10 Years and Counting

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.

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