The Farm | vendor spotlight

We have been photographing weddings in this area for over a decade, and I have had the pleasure to meet so many great people who work alongside of us in the industry. Sometimes, it might just be a “hello” in passing on a wedding day, or seeing someone briefly at a bridal show, etc. I realized that I might know the work of a florist, or the distinctive flavor of a caterer, but I didn’t really know the people behind the scenes. So, I’ve started reaching out to some of my favorite vendors in the area, and have begun photographing and interviewing them. I’d like to give potential brides a great behind-the-scenes look at the wedding professionals in the area, and the amazing work that they do. So here’s another installment of a large series of spotlights!

We first met Dixie and Lee Bagley of The Farm a few years ago at Lee’s brother Ben’s wedding in Rome, GA, and have enjoyed getting to know them while working alongside them at many weddings. They are both amazing people with great hearts, and run a beautiful venue that has character in spades. I feel like it could easily be the set for a movie.

How would you describe yourself?

The Farm is a privately owned estate in Northwest Georgia. My husband and I purchased the farm in 2009 with the intention of remodeling the barn and turning it into our home. (Lee is a builder and I like to find things for him to remodel????), While working on the remodel, a good friend of ours died and his son was going to propose that night. Needless to say, he did not. So several months later I told the son I would just do his wedding here at The Farm, and we could all work together to make it happen. We did, and that started the weddings…so I guess you could say that Lee and I are both doers! We like to do things, problem solve, and share what we have with others, providing things that bring happiness. We treat everyone like family, and like to be treated the same. People come from all over the US to stay here, and the one thing that I hear people say the most is, “so this is what southern hospitality is…I like it!” That is what we are all about.

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Could you characterize your style in three words?

Classic, laid-back, fun

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What do you love the most about Chattanooga?

I love everything about Chattanooga! Chattanooga has a been has been a part of my life since I was a child. I would go up there every year to the Choo-Choo, and Rock City and later, to the Aquarium. Chattanooga is an hour north of me, and I go there to do all of my shopping and hanging out, as opposed to going to Atlanta. It feels so small and intimate, even though its not small at all! Chattanooga has so much character, we often say that we could move up there, we’d do it in a heartbeat! If I could figure out how to move The Farm up there that would be even better! Not to mention…some of my favorite vendors are there!! Chattanooga definitely has my heart.

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What inspires you?

Happiness. Happy people. Being able to provide something for people that brings happiness to others inspires me, whether it’s a hug, or taking a walk, a wedding, working, some sweets or cooking for other people. It doesn’t matter: just to be able to do something that brings a smile to someone’s face makes me happy and inspires me to do better.

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What sets you apart from your competition?

Wow! There are a lot of barn/ Farm venues out there, and they are all unique. We are different, because we operate as a destination venue. We only do 1 event per week, so you have the venue for the weekend, we also have 7 guest cottages on site, and sleep a total of 40, so we typically have the wedding party and immediate family staying on site Thursday – Sunday, which is really nice for our families. They get to have a family reunion, vacation, and wedding all together. It makes for a great experience, with lots of love , fun and a lot of good bye tears on Sunday. It just makes our couples wedding day even more memorable because they get to spend quality time with their loved ones.

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What is your favorite aspect of or your job?

The people I meet. I have met so many wonderful people over the past six years that have touched my life and I’m so fortunate that I’ve been a part of their lives as well. It’s not something that I will never forget, and it’s really been a blessing. I talk to at least one person from one of our past weddings almost every day, and it’s great to be able to stay in touch with them. We spend a lot of time with our couples and their families, it’s a relationship on our end as well, as they are special part of our lives.

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Do you have any advice you’d like to give engaged couples?

Take care of each other, listen to each other, be best friends and be mindful of each other’s feelings always. Don’t forget why you got engaged that it is about the love between the two of them and not the hoopla of having a big wedding and what everyone else thinks you should do or shouldn’t do or what colors you should pick it’s about the love between you two and the experience of taking those vows to promise to be husband-and-wife to one another. Do not let everyone else and their opinions get in the way of your love for one another.

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