Listen to the Podcast About The Barn at Blackstone National
Podcast Summary
In an absorbing conversation with Katie Cronin, Julia Pezzano, from The Barn at Blackstone National, offered an insightful peek into the exceptional event venue situated in Sutton, Massachusetts. Open all year round, The Barn at Blackstone National is dedicated to hosting an impressive array of over 150 events annually, ranging from weddings to corporate events and golf tournaments.
Distinguished by its year-round operation, The Barn at Blackstone National ensures comfort and an admirable ambiance with fully air-conditioned and heated interiors. The venue takes a limited time off and is open seven days a week, maintaining a robust schedule to celebrate significant moments in people’s lives.
Julia revealed emerging trends they’ve noticed, such as the prevailing use of sage green in decor over the past two years. Besides, there’s been an increasing inclination towards the use of greenery over flowers. Julia remarked on the appeal of such a choice, noting that it offers not only an aesthetic advantage but also a keepsake that guests can take back home.
Autumn weddings remain a steady trend in New England, given the season’s picturesque charm with fall leaves and more. The Barn at Blackstone National offers a stunning view overlooking a marsh and a tree line that Julia affectionately terms their “fake New Hampshire.” Such breathtaking natural backgrounds are one of the captivating features that lure guests to the venue, besides the charm of The Barn itself.
Julia then lauded the venue’s versatility, characterizing it as a “beautiful blank canvas.” This feature enables each event to infuse its unique persona into the space, making each occasion distinctively memorable. From minimal decorations to extravagant setups, the guests make the space their own, and The Barn embraces it all.
Overall, this engaging conversation with Julia Pezzano uncovers the essence of The Barn at Blackstone National, emphasizing its valuable provisions as a versatile and ideal venue for celebrating pivotal life moments.
Learn more about The Barn at Blackstone National
This interview was provided by Felix and Fingers Dueling Pianos
Podcast Transcript
Felix And Fingers (00:24)
Well hi Julia, thank you so much for coming on the podcast. It’s so good to have you.
Julia Pezzano (00:29)
Thank you for having me. I really appreciate it.
Felix And Fingers (00:31)
Yeah,
of course. So tell me a little bit about the venue.
Julia Pezzano (00:34)
So the venue is in Sutton, Massachusetts. We built at the end of 2021. We’re a year round venue, so that’s kind of unique for a barn specifically. We have AC, we have heat, and we’re open 12 months, pretty much seven days a week too. We take limited time off. So we do over 150 events a year, ranging from weddings to baby showers, bridal showers, birthday parties, corporate events, golf tournaments. We do it all and then some.
Felix And Fingers (01:01)
Wow, so all over the place in the best way.
Julia Pezzano (01:04)
Yes,
yes definitely anytime you’re willing to celebrate we’re here to have you so we’re always so excited to see more and more people coming in.
Felix And Fingers (01:11)
that’s amazing. love that. So tell me a little bit about some like current trends that you’re seeing.
Julia Pezzano (01:14)
It’s super fun.
We’re seeing, so sage green, feel like, has been a trend that has lasted two years. We’re seeing a lot of sage green. We’ve been seeing a lot of greenery, which I have been very excited about, instead of doing…
of flowers we’ve been having a lot of just giant greeneries come in which I love we did a wedding last year where they did ferns lining the entire aisle way which was so beautiful and a simple touch and something that you could also bring back to your house afterwards instead of sadly like with flowers you know you spend a lot of money and then they don’t really live a week after your wedding but something that’s in a pot that you can bring home with you and kind of like a special reminder of your wedding is very nice and still the fall weddings I feel like are
the trend if you will, because it’s a classic, especially in New England, you have the fall leaves, you have the trees. We have a beautiful view that overlooks a marsh and then like our tree line and I kind of call it our fake New Hampshire because it almost looks like a mountainscape and a lot of people come and besides The Barn I would say that’s the reason why people book is that beautiful view. It’s stunning and it’s kind of breathtaking out there.
Felix And Fingers (02:20)
That’s so, like obviously being in New England, we love the fall. So you’re seeing stuff like you said you’re open 365 days. So like, I’m sure it’s really cool to just see all the different seasons and like people bring their own like interpretations.
Julia Pezzano (02:23)
Yes.
Yeah, definitely. I worked at a venue. My first ever job was at a high end wedding venue in Connecticut and it was a very charming venue. But after a while I was like, okay, it’s another summer wedding. Like everything’s looking the same eventually. And now it’s another fall wedding where at The Barn, it’s a beautiful space, but it’s also a blank canvas. So when people come in and they put their own decor in it, it looks different every single time I go in there on the weekends, which has been really fun for me to see like all the personalities really shine through and making it your own. And I always tell Tori,
Like you don’t need a lot of decor We’ve done people that just do like a simple bud base with like one or two springs of flowers And then you have the people come in where they have like the really tall Vases with the big poof flower on the top So it’s really fun to see people kind of make this space their own and I feel like Trends at the bar and like we see some of them, but ultimately everybody kind of customizes it themselves So it’s been really fun to just see everybody make this space their own and be like, yeah, like wow What they did here is really great. Maybe we should kind of do that all the time and
and it’s been super fun just to see overall.
Felix And Fingers (03:36)
So cool. Where can people find you?
Julia Pezzano (03:39)
So we have our website, thebarnatblackstonenational.com That’s a direct line. We have a contact page right there that goes into our system so we can send you all the information. We’re on the knot. We’re on WeddingWire. We’re on Zola. We’re on Discover Central Mass, which Discover Central Mass is a new partnership that we started last year, which highlights everything kind of in central Massachusetts. So we’re kind of all over. on Instagram. We’re on Facebook. So wherever you can find somebody is hopefully where it will be for everybody.
Felix And Fingers (04:07)
that’s amazing. Sounds so like, you know, well, I’m in Princeton, so I love Central Mass. I’ve lived here like my whole life. So to definitely like be highlighting something super local is so amazing.
Julia Pezzano (04:20)
Yes, definitely. always say like it’s so fun meeting other businesses from around the area because I’m we’re right here in like for central Massachusetts There’s so much to do and we’re right outside of Worcester, which is such a hub I always joke around like it’s a it’s the second largest city in New England Which you would never know but you have so much to do there So it’s so great to kind of go from like a very diverse area From you know, the countryside that we’re into going into the city, but there’s just so much around the surrounding area We’re on a golf course. So people like to come and we have a lot of people that golf the day of the
Felix And Fingers (04:35)
Great.
Julia Pezzano (04:50)
too, so there’s a lot happening which is super fun.
Felix And Fingers (04:53)
That’s so cool. Sounds like you guys really know how to multitask. So what would you say are some things that like couples should never do? Like if you had to give advice on like what not to do?
Julia Pezzano (04:55)
Yeah, definitely.
So funny enough my best
friend just got engaged and so she was like you’re the maid of honor like you need to help me plan this thing out and so I like went on a tour with her and I think what’s really helpful for people nowadays is like using your resources like back in the day like you got engaged and you’re like Okay, like how do I plan a wedding? We’re now like using Pinterest and tick-tock and Google and but not like they have I really love when they print out like a timeline of like when people need to start doing things because it approaches very quickly I always tell like couples that I tour like
The date is the most important thing. Once you the date, you can kick back, relax, and do everything on your own terms, depending on how far outside vendors book out. But the most important thing is asking the questions that may be uncomfortable or you may not want to, but that are important, like the deposit and insurance. We just see things happen with other couples that…
We would never want to happen at our barn and we make sure that they don’t happen So you need to make sure that you’re prepared for the worst despite it being the best day of your life like god forbid something happens We want you to feel rest assured with us, but like I unfortunately I can’t speak for all venues, but there’s definitely choices where people have come in and i’m like, Even as simple as like a cake cutting fee people at other venues charge a cake cutting fee And we just thought that was the silliest thing in the world. Like it’s your cake. You should cut it on your wedding day
Felix And Fingers (06:25)
It’s your own?
Yeah, that’s so silly.
Julia Pezzano (06:27)
It really is but it’s the wedding industry like there’s a lot of money in the wedding industry and it’s a lot of work So I completely understand why things are so expensive for like the outside people
But at the same time it’s like okay like we’re not charging them for everything and anything like some things are easy for us to do like It’s easy for us to bring your cake out You can cut your cake, and then we can bring it back and cut it for you. We have a team It’s all good, so there’s just little things there that we do differently But it’s important for couples to figure out you know what’s going on like I went to a tour with my best friend And there is you know she’s paying for the food. She’s paying for the venue, and there’s a catering fee That’s a couple thousand dollars, and I’m like well. What’s this catering fee for?
Like why is that not already included in your food costs or your gratuity or like what’s what are all these charges for that don’t make sense You have a linen charge you’re charging her two dollars per napkin I’m like it’s just so funny because so many places do things differently and it’s really possible for people to have their like Dream wedding if you’re looking towards the right things and asking the right questions You can filter out quickly like our linens are included in our venue costs We have a good range of things for people to pick if you don’t like what we have you can certainly bump up and go to like an outsourced company
We’ve had like one couple do that in four years So we try to offer people the dream wedding without spending $90,000 because that’s just not fun for anybody
Felix And Fingers (07:46)
Right, and that’s amazing. And I know there are venues out there that they really give you a line item for everything. And it’s like, why are we going with an all-inclusive thing if it’s really not all-inclusive? So I love that.
Julia Pezzano (07:52)
Yes.
Yeah, and some people can do that,
which is great. Like if you can afford a $90,000 wedding, please invite me. I’d love to come. But we’re in central Massachusetts. Like we’re dealing with average blue collar people. We have a lot of teachers. I did a tour where I was like, you know, a lot of our people are like teachers and like electricians. They’re firefighters. And the couple’s like, yep, I’m a first grade teacher and he is alignment. And I’m like.
Felix And Fingers (08:05)
Right.
Julia Pezzano (08:21)
Like we’re trying to help you guys we want you guys to have that dream wedding you’ve always imagined without the like $90,000 price tag
Felix And Fingers (08:29)
that’s incredible because there are some places, you know, and if people want to go that route, go that route. But it’s great that there are really like thoughtful, well thought out venues that are local, that are, you know, catering to like everybody who wants to get married and have their big like dream day. Yeah.
Julia Pezzano (08:35)
Yeah, definitely.
Mm-hmm.
100 % Yes,
I always say somebody’s gonna book The Barn. I want you to love it. And if it’s not your place, it’s not your place I don’t want you to spend a ton of money and hate it here there’s sometimes where people walk in and I’m like, Love these people. They’re very nice people But they’re just not our people like they don’t want The Barn vibe and that’s okay cuz somebody’s gonna come in and they’re gonna cry and love it and say how beautiful it is and like That’s that makes me happy that everybody’s getting what they want Exactly, yeah
Felix And Fingers (08:56)
right?
And then it’s a win-win. The same thing happens for us,
where people will come in and like, they’ll want, you know, a harp for their ceremony and it’s like, okay, well we do dueling pianos, so you might not be in the right place. I’m excited that you’re gonna have that, but it’s not what we do. So yeah, I get that, totally. What would you say is like the most fun or like unique thing that you’ve seen at a wedding there?
Julia Pezzano (09:24)
Yes. Exactly.
hmm. Something that stands out to me just because I thought it was very cute was I went into a wedding and her husband-to-be at the time, he was a woodsman and so he like handcrafted and like built houses and stuff, but they built little trucks.
Felix And Fingers (09:43)
Ready?
Julia Pezzano (09:50)
Out of wood that the floral vases went into so every single table had a little wooden truck Which I thought was a really cute touch because it’s like something he loves but also like he’s contributing to the wedding in his own way, which I always find so sweet when like the men like when they have an opinion because i’m like it’s your day too ⁓ so like tell me what you like So that’s super fun. Also. I think anything cultural is really fun. Like when we have like cultural dances or cultural ceremonies,
Felix And Fingers (10:01)
Yeah.
Right.
Julia Pezzano (10:16)
We just had a Jewish ceremony a couple weeks ago and I was going through the photos and I was like, my gosh, like the horror and my gosh, and this is happening. Like it was so fun to like look through and just knowing that The Barn is so diverse that I can kind of accommodate like all these different events is really fun. And I think every wedding is kind of special in its own as cheesy as it is, cause it looks different every single time. There’s venue or times in the venue where I’m like, wow, like this is the best The Barn has ever looked. And then like the next week and I’m like, this is the best The Barn has ever looked. Like people
really make the space their own and it always looks amazing which is so nice for them.
Felix And Fingers (10:50)
I love that. And it’s really like, you can tell you have a good canvas when each painting is so beautiful and like so different.
Julia Pezzano (10:56)
Exactly.
100%.
Felix And Fingers (10:59)
get married there. ⁓
Julia Pezzano (11:00)
Great,
please come visit us. I’d love to meet you in person and then give you a whole tour. Anytime.
Felix And Fingers (11:03)
I would love that. Please, let’s set that
up for Sarah. Aw. Do you have any advice for somebody, say, who just started planning?
Julia Pezzano (11:13)
just started planning in terms of like venue searching or like they booked their venue and now they’re in the planning process like officially.
Felix And Fingers (11:19)
Hmm. Let’s
venue search like at the beginning. I mean, I know you said like use your resources like use those timelines and use like social media like find your people on there. But any other like specific things like maybe something that your friend that you just went on a tour with something you would recommend to her.
Julia Pezzano (11:28)
Yeah.
I always say options are great and opinions are great, but it’s kind like when you go out to a restaurant and you’re flipping through like eight pages of a menu and you’re like, I don’t even know what I want anymore. Like I just don’t know. So it’s great when like people are bringing in like their parents and like their friends and like I’ve done tours where it’s like there’s 15 people there. Love to meet your entire family, but for you guys, like your voice kind of gets lost in that a little bit and it’s…
Taking your time to find the right venue, but you also Don’t want to be touring like 15 venues. I tell couples who like they’re they’re here for the first time I’m like that’s great that i’m your first tour. Let’s set the bar high wanting you to come back again If this is not your place right away because we’ve had plenty of tours where it’s one and done where their top pick they come in They’re like, my god, there’s nothing gonna be better. We got to cancel tours, which is great But that’s not always how it goes, which is also fine because i’m like you’re only getting married once knock on wood If not, we’d love to have your second marriage here
to but hopefully one and done with these people so or a couple of venues see what you like if you’re stuck on The Barn vibe like maybe throw another kind of different venue in because you may never know but I always joke around like I’m not engaged I
because I don’t know what I would want from being in the wedding industry, but I know what I don’t want. And that’s a good thing too, like making a list like, okay, what’s my priorities, especially with a budget nowadays, like figure out what your priorities are. Would you rather have the reception of your dreams and then maybe get married like at a courthouse, you don’t have to pay the ceremony fee or just kind of prioritizing what’s great for you guys. And like my friend getting engaged, we sat down and looked at the proposal and she’s like, it’s a little bit more than I want to spend. I’m like, well, is this your venue?
Felix And Fingers (12:54)
Hmm.
Julia Pezzano (13:15)
then you don’t need the s’mores bar girl. Save $500. Nobody is gonna want s’mores when they’re all dancing and they’re intoxicated. They’re not even gonna remember what a s’more is. It’s fine. We don’t need that. Save your $500.
Felix And Fingers (13:27)
Yeah, no, that’s so valid. Like, really making like your top five things maybe and like really sticking to that. Then everything else is just gravy.
Julia Pezzano (13:36)
100% it’s at the end of the day the most important thing is the marriage between both people Everything else is just extra. It’s a party. It’s a celebration. You want to have a good time You don’t want to be like stressed out and be like, my god What napkin full do I pick like at the end of the day like people are gonna like that was a great napkin choice And then they’re not gonna remember afterwards. So it’s like the main thing is celebrating the two of you guys
Felix And Fingers (13:55)
Right.
Yeah, I think sometimes it’s hard when people get bogged down in the really small stuff. It’s like, it’s not about the wedding, it’s about the marriage, you know? ⁓
Julia Pezzano (14:05)
100% 100% it’s
you know it’s kind of come into a whole thing especially with social media I feel like words like okay We need to have this and we need to do this and it needs to be this and it’s like okay well like not everybody that you see is making that kind of money where they can blow it on all these things and It can be overwhelming too like you don’t want to go through a wedding and it be like an event where you’re like It’s a concert and you’re jumping from one thing to another like let it all flow easily and like have a good time
Felix And Fingers (14:21)
Right.
Right.
Totally. And like, people don’t need to keep up with the Joneses, so.
Julia Pezzano (14:37)
Exactly, like it’s your own. People do it in all different budgets, all different realms, so just have fun with it because you want to enjoy it. Hopefully you enjoy the whole process, but there are plenty of people that are like, I’m so glad the day is here.
Felix And Fingers (14:49)
Right. I’m like, huh.
Julia Pezzano (14:51)
Yes, which is why like with an event coordinator, it’s so helpful. Like we have three event coordinators that we include it in the venue costs because it’s just easier for everybody if you have an event coordinator and it’s helpful because you can be as laid back as you want or it can be as in the details as you need to be with somebody by your side that can help you. And if you have any questions, they’re there for you. So that I think does take a lot of the stress off of a couple, which is great.
Felix And Fingers (15:13)
It makes it less like you’re going through it alone. You have like your point person to bounce things off of. It’s so important.
Julia Pezzano (15:15)
Yeah.
100% it’s like a parent
but in the wedding industry because you could have a photographer that Isn’t respectful of the timeline because they’re creative people like they’re not structured like that So you have your event corner that can be like the bad guy and being like hey like we want to join cocktail hour like let’s take a couple shots But we’ve taken a wake a lot so like let’s move this along so you can just enjoy the day You don’t have to worry about things that aren’t that important, but make sure that you’re getting to your final goal
Felix And Fingers (15:29)
Right.
Yeah, that is so important for sure. So getting kind of into like nitty gritty, like specifics. What is your current availability like? Like how far out are you guys booked right now?
Julia Pezzano (15:53)
So
we’re booking into 2027. We have very limited availability for 2025, 2026 depending what you’re looking at. just depends. Like always I say like October is like prime time for people because it’s fall. So that’s always like the first to go really. But 2027 is when we’re already booking into which is crazy to think about but it’s also it’s two years away. So if you want a date and you’re very specific about what date you want, it’s not
early to start looking. It’s just again where your priorities lie. Like would you rather get married in October? Would you rather have a Saturday? Would you rather have this? Like and then kind of picking. I always say if you love The Barn we’ll find you a date but it’s just a matter of where your priorities lay. Like you could be in October but it could be on a Sunday or a holiday Monday. You may not like that or we could get you a Saturday in another month. Like what would you prefer?
Felix And Fingers (16:47)
we’re starting to see 2027 on our side too. And it’s like, oh wow, I guess that’s a year and a half from now. Yeah, I guess, right?
Julia Pezzano (16:50)
Isn’t it crazy? Yes,
it’s it’s exciting for sure. But it’s also crazy because it’s like, let’s get through 2025. Like we’re in our busy season right now, as I’m sure are you. And so it’s like, let me just get through the end of 2025 and then think about it. But that’s not like for like that’s for us, not for other people. So at 2027, it’s like at the date that you want and then you can kind of relax for a little bit, which is nice for them.
Felix And Fingers (17:15)
Totally. Like once the date is on the books, you can focus on putting everything else in the line, but the date, like you said, is the most important thing. Yeah. What’s your flexibility like in terms of like guest count changes?
Julia Pezzano (17:18)
Yes.
100%.
So we…
can fit 150 people in The Barn. We don’t do a guest minimum. We do a food minimum instead, and I always say it’s very easy to meet. So we do it that way because we don’t want you to have to feel like you have to invite people to be able to come to The Barn. You know, it’s great for people who, you know, want to get those wedding presents in and that extra honeymoon money, like more power to you. But we’ve had weddings that are like 50 to 75 in The Barn as well. Of course, we love the big ones, who doesn’t? But we’re happy with all ranges.
The final guest count it’s typically like a month to 18 days prior to your wedding So you do have a lot of time which is nice Some places require it much further in advance or they have like an absolute like you can have a hundred people in here minimum And that’s it like you can’t go lower than that so it’s pretty flexible We do a lot of things that are for the couples benefit to which I just haven’t seen in other venues that I’ve worked at so it’s really nice that they’re kind of they’re kind of like team bride and groom or team bride and bride team groom and groom
like they’re on their side which is really nice.
Felix And Fingers (18:33)
love that. That is so important and I think really distinguishes a venue when they actually go to bat for the couple as opposed to just their own catering team or whatever it is.
Julia Pezzano (18:44)
A 100% like our biggest thing is the bar because the bar is a huge expense that people I think are nervous about with venues because a lot of people have like a beverage minimum or they do a drink package and We don’t do that. We don’t want people to feel pressure to drink or feel like you’re gonna spend eight thousand dollars on alcohol So we do the bar based off of consumption so they can manage it by cash they can do an open bar or they can just set a limit financially or Cocktail hour and then it just rolls over into cash after that so they have complete control, which is super nice
So we’ve had like a bar tab as low as $500 and we’ve had a bar tab like as high as like six seven thousand dollars But average not that high so it is really nice for couples to kind of have that flexibility and that comfort and knowing like hey It’s gonna be okay like we don’t have to like budget out a ton of money and you can still offer your guests some drinks and Kind of taking out different things to kind of customize things for people that were doing like dry weddings We’ve done a lot of dry weddings recently which has been kind of fun to do like a mocktail option and like we do a nice like beverage station which has like
water with fruit infused into it and a tea and a lemonade. So that’s super fun. So again, kind of like going off of that customizability is really important for us and to kind of build your own wedding is something that we’re really proud of that we do and offer to our guests.
Felix And Fingers (20:00)
amazing that it’s that customizable where like you can really get the creative input like each couple can really get their specific thing in there that’s amazing.
Julia Pezzano (20:02)
Yeah.
100
% it’s important for us to create my boss always says our whole slogan is extraordinary experiences every single day for people but To me, it’s just we want you to love everything that’s happening We want you to have the best day ever and our job is to just kind of see that through so every time we read a review and it’s like a five-star review we’re like, my god, like it’s so nice to see it and like that people take the time to write them, but it’s also like I say It’s such a testament to our team. They do such a great job. We have pretty much an all-female team in terms of leaders, which is super fun to
So we have like a female chef female sous chef all of our coordinators are women our director of operations is a woman I’m the sales administrator. I’m a woman like we’re pretty female run to I joke around our only man is our general manager And he’s like the best he’s like whatever you guys need I’m here for you So we have a really great team and I think that translates for other people that you’re kind of entering into our family So people like to come back which is fun for us to to see people who now have like babies and you know they have a house now and they’re like kind
moving on with their lives it’s very exciting that they like still want to come back and visit us.
Felix And Fingers (21:11)
So tell me a little bit about a general idea of cost at the venue.
Julia Pezzano (21:18)
Yeah, so the venue and like total package it depends I always say the biggest things are your guest count What date you pick and then what you choose? That’s a huge thing because we do kind of build our own in offseason are like low ranges like $15,000 again depending on like your guest count in Season it can range anywhere from like $20,000 to $35,000 again just ranges on what you pick But for a wedding venue with food included and you know, you have your linens and your tables your chairs You have your vent core
or your day of manager, we provide the alcohol for you so you don’t have to provide any outside alcohol, you don’t have to provide any waitstaff, we have our in-team kitchen, so you do get a lot which is really great. We have ceremony option on site, you don’t have to do it, but a lot of people choose to do the ceremony on site. We have a backup option for rain, we have a designated cocktail hour space, so there’s a lot included in the venue cost which is great because one of my friends got married two years ago now I wanna say, and we showed up.
There was nothing at the venue. And I was like…
Where are the chairs and tables? And she’s like, oh, they’re arriving. I’m like, OK. And we had to do everything, everything. So it was definitely a DIY wedding, which is great if you have that manpower. But I texted my boyfriend that night. I was like, we’re not doing that. That was so much work. And we have a set up team and a breakdown team included in the barns fees. So that is such a luxury for people to not have to worry about anything. And they’re literally just showing up. And it’s all taken care of for them. That’s a huge thing. So there’s a lot included, which is great for the
benefit.
Felix And Fingers (22:50)
awesome.
Julia Pezzano (22:51)
Definitely. They’ve tried to think of everything, which is good.
Felix And Fingers (22:54)
That’s great. I mean, it sounds like there’s been a lot of thought put into it.
Julia Pezzano (22:58)
Definitely we want everybody to have a great time big on fun big on safety big on family We want it to be like the best day ever for people and we’ve been doing a great job of that. have to say
Felix And Fingers (23:07)
awesome. Do you have like a standard deposit amount? ⁓
Julia Pezzano (23:10)
Yes,
so our deposit is $2,000. It’s a non-refundable deposit that locks in that date for couples. It does go towards the venue fee, which is really nice. So it’s not just a deposit that they never see again. It starts to pay towards their wedding, which is great. Parties, it’s a little bit cheaper just because it’s a completely different style event. So we do $1,500 for the deposit for a function.
Felix And Fingers (23:31)
What’s the cancellation policy?
Julia Pezzano (23:34)
So our cancellation policy is kind of, I always say, it’s on you, it’s not on us, because we can have the wedding.
There’s no issue on our end when you sign the contract. We are aware that we’re having your wedding There’s no issue on our end If there’s like a storm or something happens, then we would just move your wedding date to another available date We’ve had people that have been deployed So we just have a date transfer fee so people can move it to the following year to still have the wedding with us But we are pretty flexible, which is really nice because we want we don’t want to be stressful We want to have a good time So as long as they’re flexible if they want to have it the same year we can do that
with the date transfer, it just may not be a date you want, because things are typically booked up the year of, but that’s why a lot of people choose to move it to the following year to give them enough time, rebook their outside vendors, because I think that’s probably the most stressful part of it, is just making sure everybody’s on the same calendar wave, but it’s pretty easy, which is nice. So I always say, we don’t have a cancellation policy, it’s up to you guys, and that’s why the deposit’s not refundable, because somebody else may have wanted that date, but we try to make it as fair as possible for everybody, because we understand it’s a lot of money, we want people to feel
comfortable.
Felix And Fingers (24:39)
Yeah, that makes sense. So with outside vendors, do you have like preferred vendors? Are couples like required to use them?
Julia Pezzano (24:45)
So we have preferred vendors. do a preferred vendor list that we update every year. We always joke around, it’s like a check-in at the doctors. We kind of evaluate everybody on that list and be like, okay, we did a really good job. Or if we met new people throughout the year, we’ll add them onto that list. And then when the couple books, we give them that list in the welcome packet. It’s kind of like a little guideline for us to them if they want to use it. They don’t have to. I always say if you didn’t, if nobody ever brought anybody new in, we would never meet anybody new and then maybe those people would not be on the list. So we always love
seeing new people come in but we also do have favorites it’s always nice to see certain people come through again or you know there’s some people that were like here’s the wedding album from this so happy to see you all again can’t wait for the next time because we have them pretty frequently which is nice
Felix And Fingers (25:28)
It’s always good when you kind of get that rapport going and you’re like, hey, like my favorite photographer. Hello.
Julia Pezzano (25:31)
Yes!
100 %
and it’s you know, it’s a marriage I joke around about that like you want to love your outside vendors just as much as you love us because you’re gonna be working with them and you want to gel well and these people on the list like They know The Barn just as well as we do at this point because they’ve been here enough so if you’re Like nervous that your photographer is gonna take a bunch of time to like figure out where they want to shoot Maybe you do book somebody who’s been here before because they’ll know exactly where to take you and what kind of shots to look for because we have 240 acres of property so
There’s like a lot of land especially being on a golf course, but we have some key spots for people But we’ve seen some fun photos where I’m like, like nobody’s taken a photo there before like that’s kind of fun So I’ll add it to the website as an option for the next photographer So it’s super fun to have new people but also we have really good relationships with the people and for us it’s like if Something were to go wrong on like an outside vendor side if we have a good relationship with them and we know them it’s just easier for us to
solve the problem. you know, it’s a pro and con list, but we haven’t had any issues with outside vendors either, which is really nice because you would hate for that to happen.
Felix And Fingers (26:41)
Right, no, that’s good. I mean, and it speaks to that your team is doing things right too, because so much of that comes down to what the venue is able to execute and how you are able to manage the whole team on the day.
Julia Pezzano (26:53)
100 % things are bound to happen that you don’t plan for but it’s up to the team to see how it’s executed and I think that’s the most important thing is mistakes happen on both parties Nobody’s perfect, but we do this every single weekend and we’re normally at the bar, you know
Five to seven days out of the week. So we’re prepared for anything and we’re very lucky that the minor things have happened Like we had a bride who she thought she ordered her cake and she didn’t so when the cake didn’t deliver there was like We didn’t have an order. So luckily it was a vendor that we worked with so we explained the situation to her and she was like Let me see what I can do and she ended up being able to deliver a cake like within an hour or two So it’s like if we didn’t have a relationship with that person We might have been going to walmart for the cake. I don’t know
But it’s kind of things that like if something happens, it’s just how we respond to it. And our team does a really great job of that. I have to say it’s kind of a power team.
Felix And Fingers (27:47)
That’s awesome.
It’s honestly, you can tell when a venue is really on it because the team is so cohesive and things like that happen even with the vendor partners. We love that when something comes up, it gets handled, everybody just steps in, does what they gotta do, and the bride and groom are happy.
Julia Pezzano (28:05)
100% it’s
like you don’t want them to know what’s happening and then you handle it in the background unless you absolutely need to talk to them but like That’s our job is to kind of handle things on the back end so they don’t know so they can enjoy their day and everybody is
Felix And Fingers (28:10)
Right.
Totally.
Julia Pezzano (28:19)
Everybody likes to be there like people will be there on their day off and like show up and so Everybody wants to be there and I think that is a huge thing and my boss is that all the time where you want to find people that are treating The Barn and treating the place like they own it and it can be hard to find sometimes but it is a great mindset to have because Like I joke around like maybe I’m working too much and like but it’s like I love what I do I love being here it’s hard to find a job where like people are normally really happy like it’s a normally like if you’re dealing with the public they’re really
and happy because the best thing in life just happened to them like they’re getting married so like you can’t take that for granted especially like with today like there’s just so much going on and people can get sucked into the negativity and you want you want to look forward to going into work every day it’s a long time that you’re at work so you want to enjoy it and our team our team loves being there and it’s definitely like a huge family which is really fun and chaotic at times but like we have so much fun with everybody together
Felix And Fingers (29:03)
Totally.
love that. You can tell like that you love it which is just it’s like so nice because sometimes I feel like people can get like stressed out at their jobs and it’s just it’s so good to like because you know we we’re entertainers so like our job is to make everybody happy so it’s great to talk to someone who has like the same kind of mindset.
Julia Pezzano (29:26)
Right.
100 % it is really fun and like I have a completely different career than my friends and like one of my friends right now She’s like I just wish I had a fun job like Julia and I’m like listen It’s not fun all the time But listen every day is different and I will take that any day over like an office job where I’m sitting by myself all day So you’re meeting a lot of fun people and to be a small part in their lives is something that I don’t take for granted and It makes me smile when I’m like in a review because I’m like, my god You met me like a year to two years ago
Felix And Fingers (29:42)
Bye.
Julia Pezzano (30:00)
And I’m in a review, like that’s insane to me and so sweet and like couples will like, I had a bride where she was one of the first brides I think I ever booked. And she found me on Instagram, like after she got married and I’m like, I don’t even know how you found me on Instagram, but like that’s so sweet that like.
She wanted to just be friends on Instagram as silly as it is like I think that is important to us because that means we did a good job like the fact that you want to continue on a relationship even if it’s like via social media and we have so many like brides that follow our coordinators on social media like you really build a connection with who you’re working with so you want to enjoy who you’re picking for sure in all in all
Felix And Fingers (30:37)
Wow, I love that. That’s so cool.
Julia Pezzano (30:39)
It’s really fun, we’re very lucky for sure. ⁓
Felix And Fingers (30:42)
Yeah.
Do you guys have a bridal suite over there?
Julia Pezzano (30:47)
We do. Yeah, so we have one inside The Barn. Typically what we do in there is we’ll do like last minute makeup touches. We’ll put the bride’s dress on in there and then they’ll kind of hide out before the ceremony. But we have a separate room literally steps away from The Barn in our clubhouse called our Putnam room that they can rent out. It holds up to 50 people, which typically people don’t need 50 people in there, but you can set a breakfast menu. You have an outdoor deck that overlooks the golf course and you just have plenty of room to get ready in there. So you don’t have to, but usually one person does.
Because the other person’s staying at a hotel room, so you’re already spending the money on the hotel room So you might as well use it But then normally somebody else can like go into the Putnam room and just hang out there and get ready there So we do have that space if they’d like to But some people get married at a church too, so they don’t want to come here and then go there So it’s pretty flexible, which is nice. You don’t have to rent the space out if you don’t want to
Felix And Fingers (31:36)
that’s cool. Do you guys have any noise ordinances or like curfews or anything?
Julia Pezzano (31:41)
We
are in a residential area, so the party has to end by 11 o’clock, which since COVID, people are like 10 a 10 p.m. They’re done. They’re tired. So we don’t really have any issues with it. The only time that it comes up is like people who want to get married New Year’s Eve because they want to stay till, you know, past midnight, obviously. So we need to pull a special permit from that and get that approved by the town, because I think we actually have done like one or two weddings like that before. But it’s also holiday season, so we do want to give some time off
for our couples because we are usually working most holidays. We do a lot of events around that time too.
Felix And Fingers (32:14)
Right.
our December is so busy, I feel you.
Julia Pezzano (32:18)
Yes, it’s a lot of like corporate parties for us like we have like one or two weddings What’s a lot of like corporate parties and sometimes like baby showers? But we work pretty much like Easter we get Easter day off and then like we’re working Mother’s Day We do a huge Mother’s Day brunch, which is open to the public. So that’s a really busy day for us We’ve had the most people ever we had over like 230 people for brunch this year Which was super fun, but a lot for sure And then you know where Father’s Day we’re working
Fourth of July we’re usually working because people are having a wedding so we do like Easter and then a little like a tiny like three days for Thanksgiving and like three days for Christmas So other than that we’re ready to go for everybody
Felix And Fingers (32:59)
cool. On like the day of the event, what is the earliest that vendors can access the venue?
Julia Pezzano (33:05)
So the outside vendors we actually reach out to once we get their information and we do a whole timeline of when they can come in. It kind of just depends like if we have an event beforehand, what they’re bringing in, how much time they need to set up, because we’ve had people have to come in at like 7 a.m. and then we’ve had people that show up at like 2 p.m. So it really depends. Our couples can pick their ceremony time. We’ve had noon weddings, we’ve had 5 p.m. weddings, we’ve had 1 p.m. weddings. So that’s kind of fun that you can pick whatever
time you want. We do one wedding per day. We don’t want to have like a lot happening. We want to focus on you guys so that’s the biggest thing for us. So they kind of coordinate with the coordinator to figure out what time is best for them and then they typically drop off sometime that day which is nice.
Felix And Fingers (33:49)
Yeah, I know for us we use like two hours of set up time before guests get there and it’s usually pretty easy to accommodate, but you never know.
Julia Pezzano (33:59)
Yeah,
it’s tough because you need to make sure that your guests aren’t walking in and like things are still being done because that I feel like is just like Yeah, yeah, you’re like, excuse me I’m trying to get through here. you move over?
Felix And Fingers (34:07)
Right, we don’t want to bring in the piano during like the soup.
I
yeah. I just sneak past, know.
Julia Pezzano (34:15)
Yes, yeah, so we make sure that doesn’t
happen we normally like if they’re doing like a 5 p.m. Ceremony, we expect people to show up around 3:30 Because somebody’s gonna show up early because they were like why do I want to be lost and like be late? Which is great. We rather you be early than be late But we do kind of coordinate so typically it’s like morning to like early afternoon is when people drop things off if they’re a vendor that we’ve worked with closely sometimes they’re able to drop off the night before because they’re like I’m Super busy. I have a lot going on like things are stacked up for them. So we try to accommodate the best that we
Felix And Fingers (34:24)
Okay.
Yeah.
Julia Pezzano (34:45)
can.
Felix And Fingers (34:46)
Very cool. Is there an event coordinator on site during the day?
Julia Pezzano (34:50)
Yes, yep. So what’s really special about The Barn is it’s typically the same person that you’re planning the event with a lot of venues They’ll have like an event coordinator and planner and then you’ll have a different person the day of so we usually have these person
Felix And Fingers (35:02)
Like a day of coordinator,
Julia Pezzano (35:04)
Yes, we have the same person unless there’s like a family emergency or something like knock on wood It’s the same person. So you have a good relationship with them and it’s it’s just nice because you become really close like you’ve been planning for over a year usually with this person So you have a good banter a good relationship with them. You trust them with things So we want people to feel comfortable, especially when it’s a stressful day in general. So yeah, we have three on site They all have great experience. We have great reviews for everybody. We’re really excited about the team for this year It’s it’s a really solid team and they’re all here. They’re on
site they’re including the venue costs so I always just say give them a tip at the end of the wedding because they do a lot for you but other than that like it’s free game so it’s nice they’re available all the time too they work so many hours and they are they love every minute of it which is really fun
Felix And Fingers (35:47)
Wow, it sounds like everybody’s like so involved in the process. I love that.
Julia Pezzano (35:50)
100 % like we don’t want you to feel alone and everybody has like difficult family dynamics or different family dynamics and we want that to be like We want somebody to be on your side all the time And so that’s what the coroner’s job is is like you’re that Spokesperson for the couple and just their team player like you’re here to help them. You’re here to guide them You’re here to support them. Whatever you need. They’re here for you We have like a whole email chain and we like had a meeting at the end of the year last year and the coroner was like Yeah, we send like 300 emails usually by the end of
the time like and that’s not including in-person meetings that’s not including phone calls that happen like there’s just so much communication and you really become really good like good friends and close with these people too which is nice.
Felix And Fingers (36:30)
awesome. So cool. Well that’s all the questions that I have. Thank you so so much for coming on. It’s like so good to talk to you and like hear about this. We’ll stay on for just a second. Yeah for real after all the back and forth and all the craziness of last week.
Julia Pezzano (36:36)
Thank you for having me. You too. Nice to see you too.
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