Stephanie Spear 
Leesburg’s Macy Schilling went from doing MRI research at Georgetown University Hospital to owning and operating a historic barn and wedding venue, a successful wedding planning company, and a cidery. Macy’s path has all the hallmarks of a fairy tale, including a mysterious, anonymous email that unlocked her destiny. The Fairfax Girl visited Macy at 48 Fields, located at 43372 Spinks Ferry Road in Leesburg, to learn more about her journey and this event space. Read on for more about Macy Schilling and 48 Fields.
About Macy
Like many brides, Macy Schilling was working her regular 9-to-5 while planning her own wedding to her now husband, Cory. She soon realized that wedding planning was holding her attention in a different way than her work. “I was working at Georgetown University at the Center for Functional Molecular Imaging doing MRI research,” she said. “I was in a research position that was kind of a stepping stone to getting into a PhD program, so I was in the middle of applying to PhD programs, and I was working in research, and I got a peek behind the curtain and realized that it is not what I thought.”
Macy Schilling, owner of 48 Fields. Image courtesy of The June Press.
“I planned our wedding, and then a few friends asked me to plan their weddings,” Macy said. “Here I’m trying to figure out what to do with my life, and then I’m planning a random sixth person’s wedding.” Macy ended up going back to George Mason University, where she had gotten her undergraduate degree, and completed the wedding and event planning certificate program.
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In 2018, after finishing the event planning certificate program, Macy jumped into event planning full-time, eventually opening her own business, Schilling Wedding Planning. Over time, she and her husband had two children, and Macy grew the business.
In January 2025, a mysterious email went out through Macy’s wedding professional network, looking for a buyer for an unnamed venue. “It was all very secretive,” she said. “It said that the owners of a venue were looking for a buyer, but the information past that was very bare bones.” Macy and her husband took a leap of faith. “Owning my own venue was always part of my longer-term plan, but this came along a lot faster.”
After a flurry of bank visits, signing contracts, and meeting with many lawyers, Macy and her husband found out that the venue was 48 Fields. “I was so excited,” she said. “I had been a preferred vendor at 48 Fields for four years prior to purchasing it, so I was familiar with the venue and everything available here. I knew that the previous owners had done a huge amount of work to upgrade the venue.”
By the summer of 2025, Macy and her family had taken ownership of the 48-acre property and moved in.
Three Businesses
Now, Macy operates three businesses at 48 Fields. First is her wedding planning business, Schilling Wedding Planning. “This is not exclusive to 48 Fields,” she said. “We work with brides and venues all over DC, Maryland and Northern Virginia. Brides can hire us for an event at 48 Fields but they don’t have to. We have an incredible list of preferred vendors.”
Image courtesy of Butterfly Photography. Rentals: @curatedeventsdc; Florals @growingwildflorals; Hair + Makeup @sincerelymebeautyinc
The second is the Loudoun Cider House. The on-site cider house produces small batch selections that reflect careful sourcing and balanced technique. Macy sees the Cider House as the aspect with the most potential. “I want this to be a community place, where people can come by and enjoy some cider with the sunset, and just relax,” she said. “I want to get food trucks in here too, so people can pick up dinner.” The Cider House has hosted several community events, including pop-up markets, holiday markets, craft workshops, and professional mixers. In Spring 2026, Macy and the team added line dancing to the calendar, including instruction.
The third business is the 48 Fields venue, which includes a 1918 barn that’s been retrofitted to host events, a farmhouse, a ceremony patio, and a few other special spaces.
About 48 Fields
At the heart of the property is the big white Dairy Barn. The Dairy Barn was built in 1918, and while it fell into disrepair over the years, in 2013 it got a down-to-the-studs renovation. Then, in 2022, more additions were made, including adding an ADA-accessible elevator, on-site restrooms, and a vendor area.
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Inside, exposed beams frame the ceiling and create architectural interest without excess detail. Daylight filters gently through the windows. In the evening, the space transforms into a warm, inviting reception setting. It feels airy, yet welcoming. The barn becomes a canvas for the couples getting married or the event hosts using the space. For example, a stone-walled ground-floor area of the barn could be an intimate space for a microwedding, or a lounge setup for an after-hours celebration.
The celebration pavilion at 48 Fields. Image courtesy of Butterfly Photography; Flowers by @growingwildfloral
Couples also have access to a 1800-square-foot farmhouse on the property, just steps away from the barn. It was built in 1910 and renovated in 2019. “This is where the bridal party can get ready and hang out,” Macy said. “The best part is that you can be in the farmhouse but peek out and see everyone arriving.” Some of the details in the farmhouse that are primed for the bridal party include an oversized mirrored vanity with incredible lighting for more than one person to get their makeup ready, two living rooms, and tons of outlets for powering everything from curling irons to video game consoles.
The outdoor spaces on the property flow easily into one another, making it a natural fit for events to make use of as much of the space as possible. For example, even though the barn is the heart of the operation, there is a flat area in front of the barn that can be used, and a tented cocktail area at the back. There is a paved pavilion about 50’ from the barn, making a nice flow for an indoor/outdoor situation.
Macy said that the feedback she gets from brides and other wedding professionals has been consistently positive. “We always get comments about the flow of the space, how it’s easy to move from one area to another,” she said. “People like the ceremony patio, especially if they have older guests. And of course, the sunsets – everyone loves the sunsets here, we always make sure to mow part of the fields so we can get good pictures.” The venue has also been awarded several times over by The Knot and Wedding Wire.
Despite the wedding-centric approach at 48 Fields, Macy said that the team can help with any kind of event. “I want people to get out here, and I want people to be able to experience it and be able to make it their own and use it for whatever they do,” she said. “So if that’s a baby shower, a birthday party, a rehearsal dinner, a retirement celebration, we can do it.”
Macy says that even though she’s been in the wedding industry for nearly 10 years, every celebration is noteworthy in its own way. Now, having her own venue makes it even more special. “Every time I see a wedding here I just think, oh this is my favorite,” she said.
To learn more about 48 Fields, visit the venue online. To contact Schilling Wedding Planning, visit the team online.
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