North Alabama.
North East Alabama and there is a High Falls which is a state park that’s located just a couple of miles up from us and the water comes and runs by the gorge.
Steve (02:40)
Awesome. Well, you do have an amazing piece of property there and I’m sure it’s worth, you know, gazillion dollars. I wish I could just trade a gun for it. I think that would be, you know, something amazing, right? How about that? Well…
Stacey And Natalie (02:49)
Yeah. Yeah, that would be.
Steve (02:53)
Tell me how you got involved. You can both answer this question. How did you get involved with Burns Bluff?
Stacey And Natalie (02:58)
I majored in events and hospitality in college and I knew I wanted to specialize in weddings and so after graduating I looked for local wedding venues in North Alabama and I absolutely fell in love with this place. The second that I drove out here I knew that this is where I wanted to work and I feel like I fulfill my purpose here. I get to see couples every weekend and enjoy their special day with them and I love my job.
Steve (03:26)
Awesome. That’s great.
Stacey And Natalie (03:29)
actually live just a couple of miles from here, a couple of minutes from here actually, and some of my family own the property that joins this. So as a child, I grew up on this property going back and forth riding four-wheelers as did nearly everyone in this entire community. Come down here to see the falls. And so when the wedding venue was built, I came down here numerous times
Steve (03:49)
Hmm.
Stacey And Natalie (03:57)
watched it being built. So beautiful. So as soon as the opportunity came open that they needed some staff, I was the first one to sign up.
Steve (04:03)
Wow. Wow,
you were scoping it out before they even offered the job. Very nice. All right, well, tell us a little bit, what do you like about doing weddings?
Stacey And Natalie (04:11)
Yes.
would say every weekend is different. Every couple is different. It’s so much fun to see their families, their friends come in, their different themes. It’s just a unique experience every weekend. And it truly is our goal to make their weekend as special as we can and to make it their dream wedding. And I think at the end of the day, it’s just rewarding to see the smiles on their faces and for them to say, wow, it’s been such a great day. It’s just a very rewarding job.
Steve (04:36)
Awesome.
Stacey And Natalie (04:44)
Bye.
Steve (04:45)
Awesome. Awesome. Great. Do you have anything to add to that, Stacey? Awesome.
Stacey And Natalie (04:49)
We like the slogan, your happily ever after begins here. And
we really think it does. We do everything possible to make their day their happily ever after.
Steve (05:02)
that’s great. That’s great. Now, I’m looking kind of right behind you. Is this the venue? What happens right there? Is that?
Stacey And Natalie (05:10)
you
It is. This is our charn that we lovingly call a charn. It’s a cross between a chapel and a barn. So you can see the beauty of it outside. Lots of brides have their photos made out here. They go inside the charn and there’s gorgeous chandeliers hanging up there. A beautiful rock fireplace like the rocks that’s in front of it. It just completely transcends and is absolutely
Steve (05:13)
Good name. Good name.
Awesome.
Stacey And Natalie (05:39)
gorgeous. And Natalie, do you want to tell them about the lodge? Sure,
yes. Behind me is the lodge also you might see here. So our charn is our reception building and the lodge, becomes home base for the weekend. It is where you can hold your rehearsal dinner on Friday nights. It sleeps 18 guests. So it is truly your home for the weekend for the bride and groom, wedding party, family, whoever they would like to stay on property with them. It’s a beautiful building. It also has a fireplace.
Steve (05:46)
⁓ Nice. Hmm.
Stacey And Natalie (06:09)
has a great back porch that overlooks the bluff.
It’s a beautiful building.
Steve (06:14)
And who wouldn’t want to stay there? Tell us a little bit more about the location there at Burns Bluff and the surroundings.
Stacey And Natalie (06:22)
We are about 15 minutes or so away from Gunnersville State Park.
So there’s lots of bald eagles there. We are on a dead end road. So we’re in a very secluded area. Once you get to the end of the road, people think we’re never going to get there. And we’re, it’s just a little small road, lane traffic pretty much. They cross a bridge and it’s like a little piece of heaven on earth. It completely changes. Everyone’s so excited once they arrive here.
We’re definitely off the beaten path, but once you get out here, it’s breathtaking.
Steve (06:56)
Yeah, so So the
art is there any view from the from the venue there can you see anything?
Stacey And Natalie (07:07)
There’s a beautiful, beautiful bluff view. If you check out our website, you’ll see more pictures with more details, but our
ceremony space, the outdoor pavilion, actually overlooks the bluff and the valley. You can hear the water running through the valley in certain seasons. So it is stunning. We had a natural breeze that blows through up here. It’s breathtaking.
Steve (07:15)
Yeah.
that’s awesome. Wow. Right.
Stacey And Natalie (07:28)
High Falls has a waterfall that comes through. We have two waterfalls here on our property. They don’t run all the time. It’s kind of seasonal, but one of
them runs pretty regular. But the main one that comes from High Falls comes through and it goes into Town Creek, which flows into the Tennessee Valley River.
Steve (07:50)
So two waterfalls there on the property. is, that’s different. I don’t think every venue has that. I think that is, that’s amazing. Well, so you said you have an outdoor option. They could have the wedding right over there, overlooking the bluff, I’m assuming, right? And then you also have indoor space as well. Is that in the charn or there’s other places for that? Yeah.
Stacey And Natalie (07:56)
That’s true.
That is in the charn, The pavilion is right on the other of the lodge, right down in front of the charn. And that pavilion seats 200 people. Our charn seats 200 people. So…
The pavilion has a big overhang on it, so it’s very rare that people would get wet even when it was raining. So since the pavilion has been built in 2023, no one has wanted to get married inside.
Steve (08:34)
Yeah.
wow. Yeah. Awesome.
Stacey And Natalie (08:41)
During the winter months we bring out heaters and blankets to make our guests comfortable and during the summer months we have large fans that are built into the roof of the pavilion and the natural breeze makes the summer months pretty comfortable for the most part.
Steve (08:57)
That’s great. And I’m hearing birds. that… Those are yours? Awesome! Yeah! Yeah, that sounds really great. Okay, so tell me a little bit more. You’ve got some other places there, some other building structures where people could stay maybe? You’ve got some other things there as well?
Stacey And Natalie (09:12)
We do our lodge sleeps 18 people. We also have one more cabin, which is Eagle’s Nest and it will sleep four to six people. That comes with our package. So anytime you get a package here, you get both lodges to sleep. We also have an additional two cabins that are here on property. They both have amazing views as well.
as Eagles Nest does, but they are also rented independently by their owners for our wedding guests. And Eagles Nest and those two cabins are rented as well as an Airbnb. So if you just want to come up here and spend a weekend that there’s not a wedding or during the week, it’s a great time to just come. It almost looks like Smokey Mountains. We’re about 30 minutes from any location.
Steve (10:06)
Okay, let me let me write that down real quick
Stacey And Natalie (10:09)
local CD.
Steve (10:10)
Yeah, that sounds great Okay, so do you have any interesting stories that you’d like to tell anything that’s happened there that? That would be something that people might want to hear about
Stacey And Natalie (10:21)
Well.
Recently we had a groomsman and he was the best man and when they asked for the rings unbeknownst to us or anyone else you heard something go ding ding ding ding as it rolled out across the concrete to the bluff and us and the entire ceremony went and then he pulls out the real rings and his dying laughing as he had washers in his hand and we all broke
Steve (10:39)
no.
Stacey And Natalie (10:49)
into laughter. Yes he did. ⁓
Steve (10:49)
Wow. Did you do that on purpose? Was that just to make everyone nervous? Who can you trust? Supposed to be the best man and they’re just troublemakers.
Can’t believe it. All right, well that’s great. And then do you ever have any of those eagles flying around while you’re having these ceremonies? Is that a thing?
Stacey And Natalie (11:12)
We do. I have seen several during rehearsal on Friday nights just as the sun’s setting and you see a bald eagle fly and the couple, of course, is ecstatic. It’s beautiful. Yeah, we see them quite often.
Steve (11:16)
Hmm.
Yeah. Very nice.
Now I know those eagles are trained so that they won’t interrupt the ceremony. They fly in, they land just perfectly, they don’t mess anything up or leave any droppings or anything. Everything just works out perfectly, so that’s great. Well that’s good to have. Very nice extra staff animals that you’ve got.
Stacey And Natalie (11:30)
They are Burns Bluff staff members. Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
Steve (11:47)
going on here. All right, what advice? ⁓ ducks. Okay. Go ahead.
Stacey And Natalie (11:48)
We do have some ducks on property. We do. We have a pond.
Some of the groomsmen go out there and fish on wedding weekend. We have four ducks on property and they’re pretty much shrieking to ask for food.
Steve (11:59)
Hmm
Okay, so the ducks are trained. Okay, okay, I got it. I understand. I understand.
All right, well, let’s move into a little bit different category. What advice would you give to a bride or a couple as they’re planning out their wedding?
Stacey And Natalie (12:20)
would say just take a deep breath. This is your special day. Let’s make it everything you want it to be. It is good to have a clear budget in mind so you know everything that you want and need and you know your budget beforehand. And just really just dig deep and think about what you want this day to be and let’s execute that. Let’s make it your special day.
With your budget, we ask them to write down what’s important to them. If they want live music, but they were so excited when they started planning their wedding and spent all their money on flowers, then they’ve missed the thing that was the most important to them. So we do ask them to write out, hey, what is it that’s important to you? And then that’s where they need to start spending their money the first.
Steve (12:48)
Hmm
Right.
Very good advice. Very, very good advice. So the first thing, if I’m hearing you correctly, the first thing is they need to call me and I’ll set up the music for them. And then after that, they can add the flowers. Okay, okay. This is a ⁓ great interview. You’re the…
Stacey And Natalie (13:18)
Yes! Yes.
Steve (13:22)
It’s the best interview I’ve ever had. Yep. It’s gonna be great. ⁓ Okay. At
Stacey And Natalie (13:23)
We’ll work together. You at Birdie Bluff! Yes.
Steve (13:29)
Burns Bluff, absolutely. I wanna see the falls. I’m there. All right, so what, and we’ve kinda touched on this, but you might be able to elaborate a little bit. What makes Burns Bluff at High Falls so special? What sets it apart from everywhere else in the world? Ooh. You do have a,
Stacey And Natalie (13:45)
We have a charm. Who has a charm?
We have a charm. The owner, the original owner.
Steve (13:49)
Who made that up? Where did that come from? That’s awesome.
Stacey And Natalie (13:58)
So we’re secluded, but it’s our staff. Everyone comes here and their initial thoughts are, it’s absolutely gorgeous. But then by the time that they leave, they truly say, we’ve never had such customer service. There are four of us that are on staff, five of us that are on staff primarily. And…
Steve (14:19)
Mm.
Stacey And Natalie (14:23)
Then we have multiple staff that come in on wedding weekends. We do full set up, we do full take down. Your family don’t have to do anything. They come in and they bring their box of their personal items and photos they want. And then when they leave on Sunday, we have returned their box back to them. They do no clean up, no decorating.
Steve (14:42)
Wow, okay.
Stacey And Natalie (14:46)
We do it all. Our staff, team, yes, we’re constantly floating on wedding days to see if there’s anything that we can do to help in any way. We’re making sure the venue is up to check on everything and then we’re repurposing their flowers. We’re making sure the caterers have what they need. We’re emptying the trash cans. We’re doing all the dirty work that they don’t have to do for them.
Steve (14:47)
Yeah, full service.
Yeah. Oh, that’s
so nice. So. Yeah.
Stacey And Natalie (15:10)
running our golf cart services. We have a decorator’s closet which is completely full of items for them to decorate. They don’t have to purchase anything. We have candles, have table corals, runners, cake stands, anything they would need other than just live florals in our closet.
Steve (15:32)
You’re calling that a closet, but it sounds more like a warehouse. That sounds like a really big closet to me. With all the things you just mentioned, that’s a nice size closet, I think. Well… Mmm… Okay. Alright. Well, so, and either one of you can answer this, or both, what does a perfect wedding day look like from your point of view?
Stacey And Natalie (15:36)
Yeah! We really have to organize it to get everything in there that we need. It’s kind of turning into two cloths at this point.
Steve (16:21)
Hmm Hmm
Stacey And Natalie (16:05)
think they get up here and they have their breakfast, they have their coffee with that view, they’re not stressed. We have a place in the lodge that is beautifully decorated for the brides. We have a place in the groin, in the charn for the grooms that is
wonderfully decorated and we have the room upstairs in the charn for all the guys to hang out.
So that way they kind of separate. They’re hanging out with their friends that day. They eat, they relax, they have their first look together. We have multiple places on the property for that to occur. A place for moms to be looking from the background and not be a part of it. And then the wedding day just to go seamless. I mean, we have their timeline, we have their agenda, we know what’s important to them.
Steve (16:34)
Okay. Yeah.
Yeah.
Stacey And Natalie (17:01)
And we just work it. with that, I’m gonna add in, we do have an in-house coordinator. So she helps the day go perfect. Like she’s setting your timeline. She’s making sure that everything is in place when it needs to be in place so that that stress never falls on the family or the bride.
Steve (17:18)
Awesome. Well, that sounds kind of perfect. So that was a good answer. Good job. All right. Well, are there any trends? And I don’t know if you’ve thought about this, but any trends that you’re seeing with couples for their weddings? Things that, you know, maybe, this is something that maybe didn’t happen years ago, but it seems to be happening more lately.
Stacey And Natalie (17:37)
say color. We’re seeing a lot of color right now and we love it. We have a lot of wood, have a lot of rock and stone, so color against that just really makes it pop and makes the day beautiful. ⁓ Don’t get me wrong, I love the classic whites and golds and greens, but a pop of color, that’s a fun trend that I’ve been seeing.
Steve (17:39)
okay. Awesome. That’s great.
That’s awesome. All right, yes?
Stacey And Natalie (17:59)
Also, replacing flower girls with guys or grandmothers. I mean, that’s becoming
a little bit of a trend recently.
Steve (18:09)
Really? I don’t know about that
one. You’re seeing that a lot?
Stacey And Natalie (18:13)
A couple of times we’ve had guys who come down through the aisle and dancing and singing and the ceremony erupts.
Steve (18:20)
Hmm. Okay,
that’s interesting. I don’t know if I’ve seen that one. That might be a new one for me. All right, well, then after so many weddings that you have done, what is something you would like to see? Is there anything you would think, this would be great if this happened at a wedding?
Stacey And Natalie (18:28)
We need to find the photos.
So something that I would like to see more, a few of our couples have taken the time at the end of the night to have one last dance where their guests are lining up outside for the exit. They’re taking that moment to have a special last final dance of the night. And I think that’s super sweet and something that they’ll always have and remember.
Steve (18:59)
really nice. Or there anything else that you would like to say to to any couples that are that are out there looking for a place or trying to figure out how they’re going to do things? I loved your advice about, you know, picking the things that are important to you. First, I think that’s that’s a great, great advice, really good advice in life, not just when you’re getting married. So Stacy, good job. But anything else that you’d like to share?
Stacey And Natalie (19:24)
pick someone with experience. So you’re a bride, it is your first time, you need a wedding coordinator that has done this before. Someone that knows the questions, knows that you need napkins and forks and plates to go with a cake. So, so many times before we really had a designated coordinator, people would show up and we would have no plates, we would have no
Steve (19:36)
Okay.
Stacey And Natalie (19:52)
So and that that makes your day a little more stressful. So when you have a really good wedding coordinator, when you have a photographer that’s not figuring out how to take a picture and have a good shot, I mean that makes a huge difference. So so I really recommend that you find people with experience.
Steve (20:07)
Yeah.
Yeah, I think so often, and you’re right, I think so often, maybe the bride or the groom probably is not even thinking about it, but the bride thinks, ⁓ I got this. know what I’m doing or her mother thinks that or something. then there’s all those, like you said, there’s all those questions or details that they may not.
Stacey And Natalie (20:21)
No.
Steve (20:32)
they didn’t know to remember. All right. All right, well, it’s been really nice talking to you. We’re gonna go ahead and wrap it up here and look forward to coming and visit. really, and I’m serious when I say that, I hope I get there soon. I’d like to come check that out and you can give me the tour and it’ll be great. But thank you so much for what you shared with us today. Really appreciate that. All right? All right, well, have a good day.
Stacey And Natalie (20:50)
We would love to have you. Thank you.
