Questions & Answers for Prospective Couples

This is a FAQ designed for interested couples, if you are a GUEST attending a wedding at our farm, please visit this FAQ.

How much will it cost to have my Wedding here?

The overall cost can be much less than comparable places, and we provide a lot more. How is that possible when it's so beautiful, with such amazing food, and with such a great team and so high standards?

There are quite a few reasons why we are so reasonable, especially compared to similar places, and they are important. It has to do with everything being under one roof. Here is a detailed explanation:

All under one roof: Our group owns everything, so there is no need for offsite rentals of any kind, and we pass the savings on to you. Bringing in rentals is always expensive, the rental company has to make money, they have a sales team, staff, transportation vehicles, and moving costs to and from a venue.  We don't have any of those costs so we don't have to charge you for them. On top of that, you get everything in beautiful condition. Taking down tents and moving furniture wears a lot on everything.

Food and drinks: We grow many of the ingredients on our two farms in the area, and we cook them in our own kitchens with full-time in-house chefs and staff. Again, we don't need to cook offsite, transport, store, reheat, etc. Outside caterers also need to apply for offsite licenses and pull insurance each time and cook in a less-than-ideal and maybe unknown kitchen facility. All that takes a lot of extra people and resources and costs a lot of money. We don't have those costs, it’s all in-house, and onsite, and we don’t need to charge you for those extra costs. 

Drinks and Bar: We have our own liquor license and liquor liability insurance and we can purchase higher quality wines and liquors with bigger price breaks for the whole season. We pass those savings on to you too. And you know we will never run out of anything. That's a good feeling too. 

Team: Our team is local or has moved up from NYC, and is only working for our venue. Everyone is trained with the hospitality standards you would expect from an NYC restaurant group. Except without the NYC attitude;-) Everyone works together, grows together, and knows one another so well. The service is effective and friendly while non-intrusive and overbearing. It's not an army of outsiders who may not see eye-to-eye. A smaller, happier, and more effective team that is all cross-trained will cost you less while providing better service.

Pricing depends on which year, season, guest count, and packages you choose. Please reach out to us for pricing.

What are the booking terms and steps?

The steps are simple, straightforward, and above all—transparent. First, request a pricing package, and understand if it is in line with your budget. Come for a tour, or book a pre-tour call with our team. You choose the packages that fit your wedding vision best. The payments are divided into 4 equal payments or 25 percent per payment, and the initial 25 percent is the deposit to secure a date. Once you book, you get access to our Wedding Roadmap, an online collaborative resource site that becomes the guide for your wedding. We will explain the benefits of our Wedding Roadmap when you tour.

WHERE DO WE STAY?

Stay and get ready right on-site with the people you love the most! Our gorgeous historic farmhouse onsite and our inn in the village close by are available for rent for the wedding couple and their immediate families, or the wedding party. Combined they sleep up to 40 guests. Most rooms have a view of the lake and feature antiques and original art throughout the house, and the original architectural features of the late 1700 estate remain intact. The farmhouse also features a state-of-the-art chef's kitchen, that you can use if you want to cook some meals while staying with us. Or we can prepare all the meals for you. For your remaining guests, there is an abundance of well-appointed bed & breakfasts and small boutique hotels sleeping up to 200 people in the area, as close as 10-20 minutes away, but also larger places like Hampton Inn and Marriott 30-35 minutes away.  

NO NOISE RESTRICTIONS OR CURFEW?

Seven Ponds Farm Estate features over a hundred acres of land, lakes, ancient forests, and pastures.  We have no curfew or noise restrictions. It is quiet and serene as if you were transported back in time. Just stars and the crackling of the fire—And you can make it as loud as you want when the party is raving on. You can even host an After-Party right at the farm for a small fee, and a lot less than an off-site place, all without the deflating experience of having to bus offsite. Most of your VIPs get to sleep right on the farm anyway.

WHAT’S THE WEATHER LIKE?

Before electricity or air conditioning, the mountain areas of the Catskills where we are located were the most sought-after region for urbanites. Featuring bright summer days and cool nights, often 10-15 degrees different from the cities around us. It was a true reprieve from the oppressive heat, in cities or even in the valley below us. Even the middle of summer makes for a delightful wedding at our farm. Below is a chart of historical average highs and lows in our general area.

WHEN IS THE FARM AVAILABLE?

Seven Ponds is beautiful in spring, summer, and fall, and we host weddings from May through October.  Most of our couples make it a destination weekend wedding with rehearsal, ceremony, and reception. Most couples are staying at the farm from Thursday or Friday till Sunday. We occasionally host Sunday weddings as well, on holiday weekends. Winter Weddings: We also host smaller weddings in the winter in our Brewery Barn for 40-80 guests. Please ask us about our winter weddings.

TRANSPORTATION:

We have an optional in-house shuttle service called Sweet Ride. And it is a sweet ride indeed featuring reclining leather seats and temperature control. It is a 14-seat Mercedes with our own driver, so you have complete flexibility. Most couples rent our Sweet Ride for their most important guests, who may want to depart from the reception later or arrive at the farm early. The shuttle can transport up to 40 guests per hour from nearby places. Our farm has plenty of parking for self-driving guests, and we have a dozen vendors to recommend if you need additional transportation.

BONFIRE, CANDLES & FIREWORKS

Yes, yes, and yes! We permit live candles on the tables in the barn, and our votives and antique lanterns are included. The farm has 3 bonfire sites, all available for a small fee, depending on where on our farm your guests are gathering that night. For the Afterparty, we offer a smores bar, mini pizzas and craft hotdogs. Fireworks are available through our fireworks vendor and are staged at our dozen private lakes and ponds, so that your guests not only enjoy the massive show in the air but also the reflection off the water. Fireworks are permitted because of our private lakes.

FOOD AND BAR

Just don’t call it catering. We are a team of NYC-trained chefs with two decades of high-end cooking experience. It’s all in-house. We grow or forage much of the ingredients on site, and we cook it in our own state-approved kitchen in the barn. It is food with integrity. And it is incredibly fresh with no preservatives. We also have our own bar team and liquor license. Some caterers claim to have the license, and nothing may happen, even if they don’t. But are you ok with a caterer taking that chance when you may be just as liable? Another benefit with all-under-one-roof, is it may be a lot cheaper because we grow and serve on-site with a leaner team. And you do not have the headache of managing more vendors than you have to.

WHAT ABOUT VENDORS?

While we cover so much of what you need in-house, including transport, lodging, food, bar, some decor, you do have to bring a photographer that represents your style and sensibilities and a band or DJ etc. We have an expansive vendor list. Every vendor on our list has been at the farm before and has done an amazing job for our couples - that is the key requirement to get on our vendor list. We don’t take a cut, there is no financial relationship, and vendors can’t pay to be on our list. And you don’t have to choose from our list. Complete transparency.

Where is Seven Ponds Farm?

Seven Ponds is located in the gorgeous Catskills area of upstate New York.  Under 3 hours from George Washington Bridge in New York City.  An easy ride from NYC, with mostly throughways, and scenic local roads and towns.  The area boasts activities such as fishing, boating, river tubing, hiking, and graceful spas for massage and relaxation.  Although a world away from the hustle and bustle of city life, the area offers an abundance of lodging and dining options and shopping.  Less than an hour from Albany and Hudson.

Directions to Seven Ponds Farm?

Follow GPS to Summit NY, and see the map below. Or follow these descriptions. From New York City, take the Palisades Expressway to the thruway (87). Exit Kingston exit 19, take route 28 to the Shandaken exit, and make a right over the mountain to Lexington. From Lexington, make a left and go through the little towns of Prattsville, and Grand Gorge, and make a right on route 10 in Stamford NY. Follow route 10 to Jefferson: and make a right towards Summit. From Summit follow the map below: