Had a lovely stay! Highly recommend. Everything was very clean, the grounds were gorgeous and Jim…read moreserved lovely coffee, muffins and fruit. Do keep in mind the blue room is a full size bed, which can be a squeeze for 2, and the bathroom is shared.

Reverend Jim is truly the best we could have asked for! Our wedding was in New Rochelle close to…read morewhere I grew up, but I planned it from where I live now in Milwaukee. Rev Jim was super flexible with Zoom/Skype video chat meetings because of this, and I even had the opportunity to visit him for an in-person meeting at his home when I was in town at the Beacon Hermitage. I must say this is a beautiful, stunning, and artsy property if you get the chance to visit! We worked with Rev Jim for a couple of years leading up to the wedding where he provided us a questionnaire for my husband and I to fill out separately with some personal questions about our relationship so he could learn more about us as a couple. I highly recommend taking this seriously as he was able to truly personalize and incorporate our love into the ceremony this way! Rev Jim also provided a document listing the different types of ceremonies to select what suits us best. We aren't the most religious, but wanted a little mention of god's blessing to appease our family, and he nailed that. He was also very accommodating with having a couple of family members conduct a reading, as well as allow time for my step-sister (who is a musical theatre professional) to sing at the beginning of our ceremony. We also decided for our unity ceremony to do the handfasting which truly "tied the knot"! During our reception, we received so many compliments from our guests on his ceremony, and even had some friends ask if they can use him for their wedding! He was so positively impactful and is someone to remember forever as such a big part of our special day! Check out his Instagram (@revjimrooney) to get a glimpse of what he does! You won't be disappointed!! Thank you for all the hard work and dedication!!!

I thoroughly enjoyed working with Sandra O'Connell or Hudson Valley Ceremonies. Not only did she…read morestreamline the bride's "to do" list by recommending musicians and florists, her excellent knowledge of wedding-day requirements helped ,  my Daughter in Law Amanda immensely, saving her lots of computer search time and false-starts.  Her help walking us through the rehearsal was vital, getting us organized the day of and "on our spots" at the right critical time. It's all such a whirlwind of activity. And the logistics at our farm were challenging, to say the least. I also greatly appreciated how, during the actual wedding and party afterward, Sandra and her assistant were there, in the background, keeping the caterer happy, moving tables, shuttling slightly inebriated guests to their cars, (thank you, especially for that. I think I would still find people walking the horse pasture fence, looking for their cars.) And for doing the behind-the-scenes things that rarely are noticed, unless they're not done. (For example, one of the porta potties malfunctioning). Sandra handled that with quiet speed. And mostly I appreciated how she took care of Amanda's mother's doilies, the family mementoes, tucking things away in the pool house for safe keeping. And for a good, general tidying up at the end of the night.

We were married this past September at Timber Lake Camp and had the wedding (and weekend) of our…read moredreams thanks to Sandra O'Connell at Hudson Valley Ceremonies. If you don't get to the end of this review and only read one thing: Hiring Sandra was one of the best decisions we made for our wedding. She is beyond dedicated to giving you the wedding of your dreams, and her ability to execute and make it ALL happen is nothing short of extraordinary. Every wedding needs a Sandra! We had the pleasure of working with Sandra from the beginning of our wedding planning journey all the way through our 3 day wedding weekend. When we were stumped looking for venues that could accommodate our large guest list AND a weekend-long celebration. Sandra approached us with a "think outside the box" venue: Timber Lake Camp, a beautifully serene summer camp nestled in the Catskills. We were unsure about the idea of a summer camp wedding but trusted her instinct - and thankfully we did. The day we visited the camp we knew it was PERFECT. 500 gorgeous acres with plenty of room to accommodate ALL of our guests, that we could have all to ourselves for an entire weekend - camp cabins, facilities, staff, and all! It truly felt like she had pulled a rabbit out of a hat and that was only the start of Sandra's magic! Throughout the entire year and a half long planning process, Sandra lent us her ear and expertise: she listened to our wishes, concerns, thoughts; guided us through a million different decisions; provided alternative options/ideas to meet our budget; and found the perfect vendors to bring our vision to life. She sat in on our calls with the coordinator at the camp, and even made visits to the camp with us - including one visit during a snowstorm! She also managed our multitude of vendors (including 3 separate caterers!) from the initial inquiries all the way through to the end of packing up after the wedding. When the wedding weekend came around, Sandra stayed on site all 3 days and made every event run smoothly - we felt like she was somehow everywhere all at once! We had multiple events, including our rehearsal, a Welcome BBQ, Karaoke Night, late night bonfire, and activities throughout the camp. If there were any hiccups, we didn't know about them! The day of the wedding, between everything she was coordinating and the multiple vendors on-site, she somehow still found time to check in with us to make sure we were okay. But honestly we truly felt at ease with Sandra running the show. Her professionalism, calmness, and get-it-done attitude made every part of the weeknd run seamlessly! And on top of it all, she made our marriage official by signing our marriage license. :) A total bonus that she is ordained and a special memory to share with her as she was such a big part of our special day! Our guests are still talking about how magical the weekend was. Many specifically commented that even with so many events and activities going on, it was one the most well-coordinated and organized weddings they'd attended. It was definitely a huge effort to pull off a 3 day wedding weekend on a 500 acre camp, but teamwork truly made this dream work! We could not be more grateful to Sandra, her team, and all of our amazing vendors for giving us a wedding better than we could have ever imagined! We can't recommend Sandra and HVC enough.

I cannot recommend Jacque and Lifetime Events by Jacqueline highly enough! From start to finish,…read moreJacque went above and beyond to create an unforgettable winter ski getaway and an incredible 50th birthday celebration at Whiteface Lodge. Every detail was handled with precision and care--from crafting a daily itinerary of winter activities like skiing, ice skating, and dogsledding, to orchestrating a spectacular birthday bash complete with shuttle service for guests, stunning décor, catering for food and beverages, a fantastic DJ, photographer, and even fun photo booths. The list of what she managed is endless! What truly stood out was Jacque's professionalism and calm confidence throughout the entire process. Even when things were uncertain, she never wavered. Jacque made me feel completely supported, as if I had a trusted partner who always had my back. Her ability to anticipate needs, solve problems quickly, and keep everything running smoothly ensured that I could relax and enjoy every moment knowing I was in good hands. If you're looking for someone who combines creativity, organization, and grace under pressure, Jacque at Lifetime Events by Jacqueline is the one. She turned my vision into reality and exceeded every expectation. I am beyond grateful for her hard work and dedication! Thank you Jacque!! Keisha Grant-Heslop

Jacqueline did it all from finding the venue down to the decor for my 4 year old's fairy themed…read moreparty! It was a gorgeous and fun party and I had absolutely nothing to with most of it which was amazingggg. If you need an event planner because you simply don't know how or don't have the time to plan anything, she's your girl. She will deliver professionally and beautifully!

Working with Cathy was amazing! Cathy helped us every step of the way and really helped to relieve…read morea lot of stress throughout the whole process. Cathy was incredibly organized and made sure we thought through every detail and provided input when we needed help making a decision. On the day of our wedding Cathy made sure everyone and everything was in the right place at the right time. When another vendor made a few mistakes, Cathy made sure we got a full refund from them and that we did not have to worry about it at all on the day of our wedding. The day after our wedding my wife and I joked that the worst part of the wedding being over was that we wouldn't get to work with Cathy anymore. We can't recommend her services enough!

Multiple times during our wedding planning process, we looked at each other and wondered out loud…read morehow any of this would be possible without Cathy. Working with her made any alternative completely unthinkable. There are not enough positive adjectives to describe how fantastic she is, both personally and professionally. Cathy and her staff were incredibly helpful and informative throughout the entire process, and were always able to respond to our many, many questions quickly and correctly. We met Cathy through The Farm at Pond Lily, but would unreservedly recommend her for any event of any size. Her wealth of knowledge about wedding planning is unparalleled, and she worked seamlessly with every vendor we used. Her reputation preceded her with everyone we contacted, all of whom had nothing but good things to say about her. Although the planning process can be overwhelming, Cathy remained helpful, comforting, and down-to-earth about everything. Her organizational prowess is awe-inspiring. Simply put, she gets shit done. Why are you still reading this? Go hire Cathy now.

Wow, who knew you can get what you paid for and more! I'm so grateful for G's All Around Production…read moreand the owner Geraldine (Geri) she was so helpful and so great with us. We were planning our wedding and we cut cost tremendously! It looked like I spent a lot of money and I got compliments about our wedding. We were so happy!

From the owner: Planning, coordinate, and decorate weddings and events, brunches, birthday parties (children,…read moreadults) , social events, re-pass, church functions, seminar workshops and launching parties as well. Any event you can think of we can do it to fit our customer's unique imagination.

SED did an Amazing job helping me plan my husband's surprise 30th birthday. Kay was delightful and…read morea pleasure to work with. She is professional and easy to collaborate with. She has terrific ideas and takes what the client wants into consideration. My husband was surprised and loved the work that she did to make his birthday extra special. I would HIGHLY recommend Signature Event Design to plan your next event. I will be using them again!

From the owner: Signature Event Design, LLC (SED), specializes in unique and creative event planning. Whether…read moreyou're planning your special day, a blowout birthday bash, graduation party, baby shower, or a momentous anniversary, we can help you design and plan your one of a kind celebration. Your special celebration should be a reflection of you, and Signature Event Design wants to bring all those details to life. Signature Event Design puts great care and attention into coming up with the perfect mix of all the details' the invitations, the cocktails, the music, the flowers and the menu. If you can imagine it, Signature Event Design can make your party idea a reality, handling every aspect from planning to execution. Please contact us to discuss for pricing for your social occasion.

So thankful I found Paula! She married my husband and I in September and it was perfect. She is…read morevery informative and easy to work with everything was just great!

From the owner: What my clients love about my Officiant services is that I'm professional, flexible and able to…read morework with their budget. I go out of my way to make the day easy for the couples so that the stress level is minimal. I Officiate Weddings as well as Life Celebrations and love it all.

Megan and Kenneth have been our go-to photographers for many moments of our relationship -- because…read morethey're so good that we keep coming back!!! Years before we got married, they photographed us in a staged shoot and made such an impression that we hired them 2 years later for our engagement and wedding. The photos they capture bring out so much more than the obvious beauty of the moment. Somehow, they evoke emotion so effortlessly. The only time you remember they are even photographing you is when they are complimenting you & hyping you up. What I love even more is that they pop over to show you how good you look on camera. There is no time to feel self-conscious when they are behind the camera because they make sure you feel as good as you look. Some of our favorite things about them include: - There are two of them!!! Which means more perspective and better shots. - They have such an insane eye for detail and creative vision. You can just focus on being present, knowing they've got it handled. can't stress this enough: the hype. They make you feel like the main character of your life. - The finished product!! They can walk the walk. Their photos are just stunning. Their editing style feels natural and vibrant but also tailored to the couple they photograph. - Their generosity. They feel like more than photographers in the room. They become your friends and your cheerleaders. Never in a million years would I have imagined that my guests would still be talking about our incredible photographers months after our wedding, but people remember them!! They remember how much fun they are, how kind they are, how freaking cool they look while they're trying to get different angles of the shot. Our wedding will definitely not be the last time we work with them. We can't recommend them more highly. They are indeed the best investment you can make for your day. 100 out of 10.

Meghan and Kenneth were incredible for us! I could not recommend them enough. Great photographers…read moreand better people.

I recently hired Bianca to help plan our 15 year class reunion. Bianca responded on the very same…read moreday that I emailed her. She made herself available for a phone call within the next day, and got me a quote the day following. While all of that sounds like maybe it's standard, I called other planners who took days to reply between exchanges, if they replied at all! Bianca's timely communication continued as we worked together. She quickly made progress in getting quotes from caterers, reserving fun activities for kids, and setting up systems for RSVPs. Bianca was also extremely reasonable on price and quick to come up with fun but affordable ways to make our reunion feel special. She was also just really cheerful and pleasant to talk to. Sadly the reunion ultimately got canceled (absolutely nothing to do with Bianca's work, just internal disagreements among alum about the plan) so we didn't get to see her work come to fruition but I'm confident it would have been great. Upon my canceling, Bianca kindly and unexpected refunded me some of the deposit I had paid her, which I thought was above and beyond. If I ever need to plan another event in Dutchess County I will be calling Bianca. Thanks Bianca!

From the owner: As Day of Wedding Coordinators, we're there to make it happen. Our goal is to have as much…read moreknowledge as we possibly can about your details, logistics, and dreams for the day. We are the main liaison with all the vendors. We are your voice when a question arises and have your best interest at heart in all decision making. We put out fires before they even happen. It's our duty to ensure your vision is implemented and managed the entire day so you don't have to!