Long Island and North Fork Vineyard Weddings

Three numbers decide whether a venue works for you: guest count, what the price covers and the trip. RGNY hosts up to 200 wedding guests, Bedell Cellars up to 200, and Kontokosta up to 300 under a tent from May through October. At the small end, Salt Air Farm's elopement is for up to 25 guests.

Prices come in different forms: a site fee for the space only, a package with catering included, or a quote on request. Every figure here is the venue's own number, so recheck it before you sign.

For travel, East Wind in Wading River describes itself as about 90 minutes from Manhattan, while North Fork Table & Inn in Southold says two hours from New York City. Past Southold, count on more.

On the North Fork, "vineyard wedding" covers wineries, farms and barns, waterfront estates and inns that take full buyouts. What matters is whether a property hosts weddings or only private tastings; each venue below hosts weddings.

• RGNY: up to 200 guests, weddings year-round, ceremonies on site at no additional charge, a barn with a bridal suite and air conditioning, and a floored Sperry tent in peak season. Events start after 3:00 p.m. and end by midnight, and catering comes from the venue's preferred-vendor list (RGNY).
• Bedell Cellars: up to 200 guests at Bedell and up to 100 tented guests at its Corey Creek property. Bedell weddings run May through early October, and Corey Creek takes events of 75 or fewer year-round. Ceremonies are part of the rental, but ceremony-only bookings are not available (Bedell FAQ).
• Kontokosta Winery, Greenport: tented outdoor events for up to 300 guests from May through October, and indoor gatherings for up to 80 all year (Kontokosta).
• Sannino Vineyard: up to 125 guests for a full venue rental, and parties of up to 60 can go without a tent. Weekend pricing is set by season across the whole year (Sannino).
• Pellegrini Vineyards, Cutchogue: ceremonies among the vines and receptions in the tasting room and courtyard, with private use of the vineyard. Its private-events page lists up to 60 seated guests or 100 for a cocktail-style party (Pellegrini weddings, tasting room).
• East Wind, Wading River: outdoor ceremonies among the vines at The Vineyard, several indoor spaces, on-site rooms, and capacity that depends on the space, from about 75 guests into the hundreds (East Wind).
• The Vineyards at Aquebogue: garden ceremony, cocktail hour on a covered patio, dinner in the Grand Ballroom, exclusive use, a planning team and no site fee (Aquebogue).
• Paumanok Vineyards: ceremonies and receptions year-round, with indoor and outdoor spaces (Paumanok).
• Baiting Hollow Farm Vineyard: weddings and private events, indoor and outdoor spaces, catering options and live entertainment (Baiting Hollow).
• North Fork Table & Inn, Southold: full buyouts, wedding weekends and on-site rooms (North Fork Table & Inn).
• Northfork Farm and Salt Air Farm: farm settings with dated packages, covered in the price table below.

For the venues without a posted capacity, ask for the maximum seated count, the count under a tent and the count indoors, since those three can differ a lot.

Think of the North Fork in two halves. Riverhead and the western end, including Wading River, Baiting Hollow, Aquebogue and Jamesport, are the most realistic for guests who want to drive out and back the same day. Mattituck, Cutchogue, Southold, Greenport and Orient Point sit farther east, and the trip grows with every town.

Public schedules show the spread. On the Hampton Jitney September 2026 North Fork schedule, Manhattan departures reach Riverhead in roughly two hours, and the 9:00 a.m. trip reaches Greenport at 11:35 a.m. The LIRR weekend timetable that ran from November 10, 2025 to March 22, 2026 put Riverhead about 2 hours 20 minutes to 2 hours 40 minutes from Penn Station, Mattituck about 2 hours 35 to 2 hours 55, and Greenport about 2 hours 50 to 3 hours 10, with a change at Ronkonkoma (MTA LIRR timetable). Pellegrini gives its distance as 85 miles from New York City (Pellegrini).

Times depend on the day and the trip, so run the venue's address through a route planner for a Saturday afternoon in your month, and check MTA TrainTime for your date.

The venues with posted prices compare this way. The year column matters: a price from an older brochure is a starting point for a conversation, not a quote.

Sannino also lists Friday and Sunday rates of $4,000 in winter, $6,000 in spring and $8,000 in summer and fall on its rental page, with Saturday evening adding $1,000, so ask which rate applies to your date. Bedell's figures come from a 2021 brochure; request the current brochure and contract before you plan around them.

A site fee is usually the start of the bill; Sannino's, for example, leaves catering, rentals and tents to you. Ask for one written proposal that shows each of these lines:

• Catering, per person, and any food and beverage minimum.
• Alcohol: whether the venue's own wine is required (it is at Sannino and Bedell), and who serves spirits. At Bedell, hard alcohol goes through an approved caterer; at Sannino, a caterer serving other alcohol needs a liquor license and insurance.
• Tables, chairs, linens, glassware and lighting, and whether a tent is included or rented.
• Sales tax and the service charge or gratuity.
• Valet parking and security, which Bedell requires and bills separately.
• Guest transportation from hotels or the train, and your own lodging.
• Photography, flowers, music, cake and hair and makeup.
• Weather costs: a tent upgrade, heaters or an indoor backup room.

Ask, too, for the deposit amount and the cancellation schedule in writing before you sign.

Two sets of rules can apply: the venue's contract and the rules of the town or county where it sits.

In Southold, the town has a specific application category for Public Events/Weddings at Wineries/Farms, with separate special-event and tent permits. Guest limits and end times are set property by property, so ask the venue what its permits allow.

In Riverhead, a special-event permit is required for events of 100 to 1,000 people at one time, unless the property holds a permanent use permit that already covers the activity. The application asks for parking, waste, alcohol and sound plans. Tents need a separate Fire Marshal permit with liability insurance naming the town, a flame-resistance certificate and a site and floor plan. Amplified sound must follow the town's noise code.

On Suffolk County property, such as a county park, the county's rules apply instead. Tents over 200 square feet and canopies over 400 square feet need a tent permit through the Fire Marshal, along with a site plan. DJs, bands and public-address systems need Parks Department approval, caterers come from the county list, and alcohol requires a hold harmless agreement (Suffolk County Parks).

A beach ceremony may be possible, and the rules belong to whoever runs the beach. Two other Long Island towns show how it tends to work. Long Beach charges a $50 non-refundable application fee and a $50 deposit, wants the request 30 days ahead, and permits the ceremony only, not a reception. East Hampton requires a permit at a town beach for catered events or groups over 20 and caps a beach wedding ceremony at 50 attendees. For a North Fork beach, ask Southold or Riverhead town for its own rule, and for a state park, contact that park directly. Plan the reception for the vineyard or a restaurant.

Driving is simplest for most vineyards, since trains and buses stop in village centers. If many guests will not have cars, plan transportation before you set an end time.

The LIRR's Greenport Branch runs through Riverhead and Mattituck to Greenport, but weekend service is thin: the 2025 to 2026 winter timetable showed four weekend trains each way between Ronkonkoma and Greenport (MTA). A late reception can leave guests with no train home, so check the last westbound train for your date. Hampton Jitney stops at Riverhead, Aquebogue, Jamesport, Mattituck, Cutchogue, Peconic, Southold, Greenport, East Marion and Orient Point, and asks riders to confirm times in its live reservation system (Hampton Jitney).

From the station or bus stop, guests will need a taxi, a car or a shuttle you arrange. RGNY asks bus and limousine drivers to drop guests and park in the back lot (RGNY), Sannino asks groups in hired vehicles to tell it in advance because large-vehicle parking is limited (Sannino), and Paumanok requires a reservation for any group arriving by hired vehicle (Paumanok). Tell your venue how guests will arrive before you book the bus.

North Ferry links Greenport and Shelter Island every day, every 8 to 15 minutes in its listed periods, with later service on summer Fridays and Saturdays, though weather can delay it. Cross Sound Ferry runs between New London, Connecticut, and Orient Point, which suits guests coming from New England.

For lodging, guests tend to cluster in Riverhead, Mattituck, Southold and Greenport. Greenport Village keeps a directory of hotels, inns and cottages, and the North Fork Bed and Breakfast Association lists places in Cutchogue, East Marion, Greenport, Orient and Southold. East Wind and North Fork Table & Inn both have rooms on site. If your ceremony is outdoors, pack clear umbrellas and a few wraps for guests, since evenings near the water can turn cool.

A North Fork wedding takes place outside the five boroughs, so it runs on a New York State marriage license, not a New York City Clerk ceremony. A license from a town or city clerk outside New York City costs $40, is valid for 60 calendar days starting the day after it is issued, and normally carries a 24-hour waiting period from the time of issue (New York State Department of Health). If you get your license from the City Clerk in Manhattan instead, the City Clerk's fee applies, so confirm the amount with whichever office issues it.

You will also need an authorized officiant and at least one witness. After the wedding, your marriage record comes from the town clerk where the license was issued or from the state; the Department of Health lists copies at $30 by mail and $45 online or by phone, plus processing fees (NYS marriage records). The site's marriage license guide walks through the application itself.

Bring this list to every tour or call; a document folder with labeled sections is handy for keeping the contract, license, permits and lodging confirmations together.

• What is the maximum guest count seated, tented and indoors?
• Is the property exclusive to our wedding that day?
• What is the rain plan: an indoor room, a tent, a new date or an off-site backup?
• What does the price include, and what is extra, including tax and service charge?
• Which vendors must come from your list, and can we bring our own?
• Whose wine and spirits are served, and who serves them?
• What are the rules on music and amplified sound, and when must it stop?
• Is a tent included, and who handles the tent permit?
• Which town or county permits apply, and who files them?
• Are there rooms on site or nearby blocks you work with?
• Can shuttles and buses drop off and park, and is valet or security required?
• What is the deposit, and what is the payment and cancellation schedule?
• What time can we arrive, and what time must the event end?

These come up once you have a shortlist.

Pick two or three venues that fit your guest count and season, then ask each for a dated proposal and a tour, using the checklist above. Once you have a date, read the site's marriage license guide so your New York State license is issued within 60 days of the wedding. If you are still comparing regions, the Hudson Valley and North Jersey venue guides cover other settings within reach of Manhattan.