Nov. 5—A serene lake, a refurbished horse barn and 15 acres of farmland are now part of what’s called Idyllwood — a wedding venue established at 4875 Veach Road.
Robert Williams, one of the owners who created the agri-tourism business, said there was no intent for the property to be turned into a wedding venue site when it was purchased for $238,920 two years ago at auction.
“I didn’t know what we were going to do with it; I just knew it was a great buy, and we loved the land,” said Williams, who works in real estate and as a part-time special education teacher. “We knew we wanted to keep this land; it’s great and it’s beautiful. But what are we going to do to help maintain and help pay for some of the cost?”
Williams, 41, said he initially received calls from people wanting to buy or develop the land, but declined the offers. The ownership group thought about renting out the barn stalls to horse owners but decided against that idea.
It was when Williams started receiving inquiries about renting it as an entertainment and wedding venue that the lightbulbs turned on for a potential business.
Williams said the ownership group knew dirt work had to be done, the barn had to be renovated and they had to go through planning and zoning before any weddings could be held.
“We had the discussion … and we knew there would be a lot of headaches,” Williams said. “But it was a path to keep the land pretty.”
About three months ago, Idyllwood launched with the addition of a 3,200-square-foot tent to host wedding receptions and other entertainment-style events.
The entire site is designed to have every part of a wedding there.
Along with the jumbo white tent, a dock, which was built as the wedding ceremony location, was added to the lake.
So far, Williams said the venue has had limited use because of its newness to the wedding venue scene.
But he added that when people see it up close, they’ll realize why it was named Idyllwood.
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“It’s essentially picturesque,” he said, “and its name is a little different.”
After the next wedding that will take place in mid-November, the tent will come down for the winter and will be erected again in time for spring weddings.
Williams said ownership has other ideas for the property, such as more renovations to the barn and making it more functional.
“I can think of ways to spend money and do fun stuff out here all the time, but at some point we had to find a stopping point,” Williams said. “It became, ‘Now, let’s see how this goes.’ “
For more information, go to www.idyllwoodonveach.com or call 270-313-2855.
