Growing A Dream
After much prayerful consideration, in February (2025) about one week before Mary Linda Freeman was born (Brooke’s second daughter), N projects LLC began construction on The Cornealius Properties Lewis Atkinson Chapel; Birdsong Chapels SISTER wedding venue!
Remembering that construction of The Cornealius Properties Birdsong Chapel began right after Joanna Nancy Freeman (Brooke’s first daughter) was born, the timing seems like it was so perfect.
At the time, I (Brooke) was miserably pregnant but my dad (Don), as always, was at the top of his game and directing the project forward!
Photos from February 2025, the day (Sunday) before construction began! Construction began the next morning before 8:00 am.
Mrs.Judy Lewis who sold my family the property and has been a lifetime friend of my parents came to the groundbreaking photo shoot to show her excitement and support of our growing project! We told her about our dreams to expand the gardens into a formal garden, add a brick wall, add additional sidewalks and how the property would flow. She beamed with excitement and expressed how her late husband would be so thrilled; he (and she) LOVED their gardens at “Lewis Atkinson” when they called this historic mansion home!
We kept the blueprint very similar on the second chapel, we just went with more white and less wood. Also, we chose a steeple with a cross on top rather than a bell tower. Both chapels are very upscale and neither feel very “rustic”, in my opinion. The Wood elements on Birdsong Chapel still feel elegant and classic. All white at Lewis Atkinson just seemed to fit the ascetic of the home and its time period more. I decided I wanted a steeple with a cross on top rather than a bell tower because I wanted a cross on the chapel!
The project of a wedding venue is almost always so FUN and it is absolutely wonderful to meet so many people from all walks of life; I always want to remember HOW we began, WHY we began, and WHY we continue! My mother would say …”They do not know the MIRACLES we have seen”!…. A project always brings the family (and co-workers + friends) together; when we’re together we’re almost always having fun even if we’re working hard!
The Cornealius Properties business revolves all about the people who continue to show up here form the North, South, East and West…. And for my family, it’s all about how we wound up HERE, with “sister” wedding venues! This place is ALL about making lasting memories for families to hold onto and look back on in photographs and videos and cherish for this lifetime.
Growing the dream bigger makes me reflect back on the beginning; The Cornealius Properties began because my mother wanted to help me actually sell some flowers! I have a flower farm a few miles down the road (from Birdsong) and dreamed of doing event work!
WOW, so much has happened in the last four years! The vision has shifted a lot along the way, as things have grown; I cannot believe all the amazing days we have hosted people, all the people we have gotten to know and love! We have friends in so many states all over the world and even other countries! It has been an unbelievable journey so far! I never imagined we would have a “sister chapel” but I thank God we do!
I thank God not only for the people that come here to celebrate the “second best decision” they make in this life… but I thank God for people who have made The Cornealius Peoples such a HUGE part of their lives with us and show up to work this dream with us!
I have the best family and the best team members who are like my extended family. This is “living the dream” !
…After a few months of passing inspections and working together as an extended team and family, The Cornealius Properties Lewis Atkinson Chapel was COMPLETE and the garden began! We decided to have a photoshoot in front of the chapel to celebrate its completion!
We quickly got ready for our very first wedding which had originally been scheduled to be in the front lawn until the bride realized the chapel was going to be complete by her wedding day!
