The Barn at 52 Pines is, foremost, a wedding and reception venue, but owners Delton and Lisa Myers and Derek and Amber Undhjem say their facility is open to any type of event.

“We can host prett­y much anything,” Derek Undhjem said. “And it’s not just weekends.”

“We’re just a venue space for anything in the area, whether it’s corporate parties, corporate events, family reunions,” Lisa Myers said. “We have had a birthday party here.”

The facility opened Oct. 18 for its first wedding. Weddings were held every weekend thereafter in 2019. A few Christmas parties and a vendor craft show also took place there in December.

Looking down from the loft, the spacious main building at The Barn at 52 Pines is suitable for weddings, receptions, reunions, corporate events and other gatherings. Submitted Photo

The Barn at 52 Pines is located just off U.S. Highway 2 and along Ward County Road 10, west of Minot. Its 52 acres are inside Burlington’s city limits.

“It’s rustic, yet modern,” Lisa Myers said. “That’s what we wanted, so we can please all sorts of brides.”

The outdoor wedding space is set in the hills, secluded by trees, with a feel of being far into the country rather than just a quarter mile from a major highway. In case of inclement weather, the facility has a transition team to move a ceremony indoors in short order.

The main barn is about 8,000 square feet and includes a loft that houses a groom’s suite. The building has a commercial kitchen with catering and bar service on site. Tables, chairs and linens are provided and are set up in accordance with the bride’s preference before families and friends begin decorating.

The building has a seated capacity of 425 and a standing capacity of about twice that, making it an ideal venue for concerts, which the owners are working to attract.

Submitted Photo A portion of the bridal suite reflects the cozy atmosphere of the space inside a separate building on the grounds of The Barn at 52 Pines.

A separate 800-square-foot building with a capacity for up to about 20 people includes a bridal suite and can be rented for smaller events, such as baby or bridal showers. Amenities include a full kitchen.

“We actually started working on the design of the building before we had the land because we knew at that point it was something we’re going to do. We just didn’t have a location,” Derek Undhjem said. “We pretty much had the building, designed and ready to go, with no place to put it.

“I would say we covered a majority of all the county roads in Ward County, trying to find the right piece of land, and we tried buying multiple pieces of land with no success,” he said. “We’ve been driving by this piece of land for probably a year straight and just one day, it kind of caught our eye.”

Lisa Myers now calls it the perfect location, only a few miles from Minot with ample, scenic outdoor space.

Operating a wedding venue was Myers’ long-time dream. She saw a need for it and has heard from many couples that they wouldn’t have married in the local area had it not been for The Barn at 52 Pines. Keeping weddings local means more business for area photographers, DJs, decorators and others, she said. The Barn at 52 Pines partners with Hyatt House in Minot, which provides a guest shuttle to and from the venue.

The facility has attracted couples from as far as Williston and Washburn.

The name of the business was selected based on plans to acquire a different piece of property, surrounded by pine trees, along U.S. Highway 52. When that purchase fell through and the focus turned to the Burlington property, the owners began considering other names.

“We couldn’t settle on one because we liked The Barn at 52 Pines better,” Myers said. Consequently, they kept the name. The only problem was there was not a pine tree on the property. The remedy was to enlist family to help plant 52 pines at the property’s entrance.

“Our relatives definitely didn’t like that we had 52 pine trees to plant this summer. They wanted something a little smaller,” laughed Myers.

Not a pine was ceded, preserving the name, but a bigger challenge arose when the fall’s wet weather threatened the construction schedule. Only grass seeding remains for this spring, but it was tight to open by Oct. 18, despite accelerating the pace of work.

“Literally, I didn’t take a day off from the Fourth of July ’til October 18,” said Undhjem, whose company, Precision Plus Construction, handled the general contracting. “I was still working Saturday morning of our first event. I was putting the handicapped parking signs up.”

The appreciation of the bridal party made it worth it, though.

“This is what they wanted, and for us to have what they wanted was rewarding,” Amber Undhjem said.

Feedback from guests so far also has been positive regarding the quality of service, Derek Undhjem said.

“All of our events really were flawless. They went really, really well. But even with that, there’s still things that next year will maybe change – a couple things here and there. We’re always learning. You’re always learning how to do things better,” he said.

Other than a couple of Saturdays in July, The Barn at 52 Pines is already booked during peak wedding season in 2020 and scheduling is occurring into 2021.

At the end of 2019, the venue had 42 events booked for this year but still has room for more. Derek Undhjem said a number of Fridays remain open for weekend weddings.

The website at 52pines.com includes an availability calendar and offers pricing and catering information. The Barn at 52 Pines also can be followed on Facebook.