There are some weddings that seem to gather everything together beautifully: a setting that takes your breath away, thoughtful details that mean something to the couple, plenty of good food, and a guest list determined to make the most of it.
Leah and Charlie’s August wedding was all of those things. Inspired by the green and white of the Lake District they call home, they filled the Great Barn with flowers, personal touches and plenty to keep their guests entertained – from lakeside table names and watercolour place names to mini golf, a cat-themed scratch card and a live band. Here, they tell us about their day, in their own words.
Tell us a little bit about your wedding day
We had an amazing day at The Great Barn in August 2026. We wanted a day filled with fun for us and our guests. We wanted a day that truly represented us and the Great Barn made that happen.
Why did you choose The Great Barn Devon?
As soon as we walked into the barn we knew it was the place we wanted to have our wedding. It is such a unique stunning location that takes your breath away every time you walk in. Emma and John were so welcoming and friendly; they explained how the day would run and walked us through the whole property. Everything, from the barn to the accommodation was kept it pristine condition and well looked after. You could just tell everything was well thought about, cared for and done to the highest standard. Emma and John genuinely care about you having the best possible day, if you have a request for the day they will do everything they can to make that happen for you. Being in the wedding business for as long as they have they had great recommendations for suppliers and also give advice about the best way to do things to makes sure the day runs smoothly.
How did you style your wedding day?
Using the style of the barn we planned our wedding to be big and extravagant to fit with the impressive barn. We also didn’t want the day to just be about us, we wanted our guests to have an amazing day too so we hoped to provide enough drinks, food and entertainment to make sure of this. We gave our florist a colour code and inspiration board and then gave them free rain to create our stunning flowers through out the day. we also based a lot of our table decor around the Lake District where we live. We used lakes as our table names and then used photos of us at those lakes on the tables. We also had water colours made of the lakes as our place names.
Tell us about your wedding outfits.
My stunning wedding dress was from Brides at Waterfields in Exeter. To fit in with the grandeur of the Great Barn, I told them I wanted something of magnificence that can carry the same wow factor. With the beautiful dress and cathedral veil, they matched the brief perfectly and found the dress I dreamt of wearing. To complement our green and white colour scheme, I had my eight bridesmaids paired up and then assigned different shades of green to each one.
Tell us about your hair and make-up
My hair was done by Amy Kubaczka who did an unbelievable job. Amy has been my hair dresser for so long she knew exactly what I wanted. With the low neck line on my dress, I wanted a half up half down hair style. She added pearl hair pins to create a tiara-like style.
Kylie Rose Hair did an amazing job on my bridesmaids hair. Having 7 bridesmaids to do, all with different styles, she did a fantastic job.
Marnies Makeup did my makeup and wow she did a brilliant job. I wanted to look glam but still myself, without looking cakey and she absolutely smashed the brief. Marnie made sure everyone was happy with their makeup and felt comfortable to approach her if they wanted something changed.
The bridal suite in the accommodation provided the perfect space to get ready, we had loads of natural lighting and lots of space for us to have our hair and makeup done, with space to relax in between.
What did your guests eat and drink?
The Great Barn provided the most exceptional food! We enjoyed some lovely canapés in the garden, washed down with a cocktail or Peroni. To kick start the wedding breakfast we had an array of nibbles to be enjoyed during the speeches. This was followed by an exceptional chicken and lamb roast dinner, then a trio of desserts: chocolate brownie, lemon posset and berry pavlova . In the evening we had their freshly cooked wood fired pizzas which went down very well! People were still full from the wedding breakfast and yet couldn’t stop eating the pizza.
What did you do to entertain your guests?
We used Portable Putts to provide a wedding-themed mini golf course for our guests. Everyone absolutely loved it, it was a massive hit! During the wedding breakfast we provided scratch cards, revealing different photos of our cat Sammy… match three photos and they could redeem the card for their reward.
In the evening we had a live band, The Cove Club, who kept the good vibes going all night and everyone thoroughly enjoyed dancing the night away. We also provided a help yourself pick & mix stall, as well as the pizzas provided by The Great Barn which were great.
What was your favourite part of your wedding day?
The whole wedding was amazing, but a particular favourite part for us as a couple was after we had walked back down the aisle as newly weds, and had 5 minutes as just us with drink in hand. It was lovely to have a few minutes to ourselves before joining the party again. We loved seeing family and friends react to The Great Barn in awe, as well as relaxing and mingling with everyone in the walled garden. The food was also phenomenal !
Do you have any words of advice for future couples?
Enjoy every part of your wedding day! Don’t get separated, make sure to spend as much time together as you can.
Take a moment during your wedding breakfast, or at some point during the ceremony to take in all your friends and family. It’s unlikely you’ll ever have them all together in one place ever again so take the time to appreciate everyone who’s there.
Leah & Charlie’s wedding suppliers
Florist Dilly’s Florist
Photographer Rockrose Photography
Wedding Band: The Cove Club
Bride Hair Amy Kubaczka
Bridesmaid Hair Kylie Rose Hair
Makeup Artist Marnies Makeup
Mini Golf Portable Putts
Wedding Cheese ‘Cake’: Quicke’s Farm Shop
Wedding Dress Brides at Waterfields
Bridesmaids Dresses: JJ’s House
Groomsman Suits: Moss Bros UK
And, as Leah and Charlie put it, their best advice is perhaps the simplest: don’t get separated, and make sure you spend as much time together as you can. A very good reminder in the middle of all the excitement of a wedding day.
Thank you, Leah and Charlie, for sharing your day with us, and for choosing The Great Barn to be part of it.
