The Barn at Mirror Lake provides a one-stop shop for weddings

Rachel Sankey

Past Staff

August 19, 2024

MONDOVI – If you asked Heidi Keys what the inspiration was behind starting a wedding venue on her family’s property in Buffalo County, she said she would tell you: “Nothing.”

“This was never our intention,” she said. 

Ron and Heidi Keys said they bought the property in 2013 and quickly got to remodeling, as the house had not been updated since the 1960s. 

Heidi said the 45 acres also came with a barn, which, at the time, “was never on our radar.”

“We’re remodeling the house, and everybody kept asking me, ‘what are you going to do with the barn?’” she said. 

As one of the last standing farms in town, Heidi said it was natural for people to question what would happen to the barn. 

“Statistically, in the United States, a barn falls down every 11 seconds,” she said. “My husband is a history buff and grew up in small-town country (where) the barn was important. So, we had to do something to save the barn.”

Heidi said she and Ron spent a couple of years patching up the barn to the best of their ability. 

At one point, she said she had mentioned turning the barn into an event venue, as their property presents several gorgeous views – one of the lake and one of the fields.

Heidi said Ron was originally opposed to the idea – “we’re in the city, but we’re not in the city, so we have our little slice of privacy, there is even a private bridge to get onto the property” – until the Keys visited a wedding venue. 

“(It was) similar to our (property), right in the middle of town,” she said. “Ron asked them how much they get for a wedding, and he looked at me and said, ‘why aren’t we doing this?’”

From there, Heidi said the ball on transforming their barn into a wedding venue space got rolling. 

“We went through the process with our city, getting a conditional use permit was what we started with,” she said. “We sat on that permit for quite a while because I wanted to make sure Ron knew what was going to be involved in this.”

Again, Heidi said Ron asked, ‘why haven’t we done this yet?’”

“Then I knew, so that was when we (officially) started the process,” she said.

Preparing for a new venture

As the plans were drawn up for the barn, Heidi said she and Ron also had to make sure everything was up to par with the state’s codes. 

“All these people you hear say, ‘oh, I bet this is so much fun. It’s so much fun planning parties,’” she said. “That’s the smallest amount of what I do. The detail work that goes into code requirements and licensing and all that stuff – especially when you’re starting – is completely overwhelming.”

Once all the paperwork was filed and licensing was in place – including a liquor license – Heidi said the next step was transforming the barn into a wedding-ready event space. 

She said they were able to keep part of the existing barn, raze it and put new foundations under it. 

“We cut back our tree line, and that became what’s on our walls and our outside boards,” she said. “We wanted the footprint, even though we were building a new building on it, to still look similar.”

By 2018, Heidi said she and Ron officially launched The Barn at Mirror Lake. 

Reserved the entire weekend

When a couple books their wedding at The Barn at Mirror Lake, Heidi said the venue is theirs for the entire weekend – “to make it as stress-free and easy as possible.”

“They have from 4-7 p.m. on Friday (to) come in, decorate and do their rehearsal,” she said. “I don’t charge for that day unless they do dinner then.”

Then, Heidi said customers have access to the venue all day Saturday until 11 p.m. and Sunday until about 10 a.m.

Allowing couples to pick up their things Sunday, she said, saves them from the hassle of doing so after a long – but “magical” – day. 

“Who wants to pack a car at 11 at night? Not me,” Heidi laughed. “It’s a beautiful day, but it is still long – those young girls are starting makeup at 6 a.m. sometimes.”

With The Barn at Mirror Lake, Heidi said her clients get the whole package.

“There are a lot of places where everything is an à la carte menu – I don’t believe in that,” she said. “You’re already paying a lot of money for a venue. You shouldn’t have to pay for tables and chairs, linens and dishes or rent all that and worry about who’s picking it up and who’s bringing it back.”

That’s why, Heidi said, the venue takes care of the setup, cleanup and provides bartenders and kitchen staff.

“The only things you have to bring with you are whatever personal touch you want to put on things,” she said. “Sometimes (with clients), that comes in a U-haul, and sometimes that comes in one tote.”

The food, photographer, DJ and officiant are up to the couple to coordinate – however, Heidi said she has a list of preferred vendors on the venue’s website (thebarnatmirrorlake.com) to make it easier for them if they choose to utilize the resource.

“I have thoroughly investigated (the vendors on the list),” she said. “I look to make sure they’re budget-friendly, but they provide quality.”

Heidi said couples have the option of getting married outside – with the ceremony facing the water – or inside the barn.

Most people, she said, choose to get married outside.

“But we have an option if we have inclement weather,” she said. “Most people, when they’re picking a (venue) like this, are picking it specifically for the outside factor.”

Always adding

Each year, Heidi said she and Ron try to make some sort of update to keep the venue fresh.

For example, three years ago, the duo added a bridal suite to the property.

“We converted a grain bin into a tiny house,” she said. “We include that in our package.”

Heidi said the space also doubles as the bride and groom’s honeymoon suite for the night.

“You walk across the yard (and you’re there),” she said. “You don’t have to worry about getting a hotel.”

In the slower seasons, Heidi said they rent out the grain bin on Airbnb.

Other additions over the years, she said, have included a gas fire pit area and white fencing around the property.

“I’m always thinking, ‘what can I add? What can I do to make it better? Where can I add value?’” she said. 

Can’t forget the animals

The Barn at Mirror Lake, Heidi said, is unique in the fact that the property also has a hobby farm located on the property – which she said has piqued the interests of many guests.

“Per several of my photographers, you’re either a wedding venue or a farm,” she said. “There are lots of wedding venues on farms, but most of them don’t have animals anymore.”

At The Barn at Mirror Lake, Heidi said, “we have the gamut.”

“We have ducks and chickens running around when people are here,” she said. “We have two Jersey cows we milk, and we have steers.”

And – relatively new to the farm – Heidi said, is a miniature Highlander cow named Georgie – “he’s the hit of the party.”

“I’m now starting to tell my brides, ‘don’t even bother to start your dance until it’s dark,’ (because) if the weather is nice, people are outside here (and) can pet a cow,” she said. 

Heidi said Georgie will greet everybody at the front when they come in.

“I have young girls with cameras doing selfies with Georgie, and he’s eating their clothes,” she said. “They don’t care because it’s Georgie – it’s amazing.”

Mixing animals and the wedding scene, Heidi said, has made her realize how removed some people are from where food comes from. 

“I had a woman come with her daughter to look at the venue, and (we were) talking to someone probably in their 40s, and she was like, ‘I don’t think I’ve ever pet a cow before,’” she said. “I’m like, ‘we live in Wisconsin, how can you have not pet a cow?’”

When it comes to farming and animals, Heidi said, “we just don’t teach it anymore.”

“Everybody used to grow up on the family farm,” she said. “So, it is cool to see people interact with the animals.”

The property also allows guests to experience a slice of farm life if they haven’t before.

During a fall wedding, Heidi said about 25 guests were lined up against the fencing watching a tractor combine corn.

“They were watching the tractor driver go in circles,” she said. “That’s how it is these days. People don’t realize where things come from.”

Busy, busy, busy

Heidi said, as she mentioned before, there is much work that goes into running a wedding venue business.

“We are under the theory, ‘we’ll sleep when we’re dead,’” she said. “Everybody comes in and they’re like, ‘oh, your property is so pretty.’ They’re right – the setting itself is simply beautiful. But they’re not counting the eight to 10 hours a week I spent on a mower or the hours I spent weeding things. Making your property look like this 24/7 is a 40-hour-a-week job.”

Though running the business involves long hours and lots of work, Heidi said she’s grateful she can do this for a living.

“I’m exhausted all the time, but do I love everything about what I do? Yes,” she said. 

‘It’s our service’

Despite having a wedding venue with photographic views, a grain bin bridal suite and a hobby farm, Heidi said it’s The Barn at Mirror Lake’s service that sets it apart from other venues. 

“Weddings are expensive…,” she said. “So I believe in service. I don’t want my brides running around trying to gather their squirrels and monkeys… I don’t want my brides to come in at eight Saturday morning and have to do all their decorating, hair and makeup. It’s a lot… I want it to be an experience for people.”