Late June brought blue skies, golden light and pure joy to The Great Barn Devon as we hosted the most wonderful wedding weekend for Robyn and Richard. Their celebration began on Friday with a relaxed garden BBQ and pool dips in the sunshine, before a vibrant and heartfelt wedding day surrounded by loved ones. The whole weekend was full of colour, laughter and sunshine, with an abundance of meadow-style flowers, a joyful sharing feast and a lively evening of dancing. We’ll let them take it from here…
Tell us a little bit about your wedding day…
Our wedding at The Great Barn was perfect. We were lucky enough to have warm sunny June weather. We had our closest friends and family stay in the three on site accommodation cottages and kicked the weekend off with a BBQ Friday evening in the beautiful garden, where some guests used the outdoor pool.
The wedding ceremony itself was inside The Great Barn, where the built-in lighting, managed by John, added so much atmosphere and made our photos look incredible. We had a pianist, Drew and celebrant, Gem who delivered a beautiful, personalised ceremony.
We had a relaxed drinks reception in the gardens with some garden games – croquet and jenga supplied by the venue and an additional game we brought ourselves. Our wedding breakfast was a sharing feast which was delicious and many of the guests commented on how much they liked the sharing aspect. The day rounded off with such a fun evening dancing to our brilliant band – Breakfast for Two. We couldn’t have asked for a better venue!
Why did you choose The Great Barn Devon?
Having been to a lot of friends’ weddings already we knew the style of venue we wanted: all on one site, beautiful gardens for a drink’s reception and some on site accommodation. We knew this would give us the maximum time possible to enjoy spending with our guests on the day. What we didn’t expect was to fall in love with the first venue we visited, but that is exactly what happened with The Great Barn. When you first walk into the barn itself it is breathtaking. The whole setting is stunning, with beautiful gardens that we knew would make the perfect backdrop for our reception. We also liked that drinks and food were supplied by the venue which meant less for us to organise.
Did you have a theme or colour scheme?
Alice from, From The Wild florist, created a beautiful bright meadowy flowery scheme. These brought so much joy and colour to the day. The tall Harlow stand arrangements were a real standout — not only were they gorgeous, but they were also perfectly designed so guests could easily chat and see each other across the tables. They also worked great with the tall ceilings in the barn.
Tell us a little about your outfits and styling…
Robyn wore a Romantica dress from La Boutique in Exeter, which donates all profits generated from the sale of its dresses to the Wedding Wishing Well Foundation – a charity which organises and funds weddings for people across the UK who have a terminal or life limiting illness. Her shoes were Rainbow club. Richard and all his ten(!) groomsmen had three-piece suits from Moss Bros, which his groomsmen could hire from various cities around the UK. Robyn and her bridesmaids’ hair and make-up were by Changing Faces in the gorgeous bridal suite section of Place accommodation. Lucy did make-up and created a lovely natural look for us all. Carly created a gorgeous updo for Robyn and lovely curled hair, partially clipped back with hairpieces for the bridesmaids. Not only did they do a great job but they were both fantastic company of the day.
How did you feed and entertain your guests?
The food supplied by The Great Barn is incredible. We had so many compliments from our guests and the portion sizes are so generous. There were plenty of our four canape choices to go around. We then chose Mediterranean Mezze as a starter followed by the Salmon Feast sharer board or individual Vegan Tagines. We had a trio of desserts for pudding. The sharing aspect worked so well, and all the food was so delicious.
In the evening, we had pizzas in the courtyard which worked perfectly as a break from dancing in the Barn.
For the drinks reception we had a selection of prosecco, Devon Dumpling beer cask, and elderflower bubbly for those not drinking alcohol. For the feast we had a selection of wine and Luscombe Lemonade.
For entertainment we had live music with a pianist for the wedding ceremony and fantastic live band in the evening. During the reception guests could play Giant Jenga or Croquet supplied by the Great Barn Team and we brought Molkky. In the evening, we had a small photo booth set up next to the bar with a guest book.
What was your favourite part of your wedding day?
It is so hard to pick a favourite part of the day because the whole day went perfectly and so smoothly. Emma and John do such an amazing job at keeping the day flowing. We really had nothing to do but enjoy it. I think a particular highlight is the food – it really was incredible. The grounds in bloom with flowers was also a real highlight and made getting beautiful photos so easy for a couple who do not naturally enjoy being in front of a camera.
Do you have any words of advice for future couples?
Our advice would be to plan the day, so you get plenty of time to spend with your guests and your husband/wife. If you are organised before the day and give John and Emma all the information they ask for in advance, then they really are experts in keeping everything running smoothly. Thank you to Emma and John, who were incredible from start to finish, in creating a truly unforgettable weekend!
Every image from Robyn and Richard’s wedding glows with joy, colour and sunshine — a true reflection of the relaxed and vibrant celebration they created. If you’re dreaming of your own unforgettable weekend, we’d love to show you around. Book a viewing and come experience The Great Barn Devon for yourself.
