Engaged couples need to use a locally owned wedding venue that can help alleviate stress when planning their wedding. Wedding planning can be stressful and produce anxiety, but here are some tips to help you through the process:
Effective communication with your partner is key. Sharing the wedding planning responsibilities can significantly reduce stress and foster a sense of teamwork. Ask for help. Your family and friends are there for you, and they should be more than willing to lend a hand. You’re not alone in this journey. Remember the big picture; you are celebrating your love for each other. Set a budget. The easiest way to lower the cost of your wedding is to create a budget and consider decreasing your guest count. Stay organized, stay on top of deadlines. We at Blueberry Hill send out reminders and questionnaires to help keep you on task. Take breaks, step away, enjoy some downtime when you are not discussing the wedding, and just have fun. Setting realistic expectations is crucial. Your wedding is a unique celebration of your love, not a competition with others. Focus on making it special for you. Embrace imperfection. Set boundaries. This can include people. If there are toxic people in your life, they do not need to be part of the wedding process. It’s okay to feel anxious. Remember, most anxiety comes from the unknown. Take deep breaths, step away from planning, and enjoy some downtime. Your mental well-being is important. Choose the right vendor team, and this starts with the venue. We at Blueberry Hill include the DJ, bartender, housing, and plenty of time for decorating and enjoying your wedding.
Choose from one of the many locally-owned wedding venues. We care about your special day and want to help. We will help you plan and execute your vision. Corporate wedding venues are more about the bottom line. We love what we do and want to help.
Many newly engaged couples consider a wedding venue’s ability to handle inclement weather a top concern. At the Barn at The Barn at Blueberry Hill, we understand this and assure you that we can accommodate your wedding regardless of the weather conditions. Our flexibility is your peace of mind. Look at locally-owned wedding venues to get that personal touch.
Rest assured in your decision. We are fully prepared to support you if you decide to proceed with an outdoor wedding. We have many umbrellas for your guests and can quickly dry the benches in case of a sudden shower just before the ceremony. Your wedding day is in safe hands with us.
What if it rains on your wedding day? It would help if you always had a plan B. Some couples embrace the rain and use umbrellas. Others move inside the barn to the climate-controlled space. On a rainy day, having a barn wedding can be a great option. You can utilize the climate-controlled space to ensure the weather doesn’t dampen the festivities. The rustic backdrop of a barn can be charming and create a cozy atmosphere for your special day.
Many engaged couples are concerned about how the venue will handle lousy weather when choosing a wedding venue. At the Barn at Blueberry Hill, we understand this and want to assure you that we can accommodate your wedding regardless of the weather. Our flexibility is designed to give you peace of mind. If you move the ceremony inside the barn, we can set up the space in as little as 30 minutes. During the social hour, our staff can quickly arrange the space for your reception in less than 15 minutes
Conditions might also be too hot or cold on your wedding day if the ceremony is outside. Just be sure to have a backup plan in case of unexpected showers! Rain is one of many reasons for a plan B. Having the ceremony outside might be too hot or cold on your wedding day. Plan B should always be in the back of your mind
On July 11, 2014, The Barn at Blueberry Hill hosted their first wedding. It was 86 degrees that day, and we had no air conditioning then. Thank goodness for an afternoon thundershower to cool things off. We learned that we needed to add air conditioning quickly. Bryon and Erica Kennedy were excellent to work with. It was a heartwarming family affair, with everyone pitching in to make it a perfect day. The groom was so happy he danced to the front of the steps to meet his bride. Since that first wedding, we have constantly added amenities to the barn. The barn remains rustic with modern comforts.
Air conditioning and heat were added in the late summer of 2014, making the barn climate-controlled. That fall, we hosted several barn weddings, but winter was the time for more improvements. We added insulation and a bead board ceiling during January and February of 2015.
By the winter of 2017, we had outgrown the original barn space and needed to add a wing on the side of the barn. That January, one of our friends wanted to get rid of a pack house in Pilot Mountain. It had beautiful German siding, which I knew would be the walls in the new addition. Rogelio, Miquel, Nabor, and I were off to Pilot Mountain to harvest the wood. We were then ready to start the addition. Samuel Johnson and Jamie Davis constructed the addition, and we were prepared to finish it with recycled materials. This added much-needed space upstairs and a gathering spot for appetizers before the reception. We updated the bar and photo booth on the middle floor. A groom’s suite was added during this renovation as well.
In 2018, we saw the need to improve the outdoor space. Nic Robson and his crew installed pavers on the walkway to the arbor. With all the traffic, the grass would look dead by midsummer. The pavers made it easier to walk down the aisle.
In 2019, it became apparent that the bridal suite was too small, so it was time for another addition. Samuel was back to the rescue. We turned the old bride’s room into a gathering room, and the new bride’s dressing room was equipped with mirrors and plenty of counter space for makeup. We added outlets at each station for all the hair styling tools.
We all know what happened in 2020. We bought rental property below the venue to offer our couples and their guests housing. We purchased this property in January and finished the farmhouse renovations by March, then Covid hit. We canceled or rescheduled 17 weddings that year. It was a challenging year for everyone.
2021 wasn’t much better, but we were still trying to accommodate the 2020 weddings and could only book a few other weddings that year. We finally managed to finish the other rental property and turn it into a bunkhouse. It was ready in August 2021.
We had our last Covid scheduled wedding in April of 2022. We added an arcade to the barn’s bottom level, which has been a hit for the youngsters and the young at heart. We paved the parking lot and marked off the parking spaces. It is amazing how many cars you can park if there are lines to define the space.
In 2023, we celebrated 50 years of marriage by taking the entire family to Puerto Rico and had a blast.
2024 is going strong. We have refinished the barn floors and cleared around the pond so it can be seen from the wedding venue. It has been a lot of hard work and lots of money, but I would not change a thing. I have been able to preserve the barn and keep up the farm. I have also been able to spend time with family and friends. My dad was sick with dementia when I started renovating the barn in 2013, but he got to see it completed before he died in 2017. I am grateful that I could retire from nursing to help care for him. We lost my father-in-law in 2023. Time spent with family and friends is always well-spent, and we must make the best of our time together.
We at Blueberry Hill are always trying to improve our services and add quality to our wedding package.
While many wedding venues are reducing the quality or quantity of their services/products and still maintaing or increasing their prices. This is a response to inflation and the costs of maintaining their venue.
Examples of shrinkflation at wedding venues include:
Reducing the number of staff, we on the other hand have added staff and will have a minimum of 3 staff members at your wedding. We have added the DJ and bartender as part of the package.
Substituting cheaper flowers for your bouquets. We will offer you different quotes and allow you to chose how much you want to spend.
Some venues have decreased the number of hours for the rental period, we still give you 2 full days so you can have a less stressful wedding weekend.
Other venues have decreased services, we now offer onsite housing for the wedding party and guests. We offer tables, chairs, linens, place settings and decor as part of the package as well.
It is essential to be aware of shrinkflation and carefully review contracts. Our contract is transparent and you will have listed everything to make you wedding day special.
“I’m looking for someone to share in an adventure that I’m arranging, and it’s very difficult to find anyone.” —J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit
Newly engaged couples, where do you start planning the wedding of your dreams? We have helped plan over 300 weddings during the last 10 years.
When planning a wedding, you can start by considering:
Budget: How much can you afford? Will you have any help from family?
Guest list: The more guests the more expensive the wedding. Larger weddings will need a larger venue and you will need to feed all the guests.
Venue: The tone of the wedding is set by the type of venue. Some venues book up quickly so start booking your tours. Consider local wedding venues that are on private property and are more secure than corporate wedding venues. Local venues are small businesses and offer a more personal experience. You need the venue booked with the date before you can hire other vendors.
Choose a venue that includes tables, chairs, linens, DJ, housing onsite and decor to save money.
