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Sharing the good life: Local family turns rural oasis into Forsyth County’s newest event space
3 Oaks Farm and Events perfect spot for weddings, company events, photo sessions and more
3 Oaks Farm and Events
For nearly 60 years, Marsha Gravitt’s family has owned a scenic and rural piece of land on Tallant Drive in northwest Forsyth County, but recently, her and husband Dennis have found a way to share the land with others in the community on their special days. - photo by Ben Hendren

See the full issue of the June 400 Life magazine here.


For nearly 60 years, Marsha Gravitt’s family has owned a scenic and rural piece of land on Tallant Drive in northwest Forsyth County, but recently, the family has found a new way to share the land with others in the community on their special days.

Marsha and her husband, Dennis, have recently transformed the land into 3 Oaks Farm and Events, a venue for special occasions like weddings, senior pictures, company events and more, officially opening in January. 

“In retirement, we thought that would be a good thing to do, to stay here on the farm and have something that other people would enjoy,” Dennis said. “In fact, we came up with the tagline, ‘Sharing the Good Life.’ It is the good life.”

As the couple approached retirement — Marsha is a retired educator who taught at Sawnee and Matt Elementary schools and Dennis owns a construction business with one of their sons — they wanted to share a rustic piece of the county that is becoming less and less prominent as the county grows.

“It’s just always been a family thing, so we decided that we needed to open up and share,” Marsha said.

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3 Oaks Farm and Events
The barn has a rustic vibe with custom pieces spread throughout. - photo courtesy Mitch Pike

As barns and rustic settings have become a popular spot for weddings, 3 Oaks has become a way for the family to share their newly-built barn, cabin, scenic waterfall, an arbor built by Dennis, a lake with a covered bridge and a lakeside gathering space.

“First of all, it is heated and cooled, which a lot of barn venues are not,” Marsha said. “We have plenty of parking, we have an awesome view of the lake, and like Dennis said, a lot of people don’t get to experience the farm kind of atmosphere that we have here. We are a working farm. We have a couple of cows, we have blueberries and blackberries and stuff like that.”

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3 Oaks Farm and Events
3 Oaks Farm and Events features a former custom-built cabin sitting on the edge of the property’s lake that has been refitted as a bridal cottage with a gazebo and attached fire pit. - photo courtesy Mitch Pike

Along with the barn, 3 Oaks also features a custom-built cabin sitting on the edge of the property’s lake that has been refitted as a bridal cottage with a gazebo and attached fire pit.

“Now it has a couple of makeup stations in it, a love seat, a crystal chandelier,” Marsha said.

The cabin was first built about a decade ago and was a popular spot for Dennis and Marsha’s grandkids and their friends when they were growing up and, later, a spot to commemorate big milestones.

“That cabin, we almost had to book it, because every weekend they had friends over,” Dennis said. “Then it went to all of their friends’ senior pictures, prom pictures, and we always let people (use it). We’re a people family; we love having people over.”

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3 Oaks Farm and Events
Dennis Gravitt, owner of 3 Oaks Farm and Events off Tallant Drive, got the board’s approval on Thursday, Jan. 20, for a conditional-use permit to preserve his family’s land. - photo by Ben Hendren

The family held its first wedding on Memorial Day weekend in 2013, and Marsha said the family at that time “had no idea it was going to evolve into something like this.”

“It wasn’t a wedding venue, then. It was just a wedding out in a pasture,” Marsha recalled. “Since then, we’ve had a nephew get married here. We’ve always had family reunions and youth groups. Our property goes down to a little lake here and we built a little cabin, so we’ve always had people here.”

Even the name 3 Oaks, a reference to the couple’s three sons that was chosen in a family naming contest, is something that has only come around when the original nickname was deemed not wedding-friendly.

“We [originally] called it ‘The Compound’ and we just laughed about living on ‘The Compound’ since our kids were next door and stuff,” Dennis said. “Our daughter-in-law when we had our first wedding, she said, ‘I don’t want to send invitations out [that say], ‘Come to The Compound.’ She said, ‘That sounds like a military thing.’”

Family is a big focus at 3 Oaks, where in addition to living on family land, two of their sons and their families live nearby.

“In fact, one of our sons lives in the house that I grew up in that is on this property, then another son lives next to him,” Marsha said.

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3 Oaks Farm and Events
Family is a big focus at 3 Oaks, where in addition to living on family land, two of their sons and their families live nearby. - photo courtesy Gravitt family

The COVID-19 outbreak has had an impact on 3 Oaks, as some events were canceled and many weddings have been postponed due to rules about gatherings and social distancing.

“We’re planting sunflowers right now and trying to find ways to abide by the social distancing to get a few people out here,” Dennis said.

For those whose weddings may have been impacted by the pandemic, 3 Oaks is currently offering an elopement package with flowers, cake, a photographer and patio set up for 10 guests or fewer Sundays through Thursdays.

“The elopements [can only have] just a few people and work within the guidelines that we should work within,” Dennis said. 

No matter the circumstances, the Gravitts said they are happy to be able to let others use the space and to be doing so as a family.

“Success, to me, is having a close family, it’s not necessarily money,” Dennis said. “So, that’s what we want to portray as people come up, a family-oriented place to come.”

Michelle Kangas is the event coordinator at 3 Oaks Farm and Events. She works as the liason between the guests and the venue to provide direction and organization before and during the events. She also directly serves on-site groups and vendors with logistics for the meeting space. She has over 20 years of management experience which will be helpful for organization. 3 Oaks Farm and Events is at 3565 Tallant Drive in Cumming. Visit www.3oaksfarm.org for more information. Contact Michelle Kangas at michelle@3oaksfarm.org.

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Michelle Kangas
Michelle Kangas is the event coordinator at 3 Oaks Farm and Events. She works as the liason between the guests and the venue to provide direction and organization before and during the events. She also directly serves on-site groups and vendors with logistics for the meeting space. She has over 20 years of management experience which will be helpful for organization. She has been married to her husband, Bill, for 25 years and they have two wonderful children, Nolan and Kylee. 3 Oaks Farm and Events is at 3565 Tallant Drive in Cumming. Visit www.3oaksfarm.org for more information. Contact Michelle Kangas at michelle@3oaksfarm.org. - photo by Ben Hendren