Real Wedding: Ashley & Ty

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Ashley and Ty were married this past February and it was a gorgeous wedding! Ashley was so creative and made so many different decor items for the wedding and it turned out absolutely beautiful. We loved the lush greenery with pops of blush! It was a perfect palate for a winter wedding. The wedding and reception both took place in the Gallery, with their guests sitting at their tables. We get a lot of questions on what this looks like so here’s your answer!

Thank you to Renee Mellott for capturing their beautiful day and to LB Floristry for doing an amazing job with the flowers!

“It was so great to work with you on making our wedding perfect! You were so easy to get ahold of whenever I had any questions! Ty and I could not have asked for a more perfect venue. The whole staff on our wedding day was amazing. Thank you so much!” - Ashley & Ty

Building History

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The Photography of Olivia G

We feel so fortunate to be in such a unique and stunning building and we are often asked what the history of this place is, so we thought we’d share that with you!

The iconic iron bridge was constructed in 1894, allowing the trolley to cross the Elkhart River. In the background you can see the Old Bag Factory, operating as the Cosmo Buttermilk Soap Co. at the time. Photo via the Goshen News.

Built in 1896, the building originally housed the Cosmo Buttermilk Soap Co., manufacturing fine laundry and bath soap as well as toilet paper. Strategically located next to the railroad, the 80,000 square foot building was perfect for getting soap shipments out and across the country. If you look at the outside of the bar door in the Ballroom Suite, which was originally the third floor safe, you can still see the beautiful Cosmo Buttermilk Soap Co. logo.

In 1910, the building was purchased by the Chicago-Detroit Bag Company, and later the Chase Bag Company after a merger. The building was renovated and began making specialty bags and items, including the sheer white paper used in Hershey Kiss wrappers. The Chase Bag Company continued to occupy the building until 1982 when it officially closed its doors.

The building sat unoccupied until 1984 when it was privately purchased and restored into a custom wood furniture shop. Eventually, other artists came to the Old Bag Factory and it became a haven for local artists to showcase and sell their work. The building changed ownership again in 2010 and continued to grow, adding restaurants, a concert venue (the Gallery) and more shops.

The term “bagology” was coined during the time that the Chase Bag Factory was operating, meaning “to elevate the production of bags to the level of science.”

Bread & Chocolate occupied the third floor when renovations were complete, also in 2010. The third floor renovations included adding in the full service kitchen, bathrooms and offices, as well as restoring the Ballroom Suite. We love that the renovations were able to maintain the integrity of the historical building with the original hardwood floors, exposed beams and beautiful brick!

Photo by Grant Beachy

We hope that you enjoy the history and beauty of the building as much as we do!

Real Wedding: Sally & Dan

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Sally and Dan had the best day ever! From the very beginning of the planning process, I knew that they would be easy to work with due to their laid back personalities. I appreciated their focus on their guests and wanting to make sure that their guests were comfortable, happy and having a great time. Their fall wedding was perfect. Sally looked stunning and Dan looked handsome. As you can tell by the pictures, their guests had an amazing time!

Sally and Dan also had a rock-star team of vendors! Grant Beachy did an amazing job of capturing their day. Blake from The Music Place kept the party going all night long. Snapdragon Designs provided gorgeous florals. Thank you to this team, and to Sally and Dan, for an amazing night!

“Thank you so much for helping us have the wedding of our dreams! Our day was perfect and Bread & Chocolate was the perfect venue! We appreciate all of the help you provided throughout the planning process and especially the day of the wedding! You made the process so easy. We received a lot of positive feedback on the venue and especially the food - we couldn’t agree more!” - Sally & Dan