Frequently Asked Questions

To reserve a date, email us at hello@thebarnatblackwalnutfarm.com with the date you are ready to book, and we’ll let you know if it’s available.

We encourage you to come take a tour prior to reserving your date, although it is not required. Dates are reserved on a first requested basis. Your reservation is not official until we receive your booking fee and contract.

A 50% initial payment toward your Wedding Weekend booking is due at signing, with the remaining balance paid in installments leading up to the wedding.

We’re happy to place a complimentary five-day hold on your preferred date while you make your final decision.

After that, the date remains available until we receive a signed contract and initial payment.

Tours are offered by appointment only, since Black Walnut Farm is also a private residence.

You can book a tour here, and we’ll make sure to spend time on the parts of the property that matter most to you.

In the meantime, enjoy our Gallery!

Yes. Our current Wedding Planning Guide includes venue pricing, farmhouse accommodations, what’s included, bar information, and everything you need to get a clear picture of a Black Walnut Farm wedding weekend.

View some of our favorite inclusions:

What’s Included at Black Walnut Farm

A 15% Service Fee applies to the Wedding Weekend Venue Fee and farmhouse accommodations. It supports the professional staffing behind your weekend, including event operations, guest support, farmhouse hospitality, breakfast service, turndown, and your dedicated Hospitality Concierge.

Depending on guest count, your weekend is supported by a team of 6–8 Venue Associates.

The Service Fee is not a gratuity; gratuity is always optional.

We do not charge an additional administrative fee or automatic gratuity.

Optional enhancements such as coordination, floral and décor styling, specialty lighting, and additional services are available if you’d like more support.

For weddings, our Wedding Weekend Venue Fee remains the same regardless of whether you host your ceremony onsite or how many guests attend.

We host a limited number of wedding weekends each year, and the fee reflects exclusive use of the property, staffing, setup and breakdown, and the full experience surrounding your celebration—not simply the number of guests in attendance.

For smaller non-wedding gatherings such as showers, birthdays, or corporate events, limited date-dependent options may be available. Please inquire.

Every wedding is different, but most couples who fully embrace the Black Walnut Farm weekend experience plan for a total wedding budget of approximately $65,000–$100,000+.

That typically includes the venue, farmhouse stay, bar, catering, photography, entertainment, florals, and other wedding vendors.

We’re always happy to share vendor recommendations across a range of styles and price points, but we don’t quote on behalf of outside vendors since their rates vary by guest count, season, scope, and services.

For wedding weekends, Black Walnut Farm provides the services, amenities, furniture, decor, sound and lighting, full staff, golf cart, and all the other bells and whistles you’d expect from a luxury all-inclusive venue; but the freedom and flexibility to choose vendors who fit you best. We have a varied list of preferred catering partners in different price points that we trust to handle your food, and we work closely with them to provide a seamless experience for our couples. We can also approve a licensed caterer of your choice.

Bar packages are provided by our venue, check them out here:

Beverages at Black Walnut Farm

We offer many items and services in-house to minimize the amount of outside rentals and vendors you’ll need. Some of these include: services like a parking attendant and coat check, staff to set up and break down your floor plan, farmhouse tables and 250 chairs, many display carts and tables, in-house sound system, a portable PA and microphone, a digital photo booth, an audio guest book, a complimentary popcorn station and s’mores around the bonfire, and access to our collection of decor and service items you can borrow (including bud vases, votive holders, antique china platters, tiered dessert stands and cake stands, beverage dispensers, table runners and more).

Besides catering, the main things we do not include that most couples bring in are their photographer/videographer, florals, and DJ/entertainment.

Learn More About Our Preferred Caterers Here

We don’t offer ‘in-house’ catering for mainly two reasons. Primarily because we think food is SUCH an important part of the uniqueness of each couple’s celebration— and don’t want to force a ‘steak or fish’-style meal OR a certain catering spend on our couples! Many of our wedding clients have a vision including food trucks, or specialty cultural cuisines, and supporting alternative styles of catering is truly core to the experience we offer at the Farm.

Our other reason is simpler: we’re not chefs. We specialize is creating an gorgeous, unique, and immersive atmosphere and exceptional hospitality and experiences. We like to leave the cooking to those that do it best, and the Hudson Valley has some of the best culinary talent in the country.

While we don’t provide catering services, if you select one of the caterers from our preferred vendor list, we work directly to coordinate everything directly with them. All you have to do is schedule your tasting and pick your menu (aka the FUN part!), and we’ll take it from there. We’ll manage their schedule and timeline, oversee their equipment deliveries and rental drop-offs, and interface with their team during your event. We promise it will feel seamless— and the experience you will have is equivalent to the process you’d go through if you choose a venue with provided catering in-house. Just with more freedom of choice for you!

Have an eye on a caterer that’s not one of our preferred partners? Not to worry, we do regularly approve new-to-us catering services!

Yes! Our first wedding ever was booked about 8 weeks prior to their wedding date! Because we offer so many amenities and event items in-house, we can help you pull things together quickly and with minimal stress. We have a great network of local vendors, and we can help you find the right pros to bring your event to life.

A typical wedding venue offers shorter rental periods ranging from 4–10 hours. At Black Walnut Farm, we believe your wedding celebration deserves more. You should be able to relax and truly enjoy time with your wedding party, family, and out-of-town guests without rushing through a blur of ceremony and reception.

The longer format also means you can make the most of the property. Wedding Weekend bookings include use of our event spaces the day before the wedding for a rehearsal dinner, welcome party, or welcome drinks with no additional site fee. We even provide setup staff and a parking attendant.

Your vendors also have extended access for setup, and remaining décor and personal items can stay overnight for Sunday morning pickup, with final load-out by noon.

Wedding Weekend couples also enjoy plenty of hospitality perks and extras throughout their stay.

Our barn is intimate, and can seat up to 100 guests. Cocktail-style events can accommodate up to 150 for drinks and dancing.

Groups over 100 typically have their dinner out on the lawn (either in a tent— rented from our third-party tent rental partner, or open-air under the stars), and then bring everyone into the barn to dance and lounge under our 4-foot disco ball.

Our Shed Bar is ready for service out on the front lawn, and Lily’s Bar on the back lawn.

See our Spaces

No, a tent is not provided by our venue, you’ll need to rent that from a party rental vendor.

Tent pricing is NOT standardized— you’ll need to reach out and get quotes from tent suppliers; it’s extremely variable according to size and style.

We don’t have a minimum; we love your elopements and micro weddings. The maximum that we host on-property is 150 guests.

Yes. Our historic 1747 farmhouse sleeps up to 8 guests and becomes your home base for the weekend. Wedding Weekend bookings are paired with a two-night farmhouse stay, with the option to add Thursday at a preferred rate. Take a virtual tour of the farmhouse.

Yes! The main floor of the barn is all on the ground level with no steps, and there is an ADA accessible bathroom available to roll right in. Most of the outdoor areas are on flat, level ground.

We have several wonderful catering partners that provide full-service catering at Black Walnut Farm. We work with them to create a flawless experience on your wedding day! If you select one of them, we handle all the coordination; you just choose your menu and we’ll take it from there. The process feels similar to venues with in-house catering.

As the venue, and as an advocate for you and your special day, we do encourage you to check our vendor recommendations list.

If you prefer to hire a caterer not on our list, they must be professional, licensed, and insured and we can get them approved.

We love home-cooked meals and family recipes, but must operate within certain guidelines set forth by state laws and our insurance carrier. We require ALL food to be cooked and prepared in a licensed off-site kitchen. For your convenience, the caterer you choose to serve at The Barn at Black Walnut Farm must be “full service” caterers with a serving team.

We do not provide use of an onsite full kitchen; local caterers will be accustomed to bringing in the equipment they need including warming trays, portable ovens, refrigerated trailers, etc.
We do have a catering prep area with a large sink, refrigerator, lighting, and power. Caterers may set up a tent onsite to house their equipment and food staging areas.

Absolutely. Wedding Weekend bookings include use of our event spaces the day before the wedding for a rehearsal dinner, welcome party, or welcome drinks, with no additional site fee. We also provide setup staff and a parking attendant. Special welcome-event bar packages are available.

Absolutely! As long as your food trucks are licensed, insured, and agree to our venue policies we can get them approved to work on our property.

We do require that any food truck you hire also provides staff assigned to bussing tables and clearing food-related litter throughout the evening. If they don’t have servers available, you can hire them through our venue.

Our advice is that you work with a food truck that has experience in weddings and private events, and knows how to handle a high volume of service to avoid long lines for your guests.

Yes, when you book your event at The Barn at Black Walnut Farm, we will provide you with our hand-picked list - including wedding planners, florists, photographers/videographers, lodging, rentals, photographers and videographers, DJs, live music ensembles, hair & make-up, bakeries, officiants, insurance, rentals, transportation, valet parking, and more. Every vendor on our list reflects our dedication to warm-hearted, inclusive service. We provide our list as a helpful service— there is no obligation for our couples to hire our preferred vendors, and this list is not ‘pay to play’; but most of our couples start there, as we have pre-vetted these vendor teams and know they’re great! Black Walnut Farm does not accept any payments or kickbacks from our preferred vendor network.

Are you vendor who would like to work with us? Introduce Yourself Here.

Yes, the barn features air conditioning and also a de-humidifying feature.

Yes, the barn is heated.

Although we can’t predict or control the weather, here are the average high and low temperatures in Saugerties by month:

​​January 36° / 22°

February 39° / 24°

March 48° / 31°

April 61° / 41°

May 73° / 52°

June 79° / 60°

July 84° / 66°

August 82° / 64°

September 75° / 58°

October 62° / 47°

November 51° / 36°

December 41° / 28°

We’re sorry, but camping is not permitted onsite according to our town regulations. You can check out our neighbors at Rip Van Winkle Campgrounds and AutoCamp Catskills for wonderful camping options nearby!

Yes, we do– we can help arrange event insurance through our insurance partner (avg range is $125-$250). We have already filled in all the necessary paperwork, so you just add your signature, purchase your insurance, and they will automatically send us your documents. Easy peasy!!

We also recommend cancellation insurance, which will reimburse you for any payments already made should there be circumstances beyond your control causing you to cancel your wedding. While we don’t require cancellation insurance, we’re unable to refund payments due to client cancellation— so we advise it to protect our couples! Cancellation insurance usually costs less than 2% of your total wedding budget.

Quiet Hours begin at 11pm on Fri-Sat and 10pm Sun-Thurs. At that time, amplified music (Djs, bands) must come to an end. Light conversation in the outdoor areas (ie, around the bonfire) are fine! All events conclude by midnight. We can recommend some fun options in town (6-8 minutes away) for after-parties. Any guests not staying overnight in the farmhouse must vacate the property within 30 minutes of the event conclusion.

We highly recommend a tent rental as a contingency plan to provide a space we can move guests to and from while we ‘flip’ the barn for different moments of your day.

If you reserve a tent but the weather looks perfect the week of the wedding, all of our local rental companies have flexible cancellation policies if you determine you don’t need the tent after all.

For your guests’ convenience and safety, we require hiring a transportation service to transport your guests on and off the property, so they can relax and enjoy all the festivities without worrying about driving. Uber and Lyft aren’t reliably available in our area! We do have a parking lot for any guests that need to drive (young families, elderly guests, etc.), and folks are welcome to drive to the event and leave their cars overnight if they prefer to take the shuttle home.

We are an indoor/outdoor venue, and most couples have their ceremony outdoors. We do have outdoor patio heaters that can be set up in your ceremony area; and we recommend providing some cozy touches for guests like blankets or a hot cocoa and cider station. The barn itself is heated. A tent with a tent heater may also be rented from a third-party vendor.

The short answer is, yes! However, we must approve all pets brought onsite in advance of the event. While we love your animals, we are not permitted by our insurance carrier to host aggressive breeds; this may be characterized by certain breeds that are known for exhibiting specific behaviors that include: excessive barking, lunging or charging at people and other pets, snapping and snarling, barring teeth, or biting. Black Walnut Farm may not be held liable for any incidents resulting from aggressive dog behaviors.

Approved pets must be attended to at all times throughout the weekend. We can refer you to a pet concierge service to attend to your dog throughout the day.

We require our clients to purchase their bar packages directly from our venue, and we also provide bartenders. View our packages and pricing here:

Beverages at Black Walnut Farm

No, with our specific liquor license type, alcohol purchased at retail may not be served. We will need to work with our wholesale distributors to source all of the alcohol for your event.

Nope! We only book one wedding per day.

We have a whole page dedicated to informative info for your guests!
Guests, please be aware that this is an old working farm with some uneven surfaces and terrain. Most of the happenings will be outdoors in the woods, on the lawn, or inside the barn, so appropriate footwear is recommended. Ladies will be more comfortable in wedge or block heels than stilettos.

We also recommend bringing a jacket or shawl in the spring and fall if you tent to run cold.

Depending on the date, it might be possible! Please inquire.

The Village is where you’ll find wonderful art galleries, restaurants, bars, antique shops, bookstores, cafes and more. We are a 6-8 minute drive from the heart of the Village.

Our historic farmhouse sleeps up to 8 guests onsite and becomes home base for the weekend. Wedding Weekend bookings are paired with a two-night farmhouse stay, with the option to add Thursday at a preferred rate.

For additional lodging, couples receive exclusive access to our collection of five nearby private rental homes, all within 6 miles of the farm and accommodating up to 34 additional guests.

There are also plenty of hotels, inns, and vacation rentals throughout Saugerties, Woodstock, Kingston, and the surrounding area, so guests can choose the style and price point that works for them.

We require a wedding-day transportation plan, since rideshare services are not reliable in our area.

We don’t require you to hire a full-service wedding planner, however, to make your day the absolute best, we do require a professional Coordinator be hired to run the schedule and timeline for the day, and be our venue team’s point of contact for any issues that arise. Then, we won’t have to bother you or your parents on your wedding day with minor questions or small hiccups!

We have Coordination services available through our venue via a package add-on (pending availability, please inquire). Our Lead Coordinator, Lindsey Hogan, and our coordination team are truly incredible (read our reviews and see how many couples name-check Lindsey as their wedding hero!).

You may have an outside coordinator, but they must be a professional, and they cannot also be a guest at the wedding.

Of course if you are working with a wedding planner, we will support their efforts on your wedding day.

Yes, this service is available for an additional fee. We do include a venue captain and venue assistants to look after the facilities and help handle any venue issues at no additional charge. Curious about the difference? This cheat sheet explains what services are included at our venue, and what you may want to hire: Venue Captain vs. Coordinator vs. Planner

Table settings and linens are usually arranged via our catering partners— we do not maintain our own collection of tableware. Place settings can also be rented through a third party (we have recommended vendors we can introduce you to!).

Our farmhouse tables are gorgeous and intended to be used without tablecloths— although if you prefer that look, tablecloths can also be rented. Many couples just borrow table runners and simple table decor from our ‘Something Borrowed’ collection, at no additional charge.

We have 250 chairs, 10 wooden farmhouse tables (each seating 10), and numerous display tables and carts. Supplemental furniture can be rented through a third-party rental vendor.

Yes, we have three designated outdoor ceremony spaces: the Meadow, the Forest, and the Lawn.

We have multiple outdoor spaces and satellite bars that can be utilized for cocktail hour; and we have outdoor heat lamps as well as a complimentary bonfire (weather permitting).

We do not allow live flame inside the barn— we recommend battery-operated candles, lamps, and lanterns for indoor table settings.

We allow dripless candles in the outdoor spaces, however they must be inside a glass container to prevent them from blowing out. For this reason, many of our couples also use LED candles in their tents or outdoor dining so wind won’t be an issue.

We have two gender-neutral restrooms inside the barn. We highly recommend an additional restroom trailer if you have over 100 guests— and we do offer this as a package add-on, please inquire for pricing.

Our staff will set up and break down all the furniture for the ceremony and reception. We do not set up personal items and decor, or rental items from a third-party vendor such as floral installs. We have a Decor Styling Package Add-On available if you’d like to bring your own decor but not worry about setting it up.

After your personal items and rental items are removed, we will take care of cleaning.

You may visit as many times as you need, all visits and on-site meetings are by appointment only, please do not drop by.

The final planning meeting, to finalize your details and floor plan, must be scheduled within 30 days leading up to the event. This can be done in-person, or virtually.

We’re always available for a call or Zoom and will support your planning process as much (or as little) as you need.

30 days; this will allow us adequate time to source your bar package inclusions.

We have the property treated every other week with an organic, non-toxic tick and mosquito spray— this has been a true game-changer and very effective! However, in our rural area bugs are a part of nature— please be aware that if you walk through the forest, you should check for ticks.

We offer our 4-bedroom, 2.5 bathroom farmhouse for getting ready! Common areas include the Sun Room, Living Room, Dining Room, and Patio. We haven’t designated specific changing areas for each partner, that’s up to you.

We also offer the use of our barn for getting-ready; there are restrooms, a changing area (the Parlor) with a mirror, and our mezzanine-level Lounge is available for a fun, relaxing space to hang out with leather club chairs, a vintage vinyl collection and turntable, a card table, and even a vintage Pac-man console!

Yes, we are pleased to offer a 10% Military Discount. Thank you for your service!

We love children, and have designed the space with eye to whimsy and imagination (for kids of all ages!). However, we are in no way child-safe. There are breakable items pretty much everywhere, sharp corners, creeks, bonfires, an active train line, and lots of features really meant for adults to enjoy. Children under 12 at our events must be within 10 feet of the adult who brought them at all times.

Our friendly Town of Saugerties put together a hiking guide, find that here.

About 90 miles. The estimated travel time is est. 2 hours in car/bus/train.

Albany International Airport is about a 45-minute drive.

Although it’s definitely possible to travel from NYC via train (Amtrak to Rhinecliff Station), or bus (Trailways to Kingston) and get a taxi to the property, there’s nothing walkable from the property, and Uber etc are not plentiful in this area. Via car, it’s 4-8 minutes drive to all the main attractions and shops in the area.

We absolutely love Miss Lucy’s Kitchen for fabulous food and cocktails in the village. The Partition offers great bar bites in a casual outdoor atmosphere with cornhole, karaoke, and a super family-friendly environment.

We have a whole blog post about that— check it out for some of our favorite recommendations: How to Host a Magical Upstate New York Weekend Wedding

Like all venues, we do have a ‘force majeure’ or, ‘Act of God’ clause in our contract. If circumstances beyond our control make it impossible to host your wedding, we will not be legally obligated to provide services, and you will not be obligated to pay any outstanding balances. 

We highly recommend that our couples purchase cancellation insurance for this reason. Our preferred insurance provider, EventGuard by Indemn, offers this as a bundle with your event insurance for usually just 1%-2% of the cost of your total wedding budget. Here’s what our agent advises:

• Wedding Cancellation Insurance is coverage built to reimburse you for your dollars lost when the unexpected happens to a planned event. Coverage can save the day if there is extreme weather or an immediate family member becomes ill, and even cover costs for other things like a dress ripping, a vendor cancels, or event gifts are damaged. Claims can be made to recoup nonrefundable deposits, to pay additional costs to move event dates, change flights, ground transportation, book new lodging, payments for lost photography, clothing and jewelry, flowers, missing gifts, and much more. Some of the best laid plans can go awry, and without insurance, the cost to make a necessary change at the last hour can be prohibitive. Typically, the limit of coverage you purchase is the total of your expenses (your budget) to host the event.

While all payments that have already been made are non-refundable, you will be released from any obligation to pay outstanding balances if we can rebook your date.