Wedding DJ at The Union Exchange in Monroe, NC

The Space

Mark and Libby Brown met at East Carolina University in 1980, and The Union Exchange grew out of their shared idea of a family business where everyone could work together outdoors. What they built sits on 54 acres of North Carolina farmland outside Monroe, with an indigenous pine tree forest, 3.5 acres of ponds, and a market store that opened in 2022 selling coffee, beer, artisan goods, and ice cream alongside the farm’s produce.

The Auction Barn is the main indoor event space, with rustic cedar walls, a craftsman custom-made bar, vintage restored windows, and marbled concrete floors, and it opens directly onto the outdoor Carolina Pavilion, a stone patio with a wooden roof and bistro lights. Beyond those two spaces, the farm also includes Pine View Barn, used for line dancing and live music, and walking trails through the pine forest and around the ponds.

Capacity & Layout

The Auction Barn seats 125 to 140 guests depending on where the dance floor is placed, and the property as a whole holds up to 150 seated or 175 standing once the Carolina Pavilion and event lawn are counted alongside the barn. That range means a couple can keep a smaller wedding entirely inside the barn or open it up onto the pavilion for a larger crowd.

Ceremony sites include the event lawn, which has fountain views, and the pine forest itself, so a couple has a choice between an open lawn ceremony and one set among the trees, both distinct from the Auction Barn where the reception happens. The barn’s two ADA-compliant bathrooms and generally ADA-accessible layout mean the space works for guests with mobility needs without a separate accommodation plan.

Amenities

Overnight accommodation is available on site in two private houses and two glamping cabins, so a wedding party can stay on the property itself rather than driving back after the reception, and an open beer and wine bar is available for the event. Farm animals, including chickens, goats, donkeys, and horses, are part of the property year-round, giving guests something to see beyond the event spaces themselves.

The farm runs seasonal programs on top of its event business, spring events, a fall pumpkin patch with wagon rides, and Christmas celebrations with Santa, which shows a working, year-round operation rather than a venue built only for one-off bookings. The Brown family, now including three children and three grandchildren in the business, still runs it as a hands-on family operation rather than a managed venue with rotating staff.

Location & Getting There

The Union Exchange sits outside Monroe, North Carolina, about 35 minutes from Uptown Charlotte and Charlotte Douglas International Airport, on a 54-acre stretch of farmland with a pine forest and ponds rather than in town. Guests driving out from Charlotte are leaving the city behind for an actual working farm, with the animals, market store, and barns all part of the same visit.

We have worked a reception here, and the Auction Barn’s mix of hard concrete floors and cedar walls carries sound differently than a fully carpeted room would, giving a DJ setup a bit more natural reverb off the walls, while the open connection to the Carolina Pavilion means music from the barn reaches guests out on the covered patio without a second speaker setup being strictly necessary.