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Weddings

Pricing information

Reception
$3,395 starting price
Ceremony
$3,995 starting price
Bar service
$1 per person
Reception
$3,395 starting price
Ceremony
$3,995 starting price
Bar service
$1 per person

Attributes highlighted by couples

Quality catering
Unique aesthetic style
Guests comfort
Amenities

About

On WeddingWire since 2020

45 Min. from Portland, ME & 2.5 hrs from Boston

Big Sky Mnt Estate is one of Maine's most sought after outdoor venues, located conveniently just outside of Portland. For 8 years, this remarkable property has been setting the bar for timeless, elevated, rustic events in a charming, quintessential Maine Log Home setting. The serene and beautifully landscaped estate grounds offer an intimate setting to host your event between April - November. Located in the 4 season resort area of The Mount Washington Valley in Brownfield, ME (borders Conway, NH), the custom-designed gardens and 12 acres of open fields provides an enchanting setting for your celebration. The detached carriage house, barn & home have been meticulously renovated to capture Maine's rustic charm while simultaneously offering modern amenities to facilitate flawless events.

Your wedding event includes the use of the entire property, including overnight accommodations in the Lincloln Log Home for up to 19 guests for your weekend event. Couples typically host their ceremony and reception on site, as well as rehearsal dinner & day after brunch. Our wedding couples consistently share they are able to make themselves totally at home with family and friends allowing them to truly soak up all of the "little moments" around the weekend stay & big day. From a morning hike or yoga on the deck overlooking The White Mnts to late night with smores around the fire pit with your closest family/friends. Given our close proximity to famous North Conway, NH our couples love all the area has to offer (including restaurants, hotels, lakes, Saco River, hiking & plenty of rental homes for guests) with the natural beauty and privacy of this remarkable property.

Tents of your choice are set up on our dedicated tent pad adjacent to our Carriage House & pond in the front field. You are welcome to utilize the vendors that suit your needs best, on or outside of our Recommended Wedding Partners Guide in order to create your personalized wedding. You and or your family/wedding party can also rent 17 acre Blue Spruce Lodge next door (2 min walk), sleeping another 14 guests.

We provide a number of wedding supplies to help reduce costs, including our 2 arbors, gazebo & live edge seating for 100. Others will enjoy the gorgeous perennial gardens & expansive yard/fields for yard games. We also have a Ping Pong, Air Hockey & Foosball Tables for tournaments along with a Granite Bon Fire Pit (with wood provided). We also include tons of yard games including Corn Hole, Ladder Ball, Giant Jenga, Kan Jam, Golf, Giant Connect Four, Horse Shoe Pit, 4 Hole Disc Golf Course, Spike Ball & rgulation sized beach volleyball court, thus providing tons of entertainment for your guests to have fun.

Our average sized wedding is around 90 guests & regularly host micro to large weddings up to 200 guests.

"The Hive" Weddings also provides another very different Barn Wedding Venue, "The Hive" Chic Farmhouse & Wedding Barn in Waterford, ME, also highlighted on Wedding Wire, The Knot & Airbnb.

Frequently asked questions

Do you have a site fee for wedding receptions at your venue?

Yes

What is the starting site fee for wedding receptions during peak season?

$3,395

What is the starting site fee for wedding receptions during off-peak season?

$3,395

Do you have a site fee for wedding ceremonies at your venue?

Yes

What is the starting site fee for wedding ceremonies during peak season?

$3,995

What is the starting site fee for wedding ceremonies during off-peak season?

$3,995

Which of the following are included in starting site fee?

Bridal Suite
Parking

What is the starting price per person for bar service?

$1

Which of the following are included in the starting price for bar service?

Limited Bar
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Message vendor
3.6 out of 5 rating
3 Reviews
  • Quality of service
    3.7 out of 5 rating
  • Average response time
    3.3 out of 5 rating
  • Professionalism
    3.7 out of 5 rating
  • Value
    3.7 out of 5 rating
  • Flexibility
    3.7 out of 5 rating
66% Recommended by couples
Liesel
Liesel Sent on 02/14/2023
4.8 out of 5 rating

Beautiful, laid back wedding venue

We couldn't be happier with our decision to host our wedding at The Hive at Birch Ridge Estates. The venue is so beautiful with the birch trees as the ceremony backdrop and the mountains peeking through in the distance. We even started a large bonfire after the reception that all the guests enjoyed. Though it requires more work to find vendors and create decor because it's not all inclusive, having a wedding at this venue allows you to customize every detail of your day, and we believed at a fair price. We were even able to host our two families a few days prior to allow them to get to know each other more and help set up. Eric was always available to answer questions and met us to visit the venue a couple times prior to the wedding to help envision where everything would go. The only negative about the venue is the bathroom situation, but that is something Eric is working on with a new changing area/restroom.
Nicole
Nicole R. Sent on 03/27/2023
5 out of 5 rating

Eric is amazing & the venue is beautiful!!!

I was scouring air bnb for a venue and came across this amazing space! So beautiful and comfortable. Everything was easily accessible and Eric was easy to reach, more through text than anything, and extremely accommodating and kind. The venue is gorgeous and the cabin was excellent and housed myself and the bridal party comfortably for a wonderful weekend for my wedding. I was extremely happy with this experience and it made my wedding day even better than I could have imagined! It's a beautiful venue and the cost was super helpful, especially since we were a couple with a budget! I recommend this venue to everyone I meet who may be looking for a wedding/event venue or even a weekend away. Just book it! You won't regret it!
K
Karen L. Sent on 04/28/2021
1 out of 5 rating

Don't bother

I don’t enjoy writing reviews like this, but my partner and I feel that it’s important to spread the word about our experience with Eric, the owner of The Hive properties. If you are planning a wedding and considering Eric’s properties as your venue, please read on.

We were excited to find The Hive to host our wedding. Our intention was to get married in June 2021, but due to COVID-19 uncertainties, we were hesitant even when we booked it in the Spring of 2020. We specifically asked Eric if there would be any issues with postponing our date if things still felt unsafe/unclear regarding COVID-19, and he told us that it would not be a problem. He appeared to be very understanding at the time.

When 2021 arrived, it was apparent that the pandemic was nowhere near over. State restrictions, travel restrictions, and vaccine rollout/availability were impossible to predict, even several months in advance. Due to this continued uncertainty, we made the difficult decision to postpone our wedding to Summer 2022. We were not comfortable asking people to gather during a pandemic, and since the safety & well-being of our family is paramount, this was a no-brainer for us.

We reached out to Eric nearly 6 months in advance regarding our postponement plans. He promptly informed us that this would be considered a cancellation as the pandemic was not an acceptable reason to reschedule. We reiterated our concerns about travel as we have both out-of-state and international guests. Eric responded with the same bullying tone as before, stating that our postponement would cause us to forfeit our deposit - and we would also be expected to pay a significantly higher rate because our new wedding date would be in 2022.

Businesses of all sizes have taken a major financial hit during this pandemic. While we understand and appreciate that Eric is running a business, we were shocked and disappointed by how he chose to handle this situation. We requested a full refund of our deposit, and Eric refused. Our lawyer reached out to Eric and she was met with the same angry, bullying response that we had experienced before.

Due to Eric’s inability to acknowledge COVID-19 as the truly extenuating circumstance that it is, we are now in this unfortunate aftermath. It is easy to find several other reviews that recount similar experiences with this owner.

The spot itself is really quite nice, but honestly, dealing with Eric is absolutely not worth it. Save yourself the hassle and go elsewhere. There are so many other wonderful locally-owned wedding venues in Maine that are operated by compassionate & reasonable people. Sadly, this is not one of those venues.
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Team

Eric Braciska
Eric Braciska
Founder/Owner

After 25 years in Corporate Account Management, Marketing, & Sales for several Fortune 500 Companies, I am now solely dedicated to managing our real estate ventures...including the Personal Creation of your Remarkable “Hive” Wedding Event & respective stay. Our goal is to become the most popular Rustic/Country/Mountains Wedding Destination in Maine. With the dozens of unique wedding supplies we provide, we will work together in unison to provide your One of a Kind, Personalized Wedding arrangement.

Theresa & Tim Roberts
Theresa & Tim Roberts
Caretakers/Cleaners

Theresa & Time have tons of expereince with 35 years successfully runing their property management & cleaning businesses

Travis  Trueworthy
Travis Trueworthy
Landscaper

Incredible weekly service of our grounds from grass cutting, trimming, to mulching our gardens & field maintenance.

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