FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

You are required to hire a wedding coordinator. It may be a ‘day-of’ coordinator or full-service. They cannot be a friend, family, or guest at your event.

Your caterer and bartender must come from our vendor list. Most catering companies provide bartending services. If not, you must choose a bartender from the list. You can bring your own alcohol but cash bars aren’t allowed. All alcohol must be served from a bartender to your guests hands. No wine bottles set out on dinner tables or bins of beer or other alcoholic drinks that guests can serve themselves. Bar service ends at 9:45p sharp.

We strive to be a “green” venue. Our venue has potable drinking water so we prefer no plastic water bottles. If you choose to not rent plates, flatware and glassware, then we prefer you to use recyclable goods.

Indoors: There will be no restrictions on music within the barn structure, but the volume must be no more than 90dB.. 

Outdoors: Music may be amplified outdoors for ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner and first dance until 8PM at the very latest. All amplified music MUST be moved indoors after 8PM. This is a town zoning ordinance. 

No drum kits (electric are ok), cymbals or brass horns will be allowed outside.

Noon until 11:00p. Bar and music must end at 9.45p and all guests must exit the property by 10p. The last hour between 10:00p and 11:00p is for your coordinator and caterer to clean up. 

We are offering after-parties for a fee of $950 per hour, until midnight. 

We are unable to allow access to the venue any earlier than noon. Mornings are busy with rehearsals, showings, cleaning, maintenance and preparation for that day's events. Thank you for understanding.

We don’t provide linens, plates or glassware etc. Those items will usually be provided by your caterer and bar service. If not, they will need to be rented and there are a number of rental companies recommended on our vendor list. You can inquire with your venue manager if you have questions or need recommendations. 

Candles are allowed but they must be enclosed in a glass votive, with a base to collect dripping wax. We do NOT allow sparklers or Chinese lanterns. 

Smoking is prohibited on our property except in our designated smoking area. Cigars are allowed near the fire pit or smoking area. Your venue manager will point the smoking area out to you at your walkthrough. Absolutely no cannabis use is permitted.

Dogs are allowed for the ceremony and for photos only. After the ceremony they will need to be taken off the property, or there are dog minding services recommended on our vendor list for dog care at our venue. 

Unfortunately, neither service is easy to get in Lyons, especially at 10:00p at night. Please let your guests know that there aren’t reliable options for transportation from the venue. 

We don’t require wedding insurance but highly recommend it. Eventsured, Markel Insurance and Wed Sure are some great companies to inquire with. They offer both liability and cancellation coverage. 

We do carry liability insurance on our venue. 

RiverBend is not responsible for lost or stolen items. You and your guests, along with your coordinator need to collect all personal belongings at the end of the event. Items left at the venue are kept in a lost and found area but are not held indefinitely. Please email us if you or a guest has left something behind. We strongly recommend that you don’t bring irreplaceable family photos or heirlooms. 

•  Sparklers/Confetti and glitter 

• Karaoke outdoors 

• Rented dance floors on the grass or inside the barn. 

• If you would like a stage inside the barn, there is an extra $300 fee - which covers the flooring that is required for underneath the stage. 

• Bouncy Houses