The Sixpence: A Dream Brought to Life

It’s hard to pin down where or when this dream started – hard to remember when God first put this on my heart. It somehow feels like so long ago but at the same time, just yesterday. 

Looking back, I see so many things that fed the vision. Working as a professional wedding photographer for four years has given me the opportunity to see gorgeous venues all over the world, to work with couples with beautiful stories and from all kinds of backgrounds. I’ve gotten this unfiltered access to their thoughts and feelings leading up to and on their wedding day. I’ve heard their excitement and frustrations, I’ve dealt with tears and sweat and rain and all the unforeseen variables you could imagine. I began to dream of giving these brides a gift: the perfect place to say their vows. A fairytale-like location where every potential problem already had a solution thought of. I dreamt of open air and sun kissed photo spots and private suites for the bride to breathe and prepare for her day surrounded (not stifled) by her mother and friends. I saw the best and worst of so many wedding venues and before I knew it, I was creating my own in my head.

2 and a half years in the making and in the blink of an eye – it’s here. 

I dreamt of The Sixpence before I even knew its name, before I found the 17 acres of rolling hills and winding creek, before I stepped into the  charming 1851 Homestead, before I watched the sun set over the field in a brilliant watercolor. But I dreamt of it. I knew what COULD be. And with shaking hands and a pounding heart, I give it to you today. 

Everything I’ve ever done, everything I’ve ever worked on, everything I’ve ever prepped to take to launch for all of you – this is by far the scariest.

I started this crazy ride 2 and a half years ago. And thank the Lord, quickly into that journey, I wasn’t alone. My mother was the first to listen, really listen to my vision. I told her my dream, and she nodded along, warmth and love in her, the kind that makes you feel like you can do anything. 

Next was Laura Greenwald. The girl who makes my world turn. The girl who is always, ALWAYS down to take a shot at the stars with me. The same girl who’s sleeping next to me on our flight back to Indiana as I write this. Laura sat and poured over spreadsheets, every single piece of information we needed to make an educated decision on this project. 

Soon after, my father – the man who has absolutely brought this dream to life. I remember that day clearly. We sat in the old living room at my parents home, and I showed him the spreadsheet Laura has worked so hard on alongside my market research and experience in the industry. 

I remember that day clearly, because that was the day the dream felt alive, it felt real. Everything since has felt like a maddening, dizzying blur. From finding the piece of property in fall of 2019, to closing on it in the dead of winter, to our county hearing in February 2020 when we won our re-zoning appeal. From traveling all the way to South Dakota to cast a better vision for what we could do for you, to first breaking ground in July, to this announcement today. 

I have seen God in many things, but His hand is so clear to me in this dream. God put this on my heart, and He has brought it to fruition. His timing and His will for this project have been so obvious to me.

From the carefully curated details of The Homestead, Workshop, and Barn, to the unaltered natural beauty of the surrounding landscape, I hope you see and fall in love with this vision of mine brought to life. If you love love, if you’ve been searching for a place to make your own as you say “I do,” then The Sixpence is for you. Made with love, and made for love.

xo,

Shelby