Happy Brides Mean Exponential Growth for The Mason Jar in Onalaska

When Christy and Kevin Anderson cleared out their barn in 2012 for their wedding reception, they didn’t realize the building, built by friends and family members, would soon house many more weddings, family reunions, birthdays and even high school proms.

“It’s very laid back, you have more of a family reunion-type atmosphere,” Christy Anderson said. “It’s just fun for us — we feel like we’ve been given a purpose.”

The Mason Jar - Gathering Barn has been open for business since 2015, and almost immediately gained popularity among locals and out-of-towners alike looking for an affordable and easy-going venue.

The Andersons said they never expected the massive response their new business has received through mostly word-of-mouth advertising.

“We’re booked through the end of December,” she said. “It’s almost like you can’t keep up with it.”

Several weekends in 2017 are already booked as well. 

Since family and friends worked together for three days to construct the barn about 12 years ago, the simple building has been everything from a workshop to a functioning barn that sheltered horses. 

“There were horses born here,” Christy Anderson said. 

Both of her children asked to use the barn for their weddings, most recently her daughter in 2015.

“That’s when we gutted it,” she said.

Now, instead of livestock, one stable houses a bar.

“We just added a few things to brighten it up a bit,” she said. 

The venue also includes a fire pit, green lawns and goats beloved by children at weddings and other events. Then there’s Frank, the friendly Boston terrier that serves as The Mason Jar’s official mascot.

Since then, the barn and surrounding area has been The Mason Jar - Gathering Barn.

Despite the cash cow that the popular farmyard wedding venue has turned out to be, Anderson said she is not motivated by making money. 

“Our goal is to save the brides and grooms money,” she said. 

The venue works with brides and grooms on payment options, and Anderson said they work to keep their prices low. Table rentals cost extra, but The Mason Jar doesn’t charge couples to use decorations it already owns. Brides only really need to bring food and flowers — The Mason Jar can take care of the rest, she said. The Andersons also open a portion of their home during events, providing a playroom for children and a dressing room for brides.

“We never want anybody, no matter what event, to walk away saying, ‘I wish I would have …’” she said.

Both Christy and Kevin Anderson plan to keep their busy day jobs. Kevin is a deputy with the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office and Christy works at Pacific Cataract and Laser Institute as a refractive surgical counselor. 

The Mason Jar was almost lost before it had a chance to become so popular. Last summer, the barn and the Andersons’ home was in the path of a fire started at a nearby chicken farm. Luckily, the fire was extinguished only a few hundred feet from their house. 

The Mason Jar doesn’t just host weddings. The venue has also hosted birthdays, reunions, memorial services and proms for Morton, White Pass and Onalaska high schools.

“It’s just a little bit of everything,” Christy Anderson said. 

Now that the barn has become The Mason Jar, it’s still a family operation. The Andersons’ daughter and daughter-in-law help run the business, and much of the family pitches in on big weekends.

“All the kids chip in and help with stuff,” she said. 

After about a year of hosting Onalaska’s big days, the Andersons say it feels more like a gift from God than a business.

“You can’t believe the most wonderful stories and people you meet,” Christy Anderson said. “Your heart is just so full.”