About Our farm

At just fifteen and sixteen years old, Ed and Michele Holmes met at their local church here in Lake County, IL. Ed and Michele grew up differently as Ed lived in the south on farms and Michele grew up in Round Lake Beach. Though their childhoods were quite different, Michele and Ed always held common values and common goals. They both valued their Christian faith, family, and entrepreneurship. In 1983, Ed and Michele said “I do” and started their family right away in Lake County. Ed and Michele have six girls and two boys. They are also grandparents of 11 and 1 on the way!

Ed and Michele have always envisioned having a piece of property to farm on and owning a wedding venue. For several years, Michele and her daughters have worked as event and wedding planners. Our family has always valued hospitality and making intimate gatherings beautiful and meaningful. In the past, we have tried to acquire properties to create a wedding boutique and farm. However, life circumstances and illnesses delayed those opportunities so we decided to put our passions aside for the time being. In January of 2021, Michele and her daughters Ceilidh, Riley, Delaney, and Addison were on the search for Ceilidh’s dream wedding dress. As Michele and Riley sat on a boutique couch, Riley turned to Michele and told her how good it felt to be in a wedding dress boutique and how she wished that our previous wedding and farm venture could have happened. Not even a week later, the board of directors of the property offered Michele and Ed the opportunity to buy and farm on the land. Michele presented the family with the idea and as a family, we collectively agreed to make our dream become a reality. Ed and Michele immediately enrolled in an intensive farming program and began developing our farm from the ground up.

The name of our farm came from one of Michele’s all-time favorite flowers, the blue thistle. The name was also chosen as the flowers are blue and traditionally at weddings a bride will add “something blue” to her day. As a wedding venue, we wanted to incorporate this tradition and be our brides’ “something blue.” As a family, we work hard together daily to create a wholesome and heartwarming experience for you and your family. On our farm, we thrive to farm sustainably and offer the freshest organic produce as well as offer memorable events on our farm for the family that will last a lifetime.