As the farm-wedding trend reaches new heights, more farmers are seizing the opportunity to diversify their revenue and promote their businesses.

But rustic, it turns out, isn’t always simple: There have been run-ins with wary municipal officials, complaints from neighbors, and push-back from farm-preservation advocates concerned about agritourism replacing actual agriculture.

Those clashes aren’t surprising to Susie Kuser of Fernbrook Farms in Bordentown, Pa., which has been hosting farm weddings for 21 years, complete with hayrides, photo ops with farm animals, an outdoor hearth for making s’mores, and a resident chef who cooks with produce from Fernbrook’s fields.

She’s been fielding more and more phone calls over the last few years from farmers seeking advice on hosting weddings — though many, she said, are surprised by how much work is involved.

“A lot of farms are starting to do this. The only problem is a lot of farmers aren’t getting permits and a lot of townships don’t like that, because there are issues with the noise and the traffic,” she said.

In Pennsylvania and New Jersey, couples can now choose from dairy farms, blueberry farms, orchards, and horse farms, offering anything from full-service event planning to DIY affairs.

For couples like Christine and Chris Brooks of Feasterville, Pa., a farm wedding represents the antidote to cookie-cutter affairs.

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“I wanted to be able to make it my own,” Christine said of her wedding in September 2013 at Freeman School Farm in Schwenksville, Pa. Having grown up with a love of all things country, seeing the farm-wedding aesthetic taking over Pinterest made her want to get hitched amid the sights, smells, and sounds of an authentic working farm — mud and all.

“I enjoy looking at my dress now and seeing the grass stains on the inside, and remembering that that day was amazing, the weather was great, and it was everything that we wanted it to be, which is farm, country, vintage,” she said.

Anthony DiMeo III began offering weddings at DiMeo Farms this June.

“When people come here and they have a great time, and they’re all dressed up for the wedding, and the girls are taking off their shoes and running through the field picking blueberries, it’s such an original experience. They remember it and they want to come back,” he said.

He thinks couples on lean budgets will be drawn to the offering, though many discover that farm weddings aren’t necessarily cheap.

Anthony Penza of Hammonton, N.J., found, after renting tents, tables, chairs, and even a portable restroom, that his wedding at DiMeo Farm cost between $20,000 and $25,000. He said that offering guests a unique experience (and a blueberry bush to take home) was worth it.

Farmers say the trend makes for more than just pretty wedding pictures; it’s also helping sustain an industry that’s lost 100,000 farms nationwide in the last five years.

For example, Jayne Shord’s Beech Springs Farm in Orrtanna, Pa., started hosting weddings in June 2013 and now relies on the weekly events for about half of its income. Shord, who also grows heirloom vegetables, said some neighbors have complained, though she abides by a 9:30 p.m. curfew for music (allowing guests to stay later and share quiet time around a bonfire).

Kristi Maher, who owns Blue Hound Farm in Lewisberry, Pa., said the events are a vital income source for her and her husband, “city slickers” who keep animals to greet visiting school groups but have been unsuccessful at growing crops or hay.

The wedding business, on the other hand, has grown nicely: Brides can choose to use the 200-year-old stone barn, the edge of the lake, or even the stables for their events.

“We’re not for everyone. There’s manure and hay, and there’s a lot of things that go with animals,” she said. “You have to like that rustic, primal approach. We have chickens that are free-range. We had a pig walk down the aisle with a bride once. Some people want the appearance of a farm but not really a farm. We get that, but they don’t come here.”

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