Love on 80 Acres: Officiating at Blue Moon Barn

For fifteen years, I have been blessed and privileged to officiate weddings. I have stood with couples in chapels, gardens, barns, backyards, and ballrooms. Every ceremony is a gift. And still, every so often, one arrives that stays with you. This recent elopement was one of those days. It was the most touching, inspiring, and loving experience I have had in a long time.

The setting was Blue Moon Barn & Vintage Market in Westville, Indiana, on the grounds of Elsa’s Acres, an 80-acre animal rescue and farm. Horses, potbelly pigs, goats, dogs, and cats. Beautiful landscaping and trees. A barn that holds both events and a vintage market. A tranquil loft above it all, with views that make you slow down whether you meant to or not.

Before the ceremony, the owners, Jen and Vicki, who are also daughter and mother, led us toward the horses, vanilla wafers in hand. As we walked, we looked up and saw them in the distance, gorgeous and galloping toward us. What a special treat that was.

It is often said that horses carry a healing kind of presence. They are sensitive to the energy around them. They notice tension, emotion, and the quiet things we think we are hiding. Some sanctuaries offer equine-assisted work for that very reason. I have had that experience myself, and I remain grateful for it.

What moved me most was this: as the photographer and videographer walked behind the couple, the horses followed them down the fence line to the spot where we paused, fed them cookies, and took pictures. I asked Vicki what that meant. She said, simply, that they really liked their energy.

That is the kind of moment you cannot plan. It is the kind of moment that tells you the day is already doing its work.

Jen and Vicki were gracious and attentive to every need. The venue itself is phenomenal: rustic, curated, intimate, and alive in a way that large wedding spaces rarely are. If you are looking for an elopement or micro wedding that feels personal instead of produced, this is a place worth knowing.

Blue Moon Barn & Vintage Market https://www.bluemoonvintagemarket.com/

In joy and celebration to my couple. May the tenderness of that day follow you for a lifetime.

Rev. Dr. Rhonda Schienle