Today we’d like to introduce you to Sherry Nielsen and Doug Ulrick.
Hi Sherry & Doug, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
Fun fact, we’re in the business of love and not married even though we have been together for over 13 years! But this is not about us, this is about our little red barn that was given a new lease on life.
In a world where barns are becoming extinct, we chose to preserve the history, but in a new direction. A Luxury Barn Wedding Venue. She (the barn) was built in 1950 on a well-established family farm in McLeod county. The farm was known for its award-winning dairy cows, all given popular names of that era…like Marge, Naomi, and Cora. Once her dairy days were over, she sat empty waiting to be reinvented.
This is where we step in! When two “ideas” people get together, the rest is history…your history! Seventy years after her debut, South Glen Farm was born. We did a lot of thinking, planning, and praying in the process. For the sake of simplicity, on an intentional Valentine’s Day in 2020, we signed the purchase papers and jumped right in.
To say the designing and planning were seamless would be too easy. As we started to move through our vision we soon realized we needed to pause and really “feel” the farm. We were combining two different styles, glam and romantic with comfy and industrial!
What we drew on paper did not always equate in real life. As we walked around and explored more we started to get in sync with our little red barn. We adjusted the footprint to what you see today. But nothing is ever completely done out here. We both keep thinking of new ideas to curate a beautiful farm and a memorable Wedding Day.
Fast forward a roller coaster ride of 15 months and we hosted our first wedding in July of 2021.
Three things we have learned along the way:
- Everybody has a unique love story.
- Do not eat more than one cupcake per Wedding and…
- We have selfless family and friends that jumped in to help and cheered us on the whole way through!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Building any unique business curates fear and exhilaration all in one. We did not realize the barn’s significance until several weddings were under our belt. Then a lightbulb came on and we understood these couples were starting their forever right here, at our farm. They will share their story with their children and grandchildren about their wedding day at South Glen Farm. That is something that gives us chills just thinking about it. We are part of their forever history.
Big risks, big rewards, heck yeah! And the biggest reward is being a part of the greater good. Some of our couples have been with us for months, planning their wedding. We see how they navigate and compromise as a couple on their road to marriage. It’s very endearing to see how careful they treat their new love. They are building a foundation to last a lifetime.
Mostly we pray it doesn’t rain on their wedding day but we are always prepared for it. All in all, weddings are just happy occasions!
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
Wedding planning can be a big job. We wanted to offer a venue and service that was easy to understand and transparent. Our pricing, availability, and amenities are all on our website. If you are researching for your wedding at 11 pm, you will have all the information to decide if we are a good fit for your budget, style, and vision. Our price includes all the decor, set up, clean up, venue staff, golf cart shuttle, games, linens, etc. We are here to support you through your planning. We host open houses for our couples twice a month, April through October. They bring their family out, experiment with decorating their tables or meet their wedding party to rehearse.
We feel the feature that sets us apart from other venues is our beautiful bridges and “grandpa tree”. Your guests can sit under the shade of the mighty oak while you say your “I do’s” on the lower bridge. It’s so unexpected and dramatic when the bride steps out of the loft french doors and promenades down from the upper bridge. Colorful flowers and a waterfall are their natural backdrop. Untraditional at its finest!
Any big plans?
Our plans for the future are to take a break from being creative!! Shut our brains off for a while and just enjoy this journey. We have made great connections with other venues and vendors in this industry. It’s nice to know there are other supportive professionals that want to see wedding day dreams come to life. It is a well orchestrated dance behind the scenes and it takes the village to pull off an amazing wedding day!
One tip for engaged couples… Hire a good vendor team, then step back and let them do their thing! You get one shot to get a wedding day right, to be in this industry you must be passionate about your job. They are, and we are! We are so thankful!
Pricing:
- 2023 Pricing starts at $4,800 for our Mini Weddings. Visit our website for more pricing.
Contact Info:
- Website: southglenfarm.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southglenfarm/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southglenfarm
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/SouthGlenFarm1950/_created/
Image Credits
Tessa June Photography, TEM Photography, Moore Photography, and Perennial Photography
