A Private Estate Reviews
Reviews
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4.9 out of 5 rating
![WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2024 Winner]()
4.9 out of 5 rating
85 reviews
98% recommend it
Awards
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![Mary]()
Mary S. Sent on 11/30/2024All Around Perfect. Nothing to Change
We got married in Sept 2024 and are still talking about how perfect a day at A Private Estate. Ripley and Jack are fantastic and any couple is lucky to work with them. Ripley cares deeply about the property and vendors on site - she will help you curate the perfect weekend with trusted partners who will throw you the perfect wedding. Jack knows and runs the property like the back of his hand - he is calm, cool, and has all the answers.
Bonus is the cottage on site - we used the space for young cousins/kids during the reception so that a babysitter could be onsite and parents nearby.
We truly had the most perfect wedding day. It was so beautiful. We have so much appreciation and respect for Ripley and Jack and the way they care for the estate. Thank you, thank you, thank you Ripley and Jack!A Private Estate's reply:
You are so very welcome. It was a joy to host your wedding reception. Let us know when your photos come out and all best wishes to your families. Happy Holidays. -
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![Eliot]()
Eliot J. Sent on 09/29/2024Our mid-August wedding at A Private Estate: Above and beyond in every way
We were so lucky to celebrate our wedding at A Private Estate, and it truly exceeded all of our expectations. When we were searching for a venue, we visited A Private Estate in the depth of winter during a snowstorm, but even then, we immediately knew it was the perfect place for us. Ripley, the owner, was friendly and direct, and it was clear she genuinely cared about making sure people had an amazing experience. The property was beautifully maintained, and the convenience of having the Carriage House accommodation along with the barn for the reception made it a much better value than most other venues we considered.
We chose to have our ceremony outside, overlooking the Hudson River, which created a breathtaking and peaceful setting for our vows. The manor house made for a stunning backdrop for our family photos, adding a touch of elegance to the day.
We held our reception in the barn, which we highly recommend to other couples. The rustic charm of the space, combined with the elegance of the estate, created the perfect atmosphere for our celebration. Our mid-August wedding was made even more memorable by the beauty and ambiance of the setting.
The property manager, Jack, went above and beyond to ensure our day was perfect. Not only did he assist us with practical matters, like putting up blinds in the Carriage House to help our family members' kids sleep, but he also saved the day when a special bottle of wine we had intended to keep was accidentally thrown out by the caterers. Jack took it upon himself to dig it up and return it to us—an act of kindness we won’t forget.
We are incredibly grateful for the hospitality and attention to detail from both Jack and Ripley. If you're looking for a venue that combines beauty with exceptional service, we wholeheartedly recommend A Private Estate. -
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![Christine and Jason]()
Christine A. Sent on 09/30/2024Wonderful experience at an unparalleled venue
We held our wedding at A Private Estate in August 2024, and we only have great things to say about the experience. The place captured our imagination from the moment we first arrived to tour the property with Ripley, the owner. We loved the rolling lawn, the picturesque house, and the unparalleled view of the Catskills beyond the Hudson. We looked at a few other wedding venues afterward, but our minds and hearts kept going back to A Private Estate. We brought our parents to tour a few months later, and they were just as awed as we were.
Ripley was a supreme host. She understandably takes great pride in the property and we enjoyed getting to know her. Jack, the property manager, was excellent to work with. He knows everything there is to know about the property. Ripley and Jack are a superb team and have extensive experience hosting weddings. They know exactly what they’re doing and have high standards, which we appreciated. We felt taken care of at every step.
Their teamwork made our wedding day go as smoothly as we hoped. Ripley and Jack coordinated with multiple vendors to make sure everyone was in the right place at the right time. We thoroughly enjoyed our wedding day, and are grateful we got to celebrate at A Private Estate. Ripley and Jack were an absolute pleasure to work with. We recommend A Private Estate without hesitation.A Private Estate's reply:
Thank you so so much for this review. We loved hosting your wedding. Do let us know when your photos come out so we can relive your special day. All the best! Ripley and Jack.
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D Adams Sent on 09/19/2024
Spectacular location; excellent experience
You will have a hard time finding a place more beautiful than a Private Estate. The pictures barely do it justice -- it is stunning. And the venue is very professionally managed. They know how to throw a wedding.A Private Estate's reply:
Thank you so much for this review. It is very appreciated as I know how difficult it was for you. Jack and I can’t wait to see all the photos of Rose and Milo’s wedding. Happy Fall! -
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Steven C. Sent on 10/10/2023
Great setting for a wedding--even in a torrential downpour!
This is a gorgeous property for a wedding--the barn is amazing, the setting by the river just beautiful. Unfortunately the day of our daughter's wedding was in a torrential rainstorm, so we had some logistical headaches. But Ripley, the owner and Jack the caretaker were outstanding. They helped supervise what needed to be done to help our guests arrive in driving rain, Jack put mats out on the muddy grass to get people into our tent, and thanks to them, everything worked out beautifully. Our guests were blown away by the beautiful barn and tented dance floor and so were we. We also rented the carriage house on the grounds to stay in over the weekend and to do the wedding prep and that was perfect too--clean and just lovely. And a great fully stocked kitchen too. Highly recommended! -
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![Holly]()
Holly G. Sent on 12/03/2023All that and more!
You couldn't ask for a better location. Ripley and Jack went out of their way to accommodate all of our requests. So happy we chose A Private Estate.A Private Estate's reply:
Thank you for such a sweet review. We were delighted to host you and your family.
Happy Holidays!
Ripley and Jack -
Isobel T. Sent on 10/18/2023
Spectacular Views and Caring Team
I got married a month ago at A Private Estate and it truly was the wedding of my dreams! For starters the view is so insanely beautiful. I couldn't get over how stunning it was to get married with the river & mountains behind me and the incredible garden/estate. But beyond the spectacular venue Jack & Ripley were amazing to work with. From my very first visit, Jack told me he treats every wedding like it's his daughters and I knew we'd be in good hands. And that's exactly what happened. 2 hours before the ceremony we changed our rain plan because of the sun and Jack and his team moved the ceremony outside of the tent. It meant so much to me to be able to have the ceremony that I had envisioned. The carriage house where me and my bridesmaids got ready was also great! Plenty of room for all the glam and had AC. We got great photos there too. The property is also so big which also made it nice to spread out our different events throughout. HIGHLY recommend getting married here!
These beautiful images taken by Joseph Lin.A Private Estate's reply:
Thank you so much Izzy for this sweet review. Your smile that day made Jack and my day. Do come back and visit! We wish you both much happiness in the years to come. -
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Sarah R. Sent on 08/18/2023
Beautiful Hudson Valley Venue!
My husband and I chose A Private Estate after falling in love with the landscape and view!! After visiting multiple other venues along the Hudson river, we found that A Private Estate felt most "untouched" and would truly allow our guests to experience the quiet and natural beauty of the Hudson Valley. We liked that we could use the tent site and customize our wedding to our taste with the beautiful landscape as our backdrop. Ripley and her team are amazing! They've hosted many weddings and have their best practices, which are helpful since for most of us, it's our first time planning a wedding :). We happened to have a high chance of rain on our wedding day and ultimately had to go with our plan B for the ceremony, but never once felt stressed about it. Special shoutout to Jack (Ripley's right-hand man)! He worked behind the scenes the wedding weekend to ensure that everything went smoothly and was so easy to work with. We would highly recommend going with APE for your special day :).A Private Estate's reply:
Thank you so much for this lovely review. I truly appreciate the acknowledgement of all the work Jack does to make a wedding day magical. I cant wait to show him this review. Please come back and visit the next time you are in the area. All best wishes to you both. -
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Agnes D. Sent on 12/04/2023
Quintessential Hudson Valley Estate venue
A Private Estate is a stunning property on the banks of the majestic Hudson River, its grand and stately house a perfect backdrop for classic wedding portraits with options for a reception on the lawn or in the beautiful barn. Jack is on hand to make sure the day runs smoothly with a terrific team of helpers and the sunsets over the river are the stuff of dreams.A Private Estate's reply:
Thank you Agnes for this lovely review. I really appreciate you acknowledging Jack ( our property manager)'s invaluable contribution to a successful wedding.
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![Katie]()
Katie M. Sent on 12/16/2022We could not have asked for a more perfect wedding at A Private Estate
My husband and I got married at A Private Estate this past October, and to say it was amazing would be an understatement. Ripley, the property owner, and Jack, the groundskeeper, made us feel so welcome, and they were both fantastic to work with throughout the entire planning process and on our wedding weekend. From the moment we toured the property in January 2021, we knew it was the place for us. We are local to the Hudson Valley, so we knew we wanted to have our wedding somewhere that would showcase the area's natural beauty, and A Private Estate really knocks this out of the park. In addition to the stunning outdoor grounds, where we had our cocktail hour, there is a fantastic barn complex, which we used for our dinner/dancing. (Our guests continue to tell us about how much they loved the venue!) As if these things aren't enough, there is also a Carriage House on the property, and another estate next door, which can be rented. We utilized both of these for our wedding party, and it was so much fun (and convenient) to have everyone close by. We truly could not recommend Ripley, Jack, and A Private Estate more highly, and we cannot thank them enough for everything they did to contribute to our magical wedding day! -
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Virginia S. Sent on 12/30/2022
A Private Estate is A Perfect Venue!
A Private Estate is amazing - the location and view can't be beat and the property is so unique with multiple areas/ways to layout your wedding between the lawn and the barn. Our guests were blown away by APE - everyone said something to us about the property. The team is great to work with and will do whatever it takes to make the day perfect. -
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Jessica Sent on 06/19/2022
A Magical Wedding Weekend
I don't think words can adequately describe how magical of a day our wedding was! The whole weekend felt like an absolute dream. Ripley and Jack go above and beyond to make sure every couple feels special and the day goes perfectly. From the ceremony to the reception everything went seamlessly and we couldn't have asked for a more beautiful location. The grounds in June are incredible and there is something about being nestled in the mountains on the river that makes everything feel a bit more magical! A bald eagle even made a guest appearance during our ceremony!! Our guests raved about how beautiful everything was and our stay in the carriage house was the cherry on top! -
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Alix P. Sent on 06/16/2022
Spectacular venue and wonderful people!
Our wedding was at A Private Estate in late May and it was even more spectacular than we could have ever imagined. Ripley was extremely accommodating in showing us the venue, arranging a couple of site visits, and answering all of our questions. Jack is the estate manager and was an absolute superstar behind the scenes ensuring everything ran smoothly on the day. We had our ceremony on the house lawn, the cocktail hour on the tent site, and the reception at the barn so there were a lot of moving pieces but everything worked out great due to the support we received leading up to and on the day. The setting in full greenery is absolutely stunning, we had more than a few guests tell us there were audible gasps as the shuttle bus turned the corner and the view of the Hudson became visible. Would highly recommend having your wedding here if you want a wow factor!!A Private Estate's reply:
Thank you Alix. It was a joy to host you, your family and friends! We are still talking about how lovely everyone was. Both Jack and I wish you both many years of happiness. Come back in visit if you are ever in the area. All the best, Ripley -
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![Sheri]()
Sheri A. Sent on 11/07/2021A Magical Wedding
This place is absolutely magical and my husband and I fell in love with the property on our first visit (Fred the cat helped seal the deal as well!) The view of the Hudson is unbelievable and the privacy and intimacy is unmatched. The most asked question from our guests has been "How did you find this place?!"
When my husband and I first saw the property we were astounded at how many options you could have for your whole weekend. There is a stunning historic barn complex on the property where we held our rehearsal dinner and a beautiful tent site, which overlooks the Hudson, which is where we held our reception. It's truly such a unique property to have both of those options available.
There is also an option to rent out the carriage house (on the property) and creekside cabin (right off the property) which we decided to do. The convenience of this was so helpful throughout the weekend. Our *only* comment is that there did happen to be a lot of flies in the carriage house, but this is expected to some degree when in the woods.
Ripley and Jack (the property manager) could not have been more lovely and friendly to work with and truly went above and beyond for us to make the day special. Jack is truly amazing and so very attentive in making sure that everything is taken care of. You can really tell how much he loves the property and takes such pride in all that he does.
We absolutely loved our wedding and this place will always hold a special place in our hearts. Ripley kindly told us that she'd be happy to have us back again and we hope to visit our special spot for years to come.
Also noting - for those looking at venues! The photo's here do not do justice to how breathtaking this whole property is. If you're able, go see it for yourself. Meet Fred the cat and fall in love with this magical venue like we did. It was truly perfect.
A Private Estate's reply:
Dear Sheri,
Thank you for this rave review. Jack and I are really happy that everything came together for you both that weekend. Let us know when your photos are ready.
Our apologies about the flies. We clean the house twice a week and the only thing I can think of is perhaps they flew in when we were working on the house and got trapped inside. We do have screens on all windows and doors.
Happy Thanksgiving. Wishing you all the best.
Ripley and Jack -
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Kelsey H. Sent on 12/10/2021
Majestic Ceremony Site Overlooking the Hudson Valley
A Private Estate is a gem hidden away in Germantown, NY. The journey down the wooded road and magically opened up to a majestic property overlooking the Hudson River Valley. This backdrop highlighted our ceremony and was beautiful. Ripley made the process easy, straightforward and was accommodating to let our photographer and coordinator see the property to plan the best shots ahead of time. We utilized this venue for a small wedding, but it was more than capable of handling lots of guests. You won't be disappointed by planning your special day at A Private Estate, because we weren't. Thank you so much Ripley!A Private Estate's reply:
Hi Kelsey,
Thank you for this lovely review. Jack and I wish you all the best for you both in the years to come.
Happy Holidays,
Ripley -
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Sara T. Sent on 10/05/2021
Best Venue
We had our wedding here in September and it was a perfect venue! Ripley and her staff were wonderful. The venue is huge! And the views of the Hudson and the Catskills were incredible. -
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