SNOHOMISH — Debbie Thomas never imagined that her role as a dairy wife might include renting out the family’s barn for weddings.
But when milk prices took a dip, farmers took the hit. The number of licensed dairy farms in Snohomish County declined from about 655 in 1959 to about 28 in 2010.
Being able to save their barns and their surrounding farmland was important to the local farmers. So Snohomish County wrote codes that allowed farmers to renovate their barns and welcome people to rent them for weddings and other events.
Marv and Dennis Thomas and their wives (both named Debbie) at Thomas Family Farm at Highway 9 and Marsh Road decided to give it a shot. Last year they welcomed their first wedding party at what they call the Crossroads.
In doing so they joined a league of people in the county who are riding the wave of popularity in barn weddings.
Alissa Lawton, a Mill Creek-based wedding planner, and her husband, Craig, got married at Craven Farm, also in the Snohomish River Valley.
“Lord Hill Farms was one of the first to get into events and my cousin got married there,” Lawton said. “I think the popularity of farm weddings has been growing steadily for the past 10 years.”
The Thomas family first converted their 50-year-old barn for October harvest and Halloween events, another way in which they and other farmers have diversified their incomes.
“The barn used to hold 600 heifers and now it can hold 620 humans,” said Marv Thomas. “It took two years to convert. We had help from a structural engineer and encouragement from the county planning department.”
The Thomas brothers and their sons still grow a variety of crops and last year a corn field was just steps from the barn.
“People like that,” Marv’s wife Debbie said. “They like the feel of this beautiful valley.”
Debbie and Marv Thomas, both Snohomish High School graduates, got married in a church in Snohomish and their reception was at Normanna Hall in Everett. That was pretty standard back then, they said.
“Today, I think people want to be more relaxed and have indoor and outdoor elements in their ceremonies,” Debbie said. “But barns can be dressed up to feel almost like cathedrals and lots of people can attend.”
The Thomas family farm sits in the flood plain, so the family takes a break from renting out their barn in the winter months when flooding is possible. Most weddings there are scheduled from May through September.
The farmers in Snohomish Valley tend to help each other with their wedding venues, loaning each other chairs and other equipment as necessary.
“We farmers were friends first,” Marv said. “The Krauses at Swans Trail Farms and the Stockers at Red Barn Events have been very kind to us.”
Many of the farmers belong to the Snohomish Wedding Guild, Debbie said. A tour May 31 will allow future brides and grooms to take a look at all of the local venues.
Working farms are naturally dirty places and the families have labored to clean up, add flowers and landscaping.
Inside their barn, the Thomas family remodeled the grain room into the bridal party dressing room, complete with lights and mirrors. They added a commercial kitchen. And they hired Lawton and her business partner, Meredith Geffert, of Maris Events, to provide the initial decorating of the barn, including lights and drapes.
“It was fun to come in and help make the most of the space,” Lawton said. “The Crossroads barn is beautiful. And I think people appreciate the agriculture community and the pretty scenery in the country, that’s why they want barn weddings.”
Most of the weddings the Maris Events crew oversees in upscale Seattle don’t include country music, but fans of country and bluegrass do love barn weddings.
“It’s about a laid-back, hospitable, self-sufficient and family-oriented lifestyle,” Lawton said. “We still see a lot of church weddings, but then people might move to a barn for their reception. With most barn owners you have more flexibility to do what you want than you would in a hotel downtown.”
While the rustic and shabby chic decorations are beginning to wane, barns also lend themselves to more glamorous settings, including neutral colors such as champagne and natural linen, along with the understated, elegant use of silver, copper and gold.
“The big color this year is marsala wine, a red-brown that goes well in barns,” Lawton said.
When people enter the Crossroads barn for the first time, most are surprised, Debbie Thomas said.
“They stand there and say, ‘Wow!’ And that is wonderful for us,” she said.
Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427; gfiege@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @galefiege.
Where to tie the knot
The seventh annual Snohomish Wedding Tour by the Snohomish Wedding Guild is 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 31, starting from the Snohomish Center, 506 Fourth St., Snohomish. Tickets are $5 each for this self-guided tour of 21 wedding spots. More information is at www.mysnohomishwedding.com.
The barn wedding venues in Snohomish County include:
Crossroads at Thomas Family Farm: 9010 Marsh Road, Snohomish; 360-568-6945; www.crossroadsweddings.com.
Lord Hill Farms: 12525 Old Snohomish-Monroe Road, Snohomish; 360-568-1780; www.lordhillfarms.com.
Swans Trail Farms: 7301 Rivershore Road, Snohomish; 425-330-3084; www.swanstrailfarms.com.
Craven Farm: 13817 Shorts School Road, Snohomish; 360-568-2601; www.cravenfarm.com.
Red Barn at Stocker Farms: 8705 Marsh Road, Snohomish; 425-238-1678; www.stockerfarms.com.
Dairyland: 12125 Treosti Road, Snohomish; 425-367-8827; www.woodlandmeadowfarms.com.
Hidden Meadows: 11805 Springhetti Road, Snohomish; 360-568-1050; www.visithiddenmeadows.com.
Carleton Farm: 630 Sunnyside Blvd SE, Lake Stevens; 425-330-5941; www.carletonfarm.com/weddings.
Tazer Valley Farm: 7314 300th St. NW, Stanwood; 360-391-3352; www.tazervalleyfarm.com.
Countryside Meadows: 21916 Seventh Ave. NE, Arlington; 360-652-9032; www.countrysidemeadows.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
