How Alexis and James brought an acoustic duo ceremony, a jazz trio cocktail hour, and a full live band to one of New Jersey’s most storied historic estates – Hamilton Farm Golf Club in Gladstone, NJ.
Elton John, Elvis, and a Dance Floor That Wouldn’t Quit: Alexis & James at Hamilton Farm
Date: June 6, 2026 | Venue: Hamilton Farm Golf Club, Gladstone, NJ
Some venues earn their reputation over decades. Hamilton Farm Golf Club in Gladstone, New Jersey has been earning its for over a century. Originally built in 1911 as an English country estate, the property has hosted weddings since 1927 – and on the first Saturday of June 2026, Alexis and James added their names to that long and storied tradition.
Set against the rolling hills of Somerset County, Hamilton Farm gave the evening something that no amount of lighting design or floral budget can manufacture: genuine grandeur. The Georgian mansion, manicured gardens, and sweeping lawns did their part. The Barnstorm did the rest.
Event at a Glance
- Date: Saturday, June 6, 2026
- Venue: Hamilton Farm Golf Club, 1040 Pottersville Rd, Gladstone, NJ
- Planner: Elizabeth at E&A Events
- Ceremony: Barnstorm Acoustic Duo
- Cocktail Hour: Barnstorm Jazz Trio
- Reception: Core Band
The Setting: Hamilton Farm in June
There are few better months to get married in New Jersey than June, and few better venues in which to do it than Hamilton Farm. The estate sits on what was once part of the Brady family property in Gladstone – a quiet corner of Somerset County where the landscape feels more like the English countryside than the Garden State. In the summer, the grounds come alive: the gardens soften the stone facade, the rolling greens glow, and the golden afternoon light that pours across the lawn in the early evening hours makes every photograph feel like it was staged.
For Alexis and James, all of it was theirs – one couple, one estate, one day.
The Ceremony: An Acoustic Duo Beneath the Open Sky
The celebration began with the Barnstorm Acoustic Duo performing for the ceremony – the right format for a moment that calls for something intimate and sincere rather than big and theatrical.
The groom and bridal party made their way in to Elton John’s “Your Song” – a song that has probably launched a thousand weddings, and for good reason. There is something in that song’s earnest simplicity that cuts through every layer of occasion and nerves and reminds everyone in the room what the afternoon is actually about.
Alexis walked down the aisle to Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling In Love” – another choice that sounds obvious until you’re standing in it, at which point it sounds inevitable. The recessional that sent the newlyweds back down the aisle was “Dancing in the Moonlight” by Toploader – jubilant, bright, and perfectly calibrated to release the emotional pressure of the ceremony into something light and celebratory.
Cocktail Hour: The Jazz Trio Takes the Study
As guests moved from the ceremony into cocktail hour, the Barnstorm Jazz Trio set the mood with a warm, unhurried set of jazz standards. This is the format built for that specific moment in a wedding evening – sophisticated enough to hold the room’s attention, relaxed enough to let guests exhale, find a drink, and actually talk to one another.
At a venue like Hamilton Farm, where the outdoor spaces are as compelling as anything indoors, a jazz trio in the study on a June evening is close to a perfect pairing. The music floats, conversations layer over it naturally, and nobody has to raise their voice.
The Reception: A Core Band That Brought the Estate to Life
When the Barnstorm core band took the stage for the reception, the evening made its final and most emphatic declaration. A full live band in a historic ballroom – or beneath the warm light of a venue like Hamilton Farm’s reception space – transforms the room in a way that no playlist or DJ can quite replicate. The sound fills the space differently. The energy is physical and present and impossible to ignore.
The band opened the reception with a live dinner set as Alexis and James made their entrance, setting the tone for an evening that never let the energy drop.
The Special Dances
Three dances anchored the emotional heart of the evening’s program.
Alexis and James shared their first dance to “Somewhere Only We Know” by Keane – a song with a particular kind of melancholy tenderness, the kind that works at weddings because it captures something true about the feeling of arriving somewhere new with someone you trust completely. The band performed a custom shortened arrangement, keeping the focus on the moment rather than the length.
The mother/son dance followed with Van Morrison’s “Days Like This” – a song built on the premise that some days everything comes together exactly right. As mother/son dance choices go, it is warm without being sentimental to the point of sentimentality, and Van Morrison’s delivery gives it an ease that holds up through an entire dance.
The father/daughter dance closed the formal portion of the evening with Rod Stewart’s “Forever Young” – an anthem that works at weddings precisely because it refuses to be sad about the passage of time. It celebrates it instead. Rod Stewart’s version, with its full-band arrangement, gave the Barnstorm room to fill the space with sound while Alexis and her father took the floor.
After the special dances, the dance floor opened – and by all accounts, it did not close until the lights came up.
Why Hamilton Farm Works for Live Music
Not every venue is built for a live band. Hamilton Farm is. The stage dimensions and circuit availability accommodate a full production setup without compromise, and the room’s natural acoustics – the kind that come from high ceilings and solid walls that have been absorbing music for nearly a century – give a live band something to work with. The result is a sound that fills the room without overwhelming it.
For couples considering Hamilton Farm as their wedding venue, and wondering whether to add live music to the evening: the answer is yes, and the venue will reward the decision.
Wedding planner Elizabeth of E&A Events coordinated the evening’s logistics alongside the Barnstorm production team, keeping the program running smoothly from ceremony through the final dance set.
VENDOR TEAM:
📍: @hamiltonfarm
💍: @hamiltonfarmweddings
📋: @eandaevents
🎸: @thebarnstorm
📸: @jaylimstudio
💐: @gypsyhillflorals
🚂: @mylimo235
Photos below courtesy of @jaharoni:
