Weddings at the [Sojourn!] Farm

This year, it will have been five very eventful and busy years since Milan and I were wed, on a beautiful day in May, here at the farm.  "Back then" it was still called The Flying Horse Ranch.  I was never sure where that name came from, but when my family first moved here in 1990, we liked it, so we kept it.

We have been Sojourn Farms for four years now, and that glorious May day was the beginning of a chapter that is growing substantially this year.  Our reception took place in our beautiful, turn-of-the-century (some say even earlier) dairy barn.  We spent the six months before our wedding day working like crazy to make it both safe and worthy of the event, removing animal stalls, pouring footings underneath the main floor, rebuilding the foundation along the east wall, putting on a new roof... it was quite the undertaking.  And that was just the barn.  We did mountains of other clean-up, pick-up, spruce-up and improvement projects around the rest of the property as well, removing half a dozen wire-and-junk piles, removing and/or replacing falling-down fences, building new flower beds, reviving the "lawn" out of the weeds, trimming the fruit trees, organizing the "bone yard"... the list went on and on.

Happily for us, we have enjoyed the fruit of our labor many times since our own wedding day.  Not only have we hosted our annual Harvest Party in the barn every year, there have been more weddings, as well as family and class reunions, birthdays and movie nights.

This year, we are thrilled to announce that Sojourn Farms is officially available as a commercial wedding venue!  We have wanted to open our doors to this business ever since our own wedding, when both our wedding coordinator and our caterer strongly recommended we do so.  For 2012, we are booking Fall weddings/events.  In 2013, we'll be booking dates May through October. 

So, here are some photographs of Sojourn Farms from an event/wedding venue perspective.  Hopefully we'll have more to share in the near future.  Enjoy!

The barn yard.  Photograph by Matt Connell Photography.

Looking into the west aisle door onto the main floor.  Photograph by Matt Connell Photography.

Walking through the Front Yard, northwest of the Barn.  Photograph by Matt Connell Photography.

The Front Yard.  Photograph by Matt Connell Photography.

The weather vane was made by our neighbor, Denny Hare.  Photograph by Matt Connell Photography.

The silos, originally installed and used for grain that was harvested off the farm. Photograph by Matt Connell Photography.

The Tackhouse. Photograph by Matt Connell Photography.

The view from the barnyard to the south. Photograph by Matt Connell Photography.

Tackhouse sitting area, north east of the barn.  Photograph by Matt Connell Photography.

A view of the barn from the south west, across the field of clover and rye.  Photograph by Matt Connell Photography.

A tractor pulls the hay ride shuttle bringing guests from the parking area up to the barn.

Dressed to impress, the main floor of the barn awaits guests for the reception.  Photograph by Matt Connell Photography.

Cupcakes and burlap in the east aisle, which is set up banquet style.

Banquet style seating in the west aisle.

Banquet tables set up in a horse-shoe shape on the main floor.

Beautiful Leah on the north side of the Barn Pond. Photograph by Matt Connell Photography.

Leah and David on the north side of the Barn Pond.  Photograph by Matt Connell Photography.

Photograph by Matt Connell Photography.

Leah and David in one of the east side windows.  Photograph by Matt Connell Photography.

Clover background.  Photograph by Matt Connell Photography.

Dancing in the barn.  Photograph by Matt Connell Photography.

Late July wedding when the rye had matured.  Photograph by Photography a'la Tara.

Bridal party on the east side of the barn.  Photograph by Photography a'la Tara.

Photograph by Photography a'la Tara.

Photograph by Photography a'la Tara.

Groom and guys on the north side of the Barn Pond.  Photograph by Photography a'la Tara.

Photograph by Photography a'la Tara.

Photograph by Matt Connell Photography.

Horseback getaway!

The barn looks the most stunning after dusk when the twinkle lights really shine.  Photograph by Matt Connell Photography.

The barn's east side, all aglow.  Photograph by Matt Connell Photography.

Our wedding day!