A grand opening will happen today from 1-4 p.m., with the first wedding, between Kelsey Donovan of Ross and William Loos of Harrison, the following Saturday.
“We spent time looking for the right piece of property, and this property became available,” Barnes said. “We sit 1,500 feet off of the road, and are surrounded by 45 acres, so it’s giving people the privacy that they want, but still making it easily accessible, being right off of (U.S.) 27.”
The long blacktop driveway at 1905 Millville Oxford Road is lined with red oak trees. The 15,000-square-foot reception building can seat 400. It has large, wrap-around, covered patios that overlook a two-acre lake. There’s an outdoor stone fire pit and a dock at the pond.
The patio areas are large enough to fit 300 for an outdoor wedding that can be shaded from the sun or protected from rain. There’s a 30-foot stone bar inside the wood post and beam building. The indoor reception area has stained-concrete polished floors.
There are luxury suites for the bridal parties: For the groom and his crew, there’s a pool table and poker tables, leather couches, televisions and a mini bar.
“We tried to definitely take care of the guys,” Barnes said, “because we feel like too often they’re kind of shorted. The girls get these luxurious spaces to do their hair, their makeup and their dress, and the guys kind of get pushed into a closet. We wanted to give them a space to make them feel just as special as the girls.”
For the bride and ladies, there is a granite makeup and hair counter, a full-length mirror, a mini bar, couches, tables and a television.
“This is a special day for them, it’s a special place,” Barnes said. “It’s elegant, it’s luxurious.”
Barnes’ partners are her husband Ben Barnes; his brothers, Jason Barnes and Brad Barnes; and their wives, Jessica Barnes and Anna Barnes, respectively. They bought the property for $400,000.
The venue will book weddings any day of the week, with Saturdays going for $6,900; and Fridays and Sundays renting for $5,900. The website hanoverreserve.com lists dates that remain available.
Kelsey Donovan, who will be the first bride married there, said she reserved her May 22 evening wedding back in August, even when the property wasn’t scheduled to be finished until June.
The couple is planning to have the ceremony outdoors, on the covered patio, overlooking the lake, with the reception inside. She will wear an A-line satin dress with peonies and soft-colored flowers, and lots of greenery.
May 22 was a significant date for her because her birthday and those of her two siblings all fall on a 22nd of different months, and May 22 was the only Saturday happening on that number, “so it just felt right.”
“We’ve gone out there a couple times as they’ve been building it,” Donovan said. “It’s a beautiful piece of property, and they’ve built a bond back there. It’s gorgeous. And once you get back there to the venue, you can’t even hear the road.”
Also, “There’s not much else like that venue over on our side of town (Ross and Harrison),” so family won’t have far to drive or take Uber rides, Donovan said.
“Melanie and her family have made this whole process so flawless for us,” she said. “You can tell she loves what she does, and she’s so good at making you fell 100% confident in knowing that she’s going to take care of everything.”
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