Kris grew up on his grandfather’s ranch just a 1/2 mile away from Red Barn Ranch, and Rachael grew up just 3 miles away. We both had a special love for our hometown and never wanted to leave. Given that we both lived and grew up in Hopland, we still marvel at the fact that we met for the first time in 2013!

If it weren’t for Red Barn Ranch, our paths may not have merged at all! Our first meeting happened one day at the old Hopland Elementary school playground with our young kids – my two boys, ages 2 and 4, and Kris’s 3-year old daughter. We’d both attended this school as children, but we’d never met, nor did our families know of each other.

As we got to talking, while our kids played, Kris mentioned that he ran a wedding venue on his property, Red Barn Ranch, and was looking for someone to help him run the events. I thought it was the perfect fit for my schedule as a single mom and he invited me to come to a wedding that weekend to check out an actual event. We began dating and we were later married in front of the barn on October 25, 2013, surrounded by family and a few close friends. A small town dream come true!

We live on the property and take great pride in our venue because it’s also our home. We are pleased that in addition to Kris working as a firefighter, we can provide for our family right here close to home by providing this space for weddings and raising cattle. We continue to build the business together, integrating creative problem-solving to meet our needs and for the sustainability and the future of Red Barn Ranch (learn more on our History page). We are pleased to be contributing to our community by bringing in business and supporting local vendors.

We pride ourselves in offering a flexible and relaxed environment for couples to bring their family and friends and create their dream wedding, an event as personal and unique as they are! We are very hands-on from the tours all the way through to the actual event. Kris brings his resourcefulness and love for working on the ranch, maintaining and improving the property, in addition to watering the roads and parking cars.

You will typically find me at the gate, happy to be the warm embrace as you arrive, greeting, welcoming, and helping guests and vendors alike. Kris likes to tease me for talking to everyone I meet like we are old friends! You may sometimes even see our children helping at the gate or in the parking lot, shuttling guests and just being kids! When we are not directly needed, we are in the background taking care of things you will never have known needed taking care of, lights magically come on and the bonfire is lit at just the right moment.

This is our home and we welcome you to enjoy it with us!