Harvest Moon Pond Wedding & Event Venue — Attraction in Town of Lowville

We would recommend HMP to anyone getting married!! Our experience was wonderful. We knew HMP was a special place, but we were blown away on our wedding day actually seeing our vision come to life. It was neat for our guests to experience all the amazing things that made us choose HMP, as well. Our guests spoke endlessly about how beautiful the venue was and how kind the staff were. They didn't get to know the staff on a personal level like we did, but I think in just the few hours our guests spent at HMP, they were able to grasp how special HMP is. Staff went above and beyond to help make everything go so smoothly. For example, when the mother of the groom’s shoes broke at the last minute, Stephanie went out of her way to borrow shoes for her to wear. Staff were super accommodating, as well. Our guests raved about the exceptional service. HMP really has thought of everything which made our lives 10x easier and made the day run as smoothly as possible. For example, the bar outside the venue has a shelf used to put drinks on which helps minimize the line when cocktail hour starts right after the ceremony. This is just one of the many little things the venue has done to help the guests have a wonderful experience. Stephanie and Brian have also made so many updates to the barn since we had booked our venue for the wedding day (time frame 2021-2023). They really care about the barn, the couples, the guests and overall experience. My husband, Cole, and I have both commented on how thorough everything was from the beginning. HMP was clear about all expectations and reminders. The documents they require us to fill out are extensive and thorough, but they really do make the day go smoothly because it ensures everything is thought of and taken care of ahead of time. Another great example of how wonderful Harvest Moon Pond was to work with is how they helped with my sister. I have a disabled sister in a wheelchair and Stephanie and Mackenzi worked closely with us on how to best make accommodations for her. Lastly, their amenities and suggestions were fantastic. For instance, they have a decor package you can add on. This was so helpful because we didn’t need to bring a ton of items to the venue, it was already beautiful! It made cleaning up at the end of the night go quickly and efficiently. The recommended vendors that HMP offered were equally as fantastic and it is clear why they recommend them. If you book HMP, you won’t regret it! We cannot thank them enough for everything! Can we do it all...

We had quite the journey planning a wedding in the midst of a pandemic. I've told so many people that my husband and I started planning our wedding just as everyone was beginning to cancel their weddings and postpone until next year. It took some time to find a wedding venue, but then we discovered Harvest Moon Pond, which was the most beautiful answer to prayer. Not only were they the best venue we could have had in the midst of everything going on, but they had so many excellent vendor recommendations, and we scheduled nearly all of our vendors through them. Stephanie has such a positive and sunshine personality and did such a wonderful job communicating with us every step of the way. Even after we had our "final meeting", there were still several last minute emails and questions going out days before that Stephanie promptly and enthusiastically answered. HMP was the perfect location: close to the airport and hotels in downtown Madison, quiet, picturesque and surreal, clean and updated, easy parking, enough room for bridal party to get ready, spacious bar and seating area. Our vendors through HMP were Tara Draper Photography (by far the greatest photographer listed under the recommendations and was so worth paying more for quality photos; Tara had some great ideas for us with our wedding and she has a great personality), Buck and Honey's for our dinner (we did a "wedding brunch" through them and even though they had never specifically catered a breakfast for a wedding, it was absolutely amazing and perfect), Scott Mueller DJ (easy going, very involved with his family, professional, and great to work with), and Brittany (our bartender who was friendly and so willing to be there to help with set up and clean up, as well as help refill other drinks besides alcoholic beverages). We absolutely loved these vendors and felt like they went above and beyond to make our wedding day the best it could be. If you are looking at planning your wedding at HMP, please consider these vendors as they work very well with HMP and know the layout there already. Our day flowed so smoothly and we are so happy we chose them. Lastly, we are so impressed by Stephanie and Brian as new owners of HMP and new to the wedding industry. We would have never guessed that this was just the beginning for them. They were so easy to connect with and work with . . .our wedding would never have been as smooth sailing and beautiful without their hard work...

My experience as a wedding guest and a part of the bridal party at Harvest Moon Pond was extremely disappointing. The venue itself is beautiful, but that was overshadowed by the way the bridge, groom, and their guests were treated. I felt judged, uncomfortable, and unwelcome by the staff, and I heard the same sentiments from many other guests. The wedding celebration was extremely civil & laidback, yet the bride & groom were admonished for being "the worst wedding they've ever had." The evening culminated in the bride and groom being shouted at, in their faces, and the ownership threatening to call the sheriff on what was, once again, an extremely calm celebration. The condescending remarks and judgmental behavior exhibited by the staff is one thing, but on top of all of that, the contract was breached. The bar stopped serving well before the agreed-upon time, the bartender chose not to serve patrons for no reason (for example, not serving a guest who was of age & provided ID because they were "too close to 21"), and the entire group was forced to stand in the parking lot waiting for a shuttle for nearly an hour before the contracted end time. Luckily, not all of the guests needed to stand outside and wait at the end of the night - many had decided to leave earlier in the evening because of the uncomfortable atmosphere.

Shame on this place for turning what should have been a happy & celebratory day into a sour memory. I got the impression the owners were only worried about maintaining their picture perfect image, and they decided from the start that this wedding and their guests did not fit into their mold. I will be strongly recommending to anyone I know who is in the search for a wedding venue to not be fooled by the exterior here. How...