Barn venues in Northern Indiana are kind of “par for the course” as they say, but the guest experience and the look from barn to barn varies widely…some properties are absolutely stunning, Instagram-perfect visions straight out of Pintrest with top-notch staff. Other are…well…not. Without question though, our favorite barn venue in St. Joseph county Indiana is St. Joe Farm, and it’s a stunner.

The historic 1913 Event Barn is the centerpiece of the property and where most receptions take place, but the entire property, established by Notre Dame’s Father Sorin and the Brothers of the Holy Cross over 170 years ago, has many unique spaces for events. The entire farm comprises over 1400 acres and includes almost 30 buildings including stables, multiple barns, a loft where 14 people can stay on-site, and even a Tack Room apartment which can accommodate up to 4 guests for a Western-themed stay.

It was all these features and the quality of Navarre Catering and Events that manages events on the property which drew Indianapolis bride-to-be Riley and her fiancé Aaron to St. Joe Farm for their August wedding. Riley and Aaron went to Penn High School in Granger and are recent Indiana University grads as well, so even though they don’t have the Notre Dame ties typical of a St. Joe Farm wedding, being local to the Granger community, Riley new the Farm fit her country vibe perfectly and was close to home for both families. When choosing her entertainment, Riley was also impressed with our WeddingWire reviews and mentioned we had “the best reviews they had seen” when booking us in May.

Riley’s ceremony was held on-site at St. Joe Farm, under the shade of a 100 year old American Elm tree in the Clover Field, with the newly completed Round Barn serving as the scenic backdrop and acres of the Farm’s bean fields in the far background. Also in the far background this particular afternoon was an approaching thunderstorm, and although there was some thunder, luckily the ceremony stayed dry and sunny over the Farm!

We provided sound for the ceremony and the crystal-clear music played for the 150 guests as the large bridal party of eight attendants on each side walked down the aisle to stand as witnesses while Riley and Aaron said their vows. After the 20-minute ceremony, guests made their way from the Clover Field back around the front of the Event Barn for cocktails and appetizers, and many made a quick pitstop at the unique photo booth inside a 1977 VW Bus parked in front of the barn. See the video below for more on this awesome vendor.

Following cocktails we emceed a fun Grand Entrance with the large bridal party, which included the newlyweds being introduced from the balcony overlooking the entire barn on the west end of the barn. It’s a dramatic way to enter the party, and Riley looked stunning from high above the guests! Heartfelt speeches from the two Best Men followed and then a delicious plated meal from Navarre Catering and amazing homemade pies from Das Dutchman Essenhaus in Middlebury, IN.

To the sounds of “Soulmate” from Josh Turner, Riley and Aaron kicked off the dancing with their First Dance as husband and wife, and then the young crowd took over and tore up the dance floor for the rest of the evening to a high-energy mix of current hits and country favorites. They even broke out the often-forgotten group line dance “Copperhead Road”, which not many people know, but when they do, it’s a treat to see it done properly.

The party rocked so hard in fact that we went into overtime, and by the end of the evening, as friends and family surrounded Riley and Aaron to sing “Friends in Low Places”, it was clear the day was a huge success!
READ THE WEDDING WIRE REVIEW:

Aaron H · married on 08/15/2020

5.0 Stars

Wedding DJ
The Music Place was the best choice for our wedding. We literally danced until we had to leave the venue, we only wish we could’ve brought them to the bars after! Blake took our suggestions and put the songs we wanted to hear and fit them perfectly into his set. We all had a blast and people loved that we had DJ Sticky Boots! Growing up the in Mishawaka area, that was a big deal for some folks! Blake made every accommodation to help make our wedding amazing and curated the music so well to our taste. Thank you Blake!

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