Wedding Venue Stories, Pleasant Union Farm

Wedding Venue Stories, Pleasant Union Farm: Located north of Altanta, Pleasant Union Farm is a family owned & operated working farm. Close to 70,000 weddings take place in Georgia each year! Georgia is ranked 8th in the U.S. for states that host the most weddings. The wedding industry in GA has incredible potential for savvy, smart venue owners. And that leads us to Becky Kimmons and Pleasant Union Farm. Becky was kind enough to share some insight into her life as a wedding venue owner in Canton, Georgia.

“It’s really a love story that started with Cale and I, and has grown to include the couples married at the farm.  Cale told me on our second date that he wanted a farm with blueberries, goats and chickens – I had no idea what I was getting myself into. As we were engaged and planning our wedding, we were also talking about what a small family farm might look like.  The two quickly merged into the idea that started Pleasant Union Farm.” – Becky Kimmons, Pleasant Union website

“The property was bought and built with the plan of combining the venue and the farm to share with couples and their families.  We have learned a lot about hosting weddings and farming over the past few years.  One of the most surprising things I’ve learned is bittersweet for us.  Our team spends a lot of time with the couples and their families as we plan.  The wedding day is when all of the planning comes together, the team gets to serve the couples and their guests – but then we have to say goodbye!” – Becky Kimmons, Pleasant Union Farm website

Wedding Venue Stories, Pleasant Union Farm:

Why did you decide to start a wedding venue?

“My husband and I jumped in (with no experience) soon after we were married.  There were not many venue options in our area when we were engaged, so it was a good market at that time.  We have a barn venue on a working farm and the two support each other.”

How long have you been operating a venue? “We are in our 6th year of business.”

Please share the story behind your venue name or how you came up with the name.

“We took the easy route for the name – we live on Pleasant Union Rd, so the name of the farm and venue is Pleasant Union Farm.  My husband had some more creative suggestions for the farm name, but I thought simple would be better (his were a little too creative)!”

What do you like best about being a venue owner/mgr?

“Working with the families and couples.  We have a unique opportunity to serve couples and families on an exciting day, but it’s also a very stressful day.  We do as much as we can to serve them and try to calm some nerves.  Since we are a working farm, it’s interesting to talk with guests also since they enjoy hearing about what we do on the farm (our main crop is blueberries which we sell at a local farmers market and do u-pick).”

Please share your experience about how much effort & cost goes into running a venue. Things that couples and start up venues may not be aware of.  (heating, cooling, adv, landscaping, staff, insurance, etc…). 

“Oh man, so much goes into the behind the scenes and most of it isn’t the fun and glamour that people think of when they first think about weddings.  There are monthly utilities for heat, air, water and lighting – the electric bill is equal to our home even on months we don’t have weddings – it’s just a really large space.  Thankfully our venue was built on the property we live on, so we don’t have additional rent or lease expenses.  Insurance is another large monthly cost regardless of wedding activity.  Marketing was probably the biggest budget item we underestimated.  It can range drastically depending on what type of marketing you use (the big names like Wedding Wire or The Knot, smaller marketing sites, local print ads, brochures, website fees, etc.) Our marketing budget is one we are really focusing on now to try and do more work ourselves to save on some spend.  We do all the landscaping and cleaning ourselves which saves a lot, but it’s definitely the grunt work!”

Do you have any tips on cutting costs on daily operations or any smart solutions you have for saving money (website, venue expenses, staff, adv, etc..)? “Do as much as you can yourself!”

Do you have any time saving tips that are worth the investment, like paying for landscaping crews or investing in someone to manage day of events or cleaning crew to flip the venue.

“We pay staff to be there during the event.  We do most of the setup and cleanup after, so having someone there at the event to keep restrooms clean and stocked, empty trash, etc. allows us a break.”

Does your venue have special regulations, or policies that you have to enforce that another wedding venue may not? If so, how do help your couples work around these special requirements?

“We do one wedding a day on Friday, Saturday or Sunday and typically limit to 2 a weekend since we are very involved in all of it. We limit the event time (ceremony – reception) to 5 hours which is typical in our area (maybe slightly longer).  They do have access to the getting ready spaces that morning.  The biggest item for couples to understand is decorating if they are doing it on their own.  We provide all-inclusive packages with vendors that know our venue well and the time it takes to set up – these are the most popular option for our couples as it takes the burden off them.”

How many weddings do you host each year? “We host 20 – 25 per year”

What type of CRM do you use and why (Honeybook, Tripleseat, 17 Hats, etc..)? “We use AislePlanner.  It helps with lead management and budget since we do all-inclusive.”

What sets your venue apart from other options? What is unique and distinct about your venue? Why do couples book you over other option?

“We are a barn venue in a market that is very saturated with barn venues now (and they keep opening up!) For new owners, definitely do your market research before jumping in and plan on at least 2 – 3 other people embarking on the same journey as you that you don’t know about yet! The all-inclusive packages we offer is one of our biggest draws.  It streamlines the planning process for couples and reduces some stress.  Plus they can manage their budget easier from the beginning by seeing what the total is.’

Do you host wedding shows, open houses? If so can you share some tips on how you make this event successful?

“We typically do Open House events twice a year.  They feature the vendors in our packages and a few other vendors for additional services.  We don’t charge our vendors and market the event on our website and social media.  The turnout varies each year.  It’s a great event for couples already booked to see the space again, meet vendors, etc. and new couples get the full experience with the other vendors there.”

Please share some tips on providing great venue tours for potential clients?

“We ask couples to fill out a short questionnaire when they book a tour that gives us info on guest count, date, wedding style, etc.  This helps them feel more invested in the tour.  We also send an email confirmation the day before.  We still have some no shows, but not as many.  We send a short email after the tour highlighting any info we covered and then leave it up to them to continue on.  We don’t use any hard sales tactics.”

Please share any costly errors or regrets you may have learned from over the years.

“Make sure you require the couples use qualified vendors! Caterers, florists, etc. can not show up or deliver a poor quality item but they aren’t there to deal with it.  Since the couple is at your venue, they will often look to you for a solution.  Also, guests don’t know who the caterer, florist, etc. is but they do know the venue and is reflects on the venue.”

Do you have any tips on contract development, any wording or clauses that help you the most?

“Contracts are living documents, so know that you will need to adjust as you learn things but stick to your contract when booking a client.  It sets expectations on both sides.”

Do you have a great website? Tips on website design or features that help you attract, book clients?

“We try to put as much information on our website as possible.  It provides the couples with information they need and helps build trust from the beginning.  We post our pricing because it’s not a secret – competitors will find out what it is even if it’s not on our website.”

Building client relationships – how do you build up your client relationships? Any customer service tips or practices you can share?

“Remember you are in the service industry!  It’s stressful and emotional at times.  It’s much more than just having a building or taking a check.”

Any hard challenges you would like to share with venue owners and how you overcame that challenge?

“You will most likely get a negative review at some time – it’s ok.  One or two lets couples know the others are legitimate.”

Any advice to anyone thinking of starting a venue or wanting to be in the wedding industry?

“Do your market research!  Know where your couples are coming from and what they are looking for.  Make sure you understand all the costs that go into it.  Wedding vendors often look like they are making great money because of what couples pay, but the profit margin can be small.

What are your couples top ten Fav parts/characteristics of your venue?

“In no particular order“:

1. String Lights
2. Large glass sliding doors
3. Covered Porch
4. Farm to Table options
5. Bridal Suite
6. Garden area/views
7. All-Inclusive options
8. Heat/AC 
9. Private location
10. Our team

How do you handle children at your venue, do you discourage/encourage children? Please share some insight.

“We have no restrictions around children.  Most of the time it’s not a major issue – we designed the space and grounds to be fairly destruction proof. The main area of concern is our fire pit but we provide an attendant and charge for use of that space.”

Do you host styled shoots? If so please provide some tips on setting these up, or how you use these for promotion.

“We have done a few styled shoots – have a coordinator/planner in charge of it!  There are so many details and they know how to handle details!”

Can you share 10 to 15 great vendors you have enjoyed working with ?

“I like to shout out to local vendors in each venue story as they are an important part of the local wedding industry. https://www.pleasantunionfarm.com/vendors.html

Photographers (see additional vendors in the gallery below)
Capture 13 Photography
​Hellen Oliveira Photography
Hillary Leah Photography
GingerSnap Photography
Kanella Photography
Shannon Ford Photography

Rumor Has It….These Vendors Are Worth Raving About!

How do you handle alcohol at your venue and how do you reduce liability?

“They have to work with our caterer who handles all the liability and insurance.  We only allow beer, wine and 2 signature cocktails – not a full bar.”

Broken Items, what are some of the damage issues you have most often and have you ever had something really unusual break at or before a wedding?

“Most broken items are chairs (rarely) or decor items.  They are small and easy to work around.  Knowing the venue would be a high use space, we did not invest in high cost items for decor and focus on commercial quality chairs, etc. ..”

Are there any requests you dread or things you ban at your venue?

“No fireworks! This has been the case from the beginning and the one negative review we received was from a wedding where the groomsmen brought in fireworks and were told to stop setting them off.  That led to a negative review – we didn’t stress about that one too much!”

How do you handle clean up at your venue?

“We do general cleanup and trash that evening with our team.  Detailed cleaning, restrooms, etc. is done the day after.”

What time to does your day begin and end on a wedding day? How exhausting is the average wedding?

“We usually start 7:30/8am and got to midnight.  You are on your feet and moving almost all day – it’s exhausting!!”

What has changed at your venue since you hosted the first wedding to the weddings you host today?

“We continually add on to the venue (covered porch, bridal suite upgrades) as we learn from weddings.”

How have you changed as a venue owner from the time you hosted your first wedding?

“We are much more confident in our rules and contract and can explain them to clients.”

I want to sincerely thank Becky Kimmons for taking time to share The Pleasant Union Farms Wedding Venue Story! If you would like to learn more about this venue head over to their website: About Us (pleasantunionfarm.com) or find their social pages for inspiring images: Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest

SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR INCREDIBLE PHOTOGRAPHERS!! These talented artists provide the gorgeous images you see in our BLOG and were kind enough to grant us permission to use their image. Please always be mindful to take time to visit their pages, thank them for their hard work and VENUE OWNERS a good relationship with experienced, talented photographers is a smart investment in your business! Support our local photographers every opportunity you get! Please leave comments below about the photos you see here today! #weddingnerd **If your image is used in any of our blogs and you do not have the proper photo credits please let us know so that we can link your photography business to your images.