Blue Hill at Stone Barns
630 Bedford Road Pocantico Hills, NY 10591914-366-9600 View their website
Average Cost: $108,000
*Average cost for THIS venue, including tax and gratuity, is calculated by figuring a 150-person guest list (their minimum buyout cost) for a 6-hour reception on a Saturday night in their HayBarn. Please not that Blue Hill at Stone Barns also offers evening wedding reception packages in their private and main dining rooms, which can accommodate 64 guests and 125, respectively. Prices for dinner in the private dining room start at $235/pp (there are also cheaper lunch options available). An event in the main dining room requires a flat “buyout” fee of $75,000 (not inclusive of tax and gratuity, but does include all food and beverage). However, this venue write-up will focus on their larger HayBarn. The average price for that, listed above, includes property rental fees for reception and ceremony, alcohol, glass and tableware as well as linens, etc. Transportation to venue, entertainment, additional decor, or tent rentals for the outside area are not included. Price is rounded up to the nearest thousand.
How it breaks down:
Facility Rental Fee: $15,000 for rental of the Hayloft and HayBarn (pictured above) for one day, with an actual event time of six hours, plus a $5,000 courtyard rental fee for the ceremony. This is optional, but I imagine if you’re getting married in the hills on NY you want to be outside, so that cost is included. There is an optional $5,000 restaurant rental fee not included here that allows for use of their main dining room, lounge, and private dining room (which, I’m told, has to be closed anyway if you have an event in the HayBarn).Tax and Service: 20% service charge and a 7.375% sales tax on the total price (you will not be taxed on gratuity).
Party On! There is no event ending time indicated.
What’s Included? Open bar with top-shelf liquor, passed hord d’oeuvres, three courses, wedding cake, champagne, dinner wine pairings, petite fours (they’re like bite-sized cakes), coffee and tea. They will also include all “existing” tables (most likely rounds), linens, chairs, china, flatware, and glassware.
More Stats:
Space Type: Inside/Outside combo
Size: Up to 260 guests (200 with dancing)
Food Service Type: Seated
How Will Grandma Get There? While the venue is a 45-minute drive away from New York City, that’s long enough that most guests’ might want to stay closer to the venue (and of course, all the out-of-towners.) There are plenty of hotel options a 15-minute ride away from the venue, including the Weschester Marriott. However, it would be advisable to hire some sort of shuttle service to and from the hotels, which can cost you upwards of $400 for the evening.
The Report:
Blue Hill is a fancy restaurant in NYC’s Greenwich Village. I’ve never eaten there, but my close friend (who is a food editor at a major foodie magazine) once claimed this was her favorite restaurant. Blue Hill at Stone Barns is their other restaurant, located at the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture. The focus is on “farm fresh,” and during the growing season they claim that 80% of thier menu is sourced from the surrounding fields and pasture, including Blue Hill Farm in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture, and other farms within a 250-mile radius.
Woman Getting Married Says:
Now, this venue is WAY out of my budget, and the budget of most people I know. I’ve also heard “reports” of the portions being extremely small, at their restaurant in NYC and at their weddings. For over $450 a person your guests better have GAINED five pounds by the time they leave (and don’t give me any of that hoity-toity stuff that good food is meant to be served in tiny portions…your Uncle Joe will not agree with that). With that said, if you live in New York City, have a large budget, and are looking for a farm-friendly affair that will satisfy all your foodie family and friends, you might want to check this place out. However, even if you have a giant budget I would try to negotiate. There’s no way this place is bringing in that many weddings on a consistent basis with these prices.
For more wedding pictures from this venue, check out Style Me Pretty.
I’m looking into the private dining room that is $235 (and 2012 prices are $245) per person. Then they charge a $2500 “site” fee to hold your wedding there. It ends up being $365pp for 64 people, not including flowers or photographs. Do you think it is worth it? Are they that good? Their prices are going up considerably every year…
Hi!
OK, there are a couple ways to look at this…
First, you would most likely be spending that amount of money if you had a larger guest list (for instance, I had 110-people and my food/alcohol/venue cost was around there). So you will be having a much more intimate wedding with great food for around the price that other brides are paying.
OR, you can look at it by saying that if you’re having less people, you should be paying a lot less and saving money. For example, if you’re in the NYC area (which I’m assuming you are), you could get married at Frankies 457 in Brooklyn, invite 75 people, have great food, and will cost you around $15,000. That’s a nice savings.
See the Frankies 457 write-up here: http://www.womangettingmarried.com/weddingvenues/wedding-venue-frankies-457/
Another thing I would take into consideration is where the majority of your guests are coming in from. Would a wedding at Stone Barns be a nice escape for people, or more of a pain? Keep in mind that if guests are going to be staying overnight, you should also provide transportation (which isn’t too expensive).
If you have a budget of $40,000-$50,000 and you love the look of the venue (I mean, it is beautiful) then I think it is worth it. I would take a tour of the property if you haven’t already, and also look at less expensive places like Frankies to see what kind of vibe you want to go with.