why choose a
Barn Wedding Venue
Many couples are choosing to use these versatile spaces for their wedding ceremonies, receptions and parties.
Here’s why these old rustic buildings are enjoying a new lease of life as beautiful barn wedding venues.
Authentic Ambience
Every notch, every old hook in these old buildings once had a role, and these rustic features bring authentic character to the barn. Barns haven’t been updated in the way that domestic houses have, so you’ll typically find more original features and materials in a farm building than you would in a stately home or hotel venue.
Flexibility in Decoration
The typical barn is a large, empty room free from a house or hotel’s architectural and period details. You can design the space as a Tudor banqueting hall, a summertime floral extravaganza or a winter festival. With simple wooden and stone materials providing the background, you can have any colour palette you want. The barn’s visible structural elements, such as the beams, trusses and posts, provide ready-made fittings for decorations like garlands and lighting.
Exclusive Use
Another positive point about hiring a barn wedding venue is that the building itself will be exclusive use. Barns are single-room structures, so you won’t share the space with other couples and their guests. You can sometimes also hire the wider property for your wedding. The Coach House Barn at Leez Priory is in the grounds of a country house, and the whole estate is available as an exclusive-use wedding venue.
Accommodation Options
Some barns, like Leez Priory, are attached to wider estates, and both the couple and their guests will have accommodation in the main house and/or estate cottages. Other wedding venues may have camping facilities on the grounds or on the farm, or there might be accommodation arrangements with a local inn or hotel.
Natural Beauty
Most barns are in rural surroundings, set in the lovely countryside. The buildings themselves tend to be simple and natural, with few adornments except for the visible structural elements. Made from local materials such as stone, wood and brick, British barns are underrated architectural gems that give you a beautiful blank canvas for your wedding decor.
Versatile Spaces
These large open spaces can be set out for ceremonies or filled with tables for the wedding breakfast. In the evening, move the furniture aside for a literal barn dance. You can also divide the space if you need to, easily setting up a bar or stalls in a bigger barn. If you’re planning an intimate wedding, don’t feel that you can’t get married in a barn: talk to the wedding manager or venue owner about how you can design the space to suit a smaller group.
Historical Significance
If you’re fascinated by history, you’ll love the unspoilt feel and original features of a traditional barn. Historically, rained-off rural celebrations would have moved indoors into these large spaces, so you’re dancing in the footsteps of earlier revellers.
top barn
Wedding Venues In The UK
Every British farmer or smallholder needed a barn, so you’ll find these historic buildings scattered across the UK.
The architecture varies, from thatched in the South West and Cotswolds to magnificent brick-built buildings further north.
key features of a
Barn Wedding Venue
Why are barn weddings so popular?
Here are just a few of the many reasons why a traditional barn is the ideal venue for a contemporary wedding.
Rustic Charm and Elegance
The simplicity of the typical barn interior gives you the perfect blank canvas for your decorative scheme. Most barns have high, lofty ceilings, which create a sense of airy elegance for your wedding ceremony or reception.
Scenic Surroundings
Set mostly in the countryside, barns have beautiful rural surroundings. Look out for barn wedding venues with outside spaces that make the most of their scenic settings, and create the most beautiful backdrops for your wedding photos.
Versatile Space For Your Bridal Party & Guests
The large space inside a traditional barn can easily be transformed into a church-like room for your marriage service or into a banqueting hall for the wedding breakfast. Move the furniture for a dancefloor, or break up the area with stalls and a bar.
Beautiful Reception Options
Trestle tables for a Tudor feast or more intimate round tables for a more restaurant-esque layout? The layout of a barn gives you so many options for your reception. The beams and poles give you plenty of scope for decorations.
Wedding Breakfast
If you have a long guest list, the large barn interior gives you the perfect space for the wedding breakfast. Do you want a traditional sit-down meal, or something more unusual like a hog-roast or medieval-themed feast?
Wedding Party
A barn makes an excellent venue for your wedding evening event, with a shape that lends itself naturally to a dance floor. Barns with galleries give you an extra space for a live band or a bar. Open the large barn doors for a party that spills outside into the fields or courtyard.
tips for
Planning A Barn Wedding
What do you need to think about when you plan to marry in a barn?
