It could be last call for people in Wisconsin who want to get married where the cows once slept.
The state’s new liquor licensing laws will soon apply to all venues, including wedding barn venues, as a judge Wednesday dismissed a claim that a major 2023 rewrite of Wisconsin’s alcohol laws unconstitutionally targeted businesses that host weddings in barns.
Starting in 2026, barn owners will have a choice: Get a liquor license or get a special permit allowing the serving of beer and wine six times a year, Wisconsin Public Radio reported. Previously, there weren’t restrictions.
The owners of Farmview Event Barn in Berlin and Monarch Valley Wedding and Events in Blair, Wisconsin, sued last year, alleging that the ultimatum violated “their right to earn a living under the Wisconsin Constitution,” the report said. “The state Department of Revenue defended the law and argued … that the liquor license requirement will soon treat all businesses serving alcohol equally.”
The judge agreed with regulators that the wedding barn provision falls under the state’s responsibility to protect against excessive drinking.