Wedding P lanner the
WRITTEN BY: Kelly Waterhouse
SUPPLEMENT TO The Wellington Advertiser
Forever begins at Barn Swallow Fields Courtney & Tyler
PHOTOS BY: Brynley Teri, Bryn’s Photography
ERAMOSA – Some people meet their soulmate at school. Some people meet at work, or while travelling abroad. Courtney and Tyler McPhee met at the altar. True story. Over four years later, they’d return to the altar together again, this time to promise forever to one another, in a celebration they designed to be as effortless as their love for each other. “We met standing in a wedding at the Elora Mill in 2018,” Courtney said, explaining the bride and groom were mutual friends of theirs. She was raised in Guelph and Tyler in Mount Forest, but the pair now call Fergus home. Tyler proposed to Courtney in December 2021, though he admits it was challenging to find the right time and place. “I tried to do it way sooner but just every time, I couldn’t get her out to do something,” he said laughing. The pair exude a relaxed, low-key vibe and they set out to plan their special day with that
same attitude, agreeing that their event would be reflective of their collective nature. “No fuss no muss with us,” Courtney said. One place fit their vibe and aesthetic perfectly and ticked off all their requirements for budget, location, and ease: Barn Swallow Fields at Thatcher Farms in Eramosa Township. “My sister-in-law sent me the link to it, because we had decided that we just wanted family and to keep it small. And they had advertised the microwedding package, ” Courtney said. The 140-acre family farm, owned by Dana and Adam Thatcher, is also home to the renowned Thatcher Farms Butcher Shop, Bakery and Farm Market. Though the site is a working farm, the brand-new addition of Barn Swallow Fields as a wedding and event space is set out on the property to offer a private experience. With an indoor occupancy of 140 people, seated, the expansive outdoor grounds allow for much larger weddings and options to expand the
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use of the space. “We have some signage, and all the weddings and events are taking place behind the market, so it’s very separate on its own,” Dana said. Last winter, as Barn Swallow Fields was under construction, Dana welcomed couples to tour the property. “We saw the venue before it was completed. The structure was there, and Dana had told us all about the vision, but it was still under construction,” Courtney said. “But it was beautiful anyway.” Tyler and Courtney knew they’d found their venue because they trusted Dana’s passion for Barn Swallow Fields. When their wedding day arrived, they were not disappointed. The intentionally designed barn style venue features 17’ cathedral ceilings, custom crafted timbers, pine shiplap walls and ceilings painted in a soft white, creating a bright, spacious space within an intimate atmosphere. Yet, it’s the views that surround Barn Swallow
Fields that make this place special, with wide-open countryside views of fields, crops, and sunflowers. “I thought it was amazing. It turned out really well,” Tyler said, noting it was exactly as Dana had described it would be. Opening in spring 2022, the McPhee’s October 15th wedding was one of the final weddings to close out Barn Swallow Fields’ inaugural season. The date was chosen in conjunction with Courtney’s choice for wedding photographer Brinley Terry, of Guelph. “I found her on Instagram because she did the weddings of a couple of girls I went to high school with and I just really liked the photos,” Courtney explained. “So, I messaged her after we met Dana, and she told me what days she was free. And Dana had one of those days free, so I just made it happen that day. It worked out nicely.” With a wedding venue secured and a photographer booked, the rest of the wedding came together smoothly.