About Us
Take a look at the place, the people and the history…
Let us introduce ourselves.
We are a hidden gem nestled into our tiny community of Old Cottage Grove, which was settled in 1843. Our historic white gothic arched roof dairy barn is the icon of Cottage Grove, sits on 5 acres of green grass, pastures, and emblematic oak trees, and overlooks a valley with stunning sunsets.
Old Cottage Grove was founded by New England settlers recreating the East’s Greek Revival architecture in the historic homes. John P. Furber, one of Cottage Grove’s founding fathers, was the proprietor of the village mercantile and built the historic Italianate home on the property where it stands today.
After 90 years, the John P. Furber Farm changed family ownership to Jacob & Arlene Vandenberg who built our historic, white gothic arched roof dairy barn in 1947, where they milked 50 head of cattle up until 1971.
In 2010, the beautiful property, which sat vacant for so many years, was converted into the gorgeous wedding venue you see today. This gorgeous landmark, although a barn, is anything but a building you would find on a farm.
The Madison is Minnesota’s Luxury Barn Venue.
Meet the
Owners
Brad and Louise Madison of “Mad Love Photography” have worked in the wedding industry as photographers for over a decade. Before returning to Minnesota 12 years ago Brad and Louise both made their living working as actors in Broadway Theatrical Productions. Having lived all over the world in places like New York City, London, and Germany, they are happy to call Minnesota their forever home for them and their children. Having experience in the entertainment industry gave them some unique skill sets that have carried over to their careers in the wedding industry. Both Brad and Louise love being able to communicate with their clients, their families, and their guests in a way that is energetic, intimate, and genuine.
“We have based our entire “Business Model” on building genuine relationships with our clients. We truly love what we do, and genuinely love getting to know, and serving our clients and their families. Taking this approach has earned us not only the respect of our clients but also loyalty. We are so excited to be able to carry over this same mentality to being venue owners! With the knowledge we have obtained from over a decade in the wedding industry, along with our approach of providing an intimate and selfless service, we are looking forward to serving our clients, and their families.”
– Brad & Louise Madison
A few reviews
This venue is beautiful and was everything I could have hoped for! The entire process was organized, professional, and timely. The venue is spacious and comfortable and the bride/groom suites are perfect for getting ready and pictures. The outside spaces offer a wide variety of picture locations We had great success with the venue's preferred vendors and Jennifer (manager) was always available for questions.
Thank you for everything Jennifer. What an amazing venue, service and experience.
Jennifer, Thank you so much for all your help! We had the best day and people raved about the venue!
The venue is beautiful beyond words, and our guests have not stopped talking about how much they also loved it.
What an amazing, incredible night! Thank you so, so much for making our day so wonderful.
We loved having our end-of-season banquet at your beautiful venue. Thank you for supporting our team this year!
Jennifer- thank you SO much for all your amazing help!!! We are so thankful for you!
Thank you so much! For the congratulations as well as allowing us to use your venue for our special day! It was beautiful and exactly like I imagined it to be.
This venue was truly amazing. Every day I get people messaging me about how enchanting and incredible the venue is.
Thanks for making our day THE BEST ever.
After researching many venues in the area I found there were no barns that even compared to this beauty!