Today we’d like to introduce you to Mary Kay Etheridge.
Mary, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My husband, Ray, and I bought the property with the idea of eventually building a smaller house and retiring here in Bushnell with our cows. There was a big, beautiful, red barn complete with a full apartment upstairs. Fast-forward six months or so and we were having a wedding! A lovely young woman who went to school and played softball with our youngest lost her venue just weeks before her wedding. Sarah asked if they could use our barn and everyone went to work! The bride, her now-husband, family & friends put together a stunning event, which got the wheels in motion for us to pursue starting our venue. Almost exactly a year later, in October 2016, we were official! Ray is the chief farmhand, builder of benches and all-around best partner ever. Our daughters, Heather and Sarah, are both onboard as well. Sarah is our Day of Coordinator (she just happened to have a degree from UF with an emphasis on event planning…crazy how things work out sometimes). I actually retired to manage the venue in January of 2017, which was a little earlier than I planned, because things took off faster than we anticipated.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Honestly it has been fairly smooth. I found lots of helpful resources, networked with other venue owners and my daughter had experience in the wedding/event area as well, so she was a great help in getting us set up. Our county was helpful throughout the process too. There has been a learning curve of course, but we have also been extremely fortunate with our couples & vendors.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into The Red Barn at Bushnell story. Tell us more about the business.
We are a small family farm and barn wedding & event venue. For the first year or two, we were almost exclusively doing weddings. We have branched out within the last year to include corporate events and recently had our first craft festival, which was so much fun! Some of my favorite events are those we schedule just for fun with our couples.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I have been very fortunate in my life & careers. Maybe that is the result of good luck, karma, hard work or a combination of all that. I’m also generally a cup half full kind of person.
The last month or so has been challenging & our thoughts are with everyone as we all deal with COVID 19 & the upheaval it is causing. We are thankful everyday to all of the essential workers that are putting themselves at risk to help the rest of us through this time. As a small thank you, we’re giving away two free inclusive mini wedding packages this October to essential workers. Anyone interested may contact us or look for more detail on our facebook page.
Pricing:
- DIY wedding packages start at $3,500.
- Fully Inclusive Package for 100 guests is $15,000.
- Elopements start at $500 & Mini Wedding Packages at $1,000.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.theredbarnatbushnell.com/
- Phone: 352-467-0003
- Email: TheRedBarnAtBushnell@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theredbarnatbushnell/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheRedBarnatBushnellLLC/
Image Credit:
Brave Photo LLC
Terrie Images
Gypsy Belle Photo Bus
Tori Lynn Photography
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