Venue Details
Location
Garden Gate at Haley Farm is located in Sebago, Maine, a quiet town on the western shore of Sebago Lake. We are located 35 minutes from Windham, Maine, 45 minutes from North Conway, New Hampshire and the White Mountains, and 50 minutes from Portland. The Sebago Lake Region is one of the best spots in Maine for vacation, providing numerous rental cottages, B & B's, and campgrounds. Windham, North Conway, and the Portland area provide major hotel accommodations.
The Barn
The c. 1817 Maine wedding barn has been fully restored with new floors, roof, and lighting. Inside the 42 x 60' barn you will find an open floor plan that can accommodate up to 130 seated guests as well as a built-in bar. The barn has heat and fans.
The Deck
Off the back of the barn is a 42 x 12' deck, two stories above the ground overlooking the forrest. It is the perfect spot for an outdoor bar to start your cocktail hour.
The Lawn
Next to the barn is a 40 x 60' lawn Next to the barn is a grass lawn surrounded by forest and gardens. Ideal for cocktail hour, the lawn is large enough for mobile bar trailers, space for lawn games, and has a fire pit with benches to end the evening.
Wooded Ceremony Site
Tucked behind the barn is the wooded ceremony site with benches and birch arbor. It is a truly beautiful spot to be surrounded by the forrest as family and friends witness your marriage.
Flower Field
From early August to late September, the Flower Field at Garden Gate is in full bloom, providing a dreamy backdrop for your wedding portraits. Explore rows of dahlias, zinnias, sunflowers, cosmos, and more in our charming field. Interested in DIY bulk flowers for your wedding? Let us know!
The Farmhouse
The farmhouse sleeps up to 14 guests and includes a full kitchen, dining room, two living rooms, a sitting room, four bedrooms, a 1/2 bath downstairs and full bath upstairs. Depending on the wedding package you select, the farmhouse is your home away from home for up to two nights during your wedding weekend. The farmhouse has air conditioning and heat. View photos of The Farmhouse here.
The Wedding Suite
The a spacious room located on the second floor with a full bathroom, sitting area, tables, and chairs. The perfect spot for hair and make-up on your wedding date. View photos of The Wedding Suite here.
Parking
We have space for up to 70 cards in our parking lot, which is a lovely two minute walk through the forest, past our flower field to the farmhouse and barn.
About Us
Hello from our yellow barn door! I thought I would take a moment to introduce ourselves. We are Sarah and Rich Bianculli, and we have three little ones, Richard, Evangeline, and Amelie. We love dogs and have had two rescue pups. Simone is our yellow lab mix and is still going at 15. We had to let our sweet boy, Scooter go in 2020. We also have an ever-growing flock of chickens (some named, some not!) along with Justin and Elvis the roosters.
In 2010, we came up with a wild dream of moving to Maine (where Sarah grew up) and buying a farm we could later transform into a wedding venue that encompassed the rural charm of Maine. It began in 2009 when we were planning our wedding, looking for the perfect farm setting and finding ourselves saying, "I wish we owned a barn!" In 2010 we were married in Maine and came up with our "5-Year-Plan" of how to get back and get that farm!
The years went by and we kept a running list of all the things our venue would need - within an hour from Portland, a large barn, plenty of land with a mix of pasture and forest, some type of unique feature, not too many neighbors, and plenty of history, among many other things. In 2014, we were closing in on our fifth year and getting ready to welcome our first baby. Things became serious when a beautiful yellow barn door caught our eye in September of 2014. Our son was born that December and we finally closed on our dream farmhouse and barn in March of 2015.
The barn had changed very little since it was built and was home to numerous animal stalls, haylofts, old farm equipment...200 years of collected items covered in dust and hay. Over the summer of 2015 the barn started to empty out and take shape. A deck was built off the back, a new roof in 2016, new floors in 2017, and continuous landscaping and improvements to our 70 acres! And in the middle of all that, our daughter was born in 2016. In the fall of 2017 we successfully hosted our first two weddings!
Since then we have hosted over 60 weddings and continue to make improvements and add to the farm. We began a cut-flower field in 2020, which has quickly become a favorite spot on the farm. And in 2021 we welcomed our second daughter!
We celebrate ALL Love. All are welcome no matter your race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, disability, marital, family, pregnancy status, sexual orientation, body size, gender identity, gender expression, veteran or citizenship status. We believe love is love. We support LGBTQIA+ couple’s right to be married. We believe Black Lives Matter. We will support you however you decide to be married and celebrate while here.
We are so excited to live our dream and to write a new page in the history of this farm. We look forward to having the first day of YOUR new journey together become a part of our history! Come visit us and we will show you around. We know you will fall in love with the yellow doors too.
Sarah (she/her) and Rich (he/him) Bianculli
THANK YOU to the following photographers who make our venue look so beautiful on this site:
Website Banner Photo: Lexie Foster Photography
Bridget Stephenson Photography
Brittney Fairfield Photography
C & D Photography
Fat Orange Cat Photography
Jamie Mercurio Photography
Jessie Dineen Photography
Jessie Felix Photography
J.Klein Photos
Joelle Christine Photography
Katie Slater Photography
Kelly Payeur Photography
Leslie Swan Photography
Lexie Foster Photography
Max Evans Photography
Melody Pilling Photography
Sparrow Maine Weddings
Stacey Pomerleau Photography
Val Bozzi Photography