Massachusetts-Boston

Barn venues

Hi everyone,

I'm newly engaged and have started the search for a wedding venue. My fiance and I are looking to get married in the Fall of 2016. We seem to be more interested in venues with a barn look. We live in central mass and would like to stay in the MA/NH area. Any ideas/suggestions are greatly appreciated! Thanks! =)

Re: Barn venues

  • Congrats!!  There are some pretty great options, but I found in my own search that a lot of it depends on your guest count.  Many of the barn venues I found would not hold more than 100-150 people, which ruled a lot of them out for us.

    I would start with Smith Barn in Peabody - that seems to be one of the most popular in MA and can hold up to 240.  We went to see it and it's very beautiful!  There is also Zukas Hilltop Barn in Spencer (though I think they mostly use a tent for the reception), Moody Mountain Farm in Wolfeboro, NH (so cute), Bishop Farm in Lisbon, NH.  Just the ones I can remember off the top of my head!

    I'm sure some of the other brides who actually went forward with barns can offer more personal experience (we went in a different direction).  Good luck!! :)


  • Just went to a Wedding at Zukas in November and it was inside (The outside tent was closed for the season), it was beautiful, very comfortable and elegant had fireplaces etc... not sure on the pricing..... but I think The Smith Barn at Brooksberry Farm in Peabody, MA is awesome location, perfect for outdoor ceremony and inside is very rustic and charming.

    I don't think there is heat there, so I think they are only open for events from May - October (I could be wrong though) but worth checking into., according to reviews online, the prices are not bad and cheaper on Fridays and Sundays.
  • Previous posters have some great suggestions! I would also add Gibbet Hill in Groton, MA as a barn option. If you're doing a small wedding, I would also check out the Gould Barn in Topsfield, MA, right next to the Commons.  But Smith Barn in Peabody is a great option.  FI and went to a wedding at Moody Mountain Barn in Wolfboro--such a cute wedding! That ended up being one of our favorite wedding's we've attended. 

    The Barn at the Crane Estate in Ipswich, MA is also supposed to be really beautiful, but for smaller weddings.

    Good luck!
  • Thank you all for your input! We are estimating around 150 guests and are looking at late Sept or early Oct. I appreciate all of your help! =)
  • edited February 2015
    Just a heads up--not to scare you, but it's a very good idea to secure something sooner rather than later, due to the popularity of fall barn weddings in New England. We are planning our barn wedding for Oct 2015 and most locations we looked at (we started our search in November 2014) were booked solid for 2015 and filling up for 2016. 

    That being said, I also agree with PPs about Smith Barn and Zukas Hilltop Farm. The Red Barn at Hampshire College is also lovely, and of course I'm biased in favor of my venue-- The Ranch Golf Club in Southwick... very affordable, lovely, and easy to work with. Never saw myself getting married at a golf club, but their restored barn is so beautiful. :)

    EDITED to add... Also, Bittersweet Farm in Westport, MA looks really cute (and affordable), too!

    (Edited again because I realized I made a mistake... the barn at Hampshire is called "The Red Barn!")
  • Yes - agree with rusticbride!  Forgot to mention that in my post.  We started looking in October 2013 for our Fall 2015 wedding - Smith Barn was our first stop, and it was booked solid for 2014 and only had a few dates left for 2015.  This is not to say you should rush into anything just to book a venue - but if you see a barn venue you love and it has availability that works for you (and obviously other details like budget/size etc), and your gut is telling you to book it - don't wait!!! :)


  • We also wanted a barn look for our wedding and our two choices were Smith Barn and Harrington Farm. We went with Harrington Farm because we feel we are getting a bit more for our money there but I still love Smith Barn as well.
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  • edited March 2015
    Totally second @rusticbride27...start looking right away, they book fast.

    And actually - I booked Bittersweet Farm in Westport, MA. They have very affordable packages, although I did notice the prices went up for 2015. Book your packages now and you'll lock in the 2015 prices (except for the food price). We booked in November of 2013, so we locked in lower rates.

    Bittersweet is SO nice and offers a unique space because it has a loft upstairs as well as a separate lounge area. Downside: the upstairs is not handicap accessible. 

    When we booked in Nov 2013, they were already booked for every Saturday in the Fall of 2015...so if you're interested, look soon!!
  • Hi , Congrats on your engagement!

    I agree with other posters, start looking ASAP, we are planning a Sept. 2015 wedding at a barn, and in December 2013 people had already started booking dates.

    That being said, we booked Quonquont Farm in Whately, Mass , it is very nice, and I think on point price wise with most venues. http://quonquont.com/ . You can get married in the orchard, and have the reception in the converted dairy barn . They have linen and table setting packages available, and a bar, but you must provide the caterer. The capacity is 200, but I wouldn't go over 160-165 for comfort.

    I've also heard wonderful things about Alyson's Orchard in Walpole, NH http://www.alysonsorchard.com/ .


  • Thanks everyone for all of your suggestions! You're right! When I started talking to several of these venues, I couldn't believe how far booked they all are! We ended up booking September 16, 2016 @ Zukas Hilltop Barn in Spencer. We are very excited! =) 
  • Ohhh, Zukas is fantastic!!! Congrats on your choice and happy planning! :)
  • Lindsey61811, where did your guests stay for Harrington? My wedding is October 17th this year, don't know a hotel yet. I picked the venue last minute....thanks
  • I was a guest at a wedding at the Red Lion Barn on the South Shore and the food was cold and took forever to get served. HTH!
  • Old Sturbridge Village is a great place for a barn/rustic wedding...just sent another friend there but they had no availability for fall of 2016 for Sat dates. Awesome offers on Friday and Sunday dates though!
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