Here a few more pieces of information that hopefully will be helpful as you prepare for your event here!  Please note client responsibilities and make appropriate arrangements for staffing needs!  If you need assistance with any of these functions, we can provide staffing at an hourly or by function rate, with advance requests.

General - Setup Details

Tables and chairs for your event will be made available and initially set up in the barn.  You are responsible for final table arrangement.  We're happy to help move tables to meet your needs.  We should have your desired table configuration for the head table and cake tables in advance.  Certain furniture may not be moved, and we will advise you when discussing table arrangements with you.

We will place linens on tables  mid morning to early afternoon of the event, depending on the time of your event.  You are then ready to add your place settings and centerpiece decorations.  The place setting setup is a function the caterer or other designated help you may have arranged performs.   We can provide hourly staff, but you will need to make arrangements in advance.

We suggest placing  napkins and silverware setup on the tables.  The glasses can be placed on the table or at a drink station.  The plates are then placed on food service tables for easy use by guests.  The place settings we provide include water/tea glasses (or plastic cups), dinner plates and silverware.  You or your caterer provide the napkins and desert plates.  Often clients like to use a color napkin to match their color scheme for the event.

Tables are cleared with dirty dishes taken to the kitchen by your caterer or other people you designate, or our staff if you have arranged for that. The cleanup staff stays through the end of the event to complete clearing all dishes from the tables and putting bottles or cans into the recycling areas and trash into trash receptacles. If catering staff leaves before the reception ends, hourly staff charges will apply for cleanup if dishes/glasses/trash remain on the tables.  Generally this is the lowest cost option for the client as the caterers would need to charge to have several people available for clearing tables throughout the evening.  Once the caterer has cleared the plates and other food service items, they usually leave the remainder of the glassware/bottles/cans that are used later in the evening.  Since clearning these at the end of the reception is a responsibility of the client, the clients generally prefer for Khimaira staff to  handle this function, and an hourly staff charge will apply. 

Linens should be left on the tables, and we will remove those right after the event. Candles should not be moved while hot as wax can spill easily onto tablecloths (and client may then incur additional linen charges). Caterers need to remove their trash from the kitchen when they leave.

Plastic lawn chairs for the ceremony will be placed in the area you choose.  You are then responsible for arranging chairs to suit your needs.  Often times this is a service performed by the ushers or other attendants for the groom.  We have approximately 200 lawn chairs to use for the ceremony itself.   If you have a greater number of guests, you may want to rent additional chairs. Or, it may be reasonable for some guests to stand if the ceremony is brief. 

We provide a bar area for serving alcohol.  Your bartender, caterer or other designated person, will be responsible for providing ice and setting up and maintaining the bar service.  We can provide containers for icing and serving from kegs, and you provide the ice and kegs.  We strongly suggest you have a bartender if you have more than 25 guests.  The bartender will keep the drinks properly iced, keep the bar area cleared of trash and make sure clean glassware is available.  He/she will also open and pour wines and mix drinks as needed.   We have a number of folks available to serve as bartenders, with advance arrangements.

We have various decorations including flower vases and candle holders that you may use.  You are responsible for providing any candles you may need.   There is no charge for using our decorations, but you are also responsible for cleaning items that you have been used, or we can provide staff at an hourly rate to do that for you.

To keep our prices very low, we offer our facilities and services so that the client can use their 'free labor' of friends and family to complete other details, when that is workable.  On the other hand, sometimes that is a hassle for the client, and she prefers to have us cover these details to eliminate those concerns.  If you need assistance with any of the items that are you responsible for, we are always happy to help.  Please make arrangements with us at least a week in advance, and we will have it covered (we will have an hourly employee available to cover your needs as they arise, which will be added to your final invoice).  This might include things such as the place setting setups on the tables; clearing tables; serving drinks; maintaining ice and glasses at self-serve bar;  setup of the lawn chairs for the ceremony; take down/clean up of decorations;  and general assistance with last minute details.

Since this is an outdoor setting, the majority of the facility cleanup and setup needs to take place the day of or the day before the event. Please keep this in mind.  We  vacuum the barn; wash down the floor; clean/dust the furniture; remove spiderwebs (which seem to return as soon as we turn our backs!); clean and sanitize bathrooms; wash dishes and glasses for your use; and a myriad of other work details. With birds and critters coming in the barn at will, this last minute work schedule is necessary.  It is important that we know the times you may want to come to drop off items, have a rehearsal, take pictures,  or or other reasons.  We will do our best to work around your schedule, but please understand our needs as well.  It can be very hard if we are planning to finish last minute mowing on Saturday morning to have the grounds looking good for your ceremony and pictures, and then at the last minute we find you want to come take pictures early in the day or even the day before!  That means we will not have the grounds ready for your picture taking! 

Unwanted 'Guests'!

The combination of a summertime outdoor event with food will mean flies will probably join us at some point!  We work hard to keep things clean to significantly reduce flies, but sweet drinks and food act like a magnet!  We can often place fans strategically to help keep them from food, but this isn't always possible when hot chafing dishes need to have canned heat in place.  We use fly predators and natural based fly control products.  We also sometimes use low tech and non toxic fly swatters!   We do our best to keep them from becoming annoying for guests. 

With our large bird population (especially the barn swallows), mosquitoes generally aren't a problem for us.  We usually have a few bottles of insect repellent in the bathrooms, and guests are welcome to use them. Or, you can bring your own to have available should there be anyone who is really sensitive.

Guest Information

We strongly suggest you advise guests to wear comfortable clothing, including shoes for walking in the gardens!  It can be difficult to walk with high heels, especially if it has recently rained!  Remember that this is an outdoor setting, and encourage your guests to dress for their comfort.  Heavy perfumes should be avoided as this can attract unwanted advances from insects!   

Please tell your guests that they should not plan arrive more than 30 minutes early for the event.  We need to have parking attendants in place, and this is a reasonable maximum time to have them in place.

For summer weddings, do consider providing hand fans for your guests!   We can help you customize them for your event, or you can purchase our basic fans with Khimaira Farm logo.  They help with the heat, and also any of those pesky insects who want to join us for the events!

Consider bringing umbrellas for the wedding party if rain is in the forecast! 

Parking:  We have parking available in nearby fields, but strongly encourage carpooling whenever possible.  If we have heavy rains just prior to the event, we need to take care with parking in some of the areas, so if you can help reduce the number of vehicles, that is greatly appreciated. Consider renting a van or van services for shuttle to and from local hotels. We can arrange for shuttle service from local hotels.

Children

We always welcome children at our events, but please inform your guests that they will need to provide supervision.  For safety, guests (including children) are not allowed in  buildings or animal housing areas, other than designated areas, such as the Event Barn and adjoining gardens and garden structures.  For your protection and liability, guests should keep a close eye on children at all times.  We may be able to provide baby sitting services, with advance arrangements. 

More to come...