All ten
Walnut Ridge
Photos: Walnut Ridge (www.walnutridgevenue.com)
A modern steel-and-glass barn with a pond, one wedding a day
A modern barn on ten acres outside Shellsburg, about 25 minutes past Cedar Rapids, opened in 2022. The main hall has a floor-to-ceiling steel fireplace and big black glass garage doors that roll open to walnut trees, prairie grass and a pond with a fountain. You can add their black-and-white checkerboard dance floor, a covered patio extends the room, and they book only one wedding a day. Tables, chairs, linens, bar staff and both suites are included.
A crisp white modern barn on ten acres near Shellsburg — glass garage doors, a pond ceremony site and a lot included for $6,000.
Why it works
- Seats 275 — comfortable for 240 plus dancing
- Flat $6,000 Saturday — and $5,000 in April
- Only one wedding a day
- A live calendar: spring 2028 is still wide open
Watch out for
- The longest drive after Verona Fields — about 50 minutes
- You must use their bar
- A new venue with only a few reviews so far
- Deposits are non-refundable
In the price
- Use of the 10-acre property for photos
- 3 custom walnut head tables + 2 round tables (36 tables total)
- 300 black chairs
- Two bridal suites (Maple and Oak; the lofted one has a private bath)
- Prep kitchen
- Sound system
- Bar service (staffing; alcohol itself billed separately)
- Setup, teardown and professional cleaning
- Mid-length linens
- Ceremony backdrop/arch
- On-site parking for ~150 vehicles
Add-ons & extra costs
| Black-and-white checkerboard dance floor | $800 |
| Decor closet (bud vases, candles, vases) | $500 |
| Floor-length linens | $20 each |
| Colored napkins | $2 each |
How the money works
- Model
- flat rental
- Saturday
- $6,000, May–October · $5,000, November–April (2026)
- Other days
- Fridays $5,000 · Sundays $4,000
- To book
- Half to book, half six months before. Deposits are non-refundable, but dates can be moved.
- Good to know
- Saturday May–October: $6,000, 8 am–11:30 pm. November–April Saturdays are $5,000 (9 am–11 pm), so an April 2028 date saves $1,000. Food is any licensed caterer; the bar is theirs.
2026 pricing · source. Prices for 2028 are usually set a year or two out and tend to rise 3–8% a year.
Rules of the house
- Catering
- Any licensed caterer (they share a recommended list)
- Bar
- Their own bar — open or cash bar (required)
- Access
- 8 am–11:30 pm (May–October)
- Ends
- 11:30 pm
- Season
- Year-round, one wedding a day
- No outside alcohol
- Caterer must be licensed; DJ must be insured
- Decor leaves with you the same night
- Bar service ends an hour before the rental does
| Main barn — steel fireplace and glass garage doors | 275 seated with the patio |
| Covered patio — cocktail hour or overflow | |
| Pond ceremony site — by the fountain | 175+ |
Availability
Their live calendar (checked Sept 23, 2026) already logs 2028 weddings. For April–June 2028 it shows only two Saturdays taken — May 20 and June 24. Every other spring Saturday is showing open (April 15 is Holy Saturday).
Typical booking window: about two years out — 2028 weddings are already on the calendar.
Open their calendarWhat people say
“The vendor goes above and beyond to help you with your wedding day…”
— WeddingWire, 2025
Couples love
- Very responsive, hands-on communication from the venue team
- One wedding per day means the whole property feels dedicated to the couple
- Steel fireplace + garage-door walls photograph well day and night
- Everything-included package (tables, chairs, bar staff, cleanup) reduces vendor juggling
- Getting-ready suites called out as a nice touch
Mentioned as drawbacks
- It's new, so there are only a handful of reviews
- The bar and vendor rules are firm
50 minutes from St. Thomas More
6051 32nd Ave, Shellsburg, IA 52332
Where guests stay: No rooms on site. Cobblestone Inn is about 10 miles away; Cedar Rapids hotels are 17–20 miles, and the Hampton Inn/Homewood Suites offers their guests 10% off.
