For city-dwellers, New York City might be home–but it’s not necessarily where they want to get married. Instead, many couples are ditching their beloved city and taking the Metro North so they can tie the knot in beautiful Hudson Valley.
Nicole Davis, the publisher and events director of Brooklyn Based, explains why: “A Hudson Valley wedding is like a destination wedding without making all your New York guests travel too far,” Davis said. “Many venues require you to reserve all the rooms and the property for the weekend, so it feels like a mini-getaway with your friends and family. And there's so much room upstate for experiences like bonfires, farm dinners, even mobile saunas. You can't replicate that in the city."
Now, Brooklyn Based is positioning themselves as a key resource for NYC-based couples looking to lock down their love upstate. The company is hosting the first-ever Hudson Valley edition of their NYC wedding fair, Wedding Crashers, at Basilica Hudson on Sunday, September 8th from 1-6 p.m. Wedding Crashers will feature over 60 Hudson Valley wedding venues and vendors, as well as offer food, drinks, and live music.
To help you start planning your Hudson Valley wedding, we’ve rounded up the top five reasons an upstate wedding is more fun than those held in the city – all featuring vendors participating in this year’s Wedding Crashers event.
A Private Venue
One major downside of The Big Apple? There are people everywhere. By having your wedding a little ways upstate, you can have the opportunity to keep your private ceremony, well, a little more private. Teams from a dozen local venues will be at Wedding Crashers, ready to answer any questions you may have about guest accommodations – including whether you can rent out the entire location with your booking.
The Chance to Relax
For many, just leaving the city limits brings down their heart rates. The Hudson Valley offers lots of different ways to relax, but for your wedding, why not chill out by renting a mobile, Finnish-style sauna? (Yes, you read that right.) Hudson Valley-based Spa Fleet is a mobile sauna that comes to you, along with a dedicated attendant who will be there to maintain the fire, answer any questions, and clean between groups. Treat your wedding party–and yourself–to a luxurious spa-like experience before you say “I do.”
Food that Guests Will Remember
New York City might be a culinary capital – but the Hudson Valley has plenty of thoughtful, well-sourced food vendors who will cater to your every need. Just take Farm to Fire, an open fire wedding catering company that offers delicious food options cooked over an open flame, locally sourced and prepared from scratch. They even offer vegetarian and vegan options, for your non-meat-eating guests.
Unique Photo Opps
Book a photobooth experience unlike any other. Rose & Dale Photo Co. offers an unforgettable mobile photobooth, built in a vintage 1963 Airstream Overlander. Your guests will have a blast climbing in this aluminum vessel to take pictures with customized backdrops and props.
The Opportunity to Glamp Out
Ever try to pitch a tent in the middle of Prospect Park? Not so easy. Unlike the urban jungle of New York City, Hudson Valley offers the opportunity to host your wedding in the great outdoors. Woodstock-based company Glampstar will help your wedding guests feel at home with a variety of tent set-ups, the majority of which include real mattresses.
Want to learn more about Wedding Crashers? Explore all the vendors who will be at the event. Plus: Get free tickets for the one-stop wedding planning festival with code Chronogram, good through Labor Day.
