ZANESVILLE − Julie Irvin chuckles a bit as she talks about how her and her husband’s new wedding and event venue, Belle Brooke Ranch at 1185 Holders Lane, came about. “It didn’t start as a business at all,” she laughed about how she and her husband, Daren, basically got the location going and broke ground in July 2020. “We have a very large family – my husband is one of the ten children, and our immediate family is sixty strong and growing. We outgrew everyone’s house to have a party. So the original plan was to build a small building where we could organize our family celebrations. And that’s how it started.” The Genesis HealthCare employee said the next thing that happened was someone asked to rent the soon-to-be-constructed building.
“Then the concept changed,” she said, adding that they started taking reservations in mid-November and have already booked weddings through 2026. “So we looked at it as something for our family, but it became a very real endeavor. Darren (a general contractor) and I have owned several rental properties and we sold them to build the site. The location is on a small cul-de-sac in a rural area, 10 minutes from I-70 and South Zanesville, as well as Maple and Underwood Avenue. According to Belle Brooke Ranch’s website, the venue’s décor is western-inspired and “surrounded by lush landscaping and rolling hills in the heart of southeastern Ohio.” Furthermore, the 8,000-square-foot facility is said to accommodate up to 250 people for an indoor formal reception and many more for outdoor receptions using the covered pavilion and terraces surrounding the pond. The ranch also features a custom indoor fireplace and gazebo.
“We are now in the final stages of construction,” says Julie, who is preparing to open for the 2024 season. “We have literally built the venue from the ground up.” She said they’ve had a great response since opening for bookings in November, even getting an out-of-state booking while the location was unseen. “The weddings are the focus. That’s mainly what people book,” Julie said. “We do have some smaller parties, graduation parties, family reunions, class reunions, but we are also interested in organizing corporate events. We would like to partner with a number of companies to host holiday parties or summer and company picnics.” She added that there are no restrictions on food – or much else.
“My policy is we want you to bring whoever you love, from the food to the DJ.” She said they will add a memory garden and offer a petting zoo for field trips. “My daughter is a fifth grade teacher and she brought 50 students to the site for the farm experience,” said Julie. “We walked them through the petting zoo, played farm bingo and had a picnic lunch. It was a fun day for the children. “It’s also fun for Julie, who says it gives her so much joy to see people enjoying the family farm. “We love sharing the location with guests,” she said. “We just want them to feel welcome and enjoy the space as much as we do.”
This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Belle Brooke Ranch started as a family project but became a business
