Skinner Barn

My nephew and his lovely wife were married last weekend at The Skinner Barn in Waitsfield, VT. Growing up in Chicago and living in Atlanta… I had never been to this area of Vermont — let alone a wedding in barn!
The setting was gorgeous and the views were spectacular! It was obvious that the owner (Peter Boynton) and his staff were meticulous in setting everything up for this wedding.
The wedding ceremony was outside — looking out toward the mountains — what a view! The white chairs were comfortable and pretty. It looked like it was going to rain just as the ceremony started and the staff came out and passed out large umbrellas to the guests. Luckily, the heavens didn’t open up until about 30 minutes after the ceremony — leaving just enough time to enjoy some delicious appetizers outside.
The property was set up with all sorts of lawn-​games for the guests to enjoy — but this got cut off from the rain, unfortunately.
The inside of The Skinner Barn is very pretty — rustic — yet decorated beautifully, It was a hot and humid day but there were numerous large fans inside to cool us off. There were round tables — set beautifully. There were many decorated areas for various purposes — the signing of the Wedding Ketubah had an alcove-​area, the Photo Booth had a little area, the bar had an area… and there was an ample dance floor and stage for the band.
I was heading downstairs to the restroom when a nice man stopped me to chat. I didn’t realize, at first, that he was the owner — Peter. We had so much fun talking– he is really an interesting guy! He was so proud of the fact that he bought the barn quite a long time ago and spent 8 years renovating it into this beautiful venue! His own house is across the street and it was obvious that he loves his barn! He does about 18 weddings a year and the rest of the time he puts on «kick-​ass» theater productions in the barn! I only wish I could be there to attend a play in the barn.
Overall, this is a beautiful venue to hold a wedding or any other special event. Peter Boynton is both personable and caring. He pours his love into each occasion — this was quite obvious to me.
I would highly recommend The Skinner Barn! My nephew and his wife said «it was everything they wanted… and then some!»

The Skinner Barn made our wedding day!
We were married here in August of 2011 about a week before Irene hit the state hard. It was a beautifully sunny day with a little extra heat than we were hoping for. But Vermont in August can be tricky.
Let me first say, our interaction with the owner, Peter, was spot on. Not only was he attentive to our needs but he just plain old fun to talk to and to work with. I felt like he should have been an actual guest rather than an owner we did business with.
The barn was amazing, the grounds were picturesque. We had bocce ball during the cocktail hour while a steel drummer provided good tunes. Our photographer was worth every penny as she captured the site beautifully. It was truly the best day!
I was reading a post below, and I’d like to counter their experiences with positive ones. I remember distinctly being aware of the rehearsal day set-​up fees ahead of time. We planned an 8-​man team to come in for an hour and bang it out. No problem, no surprises. Peter even gave us suggestions for hanging certain items. It was all right there in the contract.
I also remember being aware of the breakdown at the end of the night. Again, a group of friends and family knocked it down in probably 25 minutes. All while the majority of guests were getting into their cars to go to the after party.
And the parking? Well that’s just funny. I mean who doesn’t want a guy who had a role in Hellraiser III running things in the parking lot? It’s kinda awesome.
So Peter, bravo to you and the Skinner Barn. Next time we’re in Waitsfield we’ll stop by and say hello.

As the MC and brother-​in-​law of the bride for a wedding at Skinner Barn this October, I am obliged to write the following review in order to warn others of the hidden costs and tyrannical nature of the owner, Peter Boynkin.
I should start by saying my family had a wonderful time and a beautiful wedding at the barn. The setting and the interior are great, perfectly rustic, and we could not be more thrilled with the outcome. Most importantly, the bride loved it.
However, the interactions with the owner, Peter, were inconsistent in their messaging from day one, and ended very poorly. Peter is a former actor who moved to VT and bought the barn where he hosts performances in addition to weddings. Being an actor, he is adept at turning on the charm and selling you up front as he did my sister-​in-​law. However when it comes to the week and day of the wedding he shows a different side:
1) Springing hidden, not previously mentioned costs at the last minute when its impossible to back out. $ 75 PER HOUR to set up and rehearse. Why not charge a flat fee and put it in the contract?
2) Walking around micro-​managing various aspects of the wedding day, including being rude to guests who don’t follow his meticulous parking instructions.
3) The topper: at the end of the night with the wedding party understandibly looped and on a high, demanding that we BREAK DOWN THE ENTIRE venue THAT NIGHT (we did a lot of the wedding ourselves). This was at 10pm at night! Unbelieveable because Peter had agreed up front (verbally) to let us come back the day after to pick up our items such as tablecloths, a photobooth, table settings, etc. He also said several times «well it’s in the contract» (news to us) and showed zero empathy when we reasonably explained we were in no state to do so, had not been informed of this UNTIL THAT MINUTE, and would be back tomorrow to pick up our things.
It was thankfully a minor blemish on a wonderful night. But it left a terrible taste in our mouths. The next day when we returned to gather our things, Peter had left them outside the locked barn, and would not even cross the street from his house to speak to us.
Maybe he was practicing a new role: bi-​polar asshole. If so, well done Peter, we think you nailed it.

Friend: Wanna go see a play?
Me: Okay, cool! I like going out to see plays.
Friend: Aiight, it’s in a barn.
Me: What?
Friend: Welcome to Vermont.
It was great, a little bit stuffy at the beginning, but it cooled off later in the evening. The performance was high quality and it was neat going to a play in a barn. I felt like I was back in the time of Laura Ingalls and the whole town was gathering for this.
Apparently they have performances there regularly, so check it out!