Creating Poplar Hill
Without even trying Poplar Hill was an ideal wedding spot! Poplar Hill started with a sister company called Luminated Landscapes. The barn was originally the showroom divided into sections to show people what their landscape lighting could look like. An employee at the time asked if she could get married in the barn and a seed was planted. The barn then became the venue for a few family weddings and opened up to the public in 2019. Poplar Hill was started by Phil and Beth Colarusso. Taking a leap of faith, they soon realized they had a beautiful estate that could lend itself to helping others start a new chapter. Phil & Beth wanted a very homey business with non-traditional office life, treating the staff just like family. “We are proud to be a small business in East Aurora where we are brimming with others just like us. It has been an amazing journey so far, connecting with people and seeing Poplar Hill grow as well as the other small businesses around us”.
So who is the current manager behind Poplar Hill? The answer is Madelyn Jensen! Madelyn started her journey with Poplar Hill with the intention of staying part-time through college. Once graduating, she moved to full-time and absolutely loved working in the wedding industry. “I would have never in a million years thought that this would be the industry I find a passion for, but here I am! Beth (one of the owners) was actually my nurse practitioner when I was a child, so it all came full circle”. When Madelyn came into Poplar Hill, there was a very minimal base to the company. But with her at the helm, they’ve grown on social media, updated their website, and started attracting and booking new clientele. “We are really starting to hear the word spread about our little, rustic, homey venue”.
Customize Your Experience at Poplar Hill
Poplar Hill is a rustic and vintage venue, with a picturesque setting and friendly staff. They add a unique vibe to the wedding industry being a truly authentic rustic venue. “Our barn is over 100 years old and she has a beautiful character that lends herself to natural beauty. It is easy to dress our place up with just a few simple touches or leave it as is!”
They offer a service in the wedding industry that is not so common.
Packages Include:
Flat Rate Price with no fees or gratuity
Includes Barn, Tents, Tables, Chair plus more basic wedding amenities
Full Assistance with Set-up & Takedown
Couples are permitted to stay the entire day (from 10:00 am – 11:59 pm)
At Poplar Hill, every part of your wedding can happen all in one place! This takes the stress out of shuttling people from place to place and rushing through the day. The ceremony, wedding pictures, and reception are all welcome at the venue. “We provide a base that allows any couple to come in and build their dream day”. A couple can pick their photographer, caterer, DJ, band, and any other vendors they choose to make their wedding unique.
As the venue, Poplar Hill realizes their expertise is with the venue and the venue only, meaning they highly encourage their couples to book a planner as well. Their priority is that your day runs smoothly by any means. “We are responsive within office hours and if we cannot remedy a situation ourselves, we happily provide our input and suggestions where needed and asked”. Even after the wedding, they love to stay in touch with our couples as they shared one of their most intimate days together with us. “We love to see where life takes them”!
The Venue That Treats You Like Family
Madelyn & The Colarusso’s have a strong tradition of family-like culture with their couples. “We are extremely personable and want to know our couples as best as we can before their big day. We want to know what they are doing on their big day that represents who they are as a couple so that we can enjoy those little details of their wedding”.
Keeping an open and honest conversation is key for the seasoned professionals at Polar HIll. They know how to give their clients the freedom to build their wedding while also keeping things realistic. “We understand that we are the experts compared to the clients and we want to kindly offer suggestions, tips, and tricks that our couples simply may not have thought of”. Most importantly Poplar Hill will never try to sell you on something they can’t provide. “We are honest, when couples come in for tours we tell them if we think we are a good fit for them. If we aren’t, we happily suggest a venue that might be more suited to what they are looking for.
Poplar Hill Continues to Grow & Serve
Even with a barn that is over 100 years old, Poplar Hill wants to remain ever-evolving! Constantly open to new ideas to make their venue better and all-inclusive. While getting ready for the owner’s daughter’s wedding set for next year, they realized they wanted to educate themselves to better serve the LGBTQ community, and show the world they are an inclusive venue. “We are so incredibly thankful for these two lovely ladies. We are inclusive but we did not have the right wording and images out there on social media to show couples that we are inclusive to all couples, no matter what.” Poplar Hill knows they are in the industry of love and will continue to celebrate that in every capacity!
Poplar Hill also just launched its blog this year. They are super excited to start spreading the knowledge they have learned with others all throughout the wedding industry and beyond. “Our blog not only talks about our venue but what couples should be looking at for their wedding, even if it is not at our venue. The wedding industry trends are constantly changing and we want to make it an easier process for people to navigate. After all, wedding planning should be more fun than stressful!”
*Special Deal: We do offer a referral program? If someone refers a couple and that couple books with us, the person that referred them receives a $50 gift card.
Reach out to Madelyn through the Poplar Hill directory listing!