My husband and I got married this July at Locust Grove, and we could not be happier with our choice. We were looking for venues in the Hudson valley near Poughkeepsie, where my hus...band is from and most of his family still lives, and came across Locust Grove online. We were looking for the very popular “rustic” venue and did research on lots of barns, but most of them either couldn’t hold more than 130 people (our guest list was 150+) or didn’t have AC (my mom’s #1 priority) or you had to bring in your own bathrooms. Most of those sites also do not have kitchens onsite either, which we learned can translate to higher catering costs as they need to rent more equipment. We wanted a venue that would include a little bit more than bare timbers but still allow us to personalize and make the space our own. From our first walk-through at Locust Grove, we were hooked. We loved that Locust Grove was a historic site instead of a “wedding factory” and that our money was going towards maintaining the original house as a museum as well as the upkeep of the grounds and gardens. It has the most beautiful locations throughout the grounds for photos, and having our ceremony outside on the lawn in the shade of a gigantic tree was just perfect. The large porch area was great for cocktail hour, and our caterer set the bar up there and it was busy all night! We also had our buffet set up outside on the porch in stations, which worked out perfectly. I was also so happy we had an air conditioned reception as it was definitely a hot and humid day! While some of the decorating rules (no tape/hanging anything, no sparklers, etc) may seem restrictive, we were able to come up with ways of decorating (hanging chalkboards from easels with the menu, displaying photos on top of tables in old windows) that still allowed us to incorporate all the rustic décor elements I wanted without overwhelming the natural beauty of the location. Last but not least, Ken Snodgrass, the executive director, was so helpful and accommodating. He answered emails promptly, always had the answers to any questions we came up with, and was happy to meet with us to look over the layout of the room as we were planning details closer to the big day. Overall, we felt like the value we got at Locust Grove was second to none. We definitely recommend it as an amazing wedding venue!