Smith Barn — Attraction in Peabody

This venue is picturesque however Tammy is rude and unprofessional and I would not recommend working with her to any bride.* This venue will NOT accommodate you in any way. You aren't allowed to bring any of your flowers/setup until 2PM the day of the wedding (have fun with that when the ceremony is at 4PM! I'm sure brides love running over with the event stuff right before their wedding). There is no reason for this other than the staff/Tammy refuse to arrive earlier to accommodate brides.

There are very rude signs all over the event saying if there is outside alcohol, the event is immediately stopped. As in canceled. Stopped. Done. I don't think anyone minds that policy, but this is indicative of how rude the managers/owners of this property are.

Here are some other interactions I witnessed:

The bride's mother was giving the venue the alcohol check the day off. When the bride's brothers arrived to decorate the arch, Tammy harangued them "Where's my check?" They had nothing to do with the payment and were simply trying to help their sister who of course couldn't come over to set up the wedding because the Tammy and staff don't open the barn before 2PM. When the brides mother arrived, Tammy ran to her car and didn't even let her out the door. "Where's my check?" Then proceeded to follow her until the poor woman (75 years old) fished the check out for her. Maybe the bride's mom was supposed to pay Tammy earlier, and I understand this is a business, but yikes.

As groomsmen and bridal party/family waited to go take pictures with the bride and stood in the main barn area, Tammy brought in a prospective couple and showed them around the barn and brought them to the set up table area. This was so unprofessional. We're literally minutes away from the ceremony. On top of that, I found out later that our bride wasn't allowed to tour the barn during the weekend/when events may be taking place back when she was thinking about booking, and had to take time off during the week in order to get a tour. So what the heck?

The groom asked for his favorite bottled beer to be stocked. During the event, Tammy was behind the bar and in front of many guests, saying "He didn't drink any of this damn beer and now we're stuck with it." Among other complaints. How unprofessional is this?

You're paying them a lot of money. They should accommodate you. I will say that as far as the organization during the event, Tammy did a nice job moving people around and getting everything to run smoothly.

*Full transparency: I was not the bride at the wedding I attended here, I was family adjacent, but I witnessed the bride and her family and the interactions with Tammy...

Some quick points to make about using this venue for a wedding reception: Beautiful setting, inside and out Staff was responsive before and during the event Parking was very easy for all attendees Renting the venue for 5 hours on a weekday afternoon/evening totaled to about $2000, which is pretty darn cheap.

It should also be noted that you cannot come the night before or earlier than 2 hours prior to the event time you reserved, to drop off equipment or set anything up, so it has to be all done within that timeframe right before your event. Also, no confetti of any kind is allowed in the area (these policies are stated in the contract that you sign beforehand).

Our wedding was in October, and in New England that means beautiful leaves and colors in every direction. The weather was fair and made for great outdoor pictures. Everything was in place as planned and they worked well with the catering company and my wedding planners. We didn’t allow alcohol in our wedding reception, and the staff there in the barn went out of their way to cover up the alcohol visible from their bar (asking them to close the bar completely costs an additional $2000).

Why only 3 stars, then? I hate saying anything bad in my reviews, but it also must be stated: Toward the end of the event, I had a white envelope with approximately $500 in tips placed on the sweetheart table on top of my table napkin, maybe for 15 minutes, intending to use it soon. But when I returned to the table, the envelope was gone. It looked like the staff cleared the sweetheart table of the food, plates, napkins etc. without asking us first. I thought the envelope may have been thrown away by accident, but none of the staff could find it in any of the linen bags. No one was near the table during the time my wife and I were away except the staff. I feel the money was misplaced/overlooked or whatever else explanation for what happened, but in any case we’re out $500. I could’ve done better in protecting the money, to be fair. In perspective, $500 is significant for us but not bank-breaking, but that is essentially the only con to our otherwise...

We attended a wedding at this venue and I must say, it is a perfect barn for the occasion. The ceremony was across the street on the lawn, a beautiful setting surrounded by nature, peace and tranquility. The reception was across the road in a large barn style function hall. The food was outstanding appetizers, lobster mac and cheese balls, shrimp and grits along with an antipasto table ( I think the kids call it a charcuterie board) that would bring a tear to any goomba. Dinner was every bit as good as the apps, we had beef short ribs with nashed or roasted potatoes. Chicken and pasta dish that was lite and delicious. Cesar salad served in a glass cup. The dessert table was outstanding as well and the bride and groom gave out on premise made maple syrup for the guests. This was a great wedding and the venue's ease of parking and location made it that much better. If you're planning a wedding this is a must see and if possible taste the food. All in all a great night out and would love to attend again. Makes me want to ask my wife to marry me again and...