FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

FAQ — Hayfield Catskills:
Answers for Couples

Where is Hayfield Catskills located?

Hayfield Catskills is located at 221 Country Road 56, Maplecrest, New York in the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York, about 2 hours from NYC (2.5 from Brooklyn) and about 1.5 hours from Albany.

What type of weddings does Hayfield host?

Hayfield hosts boutique, rustic-chic, elegant weddings for couples who want an elevated, design-focused, scenic indoor/outdoor experience with personalized support.

What is the maximum guest capacity?

The venue accommodates up to about 160 guests indoors for seated dinners. Larger celebrations with a tented lawn dining area are possible with additional tent rental.

What is included with the venue rental?

Hayfield offers access to two historic barns, handcrafted dining tables and benches, antique chairs, bar and display tables, and a curated vendor recommendation list. Planning support and on-site assistance are included for booked events.

When is the venue open for weddings?

Weddings are available May through October, with only one event per Saturday, ensuring personalized attention.

What makes Hayfield special compared to other Catskills venues?

Hayfield combines authentic mountain barn character with modern comfort (bathrooms, Wi-Fi, electricity), scenic landscapes, and planning support that supports couples from booking through event day. Built to host events, the authenticity and charm of our 200-year-old barns is unmatched, as is the valley we’re in – easily-accessible but feels like its own world.

Are there accommodation options nearby?

There are numerous nearby hotels, inns, and Airbnbs nearby: in Hunter, Windham, and Tannersville all within ~15 minutes of the venue for guest stays and weekend planning. The optional Hayfield House sleeps 14 guests and is also just 15 minutes away.

Is there a rain plan?

If rain occurs, the barns can be used for both ceremony and reception without extra cost.

Total overall budget is unique to each couple and determined by their personal preferences, expectations, budgets, and vendor selections.

A high and low SAMPLE RANGE for each main category is follows:

Catering: $250 - $300 per person
Rentals (flatware, glassware, etc): $45 - $85 per person
Florals: $6,500 - $15,000
Photography: $7,000 - $15,000
DJ: $2,500 - $10,000
Planning: $4,000 - $15,000
Transportation: $4,000 - $5,500
Event insurance: $250 - $350
Lounge furniture: $0 - $6,000
Yes! We’re happy to provide a list of respected and trusted vendors in every category.

We curate recommended lists for each couple based on their vision, aesthetic, and target budget. While we don’t require that you use any particular vendor(s), we do ask that Hayfield approves your choice of caterer.
Yes, a ton! Tannersville, Hunter, and Windham are all within a 15-minute drive of Hayfield.

There are many chic, trendy hotels, more basic, affordable inns, kitschy lodges, AirBnBs, and everything in between. Both Windham and Hunter have ski/snowboard mountains and so they have charming restaurants and shops and endless activities like hiking, zip lining, golf, etc.

Alternatively, some of our couples base their weekend out of the charming, walkable town of Hudson. It’s further away (31 miles, about a 4O min drive), but very convenient for guests coming from Manhattan; less than 2 hrs on the train from Penn Station.Past couples have also based their weekend out of Woodstock and Kingston.

Contact us for our recommended accommodations packet!
Top results from a Google search will tell you:

“The average wedding reception lasts between four and five hours, while the ceremony itself typically lasts between thirty minutes to an hour.”

“Your typical wedding reception runs about 4-5 hours—plenty of time for cocktails, dinner, toasts and, of course, dancing!”

“4-5 hours will be your best bet for reception length… and I really feel that even 3-4 hours would be plenty.”

Most of our couples allow 3O minutes for their ceremony, 1 hour for cocktails and 4 hours for dinner and dancing, 5.5 hours total. Hayfield allows a 6-hour event.
Our 5.5-hour events end at 1Opm and typically our begin at 4:3Opm.

8am – 3pm : vendors arrival and set-up

3:3Opm : wedding party arrives for photos

4:25pm : guests arrive

4:3Opm : ceremony begins

5pm : cocktail hour begins

6:O5pm : guests are seated for dinner

8pm : dinner has been cleared, dancing has begun

8:3Opm : dessert and coffee are offered

9pm : “early” bus departs

9:55pm : last song or sendoff begins

1O:15pm : all buses and all guests depart

(1O:45pm : offsite after-party begins)*

Please note that for late September and October events, with a much earlier sunset / last-light and cooler evening temperatures, this schedule is shifted earlier 3O minutes: ceremony begins at 3:3Opm or 4pm, event ends at 9pm or 9:3Opm.
At our high elevation in the Catskill Mountains, summers are mild – in fact, evenings are typically cool!

In late May, early June, late September, and October we strongly suggest having heaters on reserve.

There isn’t usually any desire for A/C. There is a constant breeze that blows through the barn and we do have fans onsite as well.

Historical average temperatures:
If there is rain when guests arrive, we can hold the ceremony inside the barns. It’s actually quite beautiful and romantic and easy to execute in the moment with no additional investment or planning required!

FAQs

How much do couples spend on their wedding in total?

Total overall budget is unique to each couple, determined by their personal preferences, expectations, budgets, and vendor selections. A high and low SAMPLE budget is follows:

Do you have recommended vendors?

Yes! We can provide a list of respected and trusted vendors in every category. We curate recommended lists for each couple based on their vision, aesthetic, and target budget.

While we don’t require that you use any particular vendor(s), we do ask that Hayfield approves your choice of caterer.

Where do guests stay?

Tannersville, Hunter, and Windham are all within a 15-minute drive of Hayfield. There is a plethora of chic, trendy hotels, more basic, affordable inns, kitschy lodges, AirBnBs, and everything in between. The area is home to two ski/snowboard mountains and filled the most charming restaurants and shops and endless activities like hiking, zip lining, golf, etc.

Alternatively, some of our couples base their weekend out of the charming, walkable town of Hudson. It’s further away (31 miles, about a 4O min drive), but very convenient for guests coming from Manhattan; less than 2 hrs on the train from Penn Station.

Past couples have also based their weekend out of Woodstock and Kingston.

Contact us for our recommended accommodations packet!

How long should my wedding be & what does the wedding day timeline look like?

Top results from a Google search will tell you that a wedding reception…
“lasts between 4-5 hours, while the ceremony itself typically lasts between thirty minutes to an hour.”
“runs about 4-5 hours—plenty of time for cocktails, dinner, toasts and, of course, dancing!”
“4-5 hours will be your best bet for reception length… and I really feel that even 3-4 hours would be plenty.”

Most of our couples have a 20-30 minute ceremony.

Hayfield allows a 6-hour event, which looks like:
30 minutes for the ceremony followed by cocktail-hour for 60 minutes and 4 hours for both dinner and dancing: 5.5 hours total.

Our events end at 10pm, they typically begin at 4:30pm. A sample timeline is:

9am – 3pm : vendor arrival and set-up
3:30pm : wedding party arrives for photos

4:25pm : guests arrive
4:30pm : ceremony begins
5pm : cocktail hour begins
6:05pm : guests are seated for dinner
8pm : dinner has been cleared, dancing has begun
8:30pm : dessert and coffee are offered
9pm : “early” bus departs
9:55pm : last song or sendoff begins
10:15pm : all buses and all guests depart

10:45pm : offsite after-party begins

* Please note that for late September and October events, with earlier sunset / last-light times and cooler evening temperatures, this schedule is shifted earlier: ceremony begins at 3:30pm or 4pm, event ends at 9pm or 9:30pm.

What is the weather like?

At our high elevation in the Catskill Mountains, summers are mild, in fact evenings are typically cool!

In late May, early June, late September, and October we strongly suggest having heaters on reserve.

The barns do not have A/C. There is a constant breeze through the barn and we also have fans available.

Historical average temperatures:

What is your maximum capacity?

Hayfield has a maximum guest count of 235.

For a seated and served dinner inside our barns, the limit is ~16O guests.
This also allows enough space inside to pivot, in a moment’s notice, to the rain plan for ceremony or cocktails!

Parties larger than 16O rent a tent for dining on the lawn.
After dinner, guests then come inside the barns for dancing. For tented events, the couple selects the tent that suits their needs and it’s typically secured with the same rental company as tabletop items / through the caterer.