Barn Wedding in the Catskills: Ashley and Bradley at The Barn on Hubbard

October in the western Catskills is worth planning around.

The fields go gold, the air turns cool, and the light at four o’clock does something you can’t recreate in June. Ashley and Bradley picked Saturday, October 11, 2025 for their barn wedding at The Barn on Hubbard in Callicoon, New York, and the day gave them exactly that.

They leaned into the season instead of fighting it. Mauve, burgundy, and cream florals. Magenta mums lining the ceremony. Mini pumpkins tucked through the grazing table. Navy and gold once everyone moved inside.

Here’s how it all came together, and a few things I’d pass along to anyone planning a fall wedding out here.

Hi, I’m Kayce

I’m the owner and lead planner at KR Occasions. I worked with Ashley and Bradley as their wedding planner and coordinator. I plan and coordinate weddings across New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Connecticut, with a lot of them in the Hudson Valley and Catskills. If you’re looking at a barn venue and wondering who keeps the day on schedule, take a look at my services or reach out here. I’d love to hear what you’re planning.

Here’s how their day came together.

Getting Ready Off Property

Ashley and her bridesmaids got ready at a neighboring Airbnb that borders The Barn on Hubbard property. While the Airbnb is independently owned and not part of our venue, its location meant Ashley and her bridesmaids could walk right over to the ceremony without worrying about transportation or travel time.

It’s a great example of how choosing accommodations close to your wedding venue can make the morning feel a little more relaxed and give you more time to enjoy the moments leading up to your ceremony. (If most of your guests are coming from out of the area, my guide to destination weddings in the Hudson Valley covers lodging and logistics in more depth.)

Her bridesmaids wore blush satin pajama sets with gold monograms on the pocket. Ashley’s were ivory with black piping.

Her details told you the whole palette before you saw the ceremony:

• A bouquet of mauve, burgundy, and cream roses with deep plum blooms and eucalyptus
• Rust and ivory vow books in copper lettering, hers and his
• A walnut ring box
• Their invitation, gold foil on a dark engagement photo, with an A and B monogram

Her gown was ivory lace and beading layered over blush, with a deep V neckline, a low open back, covered buttons down the spine, and a long tulle train. She wore a single strand of pearls.

(If your dress has covered buttons, tell whoever is helping you to start 15 minutes earlier than they think they need to.)

Three First Looks, and One Nobody Saw Coming

Ashley had a first look with her bridesmaids. Then one with her dad.

And then there was the third.

Bradley stood with his back turned, waiting. He’d been told Ashley was walking up behind him. He turned around, and one of his groomsmen was standing there in a wedding dress.

It got exactly the reaction they were hoping for.

Here’s the planning piece underneath the joke: every first look needs its own block of time. Ten to fifteen minutes each, plus walking. Four of them is close to an hour. That hour has to come from somewhere, which usually means starting hair and makeup earlier. Worth it, but only if you plan for it.

An Outdoor Ceremony Beside the Field

They married outside. The arbor was dark stained wood with ivory fabric draped across the top and down both sides. Two floral clusters sat at opposite corners, mauve and burgundy roses with white blooms and eucalyptus. Behind it, tall grass ran to the treeline.

At the top of the aisle, a dusty blue sign did double duty. It told guests to pick a seat on either side, and it asked them to put their phones away for an unplugged ceremony. Two pots of magenta mums sat at its feet.

Ashley came down a path cut straight through the grass, on her dad’s arm.

Her bridesmaids wore mauve chiffon in mixed necklines. The groomsmen wore navy three-piece suits, dusty rose ties, brown boots, and brown hats.

An unplugged ceremony is one of the easiest requests to make and one of the hardest to enforce. A sign at the aisle helps. Having your officiant say it out loud before the processional helps more.

Portraits Across 28 Acres

This is where The Barn on Hubbard earns its reputation.

The property runs about 28 acres, and almost all of it photographs well. You get the barn steps and the red siding. Open fields. Rolling hills in the background. Fence lines, tall grass, and long views in most directions.

After the ceremony, we sent everyone out in groups. Couple portraits first, then the full wedding party, then family. The groomsmen took the barn steps with the hills behind them. Ashley and her bridesmaids went out into the field.

One practical thing I tell every couple at a venue this big: portraits eat your timeline faster than anything else on the day. Write out your family shot list ahead of time, hand it to someone who knows everyone’s face, and let that person call names while your photographer shoots. It saves fifteen minutes, minimum.

Cocktail Hour Around a Vintage Truck

Cocktail hour was a vintage GMC truck parked on the grass with a bar built onto the back out of reclaimed wood from Roadhouse Rolling Bars. Taps set into a barrel, a fall wreath around it.

Their drink menu was three deep:

• His: Captain and Diet, with a lime
• Hers: a Malibu Bay Breeze
• The Madelyn: a Bassetberry Mojito, named for their basset hound, whose face was on the sign

A grazing table went up nearby with charcuterie, cubed cheeses, grapes, pears, apples, and small pumpkins and gourds tucked through it.

Worth saying plainly: at a raw-space barn wedding, you’re also renting the things nobody photographs. Ashley and Bradley brought in restroom trailers from Boujee Loos. Build those line items into your budget early, because they’re not optional and they’re not cheap. Here’s where I’d look to save money elsewhere if the rental list is running long.

Inside the Barn for Dinner

The barn itself is a restored 19th-century dairy barn, originally built by the Gabel family, who came over from Germany and farmed here for generations. Sara and John Diehl brought it back. The timber frame is still exposed, and string lights run the length of it.

Their tables were long wooden farm tables with folding wooden chairs. Navy cheesecloth runners down the middle. Navy napkins, gold flatware, gold-rimmed textured chargers, mercury glass votives, and wooden box lanterns holding dried stems.

Every place setting had a thank-you card and a s’mores favor tagged “there is always room for s’more love.”

Guests found their seats at an arched gold-framed mirror that read “Our Favorite People,” fifteen tables deep.

The sweetheart table sat under a second wooden arbor that matched the ceremony one, with the same ivory draping and floral swags, plus a navy runner that spilled onto the floor. Wooden lanterns with candles were clustered at the base.

In a barn, let the building do the heavy lifting. The beams and the wood already fill the room. Low candles and small arrangements read better than tall centerpieces fighting for attention.

Cake, Toasts, and a Floor Full of Glow Sticks

Their cake was a single tier in white buttercream with a gold “Mr & Mrs Gruber” topper, surrounded by cupcakes, mini pies, and brownies on dark wood risers.

M&M Productions turned the room over. Uplighting, moving heads, and a box of LED foam glow sticks handed out to guests.

That last detail is the one I’d steal. Glow sticks are cheap, they get everyone on the floor, and in a barn where overhead light is limited, they solve a real problem. The last hour of photos is a blur of color and raised arms.

Barn Wedding FAQs

Where is The Barn on Hubbard?

The Barn on Hubbard is at 28 Hubbard Road in Callicoon, New York, in Sullivan County. It sits in the Beechwoods, in the western Catskills, roughly 90 minutes from New York City.

Can you hold the ceremony and reception at the same barn venue?

At The Barn on Hubbard, yes. Ashley and Bradley married outside in the field and moved into the barn for dinner and dancing. That’s typical for a barn wedding, and it saves your guests a drive between two locations.

How many guests does The Barn on Hubbard hold?

Published numbers put it at up to 200 seated guests across roughly 4,000 square feet of indoor space. Capacity shifts depending on your floor plan, so ask the venue for the number that applies to your setup. You can reach them here. A barn this size also works well at a much smaller count, if you’re thinking about a micro wedding instead.

What should guests wear to a fall barn wedding?

Tell them in advance that the ceremony is on grass. Block heels or flats hold up. Stilettos don’t. A layer for after sunset is a good idea too, since most barns aren’t heated the way a ballroom is.

Do you need a rain plan for an outdoor barn ceremony?

Always. Decide your rain call time before the week of your wedding, not the morning of. At most barn venues the backup is moving the ceremony inside, which means someone has to flip the room afterward. That’s a timeline problem, and it’s much easier to solve on paper in advance.

Planning Your Own Barn Wedding?

If Ashley and Bradley’s day has you picturing your own barn wedding, the Catskills give you a lot to work with. Old timber frames, open fields, and venues that let you build the day from scratch.

What those venues don’t give you is someone whose only job is making it run on time. That’s mine.

I plan and coordinate weddings across the Hudson Valley, the Catskills, and beyond, and I’d love to hear about yours. Book a discovery call and let’s talk it through.

Vendor Team

Wedding Planning: KR Occasions

Venue: The Barn on Hubbard

Photography: Skye D Photography and Films

Entertainment: M&M Productions

Bar Service: Roadhouse Rolling Bars

Restroom Rental: Boujee Loos