Protea Weddings & Events

Joe was born and raised in Chillicothe, OH on his family's farm where they breed and raise, a small number of Thoroughbred racehorses. As a young man, Joe enjoyed barrel racing and was very active in 4H. He moved to Ocala, FL in 2007 for a job opportunity with a small Thoroughbred breeding farm. While working in his new position at the farm, he als... o attended the College of Central Florida and was enrolled in the Equine Business Management program. Courtney was born and raised in a small town just south of Miami, FL called Homestead. She started riding horses at the age of three and hasnt looked back since. Throughout elementary and middle school, she showed Hunter Jumper horses. When she started attending high school, she switched gears and fell in love with the sport of barrel racing. After graduating in 2008, Courtney moved herself and her horses to Ocala to also attend the Equine Business Management program at the College of Central Florida. There is where Courtney and Joe met. They both felt an immediate connection and have been together ever since. After graduating college, Courtney and Joe started their own business called Pick View (named after Joes family generation farm) where they still break, train, and sell racehorses in the two-year-olds in training sales. After a few short years of operating Pick View, they purchased 45 acres in Ocala where they currently live and run their business. In 2014, Joe proposed, and the venue search was on. Courtney and Joe both knew they wanted to get married in a barn-style venue after attending a beautiful barn wedding in South Africa. But they soon discovered that they were having trouble finding the perfect location. That's when they both decided to start Protea Weddings & Events, a premiere, one-of-a-kind barn venue. The 45-acre farm is known as the old Cashel Stud Farm. It was originally purchased in 1960 as 300 acres and was one of the very first Thoroughbred race horse farms in Ocala. This beautiful landsurrounded by 200-year-old granddaddy oak treeswas home ...Read More