SILVANA — Bev Emery is used to competition in the real estate market.

But with a slowing housing market, she’s now focusing on another contest.

Emery’s side business, Countryside Meadows, is currently in first place in one of Evening Magazine’s the Best of Western Washington & Northwest Escapes standings.

The 40-acre farm is a wedding venue located just west of Interstate 5 in Silvana.

“I heard about it after I was on Facebook visiting a wedding photographer’s page,” Emery said. “I thought I’d give it a try.”

Shortly after she signed up Countryside Meadows in the competition’s best wedding venue competition, she noticed the votes adding up.

“I saw the momentum, then I started promoting it,” Emery said.

Since then, she’s printed out inserts for her business’s brochures, added a link on the venue’s Web site and encouraged just about everybody she knows to vote.

As of Sept. 23, Countryside Meadows has 17 percent of the vote, followed by Laurel Creek Manor in Sumner (16 percent) and The Grand Willow Inn in Mount Vernon (10 percent).

Fifty-seven venues have been nominated for the award.

“Winning it would definitely give us some recognition and exposure,” Emery said. “I still have a lot of people that come in here as guests that say they never knew we were here.”

Countryside Meadows offers wedding accommodations for up to 250 guests.

Weddings can be held outside or inside of the venue’s 100-year-old family barn, which was renovated 10 years ago as a wedding facility.

Emery said the farm’s horse and carriage ride is what separates it from other wedding venues.

Brides and grooms can opt to ride in a hand-made carriage pulled by two of the farm’s resident Shire horses.

“It’s a show-stopper,” Emery said. “You can hear the ‘Ohhs’ and ‘Awws.'”

This year marks the first time Emery has entered the contest.

Voting ends Oct. 11.

For more information on the competition, visit http://best.king5.com.

Countryside Meadows can be reached at 360-652-9032.