Today we’d like to introduce you to Patti Southern.
Patti, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Historically, Fishermen’s Inn was a well-known restaurant which opened in 1964, prior to closing in 2009. My husband Mark and I purchased Fishermen’s Inn in October 2012 and quickly began our journey of redesigning and updating the original space. The building, and grounds were in disrepair and required a lot of updating. We wanted to update the Inn, but also wanted to keep the charm from the past restaurant intact. That was where the thought of having a “rustic, elegant” wedding venue came to life!
Renovations included the addition of a new silo shaped front entrance featuring a gorgeous spiral staircase, the addition of artfully placed reclaimed barn wood and stone throughout, and the painstaking task of refurbishing the exposed wood beams to their original color and beauty! Each room of the 20,000 square foot barn was redesigned with the intention of successful and efficient execution of events for our future guests.
The 20 acres of grounds were also in disrepair and in need of attention. In addition to the repair of the now functional mill house water wheel, this disrepair prompted many upgrades such as a lovely outdoor patio bar space, paver walkways leading to the outdoor ceremony areas, beautiful fountains in our many ponds, as well as an abundance of flower gardens on the property. Each year as the perennial flowers become more established, and with the addition of annual flowers, the beauty of the grounds are more stunning than ever!
In April 2014, we hosted our first wedding! It was a successful event and everyone was happy! We did learn a lot and it helped us to achieve the standard of excellence that we expect from ourselves to this day!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Our motto at Fishermen’s Inn is to turn obstacles or challenges into opportunities. In doing so, we learn something at each and every event. We learn either to continue doing what we’re currently doing because it’s successful, or we learn to seize the opportunity to change and improve in a continued effort to elevate our guest’s experience in some special way. From our impeccably maintained facility, to the professional care, attention to detail and kindness shown to each of our guests by our staff, our commitment to excellence in evident in all that we do.
Please tell us about Fishermen’s Inn.
Fishermen’s Inn is a venue unlike any other and we strive to provide a unique, personalized and exceptional experience for each person who visits our facility. At Fishermen’s Inn, we have shaped not only our indoor and outdoor facility, but also our manner of doing business to reflect our high standards and ambitions for creating outstanding events. Similar to the desire of our customers to showcase their own personal style at their event, we too, continue to shape our own unique identity in the industry.
Our packages are very inclusive and have been mindfully designed to provide the best experience and ease for our couples as they journey through wedding planning. We include a four hour open bar, four butlers passed hors d’oeuvres, champagne and unlimited house wine with dinner, a four course gourmet dinner including the wedding cake, complimentary shuttle service to and from the hotel for guests, as well as many other inclusions.
When couples book with us they have exclusive use of the facility and grounds, so only one event will be hosted per day. We have indoor and outdo or ceremony and cocktail hour options, a beautiful dining room for dinner and a large dance floor for dancing.
Fishermen’s Inn staff strives to make our couples and their families, as well as their guests, feel like family and completely at ease when they are in our venue. We are always humbled by their compliments, kind words and hugs at the end of the evening.
I would say that I am most proud of our staff. Without our staff, we wouldn’t be who we are today – successful and proud of who we are! Their attention to detail and amazing service makes our guests event unforgettable. The accomplishments that our team has achieved in the past four years is undeniable!
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
The journey from the day that we bought Fishermen’s Inn to today has been amazing. Starting out with just Mark, his sister Linda and I and then finding and adding the team that we have has been enlightening! We had so much fun designing and learning from the beginning, and have met and made new friends with so many wonderful couples and their families throughout this process that I don’t think I would change a thing!
Contact Info:
- Address: 43W901 Main Street Road,
Elburn, IL 60119 - Website: www.fishermensinnelburn.com
- Phone: 630-365-9697
- Email: psouthern@fishermensinnelburn.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fishermensinn/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fishermens-inn-elburn-379902982090757/
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/fishermensinnil/
Image Credit:
Rachael Osborn Photography
Leah Moyers Photography
Grain and Compass
Rebecca Haley Photography
Hello Rose Photography
Hazelton Photography
Robb Davidson Photography
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