Wedding Photography at Rustic Family Owned Pond View Barn, Pine Island, MN
Searching for a rustic barn venue near Rochester that offers authentic charm without sacrificing modern conveniences? Pond View Barn in Pine Island might check all your boxes—but is it really worth the investment? Is it really a photogenic location? What makes this venue different from other barn venues? What are the limitations you should take into consideration? I will tell you everything! I will present this location and share with you photos of the locations to get the best of your wedding day, as well as the limitations.
Let’s dive in!
Pond View Barn in 30 sec.
- Authentic Charm: A beautifully restored 1890s rustic barn offering a warm, countryside atmosphere just 30 minutes from Rochester, MN.
- Family-Owned: Experience a personal touch with owners Barb and Randy, who are actively involved in making your day perfect.
- Photographer’s Dream: Features an abundance of diverse photo locations, including a picturesque pond, pine groves, rolling hills, and unique architectural details for stunning sunset and night shots.
- Flexible & Accommodating: Host up to 200 guests with options for indoor or outdoor ceremonies. The venue is pet-friendly, wheelchair-accessible, and allows you to bring your own caterer.
- All-Inclusive Amenities: Comes equipped with multiple getting-ready suites, a large reception tent, a dedicated bar cabin, fire pit, and golf carts for easy transport across the property.
Table of Contents
Presentation of this charming rustic wedding venue
A wedding Venue Located in Pine Island, MN
The Pond View Barn is located on the east side of Pine Island, near Oronoco, on rolling hills facing east. It’s a half-hour drive from Rochester, MN, and therefore could be considered within the Rochester area.
The property is surrounded by cultivated farm fields and, further away, woods.
History of the venue, remodeled with love and passion
This authentic wood barn was built in the 1890s, part of a family dairy farm.
In the 1970s, it was purchased by the Kerkhoff family, the current owners, Barb and Randy. Since 2016, thanks to his career in construction, Randy, with the support of his wife, has passionately remodeled the barn, offering all the amenities you can expect from a wedding venue.
If I mentioned the owners here, it’s also because they are really part of the venue and even part of the wedding. Indeed, on your wedding day, you see them around all the time, helping you and your guests in every way they can. It’s not often that you see owners who are involved and dedicated to their clients. And trust me, you will love them!
So, booking this venue is not working with an impersonal business but clearly supporting a small, lovely family business.
The rustic wood barn itself
This Gambrel-style wood barn is as beautiful from the outside as it is inside. It has three parts: the top one is the former hayloft (now used as a mezzanine where couples can set up a photo booth), the main floor is for the reception, and the basement, built in stone, is for preparations.
The upper portion of the barn is clad in vertical wooden siding, weathered to a natural gray patina.
Inside, the barn showcases a timber-frame construction with exposed wooden beams and rafters, emphasizing traditional craftsmanship. It can welcome up to 200 guests.
While during the warm season most couples would prefer an outdoor ceremony, during winter, you can set it inside on the main level of the barn: check out this winter vow renewal, for instance.
Attached to the barn is a large reception tent, allowing outdoor seating in the summer. Next to the tent stands a small cabin for the bar.
The getting-ready rooms
If some venues don’t have enough room to get ready, at the Pond View Barn, it’s the opposite: they have more than enough choice.
The Bridal Suite
The lower level of the barn, decorated in white tones, features five large mirrors with lighting systems for the bride’s and bridesmaids’ makeup. It also has a small salon with a fireplace and lounging area, a kitchenette, high cocktail tables, and a bathroom.
The Small House
On the property, the house can also be used for getting ready (typically by the bride). This house offers more natural light than the Bridal Suite. Decorated with wood and bright tones, I would suggest this place.
The Cave
On the property stand a small one-room bunkhouse (called the man cave).
All these getting-ready rooms are very good for a farm venue, but won’t be as comfortable, spacious, bright, or photogenic as a nice hotel suite at J.Powers. But, again, it’s rare that a barn is that well-equipped!
Multiple options to host your ceremony
Whether it’s for your outdoor ceremony options or for photography, the Pond View Barn, thanks to the extensive landscaping, has a lot of options to offer! And that’s a blast!
With the property situated on a hill, featuring many trees and a clean lawn, it looks a bit like a golf course.
4 outdoor options for your ceremony:
- On the upper patio, which offers a view of the valley
- On top of the hill, a view of the lawn and pond (but you need to find a spot in the shade for guest confort and lightening consideration)
- On the hill, using the oak trees, or the walnut area (I suggest taking the sun position in consideration, orienting the ceremony site towards the sun
- Next to the pond, a view of the pond or the barn (You might have a pond smell on hot days).
The Two Covered Options for your ceremony
In case of rain, you have two covered options.
- The Tent, white and neutral, though it’s not heated
- The Barn main reception room and its beautiful wood structure.
3 options for intimate ceremony
- On the lower patio, with a view of the barn, for small gatherings
- At the top of the hill (west side), among the white pine trees, is a place for intimate ceremonies. You don’t enjoy the view, but the place is pretty cool
- On the barn mezzanine and its gorgeous triangular windows (check with the venue to know the number of people allowed)
Additional Photography Locations
All the ceremony locations would work for your couple’s photos. But the Pond View Barn offers more spots!
- Among the white pine trees
- On one of the many sand roads (the main one and other smaller ones on the property)
- Using the swing attached to the walnut tree
- Near the house, among the flowers
- Near the fire pit
- Using the silo
- Inside one of the adjacent cornfields
- Using the Quonset building
- Using one of the golf carts
- Using one of the wooden farm wagons
- Using the stars during the night (far away from big cities, there isn’t much light pollution)
As you can see, that’s a lot of options for “just” a barn wedding venue. It’s one of the rare photo-oriented wedding venues open all year long (even in winter) that I could compare to another local place: Garden Market Platz.
There are so many ceremonies and photography locations here, you might consider getting married a few times, just for variety!
Additional reasons for booking this barn for your wedding
After photographic considerations, let’s talk about broader wedding planning aspects:
- The barn is wheelchair-friendly, which is rare enough to be mentioned!
- The venue is pet-friendly! Actually, Barb and Randy’s dog used to run around, but it passed away.
- There are two golf carts that you can use. They’re convenient for bride-and-groom photos, transporting elderly guests from the ceremony to the reception, or escaping from overly talkative guests.
- In case of rain, the main level of the barn can accommodate the ceremony.
- Fair pricing: You can see their updated prices on their website. For such a photogenic venue with a capacity of 200 guests, it’s a pretty affordable price.
- The property offers tons of outdoor parking spots.
- You can decide to use a caterer or bring your own food.
What are the limitations of this venue?
After praising this barn, it’s time to highlight the downsides:
- The barn becomes pretty dark at night. You’ll need a (very) good photographer if you want good candid shots in a dark environment.
- The getting-ready rooms are decent but not amazing: not very bright. Photographers love white spaces with lots of natural light. In short, they love photo studios while here there is a lot of wood colors.
- The pond itself is cute, but it can start to smell during drought periods. Of course, we’re not asking for a reservoir, but that can break the magic of the place. It’s nature’s gentle reminder that it’s an authentic farm.
- There is no prairie area or high-grass area, which photographers love.
- If you have 200 guests, you might have to seat some on the upper level, where the hayloft used to be.
- If you have just 20 to 30 guests, then this venue would feel empty. In this case, you’d better book a restaurant in Rochester!
- The barn is 30 minutes away from downtown Rochester. You can plan for a shuttle service, but it might take a while.
- There is a built-in bar, so you can’t choose your bar provider.
Despite these limitations, many couples find the venue’s strengths outweigh the downsides. Here’s what you can expect to invest:
Pond View Barn Pricing
Saturday Prices: $6,500.
One wedding per weekend.
Pond View Barn charges $6,500 for a complete wedding package that includes ceremony, reception, dance, and all venue amenities for up to 200+ guests.
They host only one wedding per weekend during peak season (May through October), giving you exclusive access to the property from Friday (for decorating) through Saturday (wedding day and cleanup). This weekend-exclusive policy ensures you won’t feel rushed and have ample time for setup and breakdown.
In winter, the venue remains open. I have covered a vow renewal ceremony, but I would dream of a white winter wedding on the hills!
The venue works with their own alcohol vendor for bar service, while couples can bring their own food and music vendors.
Also, as mentioned earlier, Randy and Barb Kerkhoff offer a deep, full-service Coordination, which is very convenient for the wedding, in opposition to other venues where you never know where to find a staff member to talk to.
Should You Book Pond View Barn?
At $6,500 for exclusive weekend access, Pond View Barn offers solid value for couples wanting authentic rustic charm with flexible ceremony options.
Book if you want:
- Authentic countryside setting with gorgeous photo spots
- Flexible outdoor and covered ceremony locations across 10 acres
- Hands-on owners (Randy and Barb are exceptional)
- Wheelchair accessible and pet-friendly
- Good value for 100-200 guests
Skip if you need:
- Modern minimalist aesthetic with glass walls.
- Direct downtown Rochester access
- Intimate setting for under 30 guests
The venue’s strength is versatility : ceremony by the pond, among oak trees, or between pine groves.
The weekend exclusive access eliminates rushed timelines. The limitations are manageable with proper expectations.
Contact Randy and Barb directly to schedule a tour. Once you meet them and see the property, you’ll understand why couples consistently recommend this venue.
Check a real wedding at the Pond View Barn
Want to see what you can expect in photos? Check the video below to discover Melanie and Chris’s wedding in this rustic venue.
Once you’ve confirmed your venue, the next step is to book your photographer. Of course, I’ll be honored to be considered.
