Harrington Farm Event Venue

We had our wedding here in May 2016. From the moment we met with Traci and touring the venue to our big day, everything was perfect. The grounds are beautiful. The facility is modern with a touch of rustic style. And the food was so delicious. To be honest, I wasn’t quite impressed with the quality of the food during the tasting, but on our wedding day, I was surprised how tasty all the dishes were.
Traci and her staff were absolutely amazing. Without them, I’m not sure if we could’ve pulled it off as successful as it did. She’s easy to communicate by email or phone. Even though my wife and I were totally clueless from day one, Traci helped us throughout the entire process and pointed us in the right direction. During the rehearsal, she orchestrated the timeline, and on the day of, she made sure everything was in order without being seen which was great. She even came over to our table after the reception had told us how amazing the day was and that she was retiring for the evening. Harrington Farm is truly lucky to have her!
Yes, it’s true that shots are not allowed at the bar. And you can’t order them with on the rocks or neat either. They have a pretty strict policy about it. A few of our guests had mentioned that they were annoyed by this when they approached the bartenders but that’s the rule and unfortunately, that’s not Harrington Farm’s fault. I suppose the bartender staff could’ve been nicer in the way they respond to the guests but I can only imagine how tough their job must be when they deal with intoxicated guests complaining about the lack of shots on a weekly basis.
We highly recommend ordering the mac n cheese bar. People raved about it. If you can squeeze that into your budget, please do – you won’t regret it.
If you’re having a sweetheart table, make sure the table is moved closer to the other tables otherwise they’ll set it up far away from everyone else which makes it awkward for the guests to walk across the dance floor to come up to the couple to say hello.
We recommend doing the receiving line between the ceremony and the cocktail hour (also recommend). It allowed us to say hello to each and everyone who came to our wedding. Luckily, there were just 120 for us.
One thing to note: The only hotel option is DoubleTree Inn by Leominster which is about 25 min. by car. The hotel is just average. It’s not bad but it’s not great either. Unfortunately this was our only option for rehearsal dinner to post-​wedding activities. It’s impossible to find a decent location that can cater 120 adults without needing to drive before or after the wedding. This isn’t Harrington Farm’s fault obviously but definitely something worth considering during your planning.
Overall, the grounds, the facility, the staff, and the food were all amazing. This was a beautiful venue and we look forward to visiting again if we’re invited to a wedding there. And we highly recommend having a wedding here.

Everything other reviewers have said about this place is true. It’s beautiful, and I’m sure if you use Harrington Farm you’ll have a good day.
BUT…they get 1 star from me (AND WOULD GET ZERO STARS IF I COULD) based soley on their absolutely abominable, piss-​poor bar service.
What was so terrible? Well, let me set the scene. I’m an older gentleman in his 60s who has lots of experience as a bartender and a connoisseur of fine whiskies, etc. I’ve been drinking responsibly my entire life.
So imagine my surprise when the bartender told me that I couldn’t have Jim Beam on the rocks… because they had a «policy» against serving «shots». Now, my cousin had just ordered a Glenlivet neat… but apparently bourbons are not worthy of the same treatment in the eyes of the idiot who runs the bar service here.
I protested to the bartender, I buttonholed a server who was sort of managing the hors d’ouvre service… nothing, nada, zip. They simply wouldn’t serve any whiskey besides their single-​malts neat or on the rocks… they «had to be in a drink».
So, if you don’t drink, or don’t care that your guests get mistreated like this, then by all means book Harrington Farm for your event. However, if (like me) you prefer professional cocktail service, look elsewhere, because you’re not going to get that here.
UPDATE 11÷15÷15…
My family (the hosts of the event I attended at HF) has been contacted by the management of Harrington Farm regarding this review. They state that they were only following the wishes of the bride and groom, who stipulated in their contract that the bar was to refrain from serving «shots» to guests.
And while I respect that (and will be discussing this further with my family), I feel this only lends more credence to my opinion. There’s a HUGE difference between a bunch of young binge drinkers downing Kamikazes, Slippery Nipples and bad tequila shots, and an older gentleman asking for a bourbon, neat. I’m absolutely 100% positive that my niece and nephew’s intention here was to prevent irresponsible binge drinking, and NOT to prevent good old Uncle Mike from getting his drink the way he likes it.
Therefore, my review stands as published. I’m certainly happy to continue the discussion, but feel Harrington Farm either overstepped their bounds, or simply didn’t understand the wishes of the hosts. Sorry.

We just got married at Harrington Farm last week. Traci and Jess could not have been more accommodating or professional. They are great at what they do and it shows in their service! We had a great time, everything was smooth and prompt. I would recommend them to anyone getting married in MA that want a beautiful, private wedding! Perfection!

Attended an outside wedding. The location is beautiful in May so I can only imagine how gorgeous it would be in July! The bride walked down the hill but where it turned to the seating area it was muddy. If a walkway was put in it would definitely improve the venue. Service has been great but the big surprise was how tasty the food was. Some of the best wedding food I have experienced. My only other complaint would be they turn weddings. It isn’t uncommon for them to do four a weekend!

We just got married at Harrington Farm on November 1^st and it was amazing! The venue is simply stunning, the food is delicious, and the service was impeccable. I was definitely treated like a Queen on my special day! Definitely recommend!

We had our wedding here this past fall. It was spectacular! Gorgeous scenery, delicious food, and super friendly, attentive staff. We had a pretty short engagement — got engaged in April and married in October of the same year, so our planning process was much quicker than normal.
Initially our communication was with Irena, the woman formerly in charge of events. I honestly did not have much communication with her since my friend was the one who was playing pseudo-​wedding-​planner for me. We were able to book the simple elegance package with some additional discounts and free upgrades, I think because they were trying to get rid of their last free date in 2011 (no complaints for that!).
Anyway, we attended one of their twice-​a-​year tasting events in the summer, and that was a little overwhelming for me because it involved a lot of stuff that I really did not care about (besides food, you could see linens, chairs, table setups, flowers, etc. And it just wasn’t a priority of ours because we were going for an intimate, funky, fall harvest, so things like china and special glasses were not on our radar). The event had maybe 100+ other brides/​grooms and guests (I think you’re allowed to bring up to 4 but they have to pay). We tasted a ton of food, not all of which was great, but that’s what the tasting is for, to see what you like. It was at this event that we were informed that Irena had left and so another woman would be our coordinator. No worries for us, so long as our initial contract was still honored.
We worked with this 2^nd woman for maybe 6 weeks before she left unexpectedly and was replaced with two current Harrington staffers (Traci and Jeanine), who I think were just pinch-​hitting for the remainder of the 2011 wedding season. That was where things got a little sticky for us, because now we’re on our 3^rd set of planners and each time we’ve had to re-​explain our contract, including bus vouchers that we were promised if we booked guest buses through their preferred vendor list. The buses were a problem because they were not in the contract, since Irena had said we just needed to submit an invoice that they’d reimburse us for up to $ 500. By the time we started working with Traci and Jeanine, they said that was not their usual deal for a «wedding of this size» (we had 66 people). So that was aggravating but finally we cleared it up after some back-​and-​forth.
When we started working with Traci and Jeanine I think it was about 3 or 4 weeks before the wedding, and it was hard to get in touch with them. Again, it could have just been a factor of them being thrown into a very last-​minute stressful situation, but it just was hard for me not to be able to easily communicate with them. The week of the wedding, I was staying at a house in Central MA with very poor cell reception, so it was hard for me to talk to anyone. It was freakishly cold that week, and our ceremony was outside. After many struggles, I was able to talk to one of my friends and ask her to order us some last-​minute heaters through Harrington, which she did after getting a price quote and OK’ing it with me. When we got the bill after the wedding, I thought I was overcharged, so I called Traci and Jeanine to figure it out, but they said I was charged the correct amount per heater, plus tax and an 18% admin fee. Well the tax and fee was not discussed when my friend booked the heaters. So that was really frustrating, but we were able to work out a deal in the end. The lesson learned here for future customers is to ASK A LOT OF QUESTIONS and be very specific when getting estimates. This 18% admin fee is apparently leveraged on anything they do. So just expect it.
That being said, we really did have a wonderful, amazing wedding here. I think that there’s no such thing as stress-​free wedding planning, so just be planned, organized, and as noted, very specific with your cost-​related questions. The Harrington staff was very agreeable to most of what we requested (specifically, it had lightly snowed the night before and I think they wanted us to move the wedding inside, but we wanted it out, so they did everything they could to literally melt some of the snow on the grass and patio). Our servers and our personal attendant was extremely friendly and helpful, making sure we got to enjoy some appetizers when we were having our pictures taken during cocktail hour and keeping our plates and glasses full at dinner. We wound up requesting some «chef’s choice» foods for our apps, and she did a great job of making some foods (a butternut squash soup and a chicken skewer) that catered to our request (seasonal, not fried or covered in sauce). Our guests really raved about the food, servers, ambiance, décor… everything. As far as food goes I’d recommend the raspberry and brie puff pastry and clam chowder for your cocktail hour; and the dinner foods we heard the most raves about were the applejack pork tenderloin and the stuffed portabello mushroom.

The Harrington Farm is la breath-​taking location located on Mt. Wachusett and the perfect setting for my late autumn New England wedding. They took an organized approach to coordinating the dinner and discussing the various expectations and time-​frames for vendor arrivals, drop-​offs, etc. The dinner was delicious and the setting was perfect.

I was a bridesmaid in an event at Harrington Farm earlier this month… what a beautiful wedding venue! Between the fireplace, the exposed wooden beams on the ceiling, and the décor, it couldn’t have been more perfect for a December wedding… just the right amount of holiday feel, without being a «Christmas» wedding. And the location is so beautiful for taking outdoor photos… even in the freezing MA weather, I didn’t mind because the sights were worth it. The staff was extremely helpful, and when they learned I was allergic to nuts, they went out of their way to find out if there were nuts in any of the food items for me, and even remembered not to bring trays over to me with hors d’oeuvres that contained nuts.

This place was the perfect place for our wedding (2 years ago) and I still have such amazing memories of the day there. The wait staff was utterly impressive, my mom still talks about how great they were. The food was delicious and this was really important to me since so many weddings I’ve been to had horrible food.
The location was gorgeous and was just perfect for the low key wedding we wanted but still very classy. The only issue I had at all with this place was the woman who organized our wedding, she made every step very difficult but it was worth it to have this location.

Where do I even begin about Harrington Farm?
After spending over a year planning this wedding — the people at Harrington Farm (Traci especially) made my wedding this past weekend into the most perfect event EVER.
We selected a date in June so we could take advantage of the amazingly beautiful views afforded by Harrington Farm and the lovely grounds. Unfortunately, it rained ALL DAY LONG. However, the inside of Harrington Farm is equally as beautiful and the covered porch allowed us to capture some outdoor photos.
Traci and her day of team set up the room beautifully, took care of every detail you could imagine and made this one of the best days of our lives.
I heard from several of our guests that the food was the best wedding food they had ever tasted, and it seemed as though the kitchen was cooking just for them! I have to agree — the food was unbelievably delicious and did not taste at all like a catered event for 150 people.
If you are looking for a unique, beautiful and delicious location for your wedding (or any other event) you could not find a better location than Harrington Farm!

My wife and I were married here and this is a gorgeous site, both indoors and out, with 3 different options for ceremony locations (if you want to hold your ceremony and reception in the same location), two outdoor and one indoor at a gorgeous stone fireplace. The dining hall has a high post-​and-​beam ceiling and glass windows or doors along the walls, making it feel open, full of light, and classy. Wood floors, a good layout so that guests feel close but not crowded. Various linen options. The staff are very friendly, excellent at what they do, very experienced, and professional. We were pretty laid back about wedding planning, though, so it’s possible if you are extremely fussy you may have a different experience, but we doubt you’ll have any problems. They are very clear, prompt, and forthright in communication during the planning phase. You cannot stay here overnight but there are rooms and bathrooms upstairs for changing clothes and getting ready; this worked perfectly for us. They offer plated, buffet, or stations — we chose the buffet because it offered the most choices but kept the cost within reach. We had passed hors d’oeuvres and our buffet included roasted vegetables, pasta salad, a chicken and beef option, a carving station for which we chose lamb, green salad, red bliss potatoes, etc. We would have chosen the soy-​ginger salmon, however, except for a guest with an allergy, and we recommend this as probably the best dish. The food is a bit average, except for the salmon and some of the higher-​priced chicken options which we opted not to select to save money. The staff are very flexible and calm — something you want as you plan the wedding. The contracts and details are spelled out plainly so you understand all of the charges. If you opt for an open bar (and you should), you put a deposit down and when you get close to that limit, the staff will come let you know and you can decide whether to increase the amount you’ll cover or convert to a cash bar. We liked having this option. Finally, there is plenty of parking available. Basically, this place is gorgeous and can hold up to about 200 guests total, and as a bonus they are eco-​conscious, using wind-​power for some portion of their energy usage, support local wineries, etc. We are very glad we held our reception and ceremony here. No regrets at all. Superb. (by the way, wedding reception food at virtually any site is never great — unless you want to hire an outside caterer — if so, be prepared to pay the very high costs for this arrangement. most sites charge a fee if you want an outside caterer and caterers don’t come cheaply). This is why we did not deduct a star for the somewhat average food. Highly recommended.

So myself and the other half got hitched this weekend (feel free to give us a present) at Harrington Farm in Princeton. This place is on top of a hill in the middle of nowhere but its clear to see why its considered one of the finest wedding venues in MA. The huge stone fireplace place inside compliments the wooden beams on the ceiling perfectly and the staff are some the best i have ever encountered. The food was amazing from the h’ordourves to the entrée. It even snowed in the middle of October which made it even cozier inside!

I’ve now photographed 4 weddings there– each different and all maintained the quality that I’ve grown to expect from the Harrington.
I also must say that as a vendor, they have the best policy on feeding me– a little table all of my own, off behind the main tables and each course set out just after all the guests. It’s way better than being crammed into a back room and given your whole meal at once. It also means that spontaneous toasts– yeah I got that covered– and I still ate my dinner. Hooray.