Blue Hill at Stone Barns Wedding Venue: A Wedding Planner’s Guide

I have had the pleasure of planning many weddings at Blue Hill at Stone Barns. It is my favourite New York wedding venue to work at! Every time I make the drive up to Pocantico Hills from Manhattan, I feel so much more relaxed as I get to open spaces and rolling hills of the farm. It is a truly special and unique place. A wonderful balance of nature, elegance, fine dining and charm. If you are considering a wedding there, here are a few tips.

Why do you love working at Blue Hill at Stone Barns?

Blue Hill at Stone Barns opened in the spring of 2004. It is a 2 Michelin Star restaurant that has also been listed among the “World’s 50 Best Restaurants”. Located on the grounds of the Stone Barns Center, a working farm and educational center. Sourcing from Stone Barns and from other local farms in the Hudson Valley area, the dining experience is incredible. Beyond the food, the farm that it is set on is so charming and makes for gorgeous wedding pictures. Everyone in the events team at Blue Hill at Stone Barns are wonderful partners to collaborate with. I can’t speak more highly of the hospitality and service you and your guests will experience.

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What type of couple would you recommend this venue to?

It is the perfect spot for foodies and people who really value the connection between farmers and chefs. Reading Dan Barber’s book “The Third Plate: Field Notes on the Future of Food” made me really appreciate Blue Hill at Stone Barns even more and understand the mission behind the food. If you are getting married there, I highly recommend you read the book. You should also treat yourself to the no-menu dining experience at the restaurant. It is truly magical. A past bride told me is like you are “Alice in Wonderland” and all these surprises and delights arrive for you to taste and marvel. Blue Hill at Stone Barns is for a couple who are looking for an elevated wedding experience in natural surroundings.

How many guests can Blue Hill at Stone Barns accommodate?

Smaller format weddings up to 175 guests would have the ceremony in the courtyard, cocktails in the dooryard garden or haybarn and dinner and dancing upstairs in the hayloft. For colder winter months and in rainy weather, the ceremony often takes place upstairs in the hayloft and the room is then flipped for the dinner setup while guests are downstairs for cocktail hour. During the ceremony the pre-set tables are hidden behind the drapes in the corner of the room and even stacked on top of each other with all silverware and glassware set. It is an amazing thing to watch the Blue Hill team do the flip!

Larger format weddings for guests between 175-200+ would require a buyout of the restaurant. The ceremony would take place in the courtyard, cocktails in the restaurant and terrace facing the fields, dinner upstairs in the hayloft and dancing downstairs in the haybarn and courtyard. Due to sound ordinance, we can no longer setup the band or DJ in the courtyard, but we can still setup a lounge area in the courtyard for guests to enjoy the outdoors. The band or DJ would be setup in the the haybarn.

The restaurant can also accommodate intimate daytime weddings up to 125 guests. The ceremony can take place outdoors on the lawn, smaller ceremonies inside the loggia or private dining room, and lunch in the main dining room. The restaurant is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, so intimate evening weddings can also take place in the restaurant on those days.

The Courtyard

There are so many beautiful options for the ceremony at Blue Hill at Stone Barns. Most ceremonies take place in the central courtyard. The ceremony is either facing the large tree for a smaller format wedding or there is an option of facing the restaurant for a larger format wedding. You could also setup the couple in the middle of the courtyard and the chairs surrounding them in a circle. For a larger format wedding, we had the bridal party arrive through the restaurant and the chairs were setup at an angle in the courtyard. In inclement weather or winter months, the ceremony can be setup indoors in the lower haybarn or the upper hayloft. We determine the indoor setup the morning of the wedding based on the weather forecast. With a smaller guest count up to 110, we have also setup the ceremony in the courtyard under the loggia. You are still outside, but sheltered from any light rain.

The Dooryard Garden

For a smaller format wedding, the cocktail reception takes place outdoors in the dooryard garden, which is stunning spring through fall. It is so special to enjoy the food and drinks while surrounded by vegetable and flowerbeds, with fruit trees above.

The Restaurant

For larger format weddings, the cocktail reception takes place in the restaurant using the main dining room, the outdoor terrace, and the loggia. You can also add on the bakery experience in their actual bakery, where guests can sample freshly baked bread (so delicious) along with handmade ricotta and charcuterie. There is a beautiful grill out on the terrace and you can also add on the grill station where they serve items like grilled mini beet dogs.

The Hayloft

Food is one of the big reasons why couples choose to get married at Blue Hill at Stone Barns. The four course plated dinner with wine pairings takes place in the upper hayloft with the beautiful chandeliers and dramatic stone walls. If you are planning to have a band and a good size dance floor, you can fit up to 160-170 guests in the space. When the guest count is higher, you would have dinner in the hayloft and dancing back downstairs later. More like a European style of a wedding. For larger format weddings, you will be invited to a tasting about 2 weeks prior to the wedding and be presented with 2 options for each of the courses to choose from. It is one of the most fun parts of planning a wedding at Blue Hill at Stone Barns!

The Haybarn

For the larger format weddings, the dancing would take place downstairs with the band or DJ setup in the lower Haybarn. We often setup a lounge area in the courtyard as well for guests who may want a break from the dancing. I love using string lights in the courtyard to define the lounge area. Pegasus Productions is the exclusive lighting vendor for Blue Hill at Stone Barns.

How have you transformed the space in different ways?

The expanse of the courtyard for an outdoor ceremony is always inspiring in the way we set it up and how we decorate the ceremony. We have done everything from simple green arches to elaborate floral chuppahs with flowers lining the aisle. The hayloft can also be transformed in many different ways too. Blue Hill at Stone Barns has an inhouse dining chair, but we sometimes bring in rental chairs like the cross back chair or wooden farm tables to give it a different look. I’m personally a huge fan of using colour in the hayloft! I am fond of bringing in a coloured linen like a beautiful blue which is really impactful in the room. I also love flowers and bringing in a colourful palette incorporating sunshine yellows or dusty pinks. Looking at what is in season and particularly high quality at that time of year.

Should we do a first look and see each other before the ceremony?

100% yes! The grounds at Blue Hill at Stone Barns are beautiful for portraits and our couples often spend 1-2 hours on couple portraits, bridal party portraits and family formal portraits before the guests arrive for the ceremony. I particularly love that the couple portraits gives them some time to be with each other alone without everyone else around them. The extended time gives the photographer the creative freedom to get to different locations and document their day beautifully. This also means that the couple are able to enjoy almost the whole of their cocktail hour! Immediately after the ceremony, we will whisk the bride and groom away for a private moment with each other to enjoy being newly married and sample some of the hors d’oeuvres and signature cocktail. After about 5-10 minutes (or whenever they are ready!) they will join their guests at cocktail hour. It is one of the most fun parts of the wedding in my opinion! Without doing this, much of the cocktail hour would be used for photography and the couple and their friends and family involved in portraits would be missing the cocktail reception. Do a first look!

When should we book the wedding venue?

Blue Hill at Stone Barns is an extremely popular wedding venue for good reason! Especially for the peak months of May through October, prime Saturday dates can book up a year or more in advance. The earlier you inquire the more options you will have!

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