We have seen The Great Barn decorated in just about every way imaginable over the years…
There have been huge hanging florals, trailing greenery and dramatic branches, long tables filled with hundreds of candles, countless disco balls , elaborate installations and wonderful maximalist schemes. And there have been weddings at the other end of the scale too – simple bud vases of locally grown flowers, a scattering of candles and very little else. Both work beautifully. That is one of the things we have always loved about the Barn; it can take a lot of decoration, but it doesn’t demand it.
The Barn is already the backdrop
The Great Barn dates back to the 15th century, and you simply can’t recreate what is already here – the history, heritage and rustic grandeur of a building of its age and scale.
The height, the ancient timbers, the stone, the enormous doors and the changing natural light give the room its character before a single table has been laid.
It was wonderful to hear this echoed recently by Fanfare Ceremonies, one of the celebrants we regularly welcome to The Great Barn:
“Unlike many barn venues that emphasise rustic minimalism, The Great Barn blends old and new beautifully. It is elegant without being fussy, rustic without feeling rough, and incredibly versatile without losing its identity. However it is styled the barn adapts seamlessly. One of its greatest strengths, though, is that even without any decoration at all, it remains exquisite.”
It also means there is no pressure to decorate simply for the sake of filling the space. The Barn doesn’t suddenly feel empty because you haven’t suspended flowers from every beam or filled every surface. You can, of course. And we have seen some spectacular examples over the years. But you really don’t have to.
Minimalist, Maximalist and Everything In Between
One of the pleasures of hosting weddings here is seeing how differently couples use exactly the same building.
Some keep everything pared right back and allow the old timbers and stone to do most of the talking. Others completely embrace the scale of the Barn, with flowers and foliage overhead, abundant tables and layers of colour and detail.
Neither feels more ‘The Great Barn’ than the other. The Great Barn has enough personality to stand on its own, but it is also wonderfully accommodating when you want to make it yours. And because the building itself is so warm and atmospheric, even very contemporary styling sits comfortably here. You don’t have to have a traditionally rustic wedding simply because you have chosen a barn.
You don’t have to hire everything in
There is a more practical side to all of this too. When you start looking at wedding styling, it can be surprising how quickly the list of things to hire grows. At The Great Barn, many of the basics you need for the day are already here.
We provide your tables and chairs, chair pads, linen, crockery and tableware, so you aren’t starting with an empty room and a very long hire list.
There are also a few decorative pieces here which you are welcome to make use of:
Our large willow heart hangs high in the Barn and has become quite a familiar sight. Some couples love it and choose to leave it exactly where it is; if it isn’t right for your plans, we can simply take it down.
We also have a collection of 17 hurricane vases which couples are welcome to use – we normally suggest 10 to be placed alongside the ‘aisle’ for the ceremony, and the remaining 7 to be used in alcoves.
There isn’t a Great Barn ‘look’
After more than twenty years of weddings here, there still isn’t a particular way we think the Barn should be styled. That would rather take the fun out of it!
We want it to look different each time. We would like couples to walk in on their wedding day and feel that it looks like their wedding, rather than another version of somebody else’s.
And, as Fanfare Ceremonies so perfectly put it, even without any decoration at all, it remains exquisite.
