About the owners: husband and wife team, Brenda and Pete Cashel
"Hi! I'm Brenda, co-owner of Terrapin Hill Farm and head of sales/marketing/communications. I'll show you around our beautiful venue when you come for a tour, and I'll answer all your questions throughout the planning process. I handle all the paperwork, emails, payments, etc. For weddings, you can hire me to be your day-of wedding coordinator, in which case I'll help you plan out your day and make sure it all unfolds as planned. I'm very good at organizing! I love hosting weddings and other events at our farm because they are such happy occasions; it's an honor to share our beautiful farm with others.
I think one of our best attributes as a venue (besides being gorgeous) is our flexibility - we will do our best to help you create the event you have in mind. The most common reason people choose our venue? 'We're outdoorsy-type people and we just want something simple, relaxed, and fun'. We've got that covered!
The best compliment is when I hear a guest say "this is the best wedding (or any other event) that I've ever been to". Our goal is to make everyone feel comfortable so they can have a good time and enjoy the special day."
I think one of our best attributes as a venue (besides being gorgeous) is our flexibility - we will do our best to help you create the event you have in mind. The most common reason people choose our venue? 'We're outdoorsy-type people and we just want something simple, relaxed, and fun'. We've got that covered!
The best compliment is when I hear a guest say "this is the best wedding (or any other event) that I've ever been to". Our goal is to make everyone feel comfortable so they can have a good time and enjoy the special day."
"Brenda (bless her) goes above & beyond what anyone should reasonably expect, and cool as a cucumber regardless of surrounding stress levels". - Amber
"Hey there - I'm Pete, co-owner of Terrapin Hill Farm. My job is to keep the venue beautiful and build things. I built all the structures in the venue, including the pavilion, chapel stage, general store, the arches, and more. I also help out with set up and tear down, moving benches, chairs and tables, and building and lighting the bonfires. I'm an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church and can legally officiate your wedding. My favorite part about hosting weddings is helping to make couples happy and relaxed on their special day. Whether I'm behind the scenes or up front officiating, I'll do my best to make the day an easy, fun, low stress celebration.
One of the best parts of our venue is that it's easy to get to, but located far from the road so it's very private - once you're here you'll feel like the rest of the world is miles away. Also the hand built structures make our venue very unique, simple, and elegant. People choose our venue because they feel comfortable and can be creative. We have very few rules, and the option to stay overnight is a huge plus. I appreciate it when people mention how beautiful the farm is. Even though the land itself is gorgeous, it does take effort to keep it all maintained. "Magical" is my favorite description of Terrapin Hill Farm."
One of the best parts of our venue is that it's easy to get to, but located far from the road so it's very private - once you're here you'll feel like the rest of the world is miles away. Also the hand built structures make our venue very unique, simple, and elegant. People choose our venue because they feel comfortable and can be creative. We have very few rules, and the option to stay overnight is a huge plus. I appreciate it when people mention how beautiful the farm is. Even though the land itself is gorgeous, it does take effort to keep it all maintained. "Magical" is my favorite description of Terrapin Hill Farm."
"Pete was a lifesaver with setup/take-down and helped with everything we needed and also things we did not know was needed." - Kelsey
History of Terrapin Hill Farm
Pete and Brenda Cashel have owned and operated Terrapin Hill Farm since 1985. The 400-acre farm is located along the Chaplin river. Fertile river-bottom fields, rolling hills in pasture, hardwood and cedar woods, numerous streams, a mile of river and a 1-acre pond all combine to create a beautiful farm setting. Pete grew up in Pennsylvania, and Brenda is a native of Vermont. Neither of us are from farming families, but when we met we decided to create a business and lifestyle on the farm and since then we can't think of anything else we'd rather do.
Beginning around 1995, the primary business of Terrapin Hill Farm was the production of sustainably grown produce and plants, pasture-raised heritage breed hogs, and pastured poultry, all sold locally in the central Kentucky area. Our simple philosophy about farming was that we are stewards of the land; in order to reap the fruits of the land we must care for it as best as we know how. We followed the guiding principles of organic farming and sustainable agriculture methods wherever possible; an effort was made to work with the balance of Nature, rather than to control it. We are also a certified tree farm, and have participated in several cost-share programs through the state of Kentucky to plant hardwood trees and native grasses.
In 2005 we were awarded a Competitive Agri-tourism Award from Kentucky's Agricultural Development Board. This enabled us to make improvements to the farm and to develop it's agritourism facilities. In 2013 we installed a photovoltaic solar system for the farm and can now proudly say that our quest for sustainability has been furthered now that we use the sun to produce our energy. We were honored to receive grants from the USDA Dept. of Rural Development and the Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund to help us achieve this goal. Our business as a wedding venue has grown by leaps and bounds since we started, and in 2016 we were awarded our first WeddingWire Couples’ Choice Award. We continue to win awards but more importantly have numerous couples who have been thrilled with their experience here.
We encourage visitors to our farm for any of our events, or for your own private event, or even just to spend the night. We believe that when people get out to enjoy the natural beauty of the land and see where their food comes from, they can begin to discover their own connection to the land and to a deeper sense of spirituality.
Beginning around 1995, the primary business of Terrapin Hill Farm was the production of sustainably grown produce and plants, pasture-raised heritage breed hogs, and pastured poultry, all sold locally in the central Kentucky area. Our simple philosophy about farming was that we are stewards of the land; in order to reap the fruits of the land we must care for it as best as we know how. We followed the guiding principles of organic farming and sustainable agriculture methods wherever possible; an effort was made to work with the balance of Nature, rather than to control it. We are also a certified tree farm, and have participated in several cost-share programs through the state of Kentucky to plant hardwood trees and native grasses.
In 2005 we were awarded a Competitive Agri-tourism Award from Kentucky's Agricultural Development Board. This enabled us to make improvements to the farm and to develop it's agritourism facilities. In 2013 we installed a photovoltaic solar system for the farm and can now proudly say that our quest for sustainability has been furthered now that we use the sun to produce our energy. We were honored to receive grants from the USDA Dept. of Rural Development and the Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund to help us achieve this goal. Our business as a wedding venue has grown by leaps and bounds since we started, and in 2016 we were awarded our first WeddingWire Couples’ Choice Award. We continue to win awards but more importantly have numerous couples who have been thrilled with their experience here.
We encourage visitors to our farm for any of our events, or for your own private event, or even just to spend the night. We believe that when people get out to enjoy the natural beauty of the land and see where their food comes from, they can begin to discover their own connection to the land and to a deeper sense of spirituality.