7 Important Things to Consider Before Booking an Upstate NY Wedding

My how wedding ceremonies and receptions have changed over the years.

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I began Mobile DJ services back in the early 80s. At that time, most ceremonies were held in a church and the reception would be in one of many types of places including a hotel, a legion hall, a restaurant, a fire department recreation hall, or a private home to name a few places. I would just DJ the wedding reception.

Fast forward to now, and I'm finding that many couples have been getting married in the same place as their reception. The setting is certainly one of the reasons for that. Especially if the ceremony is outdoors in a nice area like near a lake, a river, a wooded area, or just a place with an amazing view.

Places for the ceremony and reception that are becoming more popular, are places I imagine you may have attended lately if you have attended a wedding - barns. And there are a lot of nice barns in the Southern Tier of New York and Northeast Pennsylvania that have been modernized for a perfect wedding or any other special occasion for that matter.

Three recent weddings and receptions I played music for, were all held in a barn. All three settings were amazing. One barn had us set up on a landing about 8 feet above the dance floor. That was interesting, but fun.

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But, before planning a wedding in a barn setting, I thought of a few things to keep in mind or check for a perfect wedding for you, your guests, and the people you hire such as the caterer, photographer, DJ/band, etc.

Electric Availability

First, as a DJ, I think, are there enough outlets to cover everything that needs to be plugged in? Are the electrical settings grounded? I ran across a problem once where the electric system had an issue and it caused my speakers to emanate an annoying hum.

Where Is The Loo?

How are the bathroom facilities? It's something to think about. I've been to barn weddings that ranged from a portable trailer with nice heated/air-conditioned bathroom facilities, to modern facilities inside the barn to just a barely upgraded outhouse. My advice is to have enough facilities to accommodate your guests. No one likes to wait in a long bathroom line at a wedding reception. Especially the DJ who's song is about to end!

Kitchen/Catering Area

Some barn venues do not have kitchen facilities, so you may need to bring in a caterer. Is there enough room for the caterer to do what they need to prepare the meal, and is there enough room for a buffet if you are going that route? And again, are there enough electric outlets/power to adequately serve the caterer's needs?

Let's Not Get Buggy!

If the wedding ceremony and reception are being held in the warm months of the year as many are, is there a bug issue? Nothing like fighting off mosquitoes or bugs that enjoy buzzing around the lights during an evening wedding reception. You might want to consider having items on hand that help keep the bugs away.

Where To Park?

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Parking Wars. Since the barn is not a normal venue that has paved parking spots and plenty of them, is there enough room around the venue for the number of vehicles descending on your special day? Would busing some guests in or maybe the wedding party/parents to free up limited parking space?

Mother Nature Puts A Damper On Your Winter Wedding

If your wedding in a barn is during the winter time, and in a rural setting, what would you do if a winter storm hit the day before or the day of your wedding? What would your backup plan be? If a recent wedding I attended where the event was off a dirt road in the middle of nowhere, was a week earlier, a nasty storm that occurred that day, would have been a major issue.

A Temperature Controlled Wedding Makes For A Comfortable Wedding

Lastly, but not the least thought. Is the barn temperature controlled? I was at a wedding in the wintertime where the barn where the reception was held, was toasty warm, but the wedding ceremony was in a separate barn with no heat. But to be fair, the venue did provide several portable heaters, and the setting was amazing, so it was all worth it.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I think having a wedding ceremony and reception in a barn venue is a great idea, and so far, every place I've attended has been nothing less than amazing. You should have no trouble finding one near you in the STNY or NEPA. If that's the route you take, well, enjoy!