
This page aims to help you with your venue-side wedding plans.
Inventory
See pictures and dimensions of our inventory that includes tables, chairs, furniture, and decor.
Gallery of Past Weddings
The Gallery of Past Weddings is an image collection showcasing the creative and beautiful work from past couples and their families.
Floor Plans (Updated January 2022)
Below are our suggested floor plans. If you look through our Gallery of Past Weddings, you’ll see there is plenty of opportunity to break out of these standardized plans.
If Monarch Valley will be setting up for you, we can customize one of these floor plans for you. Or, you can sketch your own layout using our blank floor plan.
Vendor Recommendations
See our list of local vendors to help with your vendor research.
Virtual Tour
View a room-by-room video tour of our venue.
Venue Rules
- No firearms.
- No indoor flames (we have a variety of electric candles).
- No smoking inside any buildings.
- No fireworks or other incendiary devices (sparklers are allowed, but no sky lanterns).
- No extreme noise.
- No parking on Shelly Ridge Road or on grass.
- No driving inside the Event Barn.
- No driving Four-Wheelers or any of Monarch Valley’s Vehicles.
- No entering buildings where do not enter signs are displayed (i.e. the farmhouse and work sheds).
- Please use natural confetti only (petals, seeds). Confetti made from plastic or paper should be avoided, or a small cleaning fee paid.
- Please request for staff to light indoor fireplaces.
- Please instruct parents to supervise children around the fireplaces and ponds for their safety. Kids can play with small rocks, but dislodging large stones to throw in the pond is unacceptable.
- Please request permission before transporting equipment across lawns.
Tips & Common Questions
Cart Rides
It is very helpful if we know the approximate number of rides needed and if you have guests in wheelchairs or other assistive equipment.
Upon your request, we can also give cart rides to the bridal party to get to the ceremony or nearby photography locations.
Caterers Need to Know
Inside the Event barn, the caterer may use the Catering Bay as a curtained work station—except when the Catering Bay is being used as the buffet location or for another use.
There is a large sink with fresh water inside the Supply Closet of the Event Barn. Most caterer’s do not need access to the Banquet Room kitchen, but they are welcome to use it.
If you having a plated food service, or other alternative to a buffet, please check-in with us so that we may discuss a few details.
You should discuss insurance and liability options with any caterer.
Church Ceremonies
The church ceremony is an alternative option that can blend in seamlessly with your wedding at Monarch Valley. You’d just have your guests meet at the church for the ceremony first. After the ceremony, everyone would make the short drive (or shuttle ride) from the church to Monarch Valley.
Of course, we love, love, love our outdoor ceremonies, but opting for a church ceremony can add an extra sense of faith, tradition, and formality to your wedding experience, if that’s what you’re going for. Not to mention the fact that it’s weather-proof and that some of the architecture in these small town churches can be unexpectedly stunning!
It’s also worth noting that most denominations allow pastors/priests to officiate weddings offsite.
Decorations, Lighting, Drapery & Tablecloths
We allow staples as long as you take them back out. Command Strips are great to use. However, extra-gummy florist tapes may cause damage charges.
On a perfect day, the doors of the Event Barn will be open to create a cross-breeze. Make sure your table settings are secured!! Avoid name cards unless you tape or weight them down. Ideally, even cloth napkins should be weighted or folded in a way that resists breeze. If flower arrangements are tall, vases should be very sturdy.
We do not provide tablecloths or tableware for the reception dinner. Check with your caterer, as they may have options. Or, check out Facebook Marketplace or other sites to buy used items at a discount. It’s often cheaper to buy new tablecloths than it is to rent (though we think rentals are worth the price!). Consider if you will want an ironed/steamed look or if you are ok with fold marks. Then build in enough time to iron accordingly. Alternatively, you may quick-wash the tablecloths in small batches (please no more that 5 at a time in our machines), semi-dry them, then drape them over tables to finish drying with a spritz of your own wrinkle releaser spray.
For those with a minimal aesthetic, you may request for us to remove the antique farm items from shelves in the Event Barn. Most items can be removed, except for certain items that are permanently attached to walls.
We have decorative string lighting (and regular lighting) on the ceiling and railing of the Event Barn, as well as in the Beer Garden and around the Fireplace. If you wish to add additional decorative lighting, it should be simple for you to install—you should not plan to install extra ceiling lights without a professional.
Ceiling drapery is very rarely added by couples. We have ladders to use if you would like to hang drapes, but you should plan a considerable amount time to install and remove such drapery. Any ceiling drapery must be securely installed to prevent safety issues.
We have curtains on the three lower doors of the Event Barn.
DJ's Need to Know & The Dance Floor
Every DJ and band requires a unique amount of space for their equipment. Please be sure to discuss space and set-up needs with your DJ in advance. This is very important because the DJ usually arrives last (at a time when you’ll be unavailable) and we want to avoid having them arrive with more equipment than there is space allotted for.
We have extension cords to cross the lawn for your DJ at the outdoor ceremony.
To avoid long buffet lines, we recommend having your DJ announce which table numbers should go through the buffet one or two tables at a time. Starting with any tables that will be removed to create the dance floor (so that those guests will have extra time to finish their meal).
Typically, the dance floor is created by removing a set number of tables and chairs after dinner. This works best if you create an intermission after dinner where guests will naturally leave their seats—and not be required to sit back down for speeches, cake cutting, etc. We will ask your DJ to announce this intermission so that guests understand when and why their tables are being removed. It’s even better if you’ve filled these tables with family or party members who will be understanding of losing their table after dinner.
If Monarch Valley is working alone to create the dance floor, then your intermission should be timed for 5 minutes per table being removed.
Sound System (Speakers & Microphones)
Monarch Valley staff will set up our sound equipment at your requested times. However, someone from your group would need to be responsible for managing the mics and music during the ceremony or reception.
This is a complimentary offering meant to help reduce your music costs here and there. However, we are not music professionals and do not have backup equipment in the case of a break or rare failure.
Here are our speakers: sweetwater.com/store/detail/PassConfS2–fender-audio-passport-conference-s2-portable-pa-system
Here is our receiver/microphone set: sweetwater.com/store/detail/BLX288PG58-H10–shure-blx288-pg58-dual-channel-wireless-handheld-microphone-system-h10-band
We have plenty of extension cords to cross the lawn.
Fireplaces & Firewood
The indoor fireplaces are only started upon request or when the temperature calls for it.
You can use the outdoor fireplace for S’mores. But please avoid any other cooking over the fireplaces and use the grill we provide instead.
Insurance (Special Event Insurance)
Inclement Weather & Temperature Control
Our three-season Pavilion/Event Barn does not have insulation, forced heating, or central air. We can make it cooler by opening up all four corners of the barn as there is often a breeze. We have high-powered fans to help with air flow. Or, we can close up all the doors and add our temporary heaters.
We have heating and air conditioning in our Lodge and Banquet Room.
If needed, we’ll discuss the weather plan with you once you arrive at the venue (or a few days in advance in certain circumstances).
Ice for Drinks
Plan to fill up our freezers first, then bring in the rest of your ice on Saturday to immediately place into your drinks bins and ice chests.
Monarch Valley does not provide bulk ice. We recommend Kwik Trip in either Blair (5 miles, 511 W 4th St, Blair, WI 54616) or Whitehall (7 miles, 36281 Main St, Whitehall, WI 54773).
For other needs, both of these towns have a Dollar General. Whitehall has a hardware store and small grocery store.
Lodging Assignments
Monarch Valley staff will only enter the living area of the Lodge if tending to the fireplace, or upon request.
Parking
Having a lot of RVs reduces available parking space, while shuttles help reduce the amount of parking needed.
For the best experience, you may wish to assign one of your helpers as a parking assistant in the 45 minutes leading up to your ceremony. Monarch Valley can advise parking assistants, but our small staff is giving cart rides at this time.
RVs and Tents
We charge $50 per RV, per weekend to park an RV.
All RVs and tent campers MUST SCHEDULE A CHECK-IN TIME with Monarch Valley in advance. Upon arrival, RVs and tent campers will make their payment and receive parking/camping assignments from Monarch Valley staff.
Wi-Fi
Site Visits for Photography
Site Visits for Planning
Trash & Recycling
At this time, the only recycling we offer is for soda/beer cans. So going with as many canned beverages as possible is a great strategy.
To incorporate additional recycling, low-waste, or zero-waste goals—you are encouraged to take a waste-reduction strategy. Single-use dinnerware produces the most landfill, so you can hire a plated service with rented dinnerware. Bartenders can be instructed to sort their empty glass bottles in separate containers. But if a guest throws a plastic cup into a plastics recycling bin, along with a straw and muddled fruits, then the bag becomes landfill unless you sort it yourself (or find a center that will sort it for you). Expecting guests to self-sort additional recycling will require a lot large bins, instructions, and additional sorting afterwards.
Venue Staffing Service
Here are the differences between going DIY and taking our Venue Staffing Service:
If you decline our service you (often with the help of your wedding party) would be responsible for:
- Unstacking and setting up tables and chairs and then re-stacking them
- Setting up and taking down the arbor
- Moving any outdoor furniture and ceremony furniture to your liking
- Wiping down surfaces in the banquet room, pool table room, and in the pavilion
- Mopping floors in the banquet room, pool table room, and in the pavilion
- Clearing grounds of cigarette butts, cans, and other garbage
- We will give direction when it’s time to clear and move tables to make room for your dance floor, but your group will be responsible for the labor involved.
If you accept our service, we’d work with you to develop a floor plan and will set-up tables, chairs, and furniture ahead of time. When you arrive, you’ll only need to decorate with what you bring in. After the wedding, you’d be able to relax—only needing to take down the decorations you brought in, and leave the rest to us.
Regardless of whether or not you take the service:
- You would be responsible for decorating (tablecloths, tableware, personal effects, etc.).
- We will still monitor the facilities, start the outdoor fireplace, offer advise if asked, etc.
- Monarch Valley will always thoroughly clean the lodge.
If you decide to go DIY, please note:
- The crew helping you – whether it’s your wedding party or your family – is expected to follow our venue rules on where and how to store our inventory, as well as follow the cleanliness standards we offer. We recommend you set expectations around take-down and clean-up with your helpers in advance.
- We will give you an orientation upon arrival and will be available to provide ladders, tools, advice, and instruction during your set-up.
- We will provide you with printed copies of our DIY Take Down & Cleaning Checklist for all your day-after responsibilities. We also provide all the towels and cleaning supplies you’ll need.