An Upstate New York Wedding Venue for the Creatively Inclined
Welcome to Black Walnut Farm, a historic wedding venue in Saugerties, New York, where the Catskills roll into the Hudson Valley and wildly original celebrations come to life.
Established in 1747 (yes, really), we specialize in full wedding weekends for couples who value imagination, soul, and throwing a damn good party.
If you’d rather dream up something than follow a rulebook, welcome home.
photo: Autumn Jordan
Julia Ann Photography
Rebeca & Andrew Photography
Par La Mer Photography
A Place That Feels Like Yours
Historic bones. Room to imagine.
Our 34-acre upstate New York wedding venue is part storied estate, part creative playground. Wildflower meadows, forest trails, quiet creekside corners, and tucked-away garden nooks create a setting that invites wandering, discovery, and a little daydreaming.
The entire property is yours for the weekend: no overlap, no rushing, no competing timelines. Just space to settle in and make it your own.
At the center of it all is our fully restored 1891 barn, complete with:
Dinner seating for 100, with dancing and cocktails for up to 150 (with lovely dining options on the lawn)
A Victorian-inspired parlor (beloved + highly Instagrammable) and two dedicated restrooms
A speakeasy-style mezzanine lounge layered with vintage furniture, Persian rugs, a collected gallery wall, and a very committed Pac-Man machine
A four-foot disco ball (because of course)
Heat, A/C, and professional lighting that knows how to set a mood
And, just steps away from the party, our 1747 stone farmhouse…
A dreamy home base for the weekend. Up to eight guests can sip morning coffee in the sunroom, soak in the hot tub on wedding eve, and enjoy the rare luxury of knowing there’s nowhere else they need to be.
photo: Autumn Jordan
We’re big on personality, and even bigger on hospitality
High-touch service, zero pretension
Black Walnut Farm is independently owned and run by people who genuinely care about hosting well. That means creative freedom paired with a polished, organized, deeply supportive experience.
We’ve hosted maximalist burlesque parties, laid-back food truck fiestas, enchanted forest ceremonies, disco garden raves, Bridgerton-worthy farm dinners, and bold color-drenched lovefests. This is a venue that flexes to fit your imagination, not the other way around.
Our couples are artists, musicians, teachers, filmmakers, plant-based chefs, vintage collectors, plant nerds, theater kids, big-idea-havers, cosplayers, world travelers, and unapologetically-in-love humans with a vision. If that sounds like you, you’ll feel right at home.
Photo: The Hazel Club
L'aurore DuClair
Alex Healy Photo
What Sets Us Apart
Design + Decor Are Included
Don’t feel like renting 200 chairs, or impulse-ordering 50 table numbers off Etsy? Don’t. (No, seriously… please don’t). We’ve curated an entire design library– from antique farm tables and mismatched vintage chairs to candelabras, lanterns, vases, easels, table decor and signage, display carts, antique rugs, and textiles, so you can skip the U-haul and style your day without stress. It’s all included.
Want our team to handle the install & even do your florals? Ask us about working with our in-house stylist.
Our Seriously Excellent Bar Program
We’re not exaggerating when we say our bar program is a guest favorite. We make our own syrups, bitters, infusions, and even vermouth using ingredients grown right here on the farm, and partner with top Hudson Valley distillers, brewers and winemakers. One of our owners happens to be Martha Stewart’s drinks expert and a former Michelin-Star sommelier, so you know it’s good.
A favorite perk? A private mixology session where couples get hands-on creating their signature cocktails together.
(Those watery gin and tonics that have plagued weddings since the dawn of time? Not on our watch.)
Check out our signature cocktail menu: Cocktails at Black Walnut Farm
Stay Right Onsite
Our stone farmhouse offers onsite lodging for 8 and becomes your weekend home base. More time together, fewer logistics, and plenty of small surprises and treats that make leaving… difficult.
Support That’s Actually Exceptional
We’re relaxed by nature, but extremely organized by practice. You’ll get thoughtful planning guidance, timeline collaboration, trusted vendor suggestions, and clear communication from a dedicated team that knows when to step in— and when to let the moment happen.
An unhurried timeline leaves room for spontaneity, surprise, and the best moments that no one planned.
A Venue That Says Yes
To imagination.
To personality.
To joy.
To the moments in between.
Black Walnut Farm isn’t about cookie-cutter weddings or quiet perfection. It’s about hosting generously, dreaming a little bigger, and creating a weekend people will talk about long after it’s over.
If you know, you know.
And if this feels like you—we can’t wait to welcome you.
photo: Jessica Yurko
Hosted with Heart
Sarah Tracey and Jim Glaub, by Kathryn Cooper Photography
Meet the Owners: Creative Partners, Farm Stewards, and Enthusiastic Co-Conspirators
Black Walnut Farm is proudly woman-owned and LGBTQ-owned, and run by people who genuinely love hosting.
We’re Sarah and Jim: creative collaborators, real-life best friends, and something of a modern-day Will & Grace. Between us, our backgrounds span hospitality, events, theater, media, and design. Sarah comes from the world of Michelin-starred restaurants and wine (yes, she’s a certified sommelier and Martha Stewart’s drinks expert). Jim is a creative director who’s worked on more than 50 Broadway shows and has very strong opinions about vintage rugs.
In 2021, we fell hard for this 1747 farm and decided to take a big swing: emptying our savings and pouring our energy into turning it into the kind of place we always wished existed. Not a wedding factory. Not a blank slate. But a fabulous, eclectic, joy-filled home where people could gather for the best weekend of their lives. Hosting weddings here isn’t just a business; it’s a shared creative project and a true labor of love.
When you celebrate at Black Walnut Farm, you’re not just booking a venue. You’re stepping into a big crazy dream, a weekend crafted with heart, supported by passionate professionals.
Black Walnut Farm is powered by a small, deeply experienced team who share our love of hospitality, creativity, and doing things well (while still having an absolute blast). Together, we care about flow, feeling, and the moments that happen in between the planned ones. You’ll be supported all weekend long by people who know the property inside and out, and handle the details with confidence
We’re obsessed with helping you dream up what’s possible, and re-imagining all the things that a wedding can be.
275 years of Joy.
Black Walnut Farm was one of New York’s first farms and stop houses, welcoming guests with ale and bread. We are the next generation of the original mission of The Barn at Black Walnut Farm: to rest, to celebrate and to spread joy.
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When you have your wedding at Black Walnut Farm, you’re a part of over 275 years of history! The property was established in 1747 as one of the first ten settlements in the county; and our barn was restored in partnership with the New York State Historic Preservation Program to revive its original 1891 beauty. Your new beginning will forever be a part of the story of the farm– and to immortalize the occasion, we plant a tree on the grounds for every couple that ties the knot at Black Walnut Farm.
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Your own ‘destination wedding’— just 100 miles outside of New York City!
We’re a convenient 2-hour drive from NYC– and also easily accessible by Amtrak train (from Penn Station) and Trailways bus (from Port Authority). Our property feels secluded and remote– but we’re only 5 minutes from downtown Saugerties, close to all local amenities and conveniences, and the fun of antique shops, bars, and restaurants to explore in town. There are eight national hotel brands within seven miles of the farm, as well as numerous small inns and vacation rentals for guest accommodations.
Our renovated and fully air-conditioned Dutch stone farmhouse (sleeps 8) is included in your weekend rental for a resort-style feel– you truly never need to leave the grounds. We provide additional amenities like stocking the fridge in advance of your weekend and providing local wines for the bridal suite.
There are numerous picturesque locations throughout the house for your getting-ready photos; and we include the use of our private fire pit and hot tub for instant stress relief. Our property is available for you to stay from Thursday until the Monday following your wedding, so get ready to settle in and enjoy your own private Hudson Valley Bed and Breakfast experience, just steps away from your wedding festivities!
Black Walnut Farm is just 45 minutes from the Albany airport.
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Create the custom event of your dreams: we allow you to choose your own vendors and personalize every touch to make your event as unique as you are. From elegant farm-to-table soirées under the stars, to casual weekends of food trucks and lawn games, we provide the canvas, and we want YOU to add your signature. There’s no limit to what you can create at Black Walnut Farm. And while you’re welcome to bring in your own event pros, we’ll also introduce you to our incredible network of fantastic, imaginative vendors eager to bring your ideas to life.
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Owning this property was our dream, and we have put thought and care into every detail. We’re personally invested in making each event a smashing success, and we embrace every couple as new members of the Black Walnut Farm family (errr…. ‘Farm-ily?’).
We’re not a big corporation or ‘wedding factory’. Genuine hospitality is at the core of everything we do; we will work with you and your vendors to ensure you feel at home here with our highly personalized, inclusive, warm service.
We want you to feel like you’re hosting your own backyard wedding… if your backyard happened to be a historic country estate!
We are dedicated to creating a stunning, festive, celebratory space for all persons, backgrounds, orientations and presentations. Diversity makes us better and stronger. Let’s have fun!