The Girls Behind Sixpence
Shelby Henry and Brooks Daigle of The Sixpence are more than just business partners. They’re best friends who know how to get stuff done.
“I am Shelby’s second brain pretty much,” Daigle said, laughing as Shelby nods her head in agreement. The girls, who are so close they finish each other’s sentences, are working together to create and run The Sixpence, a new wedding and event venue set to open in Zionsville on the 18th.
Partner in Charm
Henry, an Indianapolis native with a background in photography, videography, and branding, has been in the wedding industry since 2016 when she began luxury wedding studio Amavi. She is the designer behind the visually stunning venue and co-owns the venue with her parents.
“My love for working with people,” Henry said, “and making them feel comfortable on one of the biggest days of their life is so fulfilling to me.”
She has shot over 400 weddings around the world and attributes exposure to all types of venues as inspiration for a “distinctive, elevated venue” in her hometown.
Daigle, who has a background in marketing, styling, and event planning, takes the title of the venue's Event Manager. Although, she says she wears many hats while helping Henry with her multiple, thriving businesses.
“I would say we both share the same approach to those that we are working with,” explained Daigle. “We try to stay humble always but to also be confident in what we are capable of.”
Henry and Daigle met through a mutual friend back in 2016, discovering they had both attended Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach, Florida. According to the girls, the business relationship progressed naturally from there, and they knew they had something special.
“My role grew from a freelance consult role,” Daigle explained, “to completely full-time, and it was…” “So natural,” Shelby chimes in, as the girls laugh.
The Sixpence, Homestead and Workshop
The Sixpence is a unique wedding and event venue where aesthetics meet functionality. On the 17-acre property is a brand new, eight thousand-square-foot wedding barn, an 1851 fully-renovated farmhouse that sleeps 10 (The Homestead), and a “man cave” called the Workshop — And all within an hour from downtown Indianapolis.
“I believe we’ve designed a beautiful blank canvas that allows couples to come in and put their touch on it,” said Henry.
The venue, which already has around 60 weddings booked ahead of its grand opening, is for “those that want the freedom to shape the venue of their big day into their own”, according to its website.
The girls emphasize that if two best friends got married at The Sixpence, there are enough ways to customize and diversify the space that you could attend both and not even know the weddings were held in the same place.
The entire property is what Henry calls “Purpose-built,” an aspect that was very important to her. This means everything, down to the littlest detail, was designed by Henry and has the purpose of making it the most versatile wedding and event space in the area.
“We always had four words in mind,” Henry explained. “Classic Romance, Modern Luxury.”
For the main event space, Henry knew she wanted the “classic touch” of the white barn with a grambel roof. Although this design detail was already decided before she saw the property, it was an unplanned coincidence that solidified the style for the wedding venue.
“There used to be an old white barn that stood out there on that hill, and it got torn down a long time ago,” said Henry. “But it was a white barn, and it had a grambel roof. It ended up being really fun!”
The design wasn’t the only classic feature. The name “The Sixpence” was derived from the old saying, "Something old, something, new, something borrowed, something blue, and a sixpence in your shoe," describing what a bride should have for luck on her wedding day.
“We take great pride in having thought about all the details of a couple's wedding day,” said Daigle. “And we feel like this little touch (often forgotten off the end of the saying) is representative of our attention to detail and care.”
We know there's one question on everyone's mind: What about the food? While The Sixpence does not offer in-house catering, they do have an open vendor policy. This means you can get your food from anywhere; whether your grandmother is cooking, or you choose a caterer from The Sixpence’s list of trusted vendors.
“We have a full caterers’ prep kitchen,” said Henry. “We really want our couples to express their styles through the food on the day of their wedding.”
But despite not providing food options in-house, the girls are already planning some fun food-centric events, like an upcoming farm-to-table dinner in the fall in partnership with Edible Indy and local producers, chefs and beverage makers.
On the other hand, drinks will be a The Sixpence specialty. In fact, the girls are teaming up with Indianapolis Brewery Metazoa to create their very own craft brew. The IPA beer, which will play on the brewery's animal theme with the name “LoveBirds”, will only be available at Metazoa’s Indianapolis taproom and all events at The Sixpence.
“We do all beverages — we’re going to have some fun with the beverage side of things,” Henry said.
“Although we are a wedding venue, we can do much more with this space,” Daigle added. “And we are totally ready to!”
The Sixpence is located at 4400 N 1000 E, Whitestown, IN 46075. To learn more, visit their website.
