by Olivia • February 17, 2023 • Wedding Planning Guides
If you’ve always dreamt of having a farm wedding, or you and your partner have pictured yourselves tying the knot in a rustic building, standing underneath rugged oak beams and surrounded by old stonework, then a barn wedding could be exactly what you’re looking for.
Barn wedding venues are becoming more and more popular across the UK, and it’s easy to see why.
The popularity of barn wedding venues
Barns are a quintessential part of rural, countryside life. They’re usually set against stunning rural backdrops, on working farms, surrounded by incredible views and a wonderful natural environment – particularly those wedding barns in Cheshire.
In short, barn weddings can be absolutely amazing, if you can find the right venue. After all, this is your perfect day – so any old barn won’t do.
You’ll want to find the perfect location for you and all your guests, and you’ll want to make sure your barn has everything you need for a seamless, sensational celebration of your love.
That’s where our barn wedding checklist can help…
Barns and farms are typically located in rural areas, and you’ll be looking to escape the hustle and bustle of city life and enjoy the tranquillity of nature.
Visit barn wedding venues that embrace a rustic, rural approach to ceremonies, but make sure you have all the freedom you want to make your day your own. Prioritise those breathtaking views and picturesque farmland settings that will make your day so charming and so special – like those you’ll find at Heaton House Farm.
Remember working farms might have strict rules on what you can and can’t do, and areas you can and can’t go, so be sure to double-check if you have any specific requests or ideas.
A barn wedding in a rural, isolated area might sound like a great idea on paper until you start thinking about how you and your guests will get there, where you’ll park and where you’ll stay.
When looking at farm wedding venues, be sure to think about transportation and accommodation. Is it easy to find? Is it accessible (whatever the weather)? Will you need to put on coaches or make specific travel arrangements?
Always visit venues to see for yourself. You might find at some places – like Heaton House Farm – that all your accessibility needs are taken care of. We’ve combined our rural setting with easy access for every single guest – ample parking, paved paths around all our venues, and on-site accommodation.
It means you don’t have to worry about muddy shoes and difficult journeys, but still get all the benefits of a barn wedding!
As with access, when you’re looking at any barn wedding venue you’ll need to think about all the key logistics for your big day. If your dream barn is out in the middle of a field and cut off from supplies, how will you give your caterers, DJs and guests the services they need?
Many rural barns aren’t suitable for a wedding, with unstable structures, no facilities, and leaky roofs that don’t mix well with wedding guests.
Ask yourself some key questions like:
Or, focus on finding a wedding barn that’s fully equipped with all the modern amenities you need, so you have one (or several) fewer things to worry about.
With a converted barn like Heaton House Farm, you get all the finer details and the special little touches you want to make your wedding as perfect as you’ve imagined: a beautiful carpet, power and lighting, comfortable seating, and award-winning toilets – all included, arranged and ready to use.
Traditional barns aren’t usually the warmest of places. In gorgeous summer weather, they are truly stunning, but we’re in England, so always plan for rain.
And what about if you’d like an early spring, majestic autumn or blissful winter wedding? Does that rule out a barn wedding?
Not if you factor in heating to your search. You could bring your own, or you could find a farm wedding venue like Heaton House Farm, where our barns are fully insulated with underfloor heating. Add our romantic lighting and gorgeous drapes, and you’ve got the perfect plan for a barn wedding on even the coldest of days.
Keeping with the logistics theme, your food and drink plans should feature highly on your barn wedding checklist, since catering to hundreds of guests in a rural location needs a lot of forward planning and organisation.
You could spend hours checking all your vendors have all the supplies they need and organising what’s missing, or you could opt for a barn wedding venue like Heaton House Farm.
Our in-house catering company – Stable Yard Catering – have everything they need on-site to deliver whatever mouth-watering dishes take your fancy. They don’t need to think twice about serving 5-course dinners or scrumptious street food in a barn.
Finally, when you’re choosing that perfect barn to hire for your wedding, you’ll want to focus on how you can bring your desired themes to life. How will you get creative with your décor, vendors and entertainment?
You might think a typical barn wedding involves rustic decorations and hay bales dotted around. Not at Heaton House Farm.
You can of course have a beautifully simple wedding with just the stunning oak beams illuminated by our fairy lights. Or you can ditch the traditional and get married in our other barn, elegantly transformed to re-create the amazing night sky – complete with twinkling stars.
You choose exactly how you’d like to get married in our barns, and when you can bring your own suppliers too, you can create any theme you want – from beach parties to winter wonderlands, we’ve seen it all…and whatever you choose, it’s sure to look incredible.
Start your barn wedding planning as soon as possible
Once you’ve factored in the unique features, facilities and flexibility you need to consider with barn weddings, the rest of your checklist will follow that of any other wedding.
Get organised and start planning as soon as you can – our guide to planning a wedding in less than 12 months can help.
And the first step is always to view your favourite venues – those incredibly picturesque barns – in person.
So why not explore the barns at Heaton House Farm, and see how we can help bring your dream barn wedding to life?
