Building a Wedding Venue
Josh Darville's first-person account of buying and renovating a dilapidated 1821 estate during the COVID pandemic and turning it into a working wedding venue. The property closed December 30, 2020 for $453,000. At that point it had nine structures in various stages of neglect, with mold under the main house, stolen AC units, removed pipes and fixtures, and bushes tall enough to block first-floor windows. The renovation removed eleven dumpsters of rotten material, ran seven miles of wire, poured significant concrete, and cost roughly $500,000 before a single couple walked in the door.
The article covers the real timeline, the real budget, what to look for in a venue acquisition, how to prioritize when everything needs work, and what Josh would do differently. Written for people considering buying or building a wedding venue, not for couples planning their wedding.
- How Scarborough House was branded and positioned
- The actual marketing and sales playbook
- Venue Owner's Corner hub
- The platform powering the venue
- Book a private tour of the finished estate