Village News

Word is getting out there that Mennonite Heritage Village (MHV) is a “wonderful” place to celebrate your wedding. To further promote this part of MHV’s work, we signed up as an exhibitor at the Wonderful Wedding Show at the Winnipeg Convention Center this past January. This being the first time we have done this, we were not entirely sure what to expect. So with a box of brochures, a banner and a bunch of pictures, we set up a table. What a great opportunity to meet and talk to hundreds of brides, their families and friends. Although some may already have chosen their wedding venue, many were very interested in what MHV had to offer. It ended up that we were more than pleased with what we experienced at the show.

In addition to being an excellent promotional weekend for MHV, it was also a learning experience. It was very interesting to see how many people from all over the province remembered MHV from the school tours they had participated in as grade-school children or were otherwise familiar with us and came to tour our village on a regular basis. They would come up to us and begin to tell a story about a special memory they had of one part of the village or another, from the windmill to a horseshoe-nail ring from the blacksmith shop.

Also interesting was how many people, both local and from the surrounding communities, still don’t know that they can have their weddings at our facility. Many of the people that we talked to would say that they have been to our village but then would follow up with: “You can do weddings there? We live in the area and we didn’t know.”

One thing we learned that made us very proud (in a humble way, of course) was what an amazing value we offer our wedding clientele. Many of the wedding venues that are available have one or another of the items that couples are looking for — a rustic reception hall or a picturesque view or a traditional place for a ceremony. MHV is able to offer it all in one location: Two historic churches for those preferring a traditional theme, 40 acres of grounds with more opportunities for beautiful pictures than any bride could ask for, a reception hall with a most unique atmosphere, and so very much more. All for a price that would fit even a modest budget very well.

Of course a highlight of working at the Wonderful Wedding Show was having the opportunity to meet the star of the television show Say Yes To The Dress – Randy Fenoli. Mr. Fenoli is a very warm and personable individual who no doubt plays a significant role in wedding fashions.

Annually, MHV hosts approximately 30 wedding ceremonies and/or receptions, with many more wedding parties using the MHV grounds and heritage buildings as backdrops for their most memorable photographs. With the options available to the wedding party and our staff’s commitment to a successful event, it’s easy to understand the growing popularity of wonderful weddings at MHV.