Farmstead at Long Meadow Ranch is an amazing outdoor venue for a wedding.
The one negative is their proximity to Highway 29. This is the main road connecting the towns in the Napa Valley, so there is a considerable amount of traffic (particu...larly on weekends when most weddings take place). You can hear the noise of the traffic during the ceremony and reception. And if you're lucky, like us, you can hear someone shout "Don't do it!" from the window of a passing car during the ceremony.
We chose Farmstead because they have both an outdoor space and indoor space, which we thought would be great to have in the case of inclement weather. Word of warning - if rain is forecast on your wedding day, Farmstead will require you to get a tent for the lawn. This should be in their new contract, so make sure to review it carefully. It was not in our contract, and we were told three days before our wedding that we would have to pay for a rented tent that would cost us almost $5,000 (after rental cost, 20% service charge, taxes). They do not allow smaller tents that use stakes, so your only option is a large, structural tent.
We were very fortunate that it didn't rain and we were able to have the wedding and reception outside without a tent. Guests got to play bocce ball during the cocktail hour and the "Live Fire" dinner option was a huge hit. The food is fabulous at Farmstead. I was thrilled with the make-your-own s'mores option for dessert and guests loved roasting their own marshmallows over the bonfires.
Farmstead has two indoor spaces - a small 'Potting Shed' and a larger room they call the Barn. The Potting Shed was the perfect space for the girls to touch up hair and makeup before the ceremony. We also used it for childcare during the event. It was great for parents to be able to bring their kids, drop them off with the babysitting service, and enjoy the event knowing they could look in on their children at any time. Farmstead even gave us options for children's meals at $10 each for kids under 8. We thought the barn would be the perfect place for the DJ and dancing. If you have a rustic theme, you can use it as it is but it can also be decorated easily.
One caveat if you are looking at booking Farmstead at Long Meadow Ranch for your wedding - read the contract thoroughly and ask for an itemized breakdown of the expenses. Elizabeth was great about explaining everything to me and breaking down the costs after we received the final bill, but it would have been better to receive that with every new proposal so I could see what each item cost. The proposals don't have the rental cost on them, so on the final bill I saw charges I had never seen (for example, renting the Potting Shed for childcare cost $500). The final bill won't have things itemized, so you'll see a charge for $6,000 for facility fees but won't know what charges that covers.
This is the only venue I came across that will add a 20% service charge to everything. It adds up, so be aware of that cost. In the end, I felt a bit nickel-and-dimed. I was told that if I used their bakery, Perfect Endings, the cake cutting fee would be waived. But because I ordered directly from Perfect Endings (instead of Farmstead, which meant they couldn’t make their extra 20%) Farmstead charged me $5/slice for cake cutting.
Service at the event was wonderful.