I am Lorin, visionary of this magical place called The Enchanted Barn. The dream came to me in November of 2003 after helping "create the space" for a friends wedding in a barn. The emotions that were displayed from the guests that day, left me with a desire to find the perfect setting to be able to create an atmosphere like no other where couples and their guests could some to experience the memories being made. Upon driving up to this barn, I knew that I had found the diamond I had been searching for, which at that time was very much in the "rough". The barn was not for sale when I found it in December of 2003, but the farmer agreed to sell and in February 2004 the barn was mine and my visions could begin.
The original farm homestead in the mid 1800's consisted of a primitive log walled barn a few feet to the south as well as a home located where the current old shed sits. In 1898, the current timber frame structure with locally harvested fieldstone foundation was erected. Up until the 1970's, the working dairy farmstead was the only residence on what was then just a country dirt road. The lower level, then known as the milking parlor, was where many dairy cows were nourished and were milked. We have kept the term "milking parlor" and today is where guests enjoy appetizers and cocktails framed by aged whitewashed fieldstone walls.
The upper level was used to store up the main cuisine desirable to those happy cows known as "hay", and thus aptly named the "hayloft". Now the work began.....preserving that history. In March of 2004, the initial two-month phase of restoration commenced and in the Fall of 2005 the doors of business opened with two weddings.
Those humble beginnings, with only the original remaining lone structure, was accomplished with an old beaten down Ford truck, two canvas tarped off corners of the lower milking parlor for utility and catering staging, and me "camping" at the barn for long days getting ready for our first weddings.
These sacrifices inherent in creating such a successful business paid off when the barn became the best outdoor venue in 2011 thru 2016, voted by Wisconsin Bride Magazine readers. In 2013, the accolades continued to come with more national significance as Brides magazine listed the barn within the Top 50 Most Romantic Venues in the USA for creating nuptials. Our latest honor was hand picked by international eyes of Conde Nast Brides UK, the UK's leading bridal magazine, whom also publishes Vogue and Glamour, as one of the top 25 venues to marry around the world.
Those awards continue to empower us to do what got us here. We will continue to pay attention to detail just like all the details maintained in the restoration of this wonderful diamond in the rough that God Himself, I believe, had set aside for me back in 2003. It also means our amazing staff will continue to pour their hearts out passionately to make your day the way you dreamt it to be. We strive to maintain this raw romantic atmosphere we refer to as that "neutral canvas" which a couple can come into and splash the "paint of their personalities" to share who they feel they are to their beloved guests.
Growing up on a dairy farm with humble beginnings, and then continuing my education to gain a bachelors degree in mechanical engineering with a passion in architecture, photography, and entrepreneurship, I traveled to many cities gaining an appreciation for diverse culture. I believe all of these are important facets of what was to become. I am still humbled by how many lives The Enchanted Barn continues to deeply touch.
God said that it is not good for man to be alone, so He got it even better the second time with the creation of a woman that the man could marry. I believe many thousand years later God said "let there be this sacred place in which to marry, and He called this place...The Enchanted Barn!
- May God richly bless all whom marry at such a venue as this, Lorin...
