A Fair Barn - Salem, Illinois

Kelly C.

We used A Fair Barn for our wedding ceremony and reception in November 2021. The best part? It was nearly all inclusive and the staff coordinated every detail with perfection. We primarily worked with Nicole, who I can't say enough wonderful things about. She was very responsive, helped us make our day unique, and took care of any issues that arose. In addition, A Fair Barn catered our event. Jennifer is a behind the scenes GEM and not only produced high quality, delicious food, but was also very helpful when a few of my guests requested dietary information for carb counting etc. Lastly, the team wrapped up all the extra food and placed it in the bridal suite and collected any leftover gifts or personal items and had them ready for us the next morning. This made the next day easy and quick to head back home! Overall, it was a beautiful venue with dedicated and experienced staff. I would highly recommend A Fair Barn to anyone!

CELIA E.

Wedding 10/03/2020 From the Mother of the Bride: The staff were excellent to work with. They went above and beyond to make sure that my daughters wedding was special and unique to her taste and style. Everything was gorgeous and went off exactly as planned. The food was excellent and received many compliments. We had the pulled pork, green beans, hashbrown casserole and macaroni and cheese and spinach salad(which is my favorite). We also had stuffed mushrooms cocktail wennies and a ton of other stuff for appetizers which were delicious. The Brides Room was awesome as we had our hairdressers and makeup crew come to us that morning and we did not have to rush anywhere. It also had a comfy bed for anyone who just needed a quick nap. In the Grooms room had a comfy couch and was set up for the guys to just hang out. They also had golf carts which were a huge success for us to use to haul the wedding party around for pictures so they did not have to walk in grass and get their heels stuck. Also could use for guests who couldnt walk far distances. We had a lot of family traveling in from all over and the venue is only about a 1.5 miles from Holiday Inn Express which was also excellent. We were worried during covid we might not have a good turnout and I would say we had 85% show which was around 160 guests. They also had purchased patio heaters recently which we rented which was a great idea as it did get pretty chilly this past weekend in central illinois. I can say it is a bit overwhelming when you start to plan the wedding and try to get the details of what is included and what is rented, but the staff were very accomodating to answer any questions we had and put our mind at ease. I could not imagine having to put this wedding together by ourselves. The detail of the decorations were out of this world. I had a son that passed away(brother of bride) a couple years ago and they did a great job in doing a memorial for him. We had used Tommy Dunahoe for our music and sound and he did a great job as well. We used Colton Bushue from Effingham as our videographer who was a huge hit with the guests as he mingled very well and interacted with the guests . (he even was doing line dances while recording which was fun to watch and see the dancing from that view as well.) The photographers were from Breanna Erickson Sumner who did a really great job and I cannot wait to see all of the pictures. We had several rain showers thru the day and they still were able to get all of the shots and photos that we would ever want. I cannot express in words how perfect the wedding was and how easy it was for the Mother of the Bride and the Bride herself. No worries about the decorations or placement, cause if we noticed anything we just talked to the staff and it was taken care of immediately. Kudos the A Fair Barn. Mistie and Al, you have made my daughters dreams come true!!! Of course Nicole you were the best!!! I cannot say how beautiful and perfect everything was and I saw how hard you worked and it did not go unnoticed by any of our family. The memorial dance was perfect as well. If anyone has any questions about booking this venue, dont think about it, just do it, it is completely worth it.

Janelle W.

Cozy place to have a wedding reception. The food catered in was amazing! All dishes were hot to temp, perfectly cooked, and flavorful. This barn sits on a beautiful piece of land that overlooks a little pond. I can’t even imagine how beautiful the receptions are outside in the summer!

Ashley P.

Beautiful venue with an amazing staff, delicious food and they do all of the decorating for you.

Mason R.

Thought it was silly that a wedding was booked January of '23 for December of the same year, and the venue waited until days before to mention that they don't really do winter weddings. What a great excuse for not having things prepared, making the couple bring their own decor, and being so difficult to even make contact with the operators. And to call the bride "demanding" on their wedding day because she was unhappy with the bar serving people before they were supposed to is obnoxious. Obvious cash grab from the bar to the booking. Decent spot honestly, but management dropped the ball from the start.

Judith H.

Quite seriously one of the most beautiful wedding ceremonies I have ever attended. Spectacular rustic chic feel inside the actual barn, and the outside is so gorgeous with the fields, trees in the distances, and a small waterfall fountain. The wedding was coordinated perfectly, great food, and music set up. There's even a little store for random essentials!

Haley E.

I wish I could give more than 5 stars. I cannot say enough good things about A Fair Barn. They made the process of getting married so easy. They literally took all of my ideas and dreams and made them into a reality. Everything they did was beyond perfect! My photographer and videographer (who have been to a lot of weddings) said that this was by far the most organized wedding they had been to and that is all thanks to A Fair Barn. The best part about A Fair Barn is that everything is pretty much personalized. So even though they have done several weddings, each wedding looks completely different and specific to what you want. You don’t have to doing any of the decor and you do not have to set up or take anything down. I always thought planning a wedding would be very stressful, however, A Fair Barn took the stress out of all of it. If you are considering checking out the venue, just do it. You will not regret it!

Michael S.

Very beautiful venue. Well planed to design. Looking for a barn to get married in? you found it! Plus they're always improving the venue( pergola, fire tables, fire rocks, porch swings, two bars, gazebo by the lake, hair salon and a whole house if you need somewhere to stay). Don't forget to swing through their General Store and check out the awesome selection of knickknacks.

All the concrete looks impeccable!!!