Be very careful if you try to book the Hammond for a wedding. Although a beautiful property, the contract to rent the premises is not something I would recommend anyone sign (and as an attorney, I have experience in these areas). First of all, they require the person signing the contract (the wedding couple) to personally monitor alcohol consumption of their guests even though Hammond's sole preferred vendor is providing and serving that alcohol. In the event there is an accident involving anyone driving after having consumed alcohol, the bride/groom are personally liabile to defend and indemnify the facility from any lawsuits/judgments. The Museum also tries to avoid liability by requiring that the couple defend and indemnify them from any lawsuits/judgments from anyone who gets injured on site EVEN IF THE MUSEUM IS THE CAUSE OF THE NEGLIGENCE! Although such a provision is void as against public policy in NY, it should not be in your wedding contract. And in case one of your guests falls or trips on the property and lands on and breaks a museum artifact, the bride/groom are personally liable to pay for the damages within 10 days. So if your guest slips on food that fell off a server's tray and knocks over a painting or a vase, be prepared to pay whatever the value of that is.

Once again, it is a beautiful property and it saddens us that we cannot have a wedding there because of the objectionable contract provisions but a wedding should be remembered for being a happy day and not for becoming a lawsuit.