Our George Weir Barn Wedding
George Weir Barn | Caumsett State Park
Photo by Ian Barin
Everything you need to know to pull off your dream long island barn wedding
Nick and I both grew up in Long Island and spent our summers exploring Caumsett - our favorite park. So when biking down a new road a few years back, I literally fell over from excitement when we saw the George Weir Barn. We weren’t engaged, but when we saw it, I knew I wanted to marry Nick there.
By the time we did eventually get engaged, there was still no question in my mind as to where the wedding would be. There were some unfortunate delays due to the Lloyd Harbor Historic Society attempting, somewhat unsuccessfully at the time, to renew their lease on the barn with the state parks department. Once the contract was finally signed, we were eager to get started with the planning. A deep dive into Instagram and google brought some, but not quite enough info to satisfy my anxious bridezilla brain. We pulled it off, but I still wished there was someone I could have talked to during the process. A past George Weir Barn bride who could give me the ins and outs.
With all of that said, I hope the below tips and tricks will be useful to all you brides and grooms out there. Have additional questions? Just send me a line! Happy to pay it forward :)
The George Weir Barn was relocated to Caumsett State Park by the Lloyd Harbor Historical Society. Because of its historic nature and location, there are a lot of rules to follow which have some unexpected implications on your budget (items we were not expecting and did not factor in to our original budgeting) more on that later. The barn is available for rent for events and weddings on Saturdays from Spring - Fall. It fits ~150 people. We were 147 with long tables and with all of us and the band, we were still surprisingly comfortable. Your wedding can start anytime you like, but must be over and the barn vacated by 11pm. Leading up to the event, you are given the keys early the Thursday before. Most rentals, and any decor you are bringing, can be set up during this window. You are responsible for cleanup the following Sunday and need to be out of the barn by 2pm. Bring help!!! The barn does come with a few random tables and odds and ends, but keep in mind that you will be bringing in EVERYTHING: water, tables, chairs, restroom. It’s a lot of work, but with the right outlook and some good friends and family, it’ll be the best day ever and all the more special.
The Barn is 40-ft x 55-ft with high ceilings and wide sliding doors overlooking the back meadow. Modern rustic chandeliers and ample string lights keep the party magic going long into the summer evenings. Along the walls are some historic farm artifacts and the barn comes with a small number of furnishings for your use. At the time of our wedding, this included a bar, a would table for the bride and groom, a few folding tables, and some wine barrels. The George Weir barn is a very DIY venue. Because of its rustic condition, there are some big limitations to keep in mind. Specifically - there’s no kitchen and no restroom. Your caterer will likely take on the rentals of any generators and on site kitchen equipment. You will need to rent a mobile restroom and generator. You’ll also need to rent tables, chairs, linens, dumpsters, coolers, dinnerware, and all of that is detailed below in my budget breakdown.
We pulled vendors from the Historical Society’s Master list as well as a few recommendations from friends and family.
CATERING
Originally we hoped to have food trucks cater the wedding. Our research indicated that was the cheapest option but sadly - food trucks are not permitted at the Barn. Our caterer was Platinum Party Planners, recommended by Candy. They were SO professional, and very experienced with working at Caumsett. They set up their kitchen under one of the 20x20 tents away from the barn. We opted for a buffet-style dining option with passed hors devours and cheese plates for cocktail hour. They also provided the bar tending team and took care of cleaning up the dishes and cups when the night wound down. They were incredibly kind and super accommodating. When we suddenly realized we had multiple vegan guests they were able to come up with a solution that worked for everyone. They knew exactly what to do and pulled the valuables into the barn to be locked up at night leaving me to say goodbyes and give hugs. We purchased our own cake and alcohol to save some money. I loved the food at our tasting but honestly was a little disappointed at the selection on the big day.
Our serving team included: (1) Executive Chef, (1) Event Manager, (5) Waitstaff (2) Bartenders (8 hour time block needed) with Catering Equipment & Supplies.
And served the following:
Cocktail Hour:
Cheeses + fruit
Mini Grilled Reubens with Thousand Island Dressing (yum!)
Chicken & Waffles w/ Jalapeno Maple Syrup
Asian Pork & Sweet Potato Empanadas (do not recommend!)
Brie, Poached Pears & Toasted Almonds in Phyllo Tarts
Bruschetta w/ Roasted Tomato, Pesto & Fresh Mozzarella
Dinner:
Mixed Greens w/Watermelon and feta salad (great)
Penne alla Vodka (good)
Seared Chicken Breast w/Artichoke, Capers & Lemon (okay)
Asian Grilled Salmon w/Pickled Pineapple Salsa (okay)
Parmesan & Garlic Mashed Potatoes (okay)
Roasted Vegetable Medley (okay)
(At the tasting we had Farfalle w Roasted Veggies & Alfredo Sauce + I regret not ordering it for the wedding - it was SO good!)
DRINKS
We bought our own alcohol to save a little bit of money. We bought a lot from Costco and had a few staple mixed drinks that we premade in order to simplify the drink making process (or so we thought). We infused strawberries and thyme into vodka for a summer lemonade. We also infused blackberries, mint, and gin to mix with elderflower syrup and seltzer for another signature cocktail. They were Awesome! Everyone loved them.
We also had seltzer on the tables, water pitchers which were refilled by the wait staff, and a cooler of soda and water by the bar which anyone could grab without waiting on the bar line.
Below is exactly what we ordered for drinks. We had 147 guests, most of whom we expected to drink a fair amount. We definitely ordered more than we needed so take note of the far right column which indicates the changes I would make.
BAND
We loved the live music at Nick’s sister’s wedding and ended up going with the same band: Green Pastures Jazz Band. The band leader, Eugenia, is an incredibly talented musician with an insane repertoire. They learned songs for our processional, first dance, father daughter dance, and several songs we requested just for general dancing. Eugenia played keyboard during the ceremony and we opted for a 5 piece band for dinner and dancing.
CEREMONY
We opted to stand in front of the Lloyd Manor House for the ceremony. We processed around the outside the building and up towards the hedges. It was nice to have such a clean backdrop and arrange our guests so that they didn’t see the road behind them. One of Nick’s best friends performed the service over an audio system the Best Man had from home. We used the same chairs for the ceremony and reception and asked guests to move them for us.
BARN LAYOUT
With 148 guests we thought it would be near impossible for everyone to fit. Amazingly, we made it work! We opted for 8-ft tables and had a few tables with 18 people instead of 16. It was definitely cozy, but not as squished as I was worried it might be.
PHOTOS
I can’t recommend Four Doves enough. Rebecca was amazing in every way and I’ll cherish the photos forever. I’ll also cherish Rebecca forever because she was THAT amazing.
BEAUTY SQUAD
Loved them all!
Hair: Jesie Bray
Makeup: Makeup By Cole
A FEW MISHAPS
Most things went pretty smoothly - or at least that’s what my guests tell me. Still, as the bride there were a number of things that drove me crazy. Here’s hoping you’ll avoid them:
The barn was locked to keep guests from walking into the barn before the ceremony. Unfortunately, the security team didn’t get the memo to unlock it once the ceremony started. So when guests were awkwardly carrying their chairs from the ceremony area to the barn, we could'nt get in.
After the ceremony, everyone naturally headed to the bar. We thought have pre-infused rinks would save the bartenders time, but it still required some mixing and organization. We should have had the bartenders pre-make a bunch of the mixed drinks before the ceremony to avoid the line
We forgot to ask the bartenders/wait staff to fill glasses of chaampagne while people were eating so when speeches rolled around, only about ¼ of our guests had champagne to toast with.
The barn was open prior to the ceremony and so guests who arrived early saw the barn and the bride a little too early.
We hadn’t rehearsed the actual procession - This proved to be VERY confusing not only for the bridal party, but also for the photographer and the coordinator. No one knew which side of the building we were walking out on.
We never figured out who was supposed to call tables for the buffet so Nick and I ended up doing it. It was pretty weird
Put someone else in charge of the schedule. There were a lot of instances when no one knew what was supposed to be happening. I don’t know how other brides make it seem so smooth. Most people actually missed the cake cutting (and cake in general) because it happened at the wrong time.
COST
We compared a few venues based on cost initially. Because we planned on doing a lot ourselves, we thought we’d end up under budget at Caumsett… We were wrong. Still, it was worth it!
While it might be weird to list exactly what we spent, I want to be VERY clear about our budget in the hopes that it might help you plan. Please keep in mind these are 2019 prices so you’ll want to check in with all your potential vendors to plan it all out! I also want to say that in no way did we intend to spend so much on the wedding. We were exceptionally lucky to have had help from our family.
That’s about it! If you have questions please feel free to let me know. Good luck Brides - it’s an exhausting process but totally worth it. Enjoy some photos to keep you inspired.