Kim and Mike Kingsland, both De Soto High School graduates, said their daughter’s request to get married on the family farm in Blackwell sparked their interest in building and opening a wedding and event venue.
Kim retired in May 2023 after coaching and teaching physical education for the De Soto School District for 28 years. Mike runs a concrete business.
For the past 17 years, the two have lived on Hwy. CC in Blackwell – about 8 miles from De Soto. Together, they have two daughters, two sons and three grandchildren.
It's a working farm, Kim said of the 100-plus-acre property. “We have a few goats, some cows, pigs, chickens and dogs.”
When their daughter, Kelsey, got engaged to her groom-to-be, Cole Euverard, a couple of years ago, she knew she wanted to have her wedding at the family farm. Kelsey, a Navy pilot, and Cole met at the US Naval Academy and are stationed in Hawaii.
From left are Mike and Kim Kingsland, Cole Euverard, Kelsey Kingsland, Brittany Aubuchon, and Austin and Brycen Kingsland.
Kim decided they would build a semi-enclosed pavilion for the event and then it would be used for storing hay after the wedding.
As they thought about fully enclosing the pavilion, the Kingslands encountered two problems.
First, Kim had invited too many people to the Oct. 14, 2023, wedding, so the building needed to be larger. Second, the building was going to be too nice to use for farming.
The couple toyed with building a barndominium to live in, but ultimately landed on the 5,000-square-foot wedding and event venue, now called Berkshire Ridge Wedding & Event Venue at 11382 Hwy. CC.
Most of the decorating decisions went to Kim’s stepdaughter, Brittany Aubuchon, owner of Main Street Mercantile Boutique & Workshop in Potosi.
“She has such a knack for decorating,” Kim said.
However, Mike decided he wanted a glass cupola in the barn’s ceiling and suggested they have a disco ball drop from there, Kim said.
She said Mike had an inexpensive disco ball from Amazon in mind, but those were too small and were cheaply made. So, after some online research, she ordered a custom-made mirror disco ball from Omega Mirror Products in Louisville, Ky., and hired Dynapac Rotating Co. of Utah to make it spin. It was installed seven days before Kelsey’s wedding.
Berkshire Ridge Wedding & Event Venue at 11382 Hwy. CC
The venue has a large outdoor patio for cocktail hours or late-night bonfires. The patio is open year-round and is supplied with heaters.
A short walk away from the barn is a wedding ceremony site with rustic pews and hand-crafted benches, overlooking a small pond.
Kim said construction didn’t really start until July 2023, and most of the work was finished for the wedding three months later.
“We literally had the best contractors,” she said, adding that they threw a party for the contractors and volunteers after the wedding. “It was a whirlwind for sure.”
Kelsey and Cole were the first to get married at the venue, with her wedding overlooking the pond and the reception held in the barn.
The second wedding Berkshire Ridge hosted was a last-minute booking a week after Kelsey’s wedding. The couple had planned an outdoor wedding and panicked when storms entered the forecast.
“Still under a bit of construction, we quickly assembled troops (family) and began clearing out the machines (scissor lift), tools and materials to make this space beautiful for the day/eve,” Kim said. “The ceremony and reception was all held inside, and it was absolutely gorgeous.”
“We’re getting a lot of weddings booked,” she said.
Kim said she’s also booked some wedding and baby showers and gender reveal and engagement parties.
Berkshire Ridge also hosts line-dancing lessons and dances when the venue is available, and they have been a hit, drawing people from a few counties.
For more information, call 314-605-2265, visit berkshireridgeofblackwell.com or find Berkshire Ridge on Facebook or TikTok.