Barn Again Lodge: A perfect union of pizza and nuptial cheer

Meghan Diemel

Contributor

July 21, 2025

MONDOVI – For the last 15 years, Melissa Schoeder – owner of Barn Again Lodge in Mondovi – said she has dedicated her life to helping others build the beginnings of “their happily ever after.”

Where once a farmstead hosted the tough grind of farm life and hard labor, Schoeder said she put forth her own sweat equity into developing a now-booming wedding and events venue situated in the rolling hills of Buffalo County.

Located just eight minutes or so southeast of town, Schoeder said the space features on-site lodging, a party shed complete with full kitchen and bar and 30 acres worth of nature.

Among this acreage, she said, she hosts weddings on the weekends and Wednesday night pizza nights during fair-weather months.

It was created, Schoeder said, to be a place where lifelong memories are made.

“When I bought it, it was just an old farmstead…,” she said. “The farmhouse is still there. The bungalow that [serves as the] honeymoon suite is the [former] feed bin where they kept the feed. The big, main lodging area was the actual barn, which had a haymow in it and cows down below. And then, there was a garage, which was all storage, which we made into more lodging.”

Schoeder said they also kept the old farmhouse, renovating it to keep the magic of the structure and the materials used in the original home, but updating it for modern use.

“It’s got the big, beautiful porch and the rustic wood, so we kept all those ambiences of the farmhouse,” she said.

Schoeder – who also owns Welcome Home Assisted Living in Elmwood – said she originally purchased the farm property in 2010 on a land contract, with plans to live there.

However, with the long days often required at the assisted living facility, she said the hour drive back and forth became too much.

“If I wanted to keep it, I had to figure out how to make income come in, so it could pay for itself,” she said. “And we actually had a couple approach us from Chicago, who wanted to get married there. I said, ‘Get married here?’ I mean… it was an old, icky machine shed [with] dirt floor, and [they said], ‘We’re okay with that.’ And that’s what they did. That was the first wedding hosted here.”

From dirt floors to wedding weekend destination

From that initial wedding forward, Schoeder said it’s been a long road, but the now-renovated Barn Again Lodge has bookings into 2027.

“It was a long period of time… and we always invested whatever we did make [in those first years] back into the property,” she said.

Schoeder said the property has options for each part of the nuptial process – from engagement photos on the grounds to the day-of ceremony, reception, dance and even gift opening the following day.

Couples, she said, have access to all 30 acres of the Barn Again Lodge grounds, which includes hiking trails, a patio with fire pit and waterfall, the newly expanded events shed with full bar, kitchen and outdoor seating, as well as the pavilion area.

The rental fee, Schoeder said, also includes access to the on-site lodging options, including the Barn Lodge, the Farmhouse, the Honeymoon Bungalow and the Annex.

Furthermore, she said there are also several full-hookup campsites, which give motorhomes/campers ample space to park, if guests so desire.

Schoeder said the options for how – and which parts of the property – a couple chooses to host their ceremony and reception are vast.

Barn Again Lodge packages, she said, allow couples to ease into the event on a Thursday, meaning “there’s no rushing in and out in 24 or 48 hours” – granting time to set up, relax with friends and family throughout the weekend and then pack up on Sunday.

The other bonus of hosting a wedding at Barn Again, Schoeder said, is the ability to get to know new family members and friends at your own pace.

Meaningful moments, she said, can be and have been created without the rush that can sometimes come with having a wedding ceremony at one venue, followed by the reception at a separate event center.

“I have three daughters, and they all got married out there,” she said. “I didn’t know the other sides of the [spouses’] families, but because we have lodging right there, what a great experience [it was], getting to know them… I got to spend four days with them, finding out who they really were, [as] a part of my new family. [It’s a] great way to create memories.”

Though wedding trends have varied throughout the years – from bridal dress styles to preferred colors, dessert menus and even location choices – Schoeder said owning a more rustic wedding venue has outweighed her initial expectations.

“I always tell everybody, including my assisted living [staff], you have to evolve with the times,” she said. “So, these barn weddings hit hard, I’m going to say, probably about five years ago. And I thought, ‘This is a fad. This is going to go away, this isn’t going to continue.’ But guess what? It still has. And it’s kind of crazy to me, but I think people want something different – they want outdoors.”

Embracing, expanding with pizza nights

In addition to hosting weddings on the weekend, Schoeder said Barn Again Lodge hosts a pizza night every Wednesday evening – from 5-9 p.m., June through September.

Serving homemade pizzas, appetizers and salads, as well as nonalcoholic and alcoholic beverages, Schoeder said she saw the perfect opportunity to grow her business by putting effort into this venture, which customers have responded to with great enthusiasm.

“Our pizza nights are packed,” she said. “It’s only Wednesday nights from 5 to 9 [p.m.], but it’s packed.”

The appetizer menu, Schoeder said, includes items like street tacos, made with seasoned chicken, chipotle slaw and fresh pico; and the Wisconsin staple of beer-battered curds, served with Barn Again Lodge’s signature campfire sauce.

And the choices, she said, don’t stop there.

“Our loaded nachos, our bruschetta and our ‘spin’ dip are a huge, huge hit,” she said.

Schoeder said salad options include a taco salad, Caesar salad, the Barn Salad and the summer salad.

Pizzas, she said, are named with applicable farm themes, including fun monikers like the Happy Heifer, Tropical Porky, Plucked Chicken and the Skeeter.

Schoeder said visitors can also delight in the Critter – a pizza layered with tangy Thousand Island sauce, smoked ham and sauerkraut – or the Ranch Hand, which is smothered in their choice of alfredo or ranch sauce, covered with fire-grilled chicken and bacon and sprinkled with green onions.

She said there’s also the Weed Patch, a pizza loaded with veggies, including mushrooms, black and green olives, red and green peppers, tomatoes and onions and the Kickin’ Chicken – which features a honey-Sriracha sauce, chicken and bacon.

Schoeder said she has worked hard to make Barn Again Lodge’s pizza nights a destination for visitors each week, putting time and thought into the menu and the farm’s ambience.

So much so, she said, that she and her staff at Welcome Home have jokingly referred to Wednesday nights at the Barn Lodge as “therapy.”

“People always say… I was at ‘therapy,’ and it was awesome, because people come in happy, [and] people leave happy,” she said.

Bringing joy to visitors

As she juggles the responsibilities of owning the assisted living home alongside Barn Again, Schoeder said she admits it can sometimes be tough.

But, she said she believes strongly in improving the lives of others through each business and is greatly appreciative of the employees who contribute to seeing her ideas and dreams through.

“I have my moments, but I always feel like I have a good team…,” she said. “I’m surrounded by a team of awesome people – always have been. I feel like if you take care of your staff and take care of your customers, it all comes back to you in full circle.”

Schoeder said her ambition in making the world a better place comes to fruition through every meaningful memory a family, couple or group of friends make while attending a pizza night or celebrating the start of a new life together through marriage.

“It goes back to, ‘people come happy, people leave happy,’” she said, “and there’s nothing better in today’s crazy world than making people happy.”