Plan your catering around how the Barn actually runs, not just what looks good in photos.

Dinner at Saxon Manor is served buffet-style, and food stations run during cocktail hour. The barn holds up to 150* guests, and the package price of $15,000 to $21,000 covers the in-house chefs and event staff who run both. That’s the point of an all-inclusive contract: the number you sign at the tour is the number on the invoice. What you decide with the chefs is the menu, at your tasting, not a service tier.

*The Barn can accommodate up to 200 guests maximum, and a $50 per person charge will be applied at any party size over 150.

The barn’s layout favors movement. It’s one open room with high sightlines, so guests can get up, walk to the buffet, and sit back down without disrupting a program the way they might in a venue with a separate dining hall. Cocktail-hour stations work the same way: they spread guests across the open floor instead of funneling everyone toward one corner while photos happen or the room gets its final setup.

Because the chefs, bar staff, and event staff are already part of the package, none of this means renegotiating price. It changes how those people spend the evening. The buffet needs staff managing the line and refilling pans; cocktail-hour stations need staff posted at each one until dinner opens. None of this shows up as a change to your quote. It shows up in how your coordinator plans staff positions for the night, which is exactly the kind of detail a fixed-price contract is supposed to absorb.

Guest count is the first filter. At 150 guests, a single buffet line can run long enough that early guests finish eating before late guests are served, so we usually recommend a double-sided buffet at that size. Under 80 guests, a single line moves fast enough that it’s rarely an issue. The Barn’s capacity tops out at 150*, so if your list is close to that number, ask your coordinator to walk through service timing for your specific headcount before you settle on a layout — it changes the room’s flow more than most couples expect.

Timeline matters as much as headcount. A reception with a long cocktail hour gives the stations more time to carry guests while photos happen. A reception that moves straight from ceremony to dinner needs the buffet ready fast. The tiered cake and tasting are part of the package either way, so that decision stays separate — you’re really deciding how dinner service paces the rest of the night, not what’s on the menu itself.

For details on specific menus, tastings, and how the in-house culinary team builds a plan around your style, that lives on the vendors and menus page. What’s fixed no matter which style you pick is the range: $15,000 to $21,000 for up to 150* guests in the Barn, chefs and staff included. What moves is how the room feels for four hours, and that’s worth spending time on with your coordinator before the contract, not after.