We’re curious by nature, and twenty years of standing at the edges of receptions has trained that curiosity on one question: what does this particular space do to the people inside it?
Burlap and Bells answers it with geography. Most venues put you in one place and keep you there. This one spreads a wedding across a whole property — a pine grove down low, a cliff top up high, a pavilion out in the open — and then makes you travel between them. That movement is the venue’s whole personality. It’s why the day feels like an event instead of a room, and it’s also the single thing most couples underestimate when they build their timeline.
So when we tell you about Burlap and Bells, we’re not selling you square footage. We’re telling you what kind of wedding this place tends to produce, because we’ve stood in the middle of enough of them here to actually know.
It doesn’t feel quite like the rest of southern Wisconsin
The first thing that hits you is the pines. Burlap and Bells sits in a grove of Norway pines outside Black River Falls, and those trees do something to the light and the sound that’s hard to describe until you’re standing in it. Most of our work is in the heart of the Driftless, where the hills are hardwood and the palette is completely different. This place feels Northwoods. It’s close to home and it doesn’t look like home, which is exactly why couples from Milwaukee and Madison and the Twin Cities keep landing here.
Underneath the trees, it’s a working, lived-in property rather than a polished event campus. There’s a pavilion strung with bistro lights and sliding barn doors on the openings. There are yard games and a s’mores table and a wooded cocktail area. There’s a tractor-pulled hay wagon that hauls guests to the ceremony, which reliably becomes one of the things people talk about afterward. None of it is trying to look like a magazine. It just works.
Three ceremony sites to choose from
Most venues give you a ceremony spot and a rain plan. Burlap and Bells gives you three genuinely different weddings to choose between, and the one you pick changes your timeline, your photos, and how much driving your guests do.
The Pine Grove. The original site, down in the Norway pines, and the one that holds the full 200. Soaring trunks, a natural aisle, and a canopy that softens everything overhead. It’s the most sheltered of the three — we shot a ceremony here in steady rain, and the sound of it landing on umbrellas under those pines was one of the better things we’ve heard at a wedding. This is also the easiest site logistically, and it’s where first looks work best.
The Cliff Top. Up the hill, a real drive from everything else, and worth it. Big aspens behind you, a shale wall in front, and a view that runs thirty-plus miles across the countryside. This site was brand new when we shot our first wedding here, and it’s still the most dramatic thing on the property. It’s also the one with real logistics attached — more on that below, because it matters.
The Vine Chapel. A modern black chapel frame with hops vines growing up it, seating around 70 to 75 on benches. It’s the intimate option and it photographs unlike anything else here — architectural lines against living green, which is a combination you don’t usually get outdoors.
A note on the light
This is the part no venue page will tell you, and it’s the most useful thing on this page if you’re building a timeline.
Burlap and Bells runs out of light roughly twenty to thirty minutes before actual sunset. The sun dips behind the trees on the far side of the property well before your weather app says it should. That’s not a flaw — it’s just what happens when you put a wedding inside a forest — but if you plan golden-hour portraits off a sunset time you looked up online, you will miss them.
Two ways to get that light back, both of which we’ve used here:
Walk out past the barn. A hundred meters or so beyond it, the hill drops lower and opens up, and you can catch the last of the sun after the main grounds have already gone flat. That’s where we took Kim and Steven at the end of their day. It’s also, separately, our favorite non-ceremony photo spot on the property — a couple of standout trees, the ground gets hillier, and it’s gorgeous in a way that doesn’t need any styling.
Drive up to the Cliff Top. Even if you’re not getting married up there. Erin and Dan were married down in the pines, so at the end of the night we drove up the hill and caught the last light on the road just below the overlook, with the sun coming straight in at us. If you have a four-wheel-drive vehicle, the direct road cuts you right up there in a few minutes. If you don’t, you go around — and that’s about a ten-minute drive each way. Either way, put it in the timeline on purpose.
For earlier in the day: the trees behind the bridal getting-ready area — pines plus some deciduous — give you shade and enough open space for large group photos at midday, when everywhere else on the property is harsh. It’ll work for a first look too, though our honest preference for a first look is down in the pines near the lower ceremony site.
A few logistics we want to mention
If you choose the Cliff Top, read this twice.
Getting 150 guests up a hill and back down again takes real time. Cars go up, cars come down, and the whole operation runs slower than anyone expects. At Kim and Steven’s wedding we stayed up top for portraits after the ceremony, and by the time we all got down, cocktail hour was already well underway without them. They’d have built the day differently if they’d known how long the vehicle shuffle actually takes.
So, plainly: if you’re getting married at the Cliff Top, shoot your portraits fast and get down. Ten focused minutes up there is plenty — we’d rather have you present at your own cocktail hour and come back up for the good light later. Kim and Steven did one smart thing that’s worth stealing: they had cocktails set out on tables up at the ceremony site, so guests had a drink in hand while the cars cycled through instead of standing around waiting.
The flip side is that the movement is genuinely good for a wedding. Guests get to see the property instead of sitting in one spot for six hours, and the day gets a shape most single-room venues can’t produce. It’s a trade worth making. It just isn’t free, and the venue’s own hay wagon helps most with the lower sites rather than the climb to the top.
Laurie and Jason
Burlap and Bells has been hosting weddings since 2013, when the original owners’ daughter got married on the property. Laurie O’Neill took the place over in 2019 — she’d started there as a bartender, which tells you something about how well she knows the actual mechanics of a wedding night — and runs it now with her husband Jason, who keeps the property itself in shape.
It’s a family-run venue and it operates like one. Laurie is low-pressure in a corner of the industry that mostly isn’t, and Jason is the reason the grounds look the way they do. That combination shows up on a wedding day as things simply being handled before anyone has to ask.
The practical details
Where it is. N7988 W Snow Creek Road, Black River Falls, Wisconsin — roughly forty minutes from Eau Claire, two hours from Madison and the Twin Cities, and about three and a half from Milwaukee.
How many people. Up to 200 for a full wedding. The pavilion seats that comfortably on 25 wooden plank tables of eight, with 200 mismatched antique wooden chairs. The Vine Chapel caps around 70 to 75; the Pine Grove takes the whole 200.
What’s included. Tables and chairs, two air-conditioned getting-ready suites, the pavilion with its bistro lighting and curtains, an indoor and an outdoor dance floor, the wagon rides, yard games, the s’mores table, restrooms, parking — and full access to the venue’s own décor inventory at no extra cost, which is a real budget line most couples don’t realize they’re saving.
Food and drink. You bring in your own caterer; the venue keeps a preferred list if you want a starting point. Alcohol runs through the venue with a licensed bartender required. Ask about current bartender rates and the cleaning fee when you inquire.
When. Full wedding weekends run Friday through Sunday, May through October — so every wedding here is a warm-weather wedding by design. Elopements, ceremony-only bookings, and intimate dinners generally sit Monday through Thursday. Full-day packages typically give you the venue from 7 a.m. to 1 a.m.
What it costs. Public listings put full wedding-and-reception packages in the neighborhood of $4,800 to $6,800 depending on date and guest count, with elopement and ceremony-only packages well below that. Treat those as a ballpark and get the current packet from Laurie — rates move, and the venue publishes its own numbers.
Where everyone sleeps. This is one of the venue’s quiet advantages. There are several large Airbnb cabins just down the road, a pair of houses sitting right next door to each other on the same property just up the road. At Erin and Dan’s wedding the groomsmen took one and the bridesmaids took the other, which meant both halves of the wedding party got ready side by side and were at the venue in minutes rather than caravanning in from town. If you can book that setup, do it — it takes the morning’s logistics down to almost nothing, and it’s the single easiest thing you can do to protect your timeline here. Beyond that, Black River Falls has the usual cluster — Comfort Inn and Suites, Best Western Arrowhead, AmericInn, Days Inn, and Ho-Chunk Gaming — plus a genuinely good supply of Airbnb and VRBO houses within a few minutes of the venue. We’d push you toward one of those houses over a hotel block if you can swing it; mornings are better when everyone wakes up in the same place.
Who this venue is right for
Burlap and Bells is right for couples who want their wedding to feel like it happens in a forest rather than at a facility, who like the idea of guests moving through a property instead of sitting in one room, who want to bring in their own caterer and build the day themselves, and who’d rather have pine trees than a chandelier.
Burlap and Bells probably isn’t right for couples who want everything to happen within fifty feet, a fully indoor climate-controlled reception, a winter or early-spring date, or a timeline with no driving in it.
The feeling of this place, in one phrase: a wedding that takes you somewhere, several times, before the night is over.
Frequently asked questions
How many guests can Burlap and Bells hold?
Up to 200. The pavilion seats 200 for dinner on 25 farm-style plank tables with mismatched antique chairs, and the Pine Grove ceremony site holds the same number. The Vine Chapel is the smaller option at roughly 70 to 75.
How many ceremony sites are there?
Three: the Norway Pine Grove, the Cliff Top overlook, and the Vine Chapel. They’re meaningfully different from each other in feel, capacity, and how much guest movement they require, so the choice is worth making early rather than late.
What time does the sun actually set at Burlap and Bells?
Earlier than your app says. The property loses direct light roughly twenty to thirty minutes before official sunset, because the sun drops behind the treeline on the far side. Plan portraits against that number, not the published one. If you want light after that, walk out past the barn where the hill drops lower, or drive up toward the Cliff Top.
How long does it take to get guests to the Cliff Top ceremony?
Longer than you’d think. It’s a drive up a hill, and moving a full guest list up and back is the slowest part of the day. Four-wheel-drive vehicles can take the direct road; everyone else goes around, which is about ten minutes each way. Build it into the timeline explicitly, and consider serving drinks at the ceremony site while cars cycle through.
Is there a rain plan?
The pavilion is covered with sliding barn doors on the openings, so the reception is protected. For the ceremony, the Pine Grove is the most sheltered of the three sites — the canopy takes the edge off — and a rainy ceremony under those pines is genuinely one of the better versions of this venue, not a consolation prize.
Can we bring our own caterer?
Yes. Catering runs through an outside vendor of your choosing, and the venue maintains a preferred list if you’d rather start from a shortlist. Alcohol goes through the venue and requires a licensed bartender.
What’s included in the rental?
Tables and chairs for 200, two air-conditioned getting-ready suites, the covered pavilion with bistro lighting, indoor and outdoor dance floors, tractor-drawn wagon rides to the ceremony, yard games, a s’mores table, restrooms, parking, and free use of the venue’s own décor inventory.
What season can you get married there?
Full wedding packages run May through October, Friday through Sunday. Elopements, ceremony-only bookings, and smaller dinners are generally weekdays. There’s no winter option, so every wedding here is a warm-weather wedding.
Is there lodging on site?
There’s an Airbnb cabin on the property, plus a pair of neighboring houses on the same property just up the road that a wedding party can split between them — one side in each — and two getting-ready suites for the day itself. Black River Falls has several hotels within a short drive, and there are a number of Airbnb and VRBO houses just minutes from the venue — often the better choice for a wedding party that wants to be together.
What’s the best photo spot at Burlap and Bells?
Two answers. For couple portraits, the Cliff Top — the view is the best thing on the property and the road leading up to it catches beautiful low sun. For something closer in, walk two hundred meters past the pavilion, where the tractor path starts and a few standout trees sit on rolling ground. For midday group photos, the shaded trees behind the bridal suite.
How much does a wedding at Burlap and Bells cost?
Publicly listed ranges put full wedding-and-reception packages around $4,800 to $6,800 depending on date and guest count, with ceremony-only and elopement packages considerably less. Confirm current pricing directly with the venue, since rates change year to year.
Weddings we’ve photographed here
Erin and Dan’s rainy Burlap and Bells wedding in the Norway pines — a ceremony under umbrellas in the grove, a rainbow when the sky cleared, lightning during the dancing, and the drive up the hill for the last of the light.
Kim and Steven’s boho forest wedding at the Cliff Top — a hilltop ceremony against the shale wall, tambourines instead of applause, farm-to-table tacos, and the walk out past the barn at the end of the night.
If you’re considering Burlap and Bells and want to talk through whether it fits the day you’re picturing — including the parts of it we’d push back on — send us a note. We’re happy to be honest about it either way.
