The Popularity of Barn Weddings
According to the 2023 Wedding Study by The Knot, 18% of the couples surveyed selected a barn/farm venue for their wedding reception. This is just shy of the first-place ranking of banquet halls at 20%. The biggest growth spurt occurred between 2009 and 2017, when barn weddings rose from two percent to 15%.
Castle Farm in Charlevoix
In Michigan, the trend started to take off in 2002 when the Loeb Barn at Castle Farm in Charlevoix opened as a commercial wedding venue. Linda Mueller had purchased the historic farm the year before and immediately embarked on an extensive restoration project to replace the roofs, add wings on back according to original blueprints, and create bountiful gardens. The venue continues to be a much sought-after site for weddings from mid-May to mid-Oct.
FROM DAIRY TO “I DO”
With the rise in popularity of rustic weddings, turning a barn that is no longer used for agriculture into an event space is an option many barn owners have chosen.
At the 2024 MBPN Annual Conference, Ruth and Ivan Stahl, of Stahl Event Barn in McBain (near Cadillac), and Sharon and Warren Conley of The Olde Stone Porch in Ionia, shared their barn conversion stories and what it takes to establish an event venue business. Both couples are former Barn of the Year winners honored for the work they did to preserve and repurpose their barn.
The Stahl’s farm in McBain near Cadillac has been in Ivan’s family since it was originally homesteaded in 1882. When it came time to discontinue dairy farming in the mid-1990s, the Stahls knew they wanted their 1901 vintage barn to have a next chapter. They started to reimagine it as a wedding venue after hosting son Mike’s wedding rehearsal dinner there in 2009 and one for a friend of son Aaron in 2011.
The vision and transformation took 10 to 15 years to take shape, but became clear in 2012 as they pursued post-dairy landscaping and had a custom gazebo with a fire pit built. They hosted two weddings in the fall of 2013 as a prelude to the official opening of Stahl Event Barn in 2014. Over the last 10 years, approximately 200 events including retirement and anniversary parties, graduation open houses, proms, reunions, celebrations of life, fundraisers, musical events and many weddings have been held on their site.
For the Conleys, barn ownership and the wedding business is a more recent endeavor. In 2021 they purchased the landmark farmhouse on M-66 just north of Ionia that is recognized by its two-story, wrap-around stone porch. It came with a barn dating back to the 1850s that had fallen on hard times and was covered by brush and vines. But what really attracted Warren Conley to the property was its 80 acres he could use for hunting land.
The original plan was to do basic fixes to the house, shore up the barn and then resell that portion, but retain the acreage. “We intended to make only rudimentary changes to the barn,” says Warren, “but soon we became passionate about saving it, rehabilitating it, and preserving it for future generations.”
Transformation Process
Sharon Conley had experience as a building inspector, so she understood the process of changing the barn’s use from farm to a commercial venture. Creating The Olde Stone Porch wedding venue required substantial investment and hiring barn contractors and excavators. The barn needed new footings and a new floor. During the construction period, the barn stood on posts for over a month. Thankfully, the Conleys were able to get parts and siding from a delapidated “donor barn” nearby.
The Stahls wanted to retain the barn’s footprint as much as possible, but knew they had to make it practical for holding events. Although their township had no local zoning requirements, they did have to abide by local building codes and obtain building and occupancy permits. In addition to significant structural work, other facility requirements were met:
- New water lines for bathrooms and a warming kitchen were installed.
- The ceiling in the kitchen area was raised and a firewall was placed between the kitchen and what was at that time a small farm shop.
- All new electrical in conduit was installed as well as lighting on the hand-hewn beams.
The Launch
Word travels fast in a small rural town like McBain and the Stahls had inquiries even before any physical conversion work was done to the barn. “The first two families that scheduled weddings had to take us at our word that we would be ready. We were still hauling out tools and building supplies the day before the first wedding set-up began,” recalls Ruth. Likewise for the inaugural season of The Old Stone Porch in 2022. “The first customers who signed up with us really took a leap of faith,” says Sharon.
Both venues launched successfully, thanks to support and participation from the younger generation. Family members have been an integral part of the development, maintenance, hospitality and promotion of the venues.
Marketing is crucial at the outset and as competition grows. “When we started the business in 2014, we were the only event venue in Missaukee County,” notes Ruth. “Now there are several within 10 to 15 minutes of our location.” In addition to a website and social media presence, Stahl Event Barn relies on word-of-mouth and a listing on eventective.com. The Olde Stone Porch does the same and can be found on The Knot and WeddingWire sites as well.
Challenges and Joys
Liability is always a concern for business owners. In her presentation, Ruth Stahl explained their LLC business structure for the event barn, which is separate from Stahl’s Windy Hill Farm, LLC. In addition to insuring their farm and home, they have commercial liability insurance for the event barn.
Both the Conleys and Stahls mentioned factors that affect the enjoyment and safety of the guests and the importance of being proactive about risk. Event venue owners have to contend with weather conditions, safety hazards, bar service issues, unwanted wildlife intrusion, and even mischievous, unsupervised children. They also have to be sensitive to concerns from neighbors about traffic and noise. The amount of work to get ready for an event is substantial, Ruth admits. “A barn venue is really an outdoor venue and involves maintaining the grounds that are used for socializing, games and photographs. Just the amount of time it takes to move, set up, tear down, clean and store tables and chairs can be exhausting.”
Despite the hard work and liabilities, there is immense joy in meeting new people and playing a small part in their important life moments, says Ruth. “Besides, we get to have a party at our place most weekends. We have gone from boring to being the place to be.”
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Wedding Venues Named Barn of the Year
The MBPN is seeing more Barn of the Year entries in the adaptive use category from wedding barns.