Response from the couple:
Hello Kerri,
Sorry if it is too much information, but it's a big decision, and you should know what you are getting into.
I was very happy with our decision to host our wedding there. My husband grew up on a farm, so we wanted to have a nod to his heritage, and make it personal.
Hallockville was rustic and beautiful. We still have a very positive connection to the place, and have fond memories there. We even looked a the place while it was
raining, and we still fell in love with it!
We had a larger crowd of 200 guests. We held our ceremony on site under the big tree with chairs set up facing the tree. We were unable to solely use the barn for our reception, so we had a tent set up outside with round tables of 8 chairs at each, with a dance floor under the tent. Inside the barn, we had our sign in guest book with a portable instant camera (think a new version of polaroid) we used the kitchen as a bar, and had photos set on the table, as well as a slideshow on a rotating reel, of photos of us growing up through the years with family and friends. Inside here, my videographer, also asked guests to provide messages/well-wishes to the bride and groom on camera in the light.
Luckily, I didn't have too many older guests, but I could see this being an issue. I had one older coworker who complained about the walk from the parking lot to the site, on the dirt road in the dark, that she was worried about falling. Word to the wise, it gets dark outside. Not sure what time you are having the event. Our tent provided enough illumination where we didn't need a light tower. But maybe you want to have walkway lights in the ground.
The restrooms...if you rent a VIP trailer (I would recommend Island Portables with Kevin Terry:
http://www.northforkweddings.com/islandportables/) the stairs are tight, but sturdy. Overweight guests might feel claustrophobic in there.
As far as a Bridal suite, I was able to use the Chick house (for a fee) for my privacy and to have space to get ready with my dress and use the restroom(Not sure if Herb is allowing this privilege to all renters)
Decorating and setting everything up and then taking it
down was perhaps my favorite part. I love to decorate, and personalize everything. Since we had a Sat night wedding, we were able to access the barn Thurs-Sun. since no other events were occurring. Herb literally gave my parents a key and we locked up when we were done. I incorporated this into my entire bridal party's duties the day before and we had so much fun together. (I thought about making it part of the rehearsal dinner, to avoid the cost of having it at another place, but I wound up hosting the rehearsal dinner at my home where we cooked.) I delegated tasks to all, giving the guys the hard tasks of hanging lights, "dressing the tree" with hanging mason jars
with fake flickering candles inside, and assigned the women to help me with photos, flowers, and the finishing touches. Herb let us use nails or a staple gun, to hang things up in the wood. He let us post a sign in the ground that had the name of my husband's farm. The decorating was easier than expected, and because I could get in the day before, I was SOOO relaxed the day of the wedding, knowing everything was where it needed to be.
The day after, we woke up in the hotel, had breakfast, then made our way back to the barn to clean up. We had a lot of garbage, but the caterers took most of it. We did not need to have a dumpster for trash,
which I was worried about the look of a dumpster nearby. My family has some big pickup trucks and SUVs so we had enough people to transport the leftover favors, centerpieces, leftover food which we could keep in the fridge...the decorations, etc.
Of course having a catering hall would be easier to work with for logistics, but I have some experiencing in event planning. It is all about the communication and coordinating vendors.
I was very happy with our caterer: Matt Karr from
Christopher Michael Caterers, http://www.northfork.com/catering/ But he helped me coordinate our rental
services from Classic Party Rentals http://www.classicpartyrentals.com/ and worked with our DJ (Music by Michael http://musicbymichael.com/) to orchestrate the event timeline so everything ran smoothly.
I think having access to the whole property gave guests a comfortable relaxed environment, where they weren't being told what to do, and when. The flow still worked well. I had picnic tables set up outside in various spots for guests to talk intimately.
I informed my guests to wear appropriate footwear, as it would be outside. This info was on my website, but not all got the message, so some people definitely had difficulty in heels. The tables were not an issue. It was not muddy. It was not wet. It was not too dusty. If you have cars driving around, have them enter and exit by the Main house, and not in front of your barn. I gave my bridesmaids flip flops in their bag of goodies to change into after the ceremony.
Having an event outdoors, at a non-traditional venue, you don't have a maitre de to help....you have to plan EVERYTHING. You have arrange to bring in the tables, chairs, entire tableware (utensils, plates, glasses, linens, etc.) You have to know and organize where the
dj sets up with enough electric not to overload the barn. If you are ready to take on everything, go for it. I used to plan major events for a living, so this type of thing is right up my alley. But it is still very stressful.
TIPS:
~ If it rains, and you have a port-o-potty trailer, the trailer needs to be parked first, and then the tent needs to go over it.Tents require permits from the Town of Riverhead in advance. A fire marshall will walk through a do an inspection during the event if they
want to.
~Wedding insurance is needed to cover yourself and Hallockville in case anyone gets hurt. This is hard to find. I was able to use Liberty Mutual, under the umbrella of my parents' homeowners' insurance to have
EVENT insurance...from june 4- june 6th, when we would be using the property. My homeowners' insurance would not cover it.
~ When it doubt...ASK. Don't assume. Communication is always best. Herb is great. Very organized, and responsive.
~Valet, although expensive, and at the time, not necessary, was worth it for me. I didn't have to worry about the cars not fitting in the lot.
~ If you have shuttle buses arranging transportation to and from the hotel, be sure to tell them an earlier pick up time, as traffic on rural roads includes slow tractors!
~ If you have Smokers in your crowd, designate a spot that is 25 feet from the barn and not near food tent. I set up two pews outside, and a large canister for cigarette butts.
~ I worried about the busy road nearby. We had 3 nieces and 1 nephew in the wedding under the age of 4, so I was worried about them wandering off. But that wasn't an issue. My sister and brother arranged a babysitter so they could be watched at all times, and they could still enjoy themselves.
Some photos might be on Hallockville's facebook page. I don't mind answering any questions. I love wedding planning.
Take care,
Allison
