Event planning

We’ve booked the date - now what? Here is how the rest of our planning will look from a high level.

Tops’l Farm Planning Cadence:

1. IWe will send a kick off email on 10/1/24 to begin our planning together! There will be l link in the email to plan a Kick Off call at some point in October/November. Please try to have a call scheduled in October or November. On this call we will also set a date for your 6th month planning call (ideal to have your planner join us if possible).

2. Catering & Beverage Menus - our 2025 offering will be shared on 10/1/24. If you are choosing the Design Your Day package, we will need to have the catering and beverage contracts locked in and invoices created before the 6th month call.

3. 6 month check in call. Casual check in after beverage and catering contracts are in place. This is a great call for general (non-urgent) questions so please plan on compiling a list of things to discuss as they come up over the next several months. We will set a date for the 45-day planning call at this time.

4. 45 Day Planning Call for our internal team to walk through the master timeline & final details of your event with your planner. We cannot have this call if the required materials are not uploaded into CAMP. We will scheduled our ON SITE MEET & GREET for your check in day on this call.

5. And…arrival! :)

We are here to chat at any time and prefer a quick phone call vs lots of emails.

Please use this link to our calendar to schedule time in between our planned Event Planning Calls:

Sarah Pike Wedding Planning Office Hours

We will send you a login to Tops’l Farm CAMP dashboard as part of our kickoff together.

What is CAMP?

CAMP is our compass. It is the way in which we exchange information with each other in a clear and organized way. Over the years we have found email simply does not work as a means by which to organize critical event details and decisions. All information that we will need for running a smooth event will be located in CAMP - you will have access to forms and be able to see all the details needed, along with due dates.

Your planner will also get a login to CAMP and should be encouraged to collaborate with you on your forms.

You are able to save data in the forms and then FINAL SUBMIT when you feel it is ready for us to review. Please do not submit forms to us until you are confident they are as close to final as possible.

If you ever have an issue with logging in, or with the functionality of CAMP - please let us know. This is something we have invested a lot of time in creating for our couples and process - so if it isn't working for you let us know so we can fix it!

Everyone has a different communication style and it is our goal to give you the info you need in the most timely manner (and not lose any details!) Over the years we have learned a few tips/tricks for communicating that allow for the most successful (joyful!) planning process:

• Please read, bookmark & reference this EVENT PLANNING FAQ page for answers to common questions throughout the process.

• Your Planner. We will have a planner specific FAQ to share as soon as we know who you will be working with for your event. All of our preferred planners know lots about the details here - please reach out to them for support.

• Compile a running list of questions for us if the answers are not found on this page. If something is urgent, please either write URGENT in the subject line of an email or grab some time in the Planning Office Hours.
  
  (In the past details have been missed because of the volume of emails sent during the planning process - if we are both organized and thoughtful with communication, it will help to make sure all the nitty gritty magic is captured properly.)

• We do not text as part of our planning process. All information should be sent via clear emails, scheduled phone calls or our CAMP platform so we are able to reference and distribute within our team.

We are planning a Winter Open House for you to visit us on the farm and spend an evening tasting some of the delicious food planned for our season - and of course given it is the weekend before Valentines Day - celebrating you!

We invite you to this event at no excharge charge (for our couples) and do encourage you to include additional guests for $40/pp (includes drinks & bites).

Our Open House date will be:
Friday February 7th @ 6-8 pm

The goal here will be a chance to gather together ahead of the busy season and experience an evening of our food & hospitality in our gorgeous barn.

An Invitation will be sent to you directly.

At some point after you sign with us and before the big event, you may require another site visit to refresh your memory on all of the specifics!

• We do require at least 2 weeks notice before scheduling a site visit.

• Please try to consolidate visits with your vendor team, relatives, etc to avoid mulitple dates.

• If you would like to schedule a site visit, please us at hello @ topslfarm.com and we can work to find a mutually convenient time.

We will plan a call with you & your planner for 6 months prior to your event. This will be a high level check in, a chance to ask questions and connect. Please keep this in mind when engaging with a planner for your support and signing contracts. At this check in call we expect to have the Chef Services & Bar/Beverage Contracts complete.

It is our goal to have you/your family/guests arrive at the farm ready to enjoy your event - with our team 100% clear on how best to support.

This call is an important one for you/your planner to share all critical details and plans for your event. If you have chosen Tops'l Farm for your planning support, we will use this deadline as our north star in getting all the lovely details together.

With the online forms you will be sent prior to the meeting - you will have a clear sense of the information we require by 30 days out and this call is a great time to firm up final logistics.

Specific information needed will be as follows:

1. Final Master Timeline: Including first delivery, check-ins, check
outs, start/end times for each event, and everything in between! We do request that your planner draft a timeline that includes just information relevent to Tops’l - mealtimes, setup times, etc.

2. Final Guest Counts: All meals.
3. Final Children Counts: All meals
4. Final Vendor Meals: If applicable, with dietaries and choices.

5. Dietary Preferences & Allergens: For all meals

6. Final Meal Counts (if applicable). If doing family style we still need the location of each guest with a dietary consideration.

7. Lodging. Lodging lists supplied with specific assignments if desired. All unbooked lodging
will be added to the final invoice as this time.

8. Final Floor Plans. for all events including a list of rentals needed from Tops’l Farm with specific quantities. Floor plans for inside/outside, ceremony.

9. Seating chart for meals. If family style, we will still require a chart for all individuals with dietary preferences/allergens that need special consideration.

10. Rental Items. Any other rental items required from Tops’l Farm.

11. Event Production. Will this be required at any time during the event?

11. Weather! Plan B plans for all events.

12. Vendor Info. All vendor names/contact information along with their COIs.

13. Host Event Insurance. A copy of your policy with the required coverage.

14. The nitty gritty. Any and all details that you think will help Team Tops’l support your event with excellence is our goal of this call! Walking through your event plans will help us tremendously.

Please let us know if you have any questions at any time about what is needed on this call. Should your information not be complete we will reschedule for a later date, knowing that we will have to supply our culinary team with final numbers and details 30 days prior to your event with no exceptions.

If you are not able to supply final numbers by 40 days it will be considered a material breach of contract and we will proceed with invoicing with numbers supplied at the time of catering contract signatures - so please have RSVP dates due from your guests with plenty of time. Thank you in advance for your help on this!

All final payments must be received at this time.

If we do not receive final numbers at 40 days, we will proceed with the numbers we have in original chef services contracts. Any changes needed to be made to Event Orders & Invoices after this date will be subject to a $250 admin fee.

There will be several key moments during your planning with us for payments. If you have any questions re: what items will be due, pelase do reach out.

Regarding payment, we offer several options, with our preferred methods being:

Bank transfer/ACH: This is a streamlined, secure, and an immediate option with minimal fees.

Paper or Digital Check: Please mail checks to our PO Box. It will take a smidge longer but free of charges! Please shoot us an email when you mail it so we can be on the lookout.

Credit Card: While we offer credit card payments for your convenience, please note there is a 3% bank processing fee which is significant for a small business like ours. If there is a reason the credit card option is preferrred, we'd love to have a conversation about it so we can determine if there are other options that will avoid considerable bank fees.

LOCATIONS:
Use of the below spaces are included in your event fee. Any other alternative locations may require additional event production fees.

Our most popular areas are:

• Apple tree behind the farmhouse

• Blueberry Hill behind the farm cottage

• Event Barn (lawn or inside for smaller events).
  

PLAN B CEREMONY PLAN:

We will require a clear plan B for your ceremony in the event of weather on our 45 day call.

ELECTRICITY:

We do not have an audio system for ceremonies. You will have access to electricity by the apple tree and the event barn. Blueberry Hill does not have electricity, and power cannot be run to this spot. Events here will need to be considered off-grid.

TOPS’L SEATING:

In total, we have 30 rustic black benches (these seat 4 adults each) and 40 black folding chairs to be used on property in a place of your choosing. The Tops’l Farm team will have the desired number of rental items delivered to the event areas, but it will be up to your team to setup as per your requirements. If you require assistance, please discuss our Event Production Support options.

We do not have the ability to move seating from ceremony site to reception site afterward so please make other arrangements should you need seating at both events that exceeds our numbers.

There are no bathrooms at the ceremony site.

BARN SIZE - 30’x40’.

Our gorgeous post and beam barn can fit 130 people for dinner but cannot be a location for all PLAN B needs in the event of bad weather - ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner and dancing spot. Please see below for requirements for guest counts over 80.

BARN - ELECTRICITY
Our facility can handle 15-20 amps of 120 voltage, anything higher would be concerning and need outsourced additional electricity (multi piece bands). Prior to signing with your band, please confirm additional needs with them.

We have exterior outlets for tent lighting, bands, etc. on either side of the screen porch. One has 4 and one has 2.

BARN - BATHROOMS
We have two individual bathrooms that are shared between guests and staff. Extra bathroom facilities are required for groups over 80.

TENTS
Tents are welcome and are required for groups over 80 for wedding events. We have a designated tent area in the meadow next to the barn. Tents must be secured by an approved vendors. Please establish your Plan B weather plan with your planner well in advance of your event date to get these secured by a rental company asap.

LIGHTING

We have bistro lighting setup in our outdoor space, our porch space and our barn space and is included as part of your event fee. If you desire different lighting and require Tops’l Farm to take this lighting down, this will be charged under extra Event Production fees.

HEAT/AC/FANS

You may want to consider bringing in additional resources for temperature control. We do have heaters and barn fans, but depending on the climate/time of year, guest size, etc it might be something to consider for guest comfort.

While we love getting creative like the rest of you - there are certain flows and layouts that work in our space…and some that really don’t! We have thoughtfuly created the following floorplans with thought to serving/guest flow, etc!

Barn Layout #1
10-14 tables (80-130)

Barn Layout #2
6 Tables (40)

Barn Layout #3
8 Tables (56)

Barn Layout #4
4 Tables (32)

Here is an example of a layout that does NOT work (the 4th table is what kills this option and does not work for our event flow)

Unapproved Layout

If you have ANY question on what is approved and isn’t - please share a draft of your layout plans as soon as you have them - we are happy to share our perspective if anything deviates from the examples above!

As part of our offer to make things as easy as possible, we have several items included in our Event Fee that we are happy to have you use for your weekend event.

All final rental requests will formally be made via your final event detail forms in CAMP and are due 45 days before your event.

Items can be requested for use in one area per event (meaning we are not moving furniture from one location to another location for use in the same day eg. ceremony to reception). If you require more seating/tables for multiple events in multiple different spots on property, additional outside rentals should be secured.

Our available items are:

• 15 wooden farm tables, 8’x2.5’

• 30 black 8’ benches

• 50 black folding chairs

• 10 rustic outdoor cocktail tables

• 6+ rustic outdoor benches (seats 2 people)

• Long skinny table (used for welcome or DJ table)
  
  

We are happy to offer the following as part of your event at Tops’l Farm (event barn space only no extra charge):

Bistro Lighting: Setup in our event barn, in the barn porch, and outside in the lawn area.

Mismatched Glass Vases (50+) (bud vases, mid sized vases, some larger vases).

Brass Candlesticks (50) You provide the dripless taper candles.

2 Vintage Easels for signage.

Please see our list of other items that are available for an additional cost.

Other decor notes:

• All additional/rented decor must be removed at the close of the event by your event team. It can be set aside in the barn porch for pickup the next day before checkout.

• Any decor that is to be setup above 12’ in the event barn must be installed by a professional install team.

We have a few lovely things that we would be happy to rent for your event:

• Natural Colored Faux Sheepskins. Create the coziest of spots with our sheepskins - perfect for early season and late fall weddings. $50/5 sheepskins. 75 available.

• Vintage & New-But-Vintage-Looking Coolers. $25 per cooler. 8 available.

• Glass Luminaries (40, various heights) - up to 3” pillar candles (you provide). Example Here. $3 each.

• Battery Operated “real wax looking” Pillar Candles (various heights, with remote & no need for luminary) (100) $3 each

• Votive Holders (100) $.60 each

• Gold Disco Ball Package. Bring on the dance party! 18 (8 inch) and 18 (12 inch) disco balls. $750 (plus event production fees)

• Woven Rattan Charger. Bring a bit of texture to your table. $1.99/charger (130 available)

• Antique Boho Seating Area. A lovely photo op if there ever was one. $535
  
  Includes (settee, 2 side chairs, 2 side tables, bench & brass coffee table)

While we don’t like to think we have standard events here, we do see that the most epic of weekends go a little something like this:

Thursday
Arrival for VIPS if possible!

Friday
Tops’l Meet & Great: Noon

Check in for all other lodging guests: 3 pm

Welcome Event: 5 pm - 8 pm

Saturday

Morning Setup of Event Space - 9 am

Guest Fun & Frolic - all day!

Ceremony - 4 pm

Cocktail Hour - 4:30 pm

Dinner - 6 pm

Last Call - 9:30 pm

Event Concludes - 10 pm

Sunday

Farewell Brunch - 10 am

Check Out - noon

We absolutely love our yurt space. However, it is an off-the-grid-adventure and is not appropriate for all group gatherings. As we mention during our initial calls, guests must be able to hike to and from the yurt. We are able to assist with 2-4 guests who cannot make this trek - but no more. If your group has folks who cannot make this hike, an alternative location should be considered.

Additionally, it takes herculean efforts on our events team to produce an event of any kind down at this space. As such a $1500 location fee (minimum) for any events held at the yurt will be required, no exceptions.

Yurt Event Guest Count

40 adult capacity, give or take.

Tables & Chairs

5 wooden outdoor 6’ picnic tables with benches.

6 bistro tables w/ 2 chairs each

Decor
We do not provide any decor for yurt events. Any decor you choose to bring should be kept at a minimum as it all needs to be carried to/fro and will require additional staff fees to transport. Please discuss in more detail with your planner.

Bathrooms
There is one compostable “rustic” bathroom at the yurt. It is not ADA accessible and requires a flight of stairs to access.

Electricity
There is no electricity except for our generator that runs our bistro lights.

Music
We will provide.

Water
There is no running water at the yurt, we bring our own supply for dinner service drinking, cooking, and cleaning. Extra water needs need to be noted in advance (flower arrangements, etc).

Children
We have also found that kids highly dislike and often refuse to use our compostable toilet. If children are going to attend, please make sure parents are aware of the hike and bathroom situation.

Transportation
We are able to provide 2 total rides for guests in need. Our Kubota is a three seater and very much an adventure. Any transportation for décor, flowers, (etc.) to yurt will require advance notice and may require extra charges. Rides that were not planned in advance for specific guests will not be available during dinner service (unless in an emergency).

Lighting - Safety
LIGHTED PATHWAYS DO NOT EXIST ON PROPERTY INCLUDING THE PATH TO THE YURT. Guest must be instructed to bring their own headlamps/flashlights for safety.

No outside wood please!

We will provide wood in the campground. Please let us know where you would like to have additional fires and for how many hours & we can help determine the right amount as well as have it delivered in advance of your event.

Hosts of larger celebrations typically order a larger amount to be delivered to the main picnic area in the campground, farmhouse, farm cottage prior to arrival – to supplement any that guests might purchase directly.

Property Signage:

We do not provide signage around the property outside what is already there (cabins, farmhouse, etc). We suggest you think about how you will be directing your group – information prior to arrival on where to park, how to get to locations of the first event, etc.

Bar Signage: We will provide basic signage for your bar/beverage service. If you require anything different, please let us know you will be bringing your own.

Printed Dinner Menus: We do have a template you are able to use for the menus for your event. We do not print these menus so this would be something to add to your plans.

We allow DRIPLESS taper candles in sturdy candle holders in our barn.

Votives are allowed on the perimieter of the barn - as long as they are in approved holders.

Any wax let on our items may result in additional cleaning fees - so please be mindful of the quality of candles you purchase.

Our contract states that rentals are to be dropped off on Friday and picked up Sunday. We understand this is not always possible - and GENERALLY it is ok for Thursday drop off and Monday pick up. Please add this to your list of specific requests on the 6 month call to review.

Drop off locations: Rentals should be dropped off in the location that they are going to be used. For example, ceremony seating needs to be dropped off at the ceremony site. Any rental items that are not being used on your first evening should be delivered to the mezzanine with an event production plan in place for the setting up of these items as part of the event setup.

Under 80: If your guest list is under 80, we can (very snugly) fit everyone (standing) in our event barn porch. Typically the barn doors into the main event barn are closed, the ceremony happens in front of these closed doors with your guests facing the doors. if there is a processional, one part of the couple will be waiting in the event barn and then circle around to come into the porch. Ceremony happens, and at the end, our team will fling open the porch barn doors and our staff will be ready to transition to cocktail hour (drinks on trays, music, etc)

Over 80: The interior of the main barn would be used (preferably) for the Plan B ceremony, with cocktail hour happening in the barn and barn porch following. Dinner in the tent, and then back to the barn for dancing, dessert and drinks!

We have a great set of speakers in our event barn for your use. They are not wireless and we generally have one setup in the main event barn space, as well as the porch space.

Most DJs love these speakers and are absolutely welcome to utilize them for your event. To avoid disaster and last minute IT issues, please have your DJ reach out to our planner with any specific requests for information regarding plug ins and such.

If you require a microphone, please note this on your final details and we will have this available to your group - this microphone needs to be physically connected to the speaker, so please keep this in mind when planning the specific layout with your planner.

We do NOT have microphones or speakers for areas on the farm outside of the event barn, which includes a tented reception. Please plan for alternate sources with your DJ or band if this is required.

How do I book lodging?
You will receive a Lodging Link specific to your event during your planning kick off with us.

Can my guests book individual rooms in the house properties?
Sorry, we only book the Farmhouse, Farm Cottage and Cider House with one reservation. We are happy to take contact information for all guests staying in the homes and will update them with reservation details prior to check in.

Can I book extra nights? Extra nights may be possible and will incur additional nightly charges.

What if the contracted lodging is not booked by my guests?
If there are open spots on the property at 45 days prior to your event, we will add these to your final invoice and you will have to collect any final booking $$ from guests directly. If this IS the case, it is very important that you let us know if the spaces will be occupied so that we have contact information for all guests on property.

What ammenities are included?
All spaces have the following items for your comfort & convenience: linens, towels, pillows, basic bath items, and coffee/coffee maker. Iron & ironing board available in the Farmhouse, Farm Cottage & Cider House properties. The Farmhouse also has a full length mirror!

What’s the deal with cabin Assignments?

When your guests book - they will book a general cabin spot (just like a hotel room). If there are specific cabin assignments desired for your event, this must be sent 45 days prior to your event date via CAMP. Please consult our property map under the resource section for specific cabin numbers and locations. If we do not receive this, we will assume a random assignment is fine.

Are cots available?
Adding cots for children only are available (up to 5 per weekend) and need to be added to the reservation during the booking process. Pillows are included in the cot rental, but bedding is not.

Additional Tent Camping. This is not allowed at Tops'l Farm, sorry no exceptions.

Check In Process. There is no formal check in for any lodging at Tops’l Farm. All self-check in info (what to pack, how to get to the cabin) is sent to the specific guest on the reservation prior to arrival.

Check In Timing. Please discuss your groups specific check-in and check-out times. Check in is typically 3pm day of arrival and will be planned as such unless we discuss prior to the event.

Check Out is noon on day of departure. If you require modifications to this timing, we will do our best to accommodate and will work with our housekeeping team to adjust if we can.

A note about brunch events on checkout day: We will require that guests are checked out of rooms (cars packed) before attending a brunch event so that we may get ready for the next group without a lot of late check-outs.

FARMHOUSE
4 bedrooms. 2 queens, 2 fulls, 2 twins. 3 bathrooms.

FARM COTTAGE (all single story)
2 bedrooms (full, queen) + 1 den daybed. 1.5 baths

CIDER HOUSE
4 bedrooms, 7 full beds, 1 king. 3 bathrooms.

WOODLAND CABINS - 11 total cabins
10 Cabins (2 twin beds, shared bathroom, no electricity)
1 Queen Cabin (queen bed, seperate bathroom, electricity)

For groups larger than our capacity (or because some people just prefer a “proper hotel”) you are in luck. Nearby towns of Camden & Rockland have lovely options for groups. Be sure to book early as spots tend to fill quickly, especially in the summer season.

Some of our favorites:

ROCKLAND (20 minute drive)

Rockland Harbor Hotel

250 Main

The Samoset Resort

CAMDEN (25 minute drive)

Camden Riverhouse

Hotel 16

Bay View

Lord Camden Inn

Camden Harbor Inn

If you have lots of guests please look into

Northeast Charter Tour

Luce School Bus Charters

Country Coach Charters

We are only able to accommodate a total of 60 cars on the entire property (including vendors).

Often our guests would like to land on the property a day before (Thursday) or stay sometimes a bit later (Sunday night). We like to make this happen whenever we can….though there is often confusion on how to do this through our reservation system. We have created a LOOM video to help folks understand how to add an additional night to their reservation during the first booking, or after they have booked and they are looking to edit their existing reservation.

Please view the video here and share with your guests as needed!

We offer a couple of ways for hosts to handle the cost of lodging for their guests at Tops'l Farm:

Option A: Covering the full cost: If you plan to pay for all or some of your guests' lodging by booking the spots directly, please be aware that we require specific information for each guest. This includes their name, email address, phone number, and the type of lodging they will be staying in. Our team will request this information during your 45-day call. This allows us to communicate with all lodging guests directly, especially for important updates and safety information.

Option B: Covering a partial cost: If you prefer to cover a portion of the lodging expenses for your guests, we can set up a discount code for a specific amount. You can then distribute this code to your guests, who can apply it when they make their own bookings. The total value of these discounts will be reflected in your final change order and on your final invoice.