VENUE FEE INCLUSIONS

When you decide to book The Kester Homestead for your wedding — we want to make it as effortless as possible for you to achieve the vibe you’re hoping for without having to do a whole lot extra, so we’ve included many of the pretty touches in your venue fee to help bring your day to life.

We’ve planned a lot of weddings here on site and otherwise, so making sure we have your back is our top priority. We want to give you that outdoor vibe with basically everything you need all under one roof. Read on to see what’s included and what you can add on!

what to expect

HERE IS WHAT IS INCLUDED IN YOUR VENUE FEE:

  • WOODLANDS CATHEDRAL CEREMONY LOCATION - (no extra fee!) …seats approx. 120-130 guests on our vintage church pews with rustic wood arbor set in place.

  • GAMBREL BARN DINNER/RECEPTION LOCATION- (120’ x 40’ with 42’ ceilings) to host up to 170 guests for dinner & dancing under a barn roof with light pouring in from the wide open slider and double set of oversize French doors. There is a permanent bar in this location, electricity throughout, and romantic industrial chandeliers overhead. (No AC or heat inside barn). A large deck off of the double set of French doors leads you down into the Wild Garden, making this an easy transition between cocktail hour into your reception.

  • FIELDSTONE BARN WELCOME LOCATION- our open air small barn provides a perfect spot for guests to gather before the ceremony or to be used for covered cocktail hour. Comes with a bar, high top tables and romantic string lighting inside.

  • WILD GARDEN COCKTAIL HOUR LOCATION- our hidden garden behind main Gambrel Barn with string bistro lights, a bar and casual outdoor seating - ideal for cocktail hour, yard games, bonfires and late night dancing under the twinkling night sky.

  • 5 RESTROOMS (ADA COMPLIANT) - our bathrooms each come with a private sink/toilet which are cleaned and stocked with toilet paper/paper towels throughout the evening. They are styled with antique Audubon prints of birds in the area. One restroom has a shower - either for overnight house or camping guests.

  • CATERER’S PREP AREA - with 3 bay sinks, refrigerator and prep counters - no cooking in this area, but a great spot for caterers to use for service.

  • BRIDAL SUITE - a sweet little getting ready or staging space — there is also a shower in the barn, so this is an ideal getting ready place if you don’t rent the house - and if you do, a perfect spot for groomsmen or extra bridal party members to get ready.

  • TABLES & CHAIRS - the space will come with tables and chairs set to your vision.

  • “PROP CLOSET” - we offer plates, napkins, copper cups, silverware, lounge sets and a rotating assortment of other vintage offerings to style your event. If booking a Full Weekend Event - the entire Prop Closet is available for your complimentary use as long as your caterer runs point on bussing & dishwashing. If your caterer can not accommodate, we do require you to pay the rental fee and we’ll clean the items for you. Not booking for a Full Weekend Event? Not to worry, our Prop Closet items are still available for you to use with a rental fee. The Prop Closet is hosted virtually and can be viewed online.

  • VENUE REPRESENTATIVE / COORDINATOR ON SITE - available for the duration of your event to answer questions and make sure guests are safe and venue rules are followed.

  • CLEAN SPACE - we will ensure the venue is delivered swept, rugs vacuumed, and surfaces wiped down prior to “Hand Off” meeting arrival. This is very much an old working farm and 100+ year old barn - the charm is in the preserved antique character and can’t be expected to be pristine. We clean pews and maintain trails the morning of your event. At the end of your gathering, we wipe tables, put away our own decor/flower vessels/candlesticks and do a general reset of the space. All other clean-up is the responsibility of you and your vendor partners.

  • BONFIRE PIT & FIREWOOD - our venue representative on site will assist with building/maintaining the bonfire and we supply wood free of charge.

  • PARKING FOR UP TO 75 CARS - settled between The 1854 House & Gambrel Barn, walking distance to ceremony & reception site for your guests.

  • COUPLE’S PORTAL - a private curated portal with vendor recommendations, planning tools, schedules, floor plans and more to help guide you through your planning phase.

HERE IS WHAT YOU NEED TO COORDINATE:

  • OUTSIDE VENDORS - we allow you to book all of your own vendors with the exception of catering/bartenders (for 2023 and beyond). For 2023 we will require catering/bartending to be one of our Approved Catering Partners. You can find this on our Vendor List. While this is still very much a flexible policy at this time - we’ve found the best experience for you & your guests is to work with folks we know and trust. (Please note: we don’t take kickbacks or commission from vendors like some other venues do, so this is just our honest feedback and insight)

  • BOOKING OUR EXTRA PACKAGES - Check out our additional services & offerings that you may benefit from - Coordination Packages, Flower Packages, Additional Offerings.

  • EVENT INSURANCE - we require that you secure your own event insurance for your gathering and all of the information is in our Couples Portal - this is a very nominal fee. The Kester Homestead is fully insured.

  • BAR GLASSWARE is not included - but can be coordinated for an additional fee or you can reserve with your bartender.

  • ICE is not included and is not on location - but can be picked up for an additional fee or you can coordinate with your bartender.

  • TRASH/RECYCLING is not included - but can be added on for $150 or coordinated in advance with catering/bartenders.

  • TIPS for our in-house hardworking teams and your other vendor partners (optional but appreciated).