A labor of love: Hillview Farms Wedding Barn

Hillview Farms Wedding Barn is not just a gorgeous rustic venue. It is a true labor of love, developed and refined by a couple with a vision for a family-run venue to create beautiful moments and beautiful memories.
Chris Schultz purchased the property in the Town of Pine River in 2015. Once well known in the area as the Richard Hagedorn farm, where Hagedorn gave accordion lessons in the farmhouse and played in a popular family band, the property was the beginning of a dream come true.
That August, shortly after the purchase, a simple birthday party for his niece sparked a vision. Guests looked around the beautiful, historic barn and commented on what a spectacular event space it could be.
“There started a dream,” Chris said, “that one day this barn and property could actually be a real place where people want to get married, have a party, and so on.” But he didn’t take any action at that time. It was still just a vague idea.
Chris married his wife, Marling, in 2017. But it wasn’t the typical lifestyle most newlyweds experience. The couple navigated a challenging start to their marriage, spending a considerable amount of time apart. Because of student visa regulations, Marling had to return to her home country of Nicaragua, leaving Chris in Wisconsin by himself.

“We’re having a honeymoon — he’s there, I’m here, pretty much,” Marling said, reflecting on those early days of long-distance marriage.
Then the real push to turn that dream into a venue arrived in May 2018.
“My brother and soon-to-be sister-in-law were in search of a barn venue but ran into a common theme — either they were booked a year in advance or had a very hefty price tag,” Chris said. “That was the push we needed to transform our beautiful old barn into something spectacular ...”
One day, while driving on a fishing trip to Canada, Chris decided to test the waters on marketing the barn as a wedding venue for others outside of the family.
“I texted her [Marling] one day [while she was in Nicaragua],” Chris said with a laugh. “I was like, ‘Hey, I made a Facebook page for the barn.’ [And] she’s like, ‘What are you talking about?’”
“I was like, ‘Oh, yeah. I started a wedding barn. And you’re going to be helping me when you come back,’” Chris said.
Chris posted a single advertisement on Facebook Marketplace. Almost instantly, a bride messaged him to ask if the venue was available, he said, and by September 2018, the barn hosted its very first official wedding.
By January 2019, the couple had officially established Hillview Farms Wedding Barn LLC and hosted five weddings by the year’s end.

Renovated by the couple from the ground up
One of the things that makes Hillview Farms Wedding Barn so special is that nearly 99% of the extensive renovations to the property were completed by Chris and Marling themselves. If they had hired contractors for the massive scale of work, Chris estimates the cost would have easily exceeded $200,000.

Initial work involved leveling out and fixing weak spots in the barn floor and laying a small front paver patio. They also received “a generous blessing” from a neighbor who wired the barn in metal conduit for lights and outlets, Chris said.
In 2019, the couple tackled their first major project: building indoor bathrooms. “Porta-potties are nasty and nobody likes them, and it’s a deterrent,” Marling told Chris, putting her foot down on the issue. “You can do this, but you’re going to have bathrooms.”
Along with the conventional septic system and ADA-compliant bathrooms, Chris personally built beautiful, curved stone steps that lead from the back of the barn to the front patio. What was supposed to be a “couple-hour project” turned into a grueling, multi-day endeavor. Chris ended up shoveling 14 yards of dirt by hand and hauling 10 loads of stone to complete the sides of the steps.
During those summer months, Chris was working 12-hour days in his regular construction job, coming home to work on the barn until 11 p.m., and waking up at 5 a.m. to do it all over again.
“We would work 16 hours a day on the weekends to get our bathrooms, bridal salons, ceremony grounds, and landscaping complete,” Chris said. “We did about three months’ worth of work in a month and a half, on top of both of our full-time jobs. But I would not change it for the world. I treasure those times when we worked so hard. I see it as a badge of honor and feel much pride for the work we did.”
Marling proved to be just as tireless. “We had many difficult projects, but one that really comes to mind is when I stained the deck when I was nine months pregnant,” Marling said with a laugh. “Normally this would be an easy job, but I was due to give birth any day. We needed to get the deck stained before our first wedding of the year, so I had to tough it out and finish the project. I did finish the deck, and it turned out beautiful.”
Months and even years of hard work since that time have turned the historic Hagedorn homestead into a thriving, family-run destination, blending old-school farm charm with modern elegance.

Preserving history in the lower level
The renovations never truly stop at Hillview. In 2020, the couple created an outdoor ceremony grounds with Kentucky bluegrass and a paved walkway leading to a custom pergola. They added an 80-car gravel parking lot, bringing their total capacity to 150 cars for large events while keeping the driveway and road completely clear of vehicles. They also added an 850-square-foot wood-grain paver patio behind the barn to give guests a shaded place to relax and an amazing view of the countryside.
Their biggest project to date came in 2021, when they undertook a massive overhaul of the barn’s lower level to convert it into a heated dining area that can accommodate up to 275 guests. They poured a level concrete floor, blasted the entire basement to remove old whitewash and rust, beautifully exposing the original stone foundation, and added additional space on that level.

While they removed most of the old milking stanchions, curbs, and gutters, they deliberately left some of the original stanchions and watering cups intact. “We kept some of the authenticity of the barn,” Chris noted, keeping the farm’s proud dairy heritage alive. This new heated area doubled their square footage and allowed them to host weddings earlier in spring and later in fall.
The upgrades continued over the following years. In 2022, a beautiful outdoor gazebo was built, and in 2024, a spacious new front patio was laid. Then in 2025, two additional gazebos were added, providing ample spots for guests to mingle.
In 2026, a new metal roof was installed on the barn, an old storage shed was removed to open up spectacular views, a sleek Crest Coatings epoxy floor was laid in the dining hall, and the venue secured a full liquor license to offer affordable bar service directly to couples. With Chris, Marling, and six other local women serving as licensed bartenders, the venue provides full bar service at discounted prices.
“Couples only pay for what they consume,” Chris said, highlighting how much hassle and waste this saves compared to couples buying bulk alcohol themselves and bringing it in to the venue the way it used to be done. Ultimately, he said, couples save money this way.

Modern amenities with old-school soul

Today, the venue boasts dynamic, meticulously maintained gardens that are one of Marling’s greatest joys. She spends hours weeding, watering, and searching for new perennials to keep the gardens fresh from spring through fall, but she loves every minute.
“One of my favorite parts is to see the property beautifully maintained, with so much green grass and trees,” Marling said. “It gives a feeling of peace and happiness to see all the flowers everywhere and hear the birds singing all day long.”
Beyond the flowers, the property features a sunflower and corn patch, a cozy bonfire pit with unlimited firewood (they aren’t stingy like other venues, Chris said), and a sprawling outdoor ceremony site with benches nestled in the shade of the farm’s active Christmas tree groves.
The farm even features a unique group of resident assistants: seven cows who have become minor celebrities.
“The cows know their job at the wedding,” Chris said with a smile. “People love taking pictures with the cows. They show right off. I go out there and whistle a little bit, and the cows come running.”
For photographers, the venue is a dream. Chris, a skilled photographer himself, loves seeing the creative angles other professionals find, like taking couples out to a high hill at sunset where the sun sets right over the Christmas trees.
To accommodate modern wedding needs, the property features high-speed Wi-Fi, which allows DJs to download songs instantly and couples to live-stream their ceremonies so loved ones far away can view the event in real time. In one touching instance, a groom used the Wi-Fi to live-stream the entire wedding so his brother, who was incarcerated, could share their special day.
They also utilize a digital Square point-of-sale system, allowing guests to pay with their phones or credit cards, which works well for guests who want to purchase specific drinks not included as part of the wedding arrangement.

A family business with heart
While Chris still works his day job at Northwoods Evergreen, also in Pine River, the wedding barn has truly become a lifestyle for the Schultz family. Their family time is spent working side-by-side on the property, occasionally escaping for a few quiet hours on their boat on Sunday afternoons once the weekend’s events are wrapped up.

Even their five-year-old son, John Henry, is a central part of the team. John Henry is a proud helper, filling coolers, handing out sodas, and assisting the bartenders. He even made $4 in tips during a recent wedding, he shared.
When asked what his favorite part of the wedding barn is, John Henry said, “Usually I make new friends.”
But the young entrepreneur has big plans for the future. “When I’m a little older, I’ll retire from organizer and become a security guard,” John Henry said.
“You’ll be the bouncer, huh?” he was asked.
“Yep,” John Henry replied confidently, though he also noted that when he’s six, he hopes to be driving his own Kubota tractor.

Delivering on the ultimate commitment
For Chris and Marling, the grueling hours of lawn mowing, flower watering, and trash cleanup melt away when they witness the joy their property brings to others. They operate on a unique “one-price rental” model with no hidden fees, giving couples full access to the venue from Friday morning until Sunday at noon. They are on-site all weekend, doing everything from parking cars to driving elderly guests to the ceremony site in a golf cart.
They treat every guest who walks onto the property as a potential friend and future customer.
“We bend over backwards for everybody,” Chris said. “I wait down there at dinner time and take people back up to the bathrooms ... helping all the older people on and off the golf cart.”
While the venue is also available for other kinds of events, having weddings at the barn property is extra special to the couple. They see it as a continuing part of their own love story.
And having the opportunity to help preserve history is also a particular point of pride. In addition to the farm, Chris has another dream that would tie in perfectly with the farm. Next door to the property lies the St. James Cemetery, where a historic church once stood. Chris said he harbors a dream of one day buying that land and rebuilding a beautiful church there.
For Chris, all he and Marling have done to turn the property into a beautiful wedding venue is a tribute to the past. “I wish that the whole Hagedorn family was alive to see what their beautiful farm has become,” Chris said. “They had so much pride in their farm and home; this place was always immaculate. I really wish they could see the joy that people get from their farm.”
For Marling, the magic is in the commitment. “... When I see the bride walk down the aisle and see the groom’s smiling face, it reminds me of how happy and beautiful my wedding day was,” she said. “I think of the enormous commitment that marriage is. I feel happy when I see this commitment taking place right here at our property. People choose Hillview Farms as the place to fulfill this great commitment, and I am in awe when I think of how many couples had the first day of the rest of their lives together right here.”
The Schultz family extends an open invitation to anyone in the community to call for a personal visit. “We invite anyone at any time to come tour our property, even if they are not interested in getting married,” Marling said warmly. “We love to tell the story and history of our place to people when they come.”
Hillview Farms Wedding Barn is located at W3651 Hillview Rd., Merrill. To reach Chris or Marling or inquire about booking a wedding, family reunion, retirement party, corporate event, or other celebration, call 715.219.4987.
To follow updates and view stunning photos from local photographers, visit the Hillview Farms Wedding Barn Facebook page.