East Jordan barn proves popular as wedding venue

After fixing up their barn to host their son’s and daughter-in-law’s wedding, Scott and Cheri Scheer discovered they had a product with wider demand.
In 2012, the Scheers acquired a 13-acre farm, more than a century old, along M-66 just south of East Jordan, intending to spend their retirement there and perhaps raise a few animals. In the years since, they’ve gradually renovated the site’s 4,400-square-foot barn to host more weddings and other special events, dubbing it the Jordan Valley Barn.
Since opening for the 2015 season in mid-May, Scott, a long-time pastor, said the barn has hosted 26 weddings, with the season winding down this weekend. For the 2016 season, Cheri, who’s retired from a career teaching in Christian schools, said the large majority of weekend slots are already booked.
This year, the website camoringsdirect.com — which offers camouflage-decorated wedding rings geared toward outdoor enthusiasts — named the Scheers’ barn to a list of the “Best Country Wedding Venues of 2015,” which includes two properties from each U.S. state.
When making plans to wed the Scheers’ son, James, in 2013, their now-daughter-in-law, Jordan, decided she’d like to have a barn wedding. After checking out other venues, “we said we like ours better, so we fixed our own barn up,” Cheri said.
While attending the event, some of James’ and Jordan’s wedding guests expressed interest in having their own weddings at the barn, Cheri noted. Eventually, the Scheers made the site available for public bookings, and can accommodate up to 275 people in the barn.
The original portion of the Scheers’ barn dates back to 1887. It was built by Oscar Blair, a steamship captain from Chicago who often visited Northern Michigan to pick up loads of logs, and came to love the area. An addition to the barn, along with an adjacent farmhouse, took shape soon after the turn of the 20th century.
The barn retains its hand-hewn support timbers with mortise and tenon joints. As part of the early preparations for wedding use, the Scheers cleaned the barn extensively by pressure washing, removed old haylofts and improved the flooring.
“We’re trying to keep the old rustic flavor,” Scott said.
Upgrades also have included construction of a stage, bar area, modern restrooms and lounges with comfortable seating, as well as exterior painting of the barn. The wiring and septic system also have been upgraded to meet commercial codes.
The Jordan Valley Barn offers a choice of round or longer, banquet-style tables to accommodate guests in the barn’s reception area. Toward the rear of the property is an outdoor ceremony area, with other outdoor seating for guests available near the barn as well.
Having gutted and renovated the farmhouse, the Scheers live there part-time. But when wedding parties are interested, the Scheers shift to a travel trailer nearby and offer them use of the house as an option.
Cheri believes the on-site availability of many wedding and reception needs, including table linens and decorative string lighting, contributes to the barn’s popularity.
“It’s totally decorated,” she said. “You could come here and have a wedding and not have to decorate.”
Cheri offers clients assistance in planning weddings at the barn. While she can recommend a few catering and bartending services, she said couples can choose any such providers they wish.
A sizable share of the barn’s bookings have come from out-of-town clients planning a destination wedding, Cheri noted. She added that the popularity of rustic wedding venues seems to extend well beyond her own barn. James and Jordan, for example, are readying their own such venue, the Blue Sky Barn near Elmira, for 2016 events, and have already received numerous bookings.

Weddings aren’t the only sort of event that the Jordan Valley Barn can accommodate. For example, the Scheers have hosted a baby shower, an East Jordan Area Chamber of Commerce networking event and a local Christian school’s Christmas programs.