My wife and I searched up and down a good amount of the Hudson River for the "perfect" venue: something right on the water, small enough that we could actually take advantage of the whole property (what good are hundreds of acres if you are con...fined to one small portion?) but large enough that it would feel like a change of scenery as we progressed to different stages of the event. Not to mention, a bridal suite that we could stay in after the evening was over.
This place had everything we wanted (in a venue). It's important to note that this is strictly a venue, and you must bring in your own outside vendors. They do have a list of approved, preferred vendors, but you are not limited to that list. We went off-list for our caterer and after they met with the venue and provided necessary paperwork, they were approved.
The venue was pricey, but if you take into account what you get for it, the value is really there. A big perk for us was that they have an outdoor tent permanently installed on the premises, with a stone/cement floor and a moveable dance floor. If you consider that renting a tent for any other outdoor space could run you $5,000-10,000 easily, just for the rental (of course, there are extra charges for delivery), you've saved yourself the hassle of finding one more vendor. Plus, even if it's been pouring rain (as it did for the full week), the tent, and the flooring beneath it, stay dry.
Wife and co got ready in the spacious bridal suite, while myself and the groomsmen got ready in one of the 6 cottages on site that are available for rent (another perk... having your bridal party stay at the venue with you). We got married on the grand lawn, had cocktail hour on the stone patio, made our way down to the tent for dinner and dancing, and finished up the evening with an after hours bbq and cocktail hour after-party in the grape arbor (perk). As I said before, it was important to us that every piece of these wedding feel unique, and we certainly accomplished that.
Our party was for 165, but the tent can fit up to 300-350 or so. Given the monsoon we had the day before, we rehearsed as if we would be having the ceremony inside the mansion. While it had a nice feel to it, it would've been a tight squeeze with a lot of standing guests, and we of course chose this venue for all of the outdoor amenities.
At times, getting ahold of the coordinator was difficult during the planning process, which stressed my wife out a bit, but in the two or so weeks leading up to the wedding, and especially on the day of, they delivered the concierge service we were expecting for the price point. At the end of the day, I understand that months ahead of your event they may not reply to an email/voicemail ASAP if there is an event happening that week... that couple deserves all the attention.
Every couple has different requirements -- we didn't see the value of having a historic mansion in the background that we were forbidden from entering, for example -- so this met all of our wants and needs. If you want an outdoor event right on the water in the Hudson Valley, it is definitely something worth checking out.