Lasting oaths under the lone oak

The becoming story of Lone Oak Farm, a wedding and event venue near Ayr, reminds us to water our passions, deepen our roots, and stretch our branches in an effort to inspire not only ourselves, but those around us.

Back to the roots
Built in 1906, the Lone Oak Farm site became home to Melissa Oberlander’s grandparents, Ralph and Helen Puton, in 1951. There, they held entertaining gatherings for family and friends until moving away 65 years later, leaving the farmstead dormant, awaiting its next bloom.

In 2019, Teresa Gulleson, co-owner of Lone Oak Farm, told Oberlander her dream of owning a wedding venue. With Gulleson’s vision and Oberlander’s mutual love for helping people on their special day, the friends turned their dream into a reality and sought the perfect space to sprout their dream.

Soon, a potential property a couple of miles from the current venue site caught their eye. They made an offer, but were outbid. Months passed, properties escaped their grasp, and their hopes diminished, until Oberlander’s dad suggested they consider the family farmstead.

“I just kind of looked at it with different eyes because I grew up here,” Oberlander says. “I didn’t even think it could be anything but a farmstead.”

The wide-open space to build a barn, the surrounding trees, the farmhouse, and the beautiful lone oak tree on the lot turned out to be the couple’s idea of a perfect venue space. So, in March 2020, they set out excitedly to apply for loans.

“When COVID-19 hit, our bank said, ‘We’re not doing any new loans,’” Oberlander says. “And we were thinking, ‘Okay, do we do this during a pandemic? What do we do?’ And we just kept going and going.”

After a bit of searching, they found a local bank willing to help, and by November 2020, they had purchased the property and laid the cement for the barn. In less than a year, the barn was built in time for the first wedding held in August 2021.

“I don’t think we realized how stressed we were,” Oberlander says. “It was a whirlwind.”

Lone Oak Farm held 10 weddings that fall and roughly 35 weddings in 2022, with the help of their families.

“It also was important for us to want to be welcomed by our neighbors in the township; we had looked at some other properties, and that wasn’t the case,” Gulleson says. “Being surrounded by Melissa’s family and how welcoming and encouraging they’ve been are complete assets to a thriving business.”