Snohomish is the state’s capital for breathtaking weddings
BY ELLEN HIATT
Photos courtesy of Snohomish Wedding Guild
There is a reason the historic town of Snohomish and the farms and barns of the lower Stillaguamish River Valley attract the romantic type. Couples across the state gravitate to Snohomish as the premiere wedding destination. Perhaps it is nostalgia for the pastoral scenes of our past lives. Or the open vistas?
The charming architecture and rough-hewn beams of century-old barns? Maybe it’s the little churches and meeting halls in town that welcome the small gathering in celebration of life’s moments big and small.
Craven Farm is among those charming locations, with an old barn turned silver from weather, and a pole barn for open air gatherings. The location was voted Best of 2022 and 2021 for wedding venues in Snohomish County. It was once a dairy and berry farm simultaneously, and changed hands from its second generation farm family to a new kind of entrepreneur. Brian and Kimi Chadwick took over six years ago from Mark and Judy Craven, whose stewardship of the farm brought it from its original farming days to the agritourism site it has become.
Newly married couple Chris and Katharine Wehmeyer shared that their wedding at Craven Farms was “beyond an amazing day.”
More “amazing days” are happening all the time in the valley. And there are so many one-of-a-kind places to create those special days.
Belle Chapel, The Feather Ballroom, Pemberton Farm, Jardin Sol Garden, Hidden Meadows, Twin Willow Gardens, Crossroads at Thomas Family Farms, Woodland Meadow Farms, Lord Hill Farms, French Creek Manor, The Lookout Lodge, Machias Meadows, Maroni Meadows, Green Gates at Flowing Lake, Helios Ballroom, and A Chapel on Swans Trail.
Whew!
The Feather Ballroom alone comes with some star power. It’s “presented by” Lamb & Co., a powerhouse pair of sisters whose real estate acumen paired with a DIY spirit of home improvement and YouTube videos bought them national attention and an HGTV show of their own. Top that off with an endorsement by Hollywood actor and Lake Stevens local of “Guardians of the Galaxy” fame, Chris Pratt, who celebrated with his childhood friend, Scott Swoboda in a social media post over Swoboda’s purchase and restoration of the place before he recently transferred ownership to Lamb & Co.
The ballroom is, in fact, a unique find. Built in 1906 by the Fraternal Order of Eagles, its elegance was renowned, as well as its “sprung” dance floor, with coils beneath the hardwood to make dancers feel as if they’re floating on air. There are no other dance floors like it remaining west of the Mississippi.
Wide open barns. Floating dance floors. Secret gardens on the forest’s edge with carefully curated foliage tended by Master Gardeners. How does one choose?
Luckily for the newly engaged, that bevy of resources has come together, along with an equally impressive number of wedding planners, caterers, florists, and musicians to create a one-stop-shop for all things weddings in Snohomish.
The Snohomish Wedding Guild came together when operators in the region realized their mutual potential by working together. They’ve created in the last 15 years a network of professionals that promise to make your wedding come off without a hitch (except for the “getting hitched” part!).
The Guild provides tour events, open houses, and wedding planning events for its member organizations and would-be brides. The free wedding tour, June 4th, is a personal tour of more than a dozen venues and 100 wedding vendors, specialists in everything from hors d’oeuvres and bouquets to hair and makeup.
“We have built an amazing network,” said Sharon St. Marie, vice president of the Guild and owner of Belle Chapel, a 138-year-old Methodist church that breathes romance and intimacy, perfect for small gatherings and eloping couples.
Wherever you choose to marry, there are memories to be made in Snohomish that will last a lifetime.
Kerry Carlson said “People still talk about how beautiful it was” when she married at Craven Farms 19 years ago.
Visit mysnohohomishwedding.com to start your wedding planning
