Hudson Valley Wedding Venues: Field Notes From Five Places We Know Well
About an hour north of the city, the river widens and the weekend changes shape. Couples who marry up here plan for two or three days. Guests check in on Friday. Somebody organizes a hike that half of them skip.
We’ve photographed Hudson Valley wedding venues for most of the almost twenty years we’ve lived in New York. These are our notes on five of them, ordered by distance from Manhattan, closest first. For each one we’ve written down how the light behaves, what we’d plan around, and the couple we picture there.
Sleepy Hollow Country Club Wedding, Briarcliff Manor
Westchester County. About 45 minutes from Midtown.
Sleepy Hollow is the black tie room of the region and it wears that easily. The getting ready rooms in the clubhouse are full of window light, which makes a wedding morning very easy to photograph.
We photographed Erin and Jon here in August 2021. Erin’s room was loud in the best way, music on and hair dryers going. Down the hall, Jon sat in a chair by the window like he had all the time in the world, until his dad stepped in with the tuxedo jacket. Una Kim of Daughter of Design planned the weekend, and Erin wore Emilia Wickstead for the ceremony.
What to plan around: The late light comes in low across the river. We’d protect twenty minutes around sunset for portraits on the lawn, because that window is short and it’s the best one you get.
Who it suits: A formal evening with a long guest list and a family that will appreciate a proper ballroom.
The Tuxedo Club Wedding, Tuxedo Park
Orange County, in the Ramapo Mountains. About an hour from Midtown.
Tuxedo Park is a gated village built around a lake, and the Club has sat at the edge of it since 1886. The tuxedo jacket made its American debut here. That tells you most of what you need to know about the dress code.
Samantha and Matthew married here in June 2017. Their first look happened outside. Her train caught the breeze before he turned around, and she was laughing already. After dark the ballroom went to candlelight, with purple lilac and hot pink peonies from Melarosa set against mercury glass. Gina Maloney Events planned the day.
What to plan around: Ceremonies near the water get backlit in the late afternoon. We shoot straight into it on purpose. Your guests will squint a little. The photographs are worth it.
Who it suits: Couples who love a room with a long history behind it, and who want the option of a ballroom or a tent on the lawn.
Glynwood Farm Wedding, Cold Spring
Putnam County. About an hour and fifteen minutes from Midtown.
Glynwood is a working farm outside Cold Spring, and it still feels like one when you pull in. Wide fields. Barns that are used for farming. A wedding here borrows the place for a day and you can tell.
Logan and Justin married at Glynwood in July 2019. They gave the weekend a running start with a lakeside welcome party the night before. By Saturday the tent had trailing branches wound up the poles, a Persian rug laid out like a living room, and red chairs that set the palette for the whole room. Peartree Flowers did the florals and Alison Events planned it. The bar cart was patina green iron with Ramazzotti and fresh mint, and we photographed it like it was a guest.
We shot most of that day on medium format film. Soft summer light on open fields is what film was made for.
What to plan around: There’s a lot of open sky and very little shade. Portraits go best early in the afternoon or once the sun gets low.
Who it suits: Couples who care about the food and want a party with some personality to it.
Cedar Lakes Estate Wedding, Port Jervis
Orange County. About an hour and a half from Midtown.
Cedar Lakes Estate started life as a summer camp. The family who runs it turned it into a wedding weekend property, and we met the sisters behind it soon after it opened. In 2015 we photographed Stephanie’s own wedding there. We’ve been coming back for twelve years.
Guests arrive Friday and settle into cabins by the lake. Ceremonies happen either up on the mountaintop or down at the water. The whole weekend runs on one property, which means nobody is watching the clock for a shuttle.
Dottie and Joe married at Cedar Lakes at the end of September 2017. Dottie wore her mother’s vintage gown for the ceremony and changed into Inbal Dror for the party. By the end of the night the groomsmen had bourbon in hand, ties loosened, with the couple’s monogram glowing on the wall behind them. Tantawan Bloom designed the florals. 45 Riots played.
What to plan around: Fall evenings come on fast up here. We plan outdoor portraits before cocktail hour so the warm light is still around when we need it.
Who it suits: Couples who want everyone in one place from Friday dinner to Sunday brunch.
Hannah and Max married here in October 2024, with the hills across the lake gone orange and red. Amanda Savory Events planned the weekend. We made their portraits on the dock before the ceremony, in that low October light.
Southwood Estate Wedding, Germantown
Columbia County. About two and a half hours from Midtown.
Southwood sits on the east bank of the Hudson with a lawn that runs down to the river and the Catskills across the water. It’s the longest drive on this list.
Suze and Matt married here in August 2023. The night before, they walked down the lawn toward the river and looked out at the view they’d be married in front of the next day. On the morning of, we got there before any guests and found an arch full of summer flowers and ghost chairs.
Monica Relyea Events planned and designed the weekend, and Atha Bold did the flowers. Southwood’s own garden has hydrangeas so tall they nearly close over the path. We both stopped walking when we saw them. The party ended out on the lawn, drinks in hand, under string lights.
What to plan around: The lawn faces west across the river, so the sun sets behind the Catskills. Save the last hour before it goes down for portraits.
Who it suits: Couples who want a private estate with a river view and a long weekend to enjoy it.
Choosing a Hudson Valley Venue
Start with the drive. Westchester and the Tuxedo Club work for a single evening. Once you’re past Cold Spring, plan on a weekend, and plan on your guests treating it like one.
Then think about the season. Most of our Hudson Valley weddings happen between May and October. Summer up there is green, warm and a little humid. By October the nights are cool and the hills have turned.
If you’re still weighing venues, we’re happy to tell you what we know about a place before you sign anything. We’ve stood in most of these rooms at every hour of the day.
ABOUT US
We’re Trent and Dara. We grew up in Louisiana, have lived in New York for almost twenty years, and photograph every wedding on 35mm and medium format film alongside digital. BRIDES named us one of the 50 best wedding photographers in the world, and our work has run in Vogue, Town & Country and The New York Times.
If you’re getting married in the Hudson Valley, at one of these five or somewhere we haven’t been yet, we’d love to hear about it. Tell us about your plans at trentbailey.com/inquire or call us at 212-243-2000.