By Linda Lane
When their daughter, Bethany, became engaged four years ago, Terry Blodgett approached his wife, Cindy, with an idea: “What do you think about having her wedding here in our barn?” The idea morphed into a major project, though it wasn’t considered a big deal for Terry. He’s a local builder and also owns a ServPro franchise.
The couple had five months to renovate the barn and make it presentable for a wedding.
After Bethany’s wedding was such a big success, they decided to pursue the wedding venue as a business, with even more extensive renovations and additions to the barn. They dug up an old wooden floor, used large beams from under the floor to build an addition with an open view of their fruit orchard to the east and poured a concrete floor inside the original barn. It became an entire family project, with everyone playing some role in it.
Today, the renovated 1840s barn offers 2,530 square feet in the reception area alone and modern conveniences incorporated into a two-story addition on the south side of the barn. The addition features a commercial kitchen, food serving room, new handicap-accessible multi-stall bathrooms, and a bar/dessert serving area on the main level. The bride/groom/ family room on the second floor provides a heated and air-conditioned space for the wedding party. Terry also built a gazebo on the site of a former silo which provides another area for a wedding ceremony, an outdoor bar area or a gathering space for guests.
“Some people go on vacations together. We stay home and work together,” Cindy said with a laugh.
They’ve hosted 35-40 events since they officially opened the facility to host events and weddings; they have 15 weddings already booked for 2020.
“I want people to have a stress-free wedding; that’s our goal,” said Cindy Blodgett. “And it’s nice to let people be outside to enjoy the fresh air and beautiful rustic views of our setting, especially when the weather is good.”
While they can’t predict or change Michigan’s sometimes crazy weather, they’ve thought ahead with plans and details in their facility, like see-through curtains along the east open wall to counter any rain threats.
Wedding couples are free to bring in their own decorations or use some of what the Blodgetts have available. Not included in the facility cost is the catering of the food or the drinks to be provided. Couples can determine what catering will work best for their function. One couple had slabs of beef roasting over an outdoor fire pit with their caterer, a tradition in their native Argentina.
“We want to be on the same page as the couple who’s getting married. Whatever your dream is for a perfect wedding day, that’s what our goal is to provide them. Most importantly, we want their day to be a safe day for everyone. That’s really a high priority for us, people getting home safely, especially if alcohol is going to be served. We take everything we do here personally. It’s a reflection of us, who we are as people. We take a lot of pride in making everyone’s day special,” Cindy explained.
The Blodgetts pay attention to all the details as a wedding unfolds on their property, from parking cars, having everything properly set up, to attending to various needs for the wedding party. The grounds are beautifully manicured and gardens are replete with aromas of blooming gorgeous flowers. The owners are present for the entire function to ensure all goes well and without a hitch.
There are four outdoor location options on their property for the wedding ceremony: overlooking a fruit orchard, guests seated surrounding the couple in the pretty gazebo, a backdrop of the sunflower garden or in the midst of the new lavender garden. Inside the barn, with massive barn beams high overhead, the large space comfortably seats 200 people with adequate room for mingling, serving food, and even a dance floor. The space is truly a gorgeous setting for a wedding with everything carefully attended to, including expressions of love featured around the barn.
More information on the Blodgett Wedding Barn can be found online at: https://blodgettbarn.wixsite.com/website
The Blodgetts can be contacted at 269-679-4893 or via email at blodgettbarn@gmail.com.