Hosting rural weddings has cost central Oregon couple more than $2,000 in ordinance fines

The soaring popularity of rural weddings is costing a central Oregon couple thousands of dollars. John and Stephanie Shepherd, whose 216-acre property in Deschutes County is zoned exclusively for farming, have been fined more than $2,000 for violating county ordinances by hosting 18 weddings this summer, Ted Shorack reports for The Bulletin in Bend, Ore. Several complaints were made about the high number of weddings and fear about noise and increased traffic. (Bulletin photo by Andy Tullis: John Shepherd officiating a wedding on his farm)

The Shepherds, who began hosting weddings in 2011, were told in 2013 that they needed the necessary permits in order to continue, Shorack writes. The couple said they applied for an agritourism and commercial event ordinance in 2012 but were told it wasn’t applicable for their property.

"They went another route and sought permitting for 2 acres of their property for use as a private park. That application was initially rejected because wedding events weren’t considered recreational," Shorack writes. "After reworking the permit two more times to try and gain approval from the county, the Shepherds estimate they’ve spent about $15,000 in fees."

John Shepherd, a pastor who officiates the weddings, said they have continued to host weddings because they were already booked but have stopped advertising for 2015 after the county filed an injunction, Shorack writes. He told Shorack, “I’m feeling bullied by my government." (Read more)

As rural weddings increase in popularity, neighbors raise concerns about noise, safety

Rural weddings in barns are the latest fad for stylish urbanites. While landowners say the weddings are a great way to earn extra money and provide a memorable service, neighbors complain about the noise, fear for the safety of guests and question if the events are in violation of local zoning laws, Julie Bosman reports for The New York Times. (NYT photo by Jenn Ackerman: A barn wedding in Grant, Minn.)

"Grooms and brides say the barns are part of a cultural shift away from traditional weddings," Bosman writes. "At a typical barn wedding, formal china and glassware are out, in favor of carefully mismatched plates and Mason jars for sipping cocktails. Guests nibble casual fare like grilled corn on the cob and barbecued pork. If the weather cooperates, the evening often ends with people gathering around a bonfire and toasting s’mores under the stars."

"Barn owners say they are responding to a demand in the market," Bosman writes. Scott Jordan, who owns 50 acres in Grant, a quiet hamlet outside St. Paul, said he spent more than $300,000 to restore a barn on his property so that he could rent it out for weddings, charging $4,800 per event.

But residents "have protested that some barn owners flout zoning rules requiring that they operate only as agricultural enterprises," Bosman writes. "Unlike other businesses, the barns are often not inspected to ensure that they are up to code, and many lack proper sanitation, fire doors and sprinklers, accommodations for people with disabilities and licenses to serve liquor." Laurie Tulchin, who lives in a rural part of Iowa City next door to a wedding barn, told Bosman, “They blare music all night long, they have college students out there screaming and everyone’s drinking. Rural residents have quiet lifestyles. Sometimes I just think, ‘What the heck happened out here?’”

Ongoing disputes between neighbors have ended up going before local officials. "City council meetings have become stages for disputes in areas where friendly relations are the norm. Some small townships with ambiguous zoning laws have been forced to examine their regulations to figure out whether the wedding barns are legal," Bosman writes. "In some towns, judges have intervened, leaving trails of anguished soon-to-be-married couples. Last summer, a judge in St. Louis County, Mo., ruled that a historic barn on a property with a view of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers was a potential fire hazard, leaving a bride and groom who had scheduled a wedding reception there only days to make other plans."

Neighbors also say they fear for the safety of guests, Bosman writes. Jeff Hettmann, whose next-door neighbor operates a wedding barn in Glenmore, Wis., outside Green Bay, told Bosman, “All these people want to have this rustic outdoor wedding in the country so they can get closer to nature, but that barn was built for storing hay. It’s not designed to have 200 people jumping up and down and dancing in it.”

But barn owners "say their businesses should be considered a form of agritourism, a use of farmland not unlike petting zoos, hayrides and other ventures that have become popular in an era when family farming is difficult to sustain," Bosman writes. "Some towns are scrambling to change zoning laws to allow more landowners to cash in. The planning commission in Hinesburg, Vt., voted to change its zoning—which allowed mainly farming and forestry—to a more generous definition including weddings, day camps and cafes."

And the rural wedding boom doesn't appear to be waning, Bosman writes. "Last year, there were 44 wedding barns in Wisconsin, and about eight more are expected to open this year, said Steve Peterson, the president of the Wisconsin Agricultural Tourism Association." (Read more)

Rural weddings are growing in popularity with everyone except the neighbors of event holders

Though rural weddings and receptions are a popular new fad that have wedding parties and families gushing at the rustic settings, the festivities are causing headaches for neighbors who don't like the noise and extra traffic, Paul Srubas reports for Gannett Wisconsin Media. (Post-Crescent Media photo by Dan Powers: Setting up a wedding in Greenville, Wisc.)

Peggy George, owner of Seize the Day Events, told Srubas, “It’s been a big deal for a long time, but it’s absolutely caught on fire in the last, I’d say, three years. Brides today don’t want the ordinary, the traditional. This is such a unique thing, and guests like it. And it’s not just weddings. Corporate people like them, family reunions, high school reunions. There’s a fire pit; it’s folksy; it’s family; it’s more fun.”

Steve Nagy, owner of Homestead Meadows Farm in Greenville, said he's had 1,097 wedding and 4,500 other events on his property since the 1980s, Srubas writes. Nagy told him, “In 1988, we had an almost three-year lawsuit where neighbors tried to put us out of business. Later, we were operating in limbo for many years. Neighbors are invariably opposed. Period.” He added, “I think these barns so often are derelict, look ugly for years, and this is a wonderful way to recycle them. Adaptive reuse.”

But one concern is safety. Paul Hutchison, chairman of the town of Maple Grove, said such operations "belong in the city, where there’s fire and police protection and a more controlled environment," Srubas writes. Hutchinson told him, “There isn’t one street sign telling the speed limit out here, and people from the city come around driving at 75 mph, and they’re so rude." Another concern, he said, is that Maple Grove is a dry township, and weddings often want to include alcohol. But Hutchinson conceded that most of the objections are because “we have a lot of older people in the community, and guess what? They don’t like change.” (Read more)

Rural Ky. man gets into the bird business for releases at funerals and weddings; no profit yet

"It started as a desire to have a neat prop for magic tricks," writes Sarah Hogsed of the Kentucky New Era in Hopkinsville. "But 10 years later, Charlie Beshears of Dawson Springs has turned his curiosity about homing pigeons into a full-fledged business and hobby." With a flock of 30 birds, Beshears now provides live bird releases for weddings and funerals.

The birds Beshears uses in his business look like doves but are small, white homing pigeons, which instinctively return to the place of their birth after being released. After five years in business, he has found that funerals provide the biggest demand for bird releases. "Beshears has released his doves at 30 funerals, including the memorial services for his mother and father," adds Hogsed. "Beshears customizes each ceremony to include the families' religious beliefs and preferences." He is hoping to do more weddings.

Caring for the birds takes significant time and money. Transportation and medicine both make the venture less than cost effective. "Am I in the hole? Yes," Beshear said. "Am I in it for the money? No." The full story is available on the Kentucky New Era site but requires a small fee.

Roanoke Times explores a touchy question: Should ministers evangelize at funerals and weddings?

The Rev. Kenneth Wright of First Baptist Church in Gainsboro, Va., preached during a recent funeral service. The photo by Jared Soares of The Roanoke Times illustrates a story that gets to a basic question, rarely discussed in public, about one of the most emotion-laden moments in life: Should evangelical ministers evangelize at funerals and weddings?

"In an era when church attendance in many denominations is in decline, some pastors see funerals and weddings as increasingly important venues for oratory that can border on revivalism," reports the Times' Rob Johnson. "The one place nonbelievers will step into a church in our day is at weddings and funerals," the Rev. Quigg Lawrence, pastor of the Church of the Holy Spirit, an Anglican evangelical congregation near Roanoke, told Johnson.

On the other hand, "Some pastors say that although a bit of preaching is acceptable, they're wary of a message that puts pressure on guests at weddings or funerals to examine and perhaps affirm their faith then and there," Johnson writes. "After all, they reason, nonbelievers should be allowed to share grief or joy for loved ones and friends."

The Rev. Bryan Smith at First Baptist Church in Roanoke "believes that all pastors will someday have to answer to God on whether they took every chance to spread their faith," Johnson reports. "But when it comes to the standard evangelical punchline, extending an invitation for those present to either affirm their commitment to Christ, or make one for the first time, he asks permission ahead of time from the family of the deceased or the wedding couple. He's rarely denied."

Johnson has other good interviews, and a nice back-and-forth box giving pros and cons of preaching at funerals and weddings. It's a good example of how to tackle a touchy subject. To read it, click here.