ZANESVILLE — Julie Irvin laughs a little as she tells how her and her husband’s new wedding and event venue, Belle Brooke Ranch at 1185 Holders Lane, came about. She and her husband, Daren, really got the place started, breaking ground in July 2020. “We have a really big family—my husband has 10 kids and our immediate family is 60 and growing. We went to everyone’s house to have a party. So, the original plan was to build a small building where we could host our family celebrations. And that’s how it all started.”The Genesis HealthCare employee said the next thing that happened was someone asked if they would be willing to rent the soon-to-be-built building.
“That’s when the concept changed,” she said, adding that they started accepting reservations in mid-November and have already booked weddings for 2026. “So we did it as something for our family, but it became a very real business. Darren (a general contractor) and I owned several residential rental properties and sold them to build the place. ”The location is on a small dead-end road with a country setting that is 10 minutes from I-70 and South Zanesville, as well as Maple and Underwood avenues. According to the Belle Brooke Ranch website, the décor is Western-inspired and “surrounded by lush landscaping and rolling hills in the heart of southeast Ohio.” It goes on to say that the 8,400-square-foot facility accommodates up to 250 people for a formal indoor reception and many more for outdoor receptions using the covered pavilion and decks surrounding the lake. The farmhouse also has a custom indoor fireplace and gazebo.
“We’re in the final phase of construction right now,” said Julie, who is preparing to open the 2024 season. “We literally built the place from the ground up.” She said they’ve had a great response since opening for reservations in November, even getting an out-of-state, unseen location reservation. . That’s mostly what people are booking,” Julie said. “We have some smaller parties, graduation, family, class, but we are interested in also holding corporate events. We would like to partner with some companies to have holiday parties or summer and company picnics.” She added that they have no restrictions on food – or much else.
“My policy is we want you to bring who you love, from the food to the DJ.” She said they will add a garden of memories and offer a petting zoo for tours. “My daughter is a fifth grade teacher and she brought 50 students to the farm experience,” Julie said. “We took them around the zoo, played bingo at the farm and had a picnic. It was a fun day for the kids.” It’s fun for Julie too, who said it brings her a lot of joy to see people enjoying the family farm. “We loved sharing the place with guests,” she said. “We just want them to come and feel welcome and enjoy the space as much as we do.”
This article originally appeared in the Zanesville Times Recorder: Belle Brooke Ranch started as a family project but became a business
