Thank
you for considering Beardslee Castle in your wedding plans.
Congratulations
on your engagement, we hope your day at the Castle will become a very special
memory.
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fairy tale weddings in a romantic Castle setting |
| Are
you looking for the perfect reception setting but worried that the
service, food and management won’t live up to your expectations?
The most important ‘detail’ for any reception is seamless execution, when the service is both attentive and unobtrusive. When you plan you wedding at Beardslee Castle you work directly with the professionals who will be there the day of your event, not a salesperson. Jennifer Leskovar and Lynn Brown have coordinated over 400 receptions at the Castle and can assist you with a wide range of options to personalize your day. Don't trust your event to a banquet hall 'sales department' somewhere else. When looking for a reception site ask lots of questions and get a feel for how flexible the staff is with planning. After all, you want the reception of your dreams, not someone else's. Our cuisine is second to none in the area and open to adapting to your special requests. You can arrange a tasting dinner to try almost any dish. Chef Randall Brown personally oversees the preparation and serving of your hors d'oeuvres and dinner. Feel free to call on us to answer any questions you may have regarding these menus or other arrangements we can help you with in planning your reception. Thank you, Randall & Lynn Brown, Jennifer Leskovar and the staff of Beardslee Castle
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2008 menus are posted,
these menus valid for new bookings through August 2008 only new menus for 2009 and new 2008 bookings will be posted soon hors d'oeuvres and bar packages family style dinner menu 4 and 5 course sit-down dinner menus buffet menu Luncheon Menu for events beginning before noon Rehearsal Dinners & Bridal Showers |
AVAILABILITY AND AND OTHER
RESOURCES available dates through 2008 wedding
cakes |
Our personal Guarantee of Quality
| We take great pride at
Beardslee Castle in presenting delicious food with warm attentive service
in an unsurpassed setting. All of our soups, stocks, sauces, dressings,
salads are made fresh here in our kitchens. All of our produce is
fresh. During summer months we grow many of our vegetables, edible
flowers and herbs organically and compost our organic waste.
We use only fresh fish and choice meats of the highest grades available. Chef Randall Brown prepares dishes that are wonderful in taste and presentation. The management and staff give their personal attention to every detail of service to you, our guest. |
Questions you should be asking when planning your reception...
| I'm overwhelmed by the
planning... how can you help us?
We can assist you in finding sources for almost anything you want for your reception or ceremony. Everything from Horse & Carriage to Butterflies in Boxes We help with your seating, timing, and coordination of all the people you hire to make your day special. Personal consultations with Jennifer, Lynn or Randall are not limited. If you are having your ceremony here you may make arrangements for a rehearsal prior to your event. Lynn or Jennifer will help coordinate your rehearsal at no charge. Rehearsal dinners can be arranged as either full-menu dinners in the dining room (printed here and personalized) or as cocktail & hors d'oeuvres events in the dungeon our outside. How many guests can you accommodate? We can seat up to 190 guests comfortably in our beautiful banquet room. This usually allows for invitation lists up to 210 people. Our standards for comfort: not overcrowding tables and ample aisle space so no one has to push between tables. Outdoor events are limited to buffets or station style receptions up to 300 people. What types of menus do you offer? Almost anything! Our regular offerings include sit-down diners, gourmet dinners, buffets, station-style buffets, family style buffets and gourmet brunches. Buffet and Hors D'oeuvres parties are a 50 guest minimum. Main banquet room parties 50 guest minimum Can we try the food that is listed in the menu before our event? Most menu items can be prepared for you to try if you come into the Castle for dinner (during regular dinner hours in the dining room). You should decide what items you would like to try and order at least one week in advance. Some items are difficult to prepare for a single tasting (roasting a 20 pound top round of beef for example). In some instances you may be able to try a few different sauces with one entree. Tastings are ideal for trying hors d’oeuvres. Our regular dining room breads, spreads, soups, dinner salads, dressings, wine selections, potatoes, rice, sautéed vegetables, pastas and tomato basil sauces etc are the same as what we prepare for weddings. A tasting dinner generally runs $20-$25 per person depending on the number and types of dishes sampled. The cost of a a tasting dinner for two people making selections for the premium dinner or buffet package is refunded with the settlement of the final bill. Can you change anything on your menu? We change our dining room menu every day, so we're used to change.. We specialize in customized weddings; nothing in these menus is etched in stone. If you have a different idea for anything or would like us to come up with additional options let us know. If you see a menu at another site bring it to us and we'll give you a quote for a comparable event. How many staff members are there to serve my reception? We have one server for every 15--20 guests plus at least one bartender and at least one wedding manager to oversee timing of your reception. There is a separate kitchen staff for your event that is personally supervised by Chef-Owner Randall Brown. What do you provide at no cost? Each table is set with two layers of linens. Table numbers, two tapered candles or votive candles per table, gift baskets if needed, fully skirted head table, cake table and gift table, personalized menus at each table for sit-down dinners, coat check services in season, and more. For the month of December the room can include a decorated Christmas tree and seasonal mantle decorations. What else is available for upgrades here at the Castle? We have a wide variety of linen colors available for only $3 per table (per non-white color layer), in-house fresh flower arranging including bud vases at $5 each or flowers for your cake starting at $30. We have a piano that is available for a $65 fee and a Hammond organ that is available for $75. Can you recommend Florists, Photographers, DJ's or accommodations? Once you have booked your event we can provide you with a listing of local sources for flowers, photographers, horse and carriage, DJ's, bands, accommodations, justice-of-the-peace, etc. Is the banquet room handicapped accessible? A wheelchair ramp is available from the back driveway. Guests may park and leave their cars. The Restrooms are all accessible. Can I hold my ceremony here? Many couples use the beautiful grounds and gardens of the Castle for their ceremony. Several locations and set-ups can be suggested. We are always prepared with back-up options inside if the weather turns. Outdoor ceremony set-ups are $1.75 per chair. Microphone and amplifier for announcements at $25. Stereo for ceremony music with cuing at $20. For ceremonies we provide all chair set-up and breakdown, rehearsal time and coordination. This is a great setting, how can my guests enjoy the entire facility? Your guests are free to stroll about the Castle grounds before, during and after the reception. Our Dungeon Bar & Grill is a regular spot for guests who want to keep the party going and we remain open as long as there are guests in the building up until 2 AM. Do you accommodate children? Some children are happiest with a dish like chicken fingers and fries or just plain pasta, which is no problem at all. With buffets we charge half price for children 10 and under and with open bars the cost is $3.75 per child under 12 and $5 for 12-20 for soda/juices/non-alcoholic drinks. Children who leave the banquet room to go outside or to the dungeon bar must remain under the direct supervision of an adult Do I have to serve dinner to the DJ and photographer? That's between you and the people you employ but we suggest offering a gourmet sandwich at about a quarter the cost of a full dinner. This also avoids the awkwardness of paid professionals helping themselves to a buffet. What are the smoking laws? All restaurants in New York State are now non-smoking. Even private events such as wedding must be non-smoking events. Guests who would like to smoke may use the area outside the second floor exit (ramp) or outside the main floor side foyer doors. We will provide ashtrays in these areas. I've never done a seating chart... can you help us? We provide you with a diagram of the dining room including the maximum size for all of the tables. We keep a copy of the same diagram so any questions can be answered accurately over the phone. You can either write out seating cards or provide us with a seating list and we take care of directing your guests to their tables. What kind of decorations can we use? Besides the blessing of beautiful architecture, a completely set banquet room has a elegant look on it's own. We generally leave additional decorating to your personal tastes. Buffet displays and stationary hors d'oeuvres tables are decorated with flowers & greens or other seasonal displays. Color from linens can add a great accent. Any items you place on the table (favors for example) will give the room a specific feel or overall color scheme once repeated at all the settings. We have a few restrictions on decorations... we ask that nothing be attached to the walls or ceilings (window frames and stair areas are permissible but please inquire first). We do not allow any confetti on the tables or 'thrown', no birdseed or rice to be 'thrown'. Any other items that result in an excessive 'mess' (including wedding cake) after the event may result in a $50-$100 cleaning charge. If you are at all unsure please ask in advance. I need directions for my guests, can you provide them? We have maps available for general directions off the New York State thruway from both the east and the west. You can insert copies in your invitations. Copies of the maps are available here. Where can I save money? The best area to look at to control your budget is beverage service. It's difficult or impossible to reduce the food you are serving but the way the beverage service is structured can save you money, ask us how ! The other savings comes from the many items we include at no cost... and our list of these things is constantly growing! Do you cater off site? We can cater a buffet or hors d'oeuvres reception at your location. A catered event must be quoted after individual consultation but on average runs about $2 per person more than our regular pricing and we include all tableware, silverware, glassware, and cooking equipment. We can make all arrangements for tables, chairs and tents if you need them. A cold platter style picnic reception can be offered at very low cost. Do you hold showers or rehearsal dinners? Bridal showers are a specialty at the Castle, everything from a light lunch or brunch buffet to a champagne and hors d'oeuvres party. Rehearsal dinners can be held in our main dining rooms for an elegant setting or in the Dungeon for a casual party atmosphere. Ask us about details. Do you provide wedding cakes? We include a wedding cake, your choice of flavor, with all of our wedding packages. This way we know that your cake will be just what you want, it will be there on time, it will taste great as a dessert rather than just for show, and it will be large enough to serve all your guests with enough left to take home. Yum ! Some designs or styles may have an additional charge. Cake details are available here. What times can I hold my reception? Day weddings should start no later than 12:00 and must conclude before 4:00. (if you have a ceremony here you should start as early as possible but no later than 11:30). Evening weddings may start no earlier than 5:30 (ceremony or reception) and don't have a set time-limit. The restaurant may not stay open later than 2am but generally your event concludes whenever your DJ or band ends. Extended hours: Quite often, people request that their DJ play 5 hours when our bar packages are normally 4 hours. If your DJ plays more than 1 hour after your bar package ends there is a $50 per hour charge. Once the DJ or band stops, the bar will be closed, guests are welcome to move to the Dungeon bar if they wish to keep the party going.. Servers may begin resetting the dining room discretely after the DJ stops. How long does dinner take? A sit down dinner with four courses generally takes about 1 1/2 hours to serve, slightly longer than dinner would take when dining out. Buffet dinners are usually faster but larger groups can be slower with a buffet. Family style dinner takes about 2/3 the time of a sit-down dinner. The fastest option is a stations style reception where the entire 'buffet' is in place on arrival, essentially combining your cocktail hour and your dinner hour and allowing maximum time for dancing and mingling. What do you need for a deposit and when do you need to know the attendance count? Is there a contract with all the event details? Your $300 deposit is a contract to reserve your date. A signed deposit check is legally both a contract and receipt. If you are sending a check by mail please write the reception date in the memo line of the check. Once you decide on your menu and other details we provide you with a summary of your event: listing everything that will be provided for food, beverage and special set-up needs along with all costs and payment requirements. The offerings and stipulations of this menu are part of your agreement. We will send you two copies of the write-up, one of which you should sign and return to us. Your deposit gives you an exclusive reservation of your date and we cannot cancel your date or give your date to another party. You will also have access to meetings with our wedding coordinators and all resources and referrals from our files to assist you in planning your event. Your written estimate continues the contract and is provided to you about 7 months in advance based on your selections. If you haven't made menu selections we base the estimate on the least expensive food and beverage package ($23.50 food + $9.75 open bar). We require a non-refundable deposit of 25% of that estimate (minimum $1000) six months in advance of your date to continue to hold the date. Late deposits may be charged a 5% late fee. All deposits are applied to your final bill. All deposits are non-refundable upon cancellation.
Please supply us with the
number of guests and their entree selections as well as all other buffet
salad and side options selected [at the latest] two weeks in advance.
You can adjust your count up to 72 hours before your event. You will be
charged for your final confirmed number of guests or the number attending,
whichever is larger. Does the pricing change? Are
the menu prices "Locked in"? The wedding menus are designed for valid
pricing one year in advance. prices may be subject to change due to
extreme variations in market prices. In instances where product costs
rise by over 30% over the year since your booking date we have the option of
adding the additional cost (our cost only... with no additional mark-up
or profit) to the menu pricing. To date we have never had to do this.
If, for example, we had a wedding around the millennium (year 2000) celebrations
that had selected Filet Mignon they would have had an additional cost as the
price of filet mignon more than doubled in the three months prior to the end of
the year. With the current variability in oil/gas pricing we are
seeing price increases of 15-20% in some products over the past year and
depending on the situation in the world from events such as hurricanes/wars etc
we have to protect ourselves from sudden spikes in costs. If prices
suddenly increase you will know by simply looking at the increase in supermarket
prices for the same types of products. I'm sure you are aware of the
increased costs of some food items over the past year or so. |
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