A labor of love

FARWELL — Cedar fencing and summer perennials line the aisle, massive oaks and weeping willows stand nearby the ceremony space. Limbs sway in the breeze coming off the lake. The natural landscape, accompanied by the chorus of songbirds, is a fraction of the idyllic beauty on display at Rendezvous Farm near Farwell, which is owned and operated by Deanna Alvord and her husband, Charles.

What started as a quiet idea to build a beautiful wedding venue has become a repeat choice among central Minnesota’s engaged couples for its rural charm.

“We were looking for property with that idea in the back of our minds,” Alvord said. “(We wanted) something with that wow factor.”

Rendezvous Farm is a private venue where the Alvords host weddings, fundraisers and community events. The events are strategically scheduled throughout the season, which starts June 1 and runs through the middle of October, with only one event taking place at a time.

“It’s a labor of love and a passion of ours to serve people,” Alvord said. “It’s not all about making money.”

Alvord and her husband bought the 50-acre farmstead in 2017. She said it all started with a vision based on her own insider perspective as a mother of two grown and married children. She sought to make the wedding process easier and more enjoyable.

“We started building this dream, and, you know, how they say, ‘You build it, and they will come,’” Alvord said. “Well, we started just chipping away at it, and it started to come to life. Our youngest daughter’s wedding was our first event in 2018, and it was wonderful.”

Alvord said that her goal this year is to find a worthy charitable organization to support and help bring awareness to. Paying it forward is instrumental to the Alvord couple’s mission.

Rendezvous Farm is in its fifth steady year, having made a name for itself, gaining exposure following the governor’s mandate in 2020, which shut down all wedding venues during the coronavirus pandemic. Alvord said that when the mandate was lifted, they reopened, and they did so with caution.

Since that time, wedding seasons have come and gone, and Alvord recognized an opportunity. She said that while she was working with all those wonderful central Minnesota-based wedding vendors, she realized that many did not know one another.
Having an administrative background, Alvord took it upon herself to create the Lakes of Minnesota Wedding Association.

“It is a nonprofit organization to identify, lift up and support all the amazing people in the wedding industry,” Alvord said. “Our mission is to get the word out that Minnesota is a destination spot like no other.”

The association launched in January. It is a membership-based platform where professionals in the wedding industry become members by paying a yearly fee. As members, they have full access to a network of industry professionals as well as exposure to the public. The association hosts a variety of workshops and an annual wedding show where vendors can network, market and promote their businesses.

Alvord said she was met by so many incredible mentors during her first season in the wedding industry, and creating this association was another way she could pay it forward. Members can leverage each other and support each other while promoting community collaboration, she said.

“During our first season (as a venue), we were really kind of punting, … learning as we went,” Alvord said. “But the wedding vendors around this area are rockstars. I am just overwhelmed, not only by the great work they do, but how organized, responsible and dependable they are.”

Alvord said she often talks with people about what she calls “the second half.”

“The first half of our lives is often spent establishing our careers, establishing our homesteads, starting and raising our families,” Alvord said. “Then comes the second half. … There is so much more, and we have all this knowledge and experience now, … and I am invested in doing my best to make a difference.”

Alvord said the most fulfilling part for her is to help couples bring their visions to life for their special day and for that experience to be a positive one. Planning a wedding can be stressful for everyone involved, she said.

Rendezvous Farm offers all-inclusive customizable packages, meaning Alvord takes care of everything as the wedding planner: catering, decorations, photography, music, floral arrangements, gathering spaces readying, day-of wedding coordinating, shuttle arrangements and hotel accommodations. She helps coordinate it all, she said.

“It’s like having a fairy godmother for your wedding,” Alvord said. “I make sure everything is booked and the couple gets to do all the fun stuff like pick out the food and the decorations.”

The property was originally a dairy farm, dating back to 1945. Alvord bought the property in March, and she said it was the most wonderful surprise to see flowers come up everywhere as spring turned to summer that first year. Unbeknownst to the Alvords, the couple who had lived there for 47 years prior were both naturalists and master gardeners.

“We didn’t know when we moved in what a treat we were in for,” Alvord said. “We were just shocked when all the flowers started coming up and they just kept coming. … We thought, ‘OK, this is so much bigger than just us.’”

Two miles down the road from Rendezvous Farm is the town of Farwell, where Alvord also manages the Farwell Historic Church & Event Venues for that property’s owner. This allows another option for couples. If couples want to have a church wedding first, followed by a reception at Rendezvous Farm, Alvord can arrange that, too.

“We feel blessed that this has been brought to us,” Alvord said. “Our mission is to serve. … We are exploring all the different ways we can utilize our property to do that.”