An Upstate New York Wedding Venue Built for the Whole Weekend
Welcome to Black Walnut Farm, a historic wedding venue in Saugerties, New York, where the Catskills meet the Hudson Valley— and one night simply isn’t enough.
We host full wedding weekends for couples who care about atmosphere, great food and drinks, thoughtful hospitality, and a celebration that feels like them.
Come for the 1891 barn, the forest, the wildflower meadow, the farmhouse, and the four-foot disco ball. Stay for long dinners, full dance floors, fireside drinks, and the feeling that nobody is quite ready to go home.
We believe in second helpings, full dance floors, and one more song.
photo: Autumn Jordan
Julia Ann Photography
Rebeca & Andrew Photography
Par La Mer Photography
An Estate Made for Celebrating
Historic character, hidden corners, and plenty of room for revelry.
Black Walnut Farm stretches across 34 private acres at the foot of the Catskills, with wildflower meadows, forest trails, old stone walls, gardens, bars, and unexpected little corners that reveal themselves as the weekend goes on.
This is a place for endless adventures. Guests might start with cocktails on the lawn, wander off to find a hidden garden bar, disappear upstairs to the speakeasy lounge, then reappear when the dance floor gets packed. There’s room for long dinners, loud music, late-night fires, and all the spontaneous bits in between.
For your wedding weekend, the estate is exclusively yours. No competing events. No strangers drifting through. Just your people, your party, and plenty of space for the revelry to spread out.
At the center of it all is our restored 1891 barn, complete with:
Dinner seating for up to 100, with cocktails and dancing for up to 150, plus outdoor dining options on the lawn
A Victorian-inspired parlor and two permanent restrooms
A speakeasy lounge upstairs, layered with vintage furniture, Persian rugs, a collected gallery wall, and one very committed Pac-Man machine
A four-foot disco ball. Obviously.
Heat, air conditioning, and lighting designed to take the room from dinner to full dance-floor glory
And just steps away, our historic 1747 stone farmhouse
The farmhouse sleeps up to eight guests and becomes home base for the people closest to you. Wedding Weekend bookings are paired with a two-night farmhouse stay, with the option to arrive Thursday at a preferred rate and enjoy it just a little bit longer.
Morning coffee in the sunroom. Wedding-day breakfast downstairs while everyone gets ready upstairs. Wine on the patio before rehearsal. Old Fashioneds waiting when you arrive. It gives the weekend a center of gravity — and means your inner circle is already exactly where 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. We want the weekend to feel joyful, generous, and completely looked after — without ever feeling formal or fussy.
That means experienced people behind the scenes, thoughtful support throughout the weekend, and plenty of room for the fun stuff to take center stage. You should be thinking about the cocktails, the dinner, the packed dance floor, and whether there’s time for one more song. Not where the extra chairs went or who’s supposed to light the bonfire.
We love a wedding with personality, but you don’t need to arrive with a 47-page mood board or plans for aerialists at cocktail hour (that said… we know a guy.) We’ve already filled the place with plenty of vibes— so you don’t have to manufacture atmosphere from scratch.
Maybe your dream is a wildflower ceremony and a disco garden rave. Maybe it’s an incredible dinner, a killer band, martinis, and everyone you love around one table.
Both sound like a fabulous wedding to us.
You can layer onto the setting as much as you want — or simply let the place do some of the work for you. Either way, our team is here to keep the whole thing moving so you can get on with the revelry.
Photo: The Hazel Club
L'aurore DuClair
Alex Healy Photo
What We Do Differently
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.
The Kind of Weekend Nobody Wants to End
Long dinners that turn into packed dance floors. Another round at the bar. Stories around the bonfire. One last song that somehow becomes three.
We believe in generous hosting. In a little mischief. In making room for the moments nobody planned.
If that sounds like your kind of celebration, 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!