Market Scope
W
hen it comes to weddings, everything is in the details. Ian Sherwood, owner of the Riverview Barn in Franklin, NJ, understands completely and works to ensure that this “country-elegant” wedding venue will be just right—and stressless. Sherwood provides a list of suggested local caterers, photographers, DJs, and florists to choose from, and he can vouch for each one.
28
The Riverview Barn
Every wedding is a customized affair with the centerpiece being the repurposed horse barn on the property. Inside the barn there are two bridal suites, decorated in tasteful shabby chic by Ian’s mother, Valerie Upp. The gent’s room has the feel of a sophisticated horsemen’s club, where any groom would feel comfortable.
On the big day, after the ceremony, which is usually outdoors on the one-hundred-acre property, an authentic Victorian carriage, drawn by Titan, a mighty white Percheron, appears. The carriage takes the couple on a threequarter-mile loop around the property to where stunning photo ops await among beautiful vistas of horses, trees, and a walking bridge over the Wallkill River.
For the main event, a poured mocha-stained concrete floor surrounds a chocolate-brown dance floor. Authentic barn doors open on either side of the barn for beautiful views and a soft cross breeze. Walls boast the original wood planks; wooden posts are elegantly draped in white cloth. The show stopper is an oversized, wooden-rectangular chandelier with hanging Edison lights suspended above the dance floor.
Cocktail hour is outside in an old horse shelter, made special with mirrors and flowers, but the star of the show—after the bride, of course—is Nacho, the working mini donkey who shows up, dressed in flowers, with a saddlebag full of libations.
“I wanted a rustic and elegant, open-air feeling that speaks to the bride and groom,” Ian mused. “When they see this beautiful venue, they can see themselves getting married here; then we step in and do our magic and make every wedding a perfect day.”
