Marion cupcakery to build wedding venue

It wasn't long after Megan Knatz opened Take the Cake Cupcakes and Desserts in Marion four years ago that she started catering desserts for weddings.

'Weddings became my favorite thing right off the bat,” she says. 'Right away I knew I wanted to be involved in weddings in a bigger way.”

That dream is coming true - Knatz and her husband, Bryan Knatz, are preparing to build a new wedding venue for the Corridor.

Construction will start next spring on Ashton Hill, a 7,000 square-foot building that will sit on 20 acres just west of Highway 13 near Mount Vernon Road SE.

The venue will have a barn-esque aesthetic, Knatz says, with a vineyard and corn integrated into the landscaping to provide 'Iowa countryside views.”

The aim is to be able to seat 300 indoors, with several outdoor spaces including a veranda, garden and 'ceremony lawn.” Take the Cake also will move to the building from its current location at 5475 Dyer Ave., Suite 121, in Marion. The bakery will reopen in the new space and still include a retail store and catering for non-weddings.

Knatz says she's built up a network of other people in the wedding industry in the Cedar Rapids area and consulted with them and many brides and grooms while creating plans for Ashton Hill.

One thing they told her: there simply aren't enough venues in the Corridor to meet demand. Though Ashton Hill isn't even under construction yet, she already has weddings booked.

'I've been in the bridal industry about four years now. I work with a lot of brides and noticed a shortage of venue space,” she says.

Want to learn more? Knatz will be at the Iowa Wedding Expo at The Hotel at Kirkwood Center Sunday, along with 50 other wedding service providers. The expo is produced by The Gazette and KCRG-TV9.