OUTAGAMIE COUNTY (NBC 26) — The owners of Cambium Barn in Black Creek say this will be their last wedding season after a new state law requires a license to serve alcohol at venues like theirs.
"Unfortunately, this new law will be the end of us," said co-owner Brittnay Van Nuland.
"That is just not our business model. We don't want to become a bar. We don't want to have to get commercial equipment. We don't want to have to pay."
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Businesses like Van Nuland's now have a few options, apply and pay for the license or apply for an exemption to the license, but limit events to six per year and just one a month.
"We are not able to survive off of six events per year," said Van Nuland.
The third option is to not serve alcohol at all.
"Dry weddings, dry events are an option, but we are in Wisconsin," noted Van Nuland.
But not everyone thinks the new law is bad.
The owners of Simply Country Barn in Freedom said they've seen more wedding barns pop up over the last decade hurting more established barns.
"As that started happening we started to notice venues that have been around for years and years and years, 20 years, 25 years, shutting down," said co-owner Carrie Tryba.
"They couldn't compete with these barns opening up that weren't licensed," said her husband and co-owner Jim Tryba.
They've had a liquor license since they opened and argue everyone should be playing by the same rules.
"If you do that six events a year, they can make some extra money. But if they're going to be distributing alcohol they should have a liquor license."
