Birch Hill Estate and Stablegate Farm

ppy we were able to celebrate it here. Every thing was beautiful from the delicious food, to the great staff service. 10/10! 

not hers. We can't say enough about her. I highly recommend Birch Hill Estate.

nt coordinator Serena helped the entire planning process go smoothly and was prompt with answering any questions we had along the way. Any nerves I had the morning of my wedding melted away as soon as I walked into the venue. It was absolutely beautiful and better than imagined. Serena and Birch Hill staff were attentive to us with food and drinks the entire night - we never wanted for anything! Serena even gave spot-on creative suggestions for our wedding table flowers and some prime photo spots. Many of our guests have given rave reviews about the venue set up and how delightful the staff were. We went with their Cocktail Style catering package upon Serena's recommendation. It made for a really nice flow with no long lines and a variety of options for guests to choose from. Almost everyone told us how much they loved the food...several commenting that it was the best wedding menu they've ever had. This venue was reasonably priced, extremely organized, and are truly wonderful at what they do. We'll be forever thankful for Serena and her team!

. As far as the actual wedding, we could not have been happier with how the day went! From the food to the atmosphere, our wedding day was everything we had hoped it would be.

y. My wedding planner was Serena and I would highly recommend her to anybody and everybody. She was so incredibly helpful throughout the entire planning process. The food was absolutely delicious and the service was outstanding. Our guests ranted and raved over both for weeks! We truly couldn't have asked for a better wedding venue and catering service. We are so incredibly happy and will forever be grateful we chose Birch Hill as our wedding venue.

w amazing he was on our big day—let alone the time leading up to it and afterward. Our ceremony was scheduled for 4 p.m.; however, it had been raining since noon. The bride and I were ready to make the call to have an indoor ceremony instead of using the Hudson 360 hilltop (which has an absolutely GORGEOUS view). But not Jared—he diligently monitored the radar, made calls to check the storm's status, and repeatedly assured us that we’d have our hilltop ceremony. To everyone’s surprise, the skies cleared, and the sun shone down on us for the 30 minutes we needed for the ceremony and some mingling before the introductions began. During the reception, Jared was incredibly attentive—not only to us but to all our guests as well. We can’t wait to return for events at the attached winery!

all my questions and concerns. Jared went above and beyond in many ways. Jared was able get us food we didn’t get the chance at the tasting event. He even carried me went my feet hurt at the end. Like all weddings not everything goes as planned but Jared made everything seamless like it was always the plan. The food was delicious and I’m so pleased we chose to have our wedding at the lodge.

tentive to all our needs, detail oriented and diligent. We were pleased with the effort that was put forth to make our day as smooth and stress free as possible. Our guests were blown away by the venue, the food, and the friendly service. I would highly recommend planning your wedding rehearsal, ceremony, and reception at Birch hill for a memorable event. We also would like to highlight Jared as an amazing Day of coordinator, he worked with us every step of the way to make our vison come true.

or our day. The warmth and hospitality made us feel so welcome and the staff were all incredible to work with. They supported our vision and helped us accomplish the exact wedding day we dreamed of. Val and winery were an exceptional addition to the wedding, having them open as a welcome to guests added a personal touch that enhanced the celebration. We had a couple unconventional elements including a live performance from the groom, his sister and father, and stablegate went above and beyond to ensure everything was executed flawlessly. The venue itself was gorgeous and impeccably managed and maintained. We had our ceremony under the large catalpa tree and our reception inside the old barn which added a lovely ambience and environment. The afterparty lodge was the perfect setting to continue the celebration allowing us to fully enjoy the evening. We highly recommend Stablegate Farm and Vineyard to anyone seeking a wedding venue that combines natural beauty, exceptional service, and a welcoming atmosphere. Our day was truly magical, thanks to their outstanding team. We want to make a special mention to Jared who was our day-of planner and coordinator. Jared was an absolute dream to work with and did an astonishing job of managing our large and chaotic families. He ensured the entire day went off without a hitch and was nothing but kind, pleasant and incredibly efficient the entire time. We genuinely enjoyed our time with Jared and he did such a phenomenal job making our wedding day truly special!

d had an incredibly difficult time finding a place that we loved that was also within our budget. We’re from the LI area but knew we wished to get married upstate. We must have visited at least 10 venues. Then on our way home from one, my husband found Stablegate on a whim. We looked everything over and it had the barn that I wanted, and the catering included that my husband wanted and I said “if we visit and we like it, I’m putting a deposit down the next day.” And that’s exactly what we did. Birch Hill is an incredible family owned company with so many aspects attached to it, it was hard not to fall in the second we saw it. Over 2.5 years, I never once regretted that decision and once the wedding day came and went I knew it was the right choice for us. The food is amazing and a ton of different options (including catering to my vegan guests), the staff are incredible, and the vibes are immaculate. Our wedding coordinator Jared was really the star of the show. He was super accommodating to all of our needs, organized, and just all in all a ridiculously sweet and funny guy. When our wedding day ended up getting rained out, he came up with backup plans right on the spot that honestly fit our vibe so much more than our original plan and I really truly have Jared to thank for that. Jared treated us like we were old friends that he was just helping throughout the day. He is someone I will truly forever be the most grateful for to have on my wedding day. I have heard so many horror stories about venues, and I can honestly say this is not one of them. Stablegate Barn and the Birch Hill Catering Company have my highest recommendation. And if you need a coordinator, ask for Jared. Really truly from the bottom of my heart, thank you for an amazing wedding day.

. He went out of his way to make our day special and I could not say thank you enough! Birch hill is so beautiful and made everything so easy!!!

wedding. You feel like you’re tucked away in the country, so picturesque. Our day felt and looked like it was out of a fairytale. Thank you so much Birch Hill for helping us have the most perfect wedding day!!

n cause we ended up with Serena and I cannot say enough good things about her. The service she provided was extraordinary. Not only did she make the planning a breeze - but was beyond helpful the day of!! Originally we were going to have it "streamside" with the gothic-like arch, but after the rehearsal and the chill in the air we moved it inside. The ceremony was lovely and everything went as planned. I was expecting some MAJOR issue as many weddings have - and there wasn't one! Serena not only helped with the buttoning, floofing and the bustle of my gown, but during the cocktail hour prepared a dish for us so we were able to have one of each Butlered Hors d'oeuvres; made another plate of our favorite items for our sweetheart table; and when someone needed Advil - she was able to get them within minutes!! Like I said before - I cannot say enough good things about her (and we're not easy to please). As for the food - people are still talking about it...I said to my husband I want to divorce him just so we can have another wedding at Birch Hill!! :D

the Columbia Ballroom with our reception immediately following in the Conservatory Room. Our guests were blown away by the amazing service and fantastic food! Many guests made it a point to communicate to us that it was the best food they've ever had at a wedding. I wish I could relive the experience all over again, Serena and the rest of the staff made sure it was the best night of our lives! 10/10 recommend!

he whole planning process incredibly smooth and easy, and our wedding day was nothing short of perfect. Jisung was our coordinator and she was a superhero for us during the weeks leading up to the big day and the wedding itself. She was very detail oriented, coming from a detail oriented person myself, and made sure everything ran as it should between coordinating outside vendors and her staff. Our guests have not stopped raving about their experience, and most highly the food throughout the wedding. We would definitely get married here again!

Between the beautiful options for ceremony/reception, the scenic outside grounds available for our photos, and the food- our friends and family keep telling us how it was the best wedding they've been to, ever. Our wedding coordinator, Serena, was especially accommodating and on top of all our needs throughout the process. We felt so comfortable putting our wedding day into her hands and because of that we were able to truly enjoy our day. Anything from shooting follow up emails during planning, to literally dropping everything in her hands and fixing my broken bustle *moments* from our reception introduction- she really gave us her all and treated our day if it was her own. She was a total professional and pleasure to work with, and if you're looking to have a stress free wedding day, she's your girl!

our needs. The food was plentiful and delicious with a beautiful presentation. We had an outdoor tent wedding that had the feel and look of a grand ballroom mainly due to the Birch Hill team who went above and beyond. We highly recommend them for your catering needs. You won't be disappointed - we surely weren't.

ef to find a beautiful barn with all the fixings on site. Little did I know that the owner is an absolute a**hole and might be the rudest business owner I've ever met. Expect him to Nickle and Dime you for everything. I understand this must be a difficult industry to work in and I'm sure there are a lot of difficult brides. However, this man quoted us $1,000 for a seafood bar then increased that price to $4,000 in less than a year due to "the market". They require you to pay for the liquor license on the day of your wedding but won't let you bring any alcohol for your bridal party for while they are getting ready. I've been in 5+ weddings and every venue let the bride and groom bring AT LEAST a bottle of prosecco for the bridesmaids for while getting ready. But have no fear! They'll allow you to purchase alcohol through them and they'll just mark up the price by A LOT. Not to mention, they also called me a few months prior and told me I had to shift everything up by a half hour because of a "noise ordinance" in the town. You think they would have been a little apologetic about this considering I already sent out invitations with the time but no. Then for the wedding day...we had planned a beautiful outdoor ceremony up the hill overlooking some mountains. The owner charges $1750 for a trolley to bring the guests up the hill (30 seconds), whatever...we were willing to pay it. The day of our wedding, it started to rain about 20 minutes before our ceremony was set to start. The owner was using the trolley to bring our arches up for the ceremony. He actually said to one of my bridesmaids, "If I bring these arches up there but if it starts to rain, I'm not bringing them back down." This made me cry because I was clearly upset it was raining and was also upset at the fact I might not have the arches for our ceremony. I told the bridesmaid to tell him not to bother bringing the arches up. Anyways, we ended up having the ceremony inside (which was another whole ordeal but I'll spare you the details). So later, when we asked if we could get refunded for the $1750 trolley (which was never used to transport our guests) and for the $250 outdoor bar (which was never used because of the rain) the owner, Stephen, said no. I've honestly never dealt with a worse business owner. The thing is, he won't even care about a bad review, he doesn't care about his customers at all. The only good thing I will say was the food was great. Avoid this place at all costs. I was embarrassed to have had my wedding there.

everyone said it was because the food was so good that they filled up on that and didn’t leave room for cake - it was that delicious. We also had lots of guests with food allergies and intolerances and they were very accommodating. We really enjoyed working with them, we worked closely with Jennifer who was so kind, and the rest of the staff we met were also great. For their services, the prices really are not bad considering the quality of the food, the service, and the people! We highly recommend them!

Hill had to offer. We literally did not have to worry about one thing, from the food to the bar to the set up, Birch Hill covers it all. This took a huge stress off our shoulders and allowed us the time to focus on getting married. MAKAYLA is hands down the best wedding coordinator you could ask for. She matched our energy, understood our needs and our vision, and helped us have the most unproblematic, laid back and fun wedding we could have asked for. She was professional and organized, but had a sense of humor and was so fun to be around. We truly had the most amazing wedding day and it wouldn't have happened without her help.

flatware, etc., was rented to make sure the reception went smoothly. The food was fantastic, everything was set up perfectly, including some last minute changes. We would certainly recommend Birch Hill to anyone looking for a caterer.

details. The food was excellent, and they went out of their way to make sure that guests with dietary restrictions felt included and not an afterthought. The venue itself was beautiful, and we were very pleased with all elements that Birch Hill provided.

or a perfect flow of events. The garden is beautiful, the barn is charming, and the overlook is stunning. The whole space is a 10/10. But now let's talk about the food! The Birch Hill staff went out of their way to ensure our guests from Texas had an authentic BBQ experience, and they walked away saying it was some of the best food they'd ever had. People went back for seconds and thirds, y'all! Finally, words cannot express how incredible the staff is. Jennifer is an angel. She's super responsive and would always jump on a call to answer my questions. She and the rest of the Birch Hill Staff will go way out of their way, and I think beyond the call of duty, to make sure the couple is catered to. They're truly great people to work with. If you're a couple looking for an amazing venue in NY state, look no further. You'd be very lucky to have Stablegate as your venue.

and during the wedding. We also worked with both Jessica and Sarah at times, and can not say enough positive things about them both. The ceremony was absolutely beautiful. We chose to get married at Hudson 360 and it was well worth it. We had our reception at the barn, which surpassed everything I could have asked for. The barn, the decor, and the overall ambiance are absolutely incredible. The reception, the food, the bar, and the service were all above and beyond our expectations. I truly cannot express how happy we are with our experience at Stablegate and I highly recommend both the venue itself as well as Birch Hill Catering.

e changed one thing! The evening was perfect!

wesome. They were quick to get back to us via email and very clear in their communication. Our coordinator was Jessica Ryan and she was absolutely fantastic. In our prep meetings, she asked thoughtful questions and helped us think through logistics for the day. We truly felt supported every step of the way. Day of, the entire Birch Hill team was amazing. They were all so friendly and helpful. Everything was so perfect at the wedding- we truly had the time of our lives. Jessica made everything so easy and just was always there to see if I needed anything. She checked in with me throughout the entire day, making me feel so supported. She helped me bustle my dress, got me drinks throughout the night and the Birch Hill staff offered me the passed apps throughout the night as well (which was helpful since the entire day was a blur to me and I had barely eaten!). All in all, I could not recommend Birch Hill catering more highly. Our guests are still raving about the food and we are just so happy with our experience! Thank you so much!

e start to finish and the staff made sure that my husband and I never had an empty plate or glass. The chef was very accommodating for guests with dietary needs or restrictions and there were plenty of options across the board. Jessica and the rest of the staff made sure our day felt personal, and we were able to have everything we wanted. She gave us lots of ideas for things we could do, and was happy to answer any of the millions of questions I had. She even made sure our rehearsal was able to happen in the middle of a snowstorm, and kept my head on my shoulders! I didn’t have to think about anything the day of and got to just sit back and enjoy our big day.

to the wedding and on the wedding date. We worked with Jessica who did an absolutely amazing job especially since we pushed our wedding out 5 times! She was on top of everything and didn’t miss a beat! She made our special day a day that I will always remember and the entire company did a fantastic job with the set up, the service, the food, literally everything. I could not have had my wedding at a better venue. I am so glad that we had our special day with the Birch Hill catering company! I wouldn’t have done it any other way! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!

lexibility in planning or details beyond the package we chose. There were some difficulties in communication in the beginning. Luckily with a change in staff, we ended up having an excellent relationship and experience. At the tasting event, we were initially underwhelmed by the food. Nothing bad, but also not impressive...the day of the wedding they killed it! We had a thanksgiving themed dinner for our wedding and we heard endless compliments on how great the food was. As noted on other recent reviews, we also had the 10% price increase. While it's frustrating to receive that email, it is clearly stated in the contract and they cannot be faulted. We do recommend doing a price freeze upon initial contract signing (read details in the contract). Cannot thank Jessica, her assistant, and the rest of the staff that day enough for helping things run so smoothly and their calming presence on such a big day!

nute fires on our wedding day and made sure everything went well. However, there seems to be a high turnover at this company as we went through three wedding coordinators as we planned our wedding. Also, we did end up having to pay an additional fee of 10% to cover costs from what we assume is from pandemic related issues.

wedding by 10%, without warning or compromise. We were so excited to get married here and now it’s just more unnecessary stress and having to figure out where an extra $2500 is coming from. Really, really poor business sense when Birch Hill claims to be struggling. Instead of raising prices going forward, they’re swindling the only customers they have: their current ones. That being said, our planners (Sarah and Jessica) have been wonderful and I do not blame either for this. Hence the 2 stars.

s of postponing due to covid, and all the uncertainty, the team continued to provide support and excellent communication. The premises are beautiful, the food is excellent and the service is wonderful! Jessica, our coordinator is professional, and truly excels in her role. We are so grateful she was there for us throughout the process of wedding planning and throughout our wedding day.

staff and delicious food! The venue was beyond beautiful!! . The staff was accommodating towards all our of requests and made our dreams come true!!

no one had booked the day before. I was able to put my own little touches the evening before which made things less stressful! Everyone was super sweet. Our guests LOVED the food, we added desserts and I don't regret it! My husband and I are truly thankful for everything, and we couldn't have imagine it going any better than what it did!

ing less than amazing. From start to finish, the planning was seamless. We are thankful we chose Birch Hill during these uncertain times because they were always there for us and always willing to accommodate to make us feel comfortable especially with these most recent extra precautions. Sarah was so communicative and responsive and we were confident we made the right choice from the beginning. Bonus - and of course the food was delicious! Guests were happy and they were safe and careful to maintain COVID precautions throughout the night. Thank you again Sarah and Birch Hill!!

xible in this oddest of years and worked with us to make it a very memorable experience! Jessica, Jordan & Gage did a fantastic job and were so responsive and helpful – impeccable service. The setup was beautiful and they helped us make the quick decision to have the ceremony and reception outside and said they would only need a few minutes to move everything inside if it did rain – it didn’t and we had a fantastic, outside, October wedding! The food was delicious and the choices for beer, wine and soda were great. We would definitely recommend to our friends and family to use Birch Hill!

s there every step of the way answering countless emails and questions. She is absolutely the BEST at her job hands down. Through all the stress of planning a wedding in a pandemic we finally got to the day and it was truly incredible. The entire day was flawless and that is 100% due to all of the efforts that Sarah and Jordan put in. They went above and beyond for our guests and made everyone feel safe and welcomed. There is truly not one thing I would change about that day and I will never be able to say thank you so the two of them enough for giving us a wedding day that was more magical and romantic than we could have ever dreamed of. From the fall color trees to the rustic feel of the barn, it was the best day that we could have ever asked for. They are truly the dream team and we were so lucky to have such an amazing team behind us every step of the way. We will truly miss working with both of them but will always have the greatest memories of a picture perfect day.

s parents’ backyard. The staff there could not be more friendly, fun or easy to work with. 10/10 I HIGHLY recommend.

Birch Hill. The owner is not in it for the couples, instead it is all about the money to him. I work in the hospitality industry and know how devastating this pandemic is in our world, along with everyone else's. I also know how important each and every client is to your business. I am still shocked with the treatment my fiance and I received from Steven, the owner of Birch Hill. For numerous, well thought out reasons, we unfortunately decided we needed to cancel our July wedding, mainly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The salesperson who had been friendly and nice to work with the two months up to that point, was not authorized to help so she passed us to Steven. Steven was not at all hospitable over the phone, instead he was incredibly rude to me. Instead of empathizing with me that we had to cancel our wedding that we were very much looking forward to, he accused us of underpaying the deposit, explained how much money he lost for holding the date for us, and to consider my deposit to cover my one email chain and one phone call with the salesperson. The venue billed us online and we paid that exact amount. We booked our wedding 3 months before our date only got our date after someone canceled days before we inquired. Of course I want the salesperson to get paid, but to say our full deposit covers our communication is outlandish. We never saw this pandemic coming. We booked one week before things started shutting down. We are all hurting from this, but it would have been nice to feel like our venue was trying to be accommodating and hospitable. I hope Steven feels good about making a woman cry. I hope he understands how upsetting it is to have to cancel this very anticipated day. I hope going forward he decides to work with couples and meet them in the middle so no one else has to feel the way we are feeling.

iful locales and delicious catering companies in the Albany area, finding the right one is not a quick task. I’m here to end your search for the perfect venue by highly recommending Birch Hill Estate. The professionalism of the planning and catering staff, the variety and quality of the locations and rooms, and the creativity and delivery of the food options made for an irresistible combination that sealed the deal for us, and should for you. If you were ever looking for a venue that would respond with “Yes, we can do that” to any of your wedding requests, look no further than Birch Hill. Our experience with this venue started when we scheduled an appointment with one of their special events sales managers, Sarah Connor, who would later become our day-of coordinator. We met with her in person on-property, and she wasted no time in identifying the basics about what we were looking for, when and for what price. She had lookbooks and slideshows to demonstrate the venue mid-event, and then took us around for a tour of the indoor and outdoor locations. Pretty early on, she could tell we were foodies (out of town, living in the Washington D.C. area), so the menu became one of the focal points of discussion. Sarah told us about the three types of food serving styles they could do, and we settled on the “food station” style, knowing that we wanted to allow for our guests to try foods from our eclectic and varied cuisine choices. Like I said before, not once did Sarah say “We can’t do that”... instead, it was always a positive affirmation that they would make it work. That’s what you need from a coordinator, and from a wedding venue. With the day and venue spot chosen, we just had to work with Sarah over the months to refine guest lists, specific packages and arranging for occasional in-person food tastings, of which our family members remarked was excellent. During the planning period, Sarah also let us know that we had some flexibility for weather concerns, and options to flex to other venue spots should the right conditions occur. Basically, she was assuring us that we were 100% covered. Week of the wedding, it was not hard to get hold of Sarah to finalize things, and for arranging our vendors. We were able to perform our rehearsal at the venue, but decided against hosting the dinner there for completely separate reasons (but it was an option!). Again, there was not a small adjustment or last-minute change that wasn’t met with a “Yes, we can make that work” from Sarah. Sarah was always around when we needed her, and kept us as on time as she could for our schedule. She made sure to cater to our needs and kept us a priority amongst the hustle and bustle of the night. She was instrumental in coordinating all of our vendors into a unique experience for our guests, many of which told us what a terrific night they had later on. We cannot thank Sarah and Birch Hill Estate enough for making our wedding as memorable as it was, except to try to convince you that you don’t have to look further.

n good hands. Jessica was in constant communication with us and was always there to give us advice or put our mind at ease if we were worried about any aspect of the wedding. From the moment we walked into the cocktail hour until the end of the night, Jessica and the Birch Hill staff made our day one we will never forget! The food was amazing, the staff was friendly and responsive, and our guests all raved about how beautiful it was. Birch Hill is such a great place to have a wedding, we would recommend it to everyone! Thank you Jessica and Birch Hill for making our wedding day go so perfect, we couldn't be more happy!