Wedding in a Barn
A flood of imitation barns has sprung up in West Virginia and the surrounding counties as a result of the shift away from more conventional wedding venues. Young women want lavish weddings, much like previous generations, but instead of traditional locations like churches, restaurants, ballrooms, and hotels, millennials choose barns, metal pole structures, and breweries.
Personalizing one’s wedding is the emerging trend in weddings. Millennials want their wedding to be a reflection of who they are. As a result, themed weddings are becoming more popular, as are weddings held in unusual locations such as historic mansions, vineyards, farms, and mountaintops. According to recent stories, the expense of a formal location vs a rural wedding is not the determining factor.
When you tie the knot in a farm or barn wedding and events site, understand how to ensure you get the photos of your dreams.
Non-traditional reception settings are becoming increasingly popular among newlyweds. In recent years, formal black-tie weddings have declined by 20%. Rustic style is reflected in homemade chalkboard signage and worn old furniture.
How to Plan a Barn Wedding and Stay On Budget
Set aside money for extras in the barn.
This is true of any non-full-service location, but especially barn wedding venues. You’ll most certainly be in charge of the tables, chairs, dishes, and other items. “Think about the extra costs of lighting, generators, food tents, a backup tent for the ceremony, vendor tents, commercial cleaning of the barn, and access to water and perimeter lighting,” advises Easton. Not to worry you, but you’ll also need to make sure the barn is licensed and insured before opening it to the public. Additionally, your caterer and entertainment will want access to all of the barn’s power outlets.
If you’ve reserved a barn that frequently accommodates weddings, the management may have a list of things you’ll require. If not, working with a wedding planner that specializes in barn weddings is your best choice.
Review the rules of the local sound ordinance.
Don’t expect to be able to dance till the wee hours of the morning simply because you have the barn for the night. Even if your barn wedding reception is in a distant setting, you’ll want to double-check any local sound ordinance laws and determine when your band or DJ should be closing up.
When arranging your event timetable, keep in mind that sound is frequently assessed by its level at the property border. If you have residences nearby, keep this in mind. If you have to finish the party early due to a noise regulation, consider holding a casual after-party at a nearby restaurant or bar.
Keep an eye on the surroundings
Although fields and pastures are beautiful, ensuring sure they are car and wheel friendly is essential for senior guests and those who will be brought to your barn wedding site in huge vehicles. Otherwise, you can be dealing with a muddy or rocky situation. Aunt Sally may find it difficult to attend your wedding because her wheelchair cannot be pushed across the picturesque meadows around the barn. And, if it rains, do those fields turn to mud? Is there a paved parking lot at the venue?
It’s crucial to ask yourself these questions and come up with answers for each one. It may seem gritty (pun intended), but it’s crucial for a barn wedding to go off without a hitch.
Make a Bug-Resistant Plan
While chirping crickets and fireflies might be lovely, insect bites aren’t. Stock up on citronella candles and place them around the barn wedding venue’s perimeter. Small baskets packed with insect spray should be placed in the restrooms or at the barn’s entrance for guests to use. If you’re not from the region where the barn wedding location is located, it’s a good idea to speak with someone familiar with the area’s wildlife and bugs during the time of year you’re being married.
Having a party in the almost great outdoors might put you closer to nature than you’d want. If you’re having cocktails outside at twilight in the South, be cautious of ‘No See Ums,’ which bite and may ruin a party. She suggests spraying for pests the day before your wedding, regardless of where your barn is located.
Protect your visitors from the weather
When it comes to a barn wedding, parasols and paper fans aren’t just nice to have; they’re a must-have throughout the summer. They can withstand the summer heat rather well. Have a lot of huge fans, and don’t be afraid to use the industrial ones to get the air moving.
Barns function similarly in the winter, as they lack sufficient insulation for external temperatures.
If your barn wedding location isn’t temperature controlled, you’ll want to include a few dress code ideas on your wedding website no matter what time of year you’re being married. This will ensure that your guests are comfortable in the barn no matter what the weather is like.
Make the Barn Area Allergy-Free
A country wedding location with a few animals and rustic elements like hay bales is undoubtedly the most Instagram-worthy wedding venue. However, no one wants a picture opportunity to develop into a full-fledged allergic reaction. If there are animals present, there will be hay and feed, as well as animal odors, which may cause chaos for anybody with allergies, especially the bride and groom.
If there are animals near or around the barn, do everything you can to keep them contained so that guests can approach them if they so choose (or not). It doesn’t hurt to put Benadryl in the bathroom baskets, either! Throw a few blankets over the lovely hay bale seats if you’re having a barn wedding. It will make seating more comfortable for your visitors and also aid with allergies.
One more point to consider: depending on how hay bales are kept, they can quickly pose a fire danger. Check into the problem since, believe it or not, having hay bales at your barn wedding may require permission.
Don’t wear stilettos
A rustic barn wedding location means that the floors will most likely be rustic as well. The flooring of some barns is made of wood, pebbles, or even mud. To prevent your female guests from destroying their heels, you should give flip-flops and make a disclaimer on your wedding website.
Tell your bridal salon or alterations seamstress if you want to change into flats for the barn wedding reception so she may make the necessary hem modifications so your wedding gown doesn’t drag on the ground for half the evening. If you must wear heels, we suggest Starlettos, which adapt to the breadth of your heel.
Make the Powder Room Look Nice
If your barn isn’t a full-service wedding location (we’re talking about the restrooms), you’ll want to create comfortable and hygienic accommodations. “Are the restrooms ‘outhouses’ or the kind you’d like your 80-year-old visitors to use?” Brown makes a point. If it’s the former, get in touch with a portable toilet rental company and ask for recommendations. They normally include a few, and some even have a sink and lights.
The toilet area can also be covered by an outdoor tent rental provider to mix in with the barn wedding environment. Fresh flowers, potpourri, air fresheners, and amenity baskets with mints, antibacterial hand lotion, hair spray, Band-Aids, safety pins, and aspirin can also please your visitors. You may even employ a receptionist to keep the space tidy and refill paper items throughout the night.
Prepare ahead of time by learning what questions people have about barn weddings.
What should you wear to a barn wedding? To match the tone of the location, avoid anything stuffy and go for something natural-inspired. Antiqued lace and light-colored linen suiting are options for the wedding pair. The bridal party looks great in lightweight pants with suspenders and subdued bohemian designs. Think flowy fabrics and flowery elements to fit the surroundings for your visitors. Wedges, flats, boots, and oxfords are all better bets for a barn wedding reception than heels.
Here are the list of Top the Barn wedding venues
Pippin Hill Farm
Pippin Hill Farms combines vineyard vistas with lovely Southern architecture. This lovely Virginia venue combines modern finishes with a rustic, agricultural flair to provide a wonderful location for any size event. Pippin Hill Farm is a farm located in the town of Pippin Charlottesville is a city in Virginia.
Montesino Ranch
Montesino Ranch, a rustic, elegant hideaway encircled by 225 acres and 100-year-old pecan trees, is a stunning location for a classy barnyard fiesta. This stunning Texas barn looks out over a rich Hill Country environment, offering a setting that is guaranteed to stand out. Montesino Ranch is a ranch in Montesino, California.
Sainte Terre.
A barn and a small white chapel? You can count on it. Sainte Terre is the ideal wedding venue for country chic brides, with 17 acres of lovely gardens. This family-owned farmhouse combines historic beauty with modern enhancements for a unique rustic-meets-modern-elegance look. Terre Sainte Benton is a town in Louisiana.
J&D Farms.
This typical Dutch-style barn in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains is just a short drive northeast of Birmingham. Inside this historic structure, vintage chandeliers, towering ceilings, and wooden beams keep the country’s charm alive. With the surrounding 80 acres of rolling hills and perhaps a few string lights, you’ll be sure to create a memorable backdrop for your event. Southside, Alabama’s J&D Farms.
The White Sparrow.
The color white has never looked better on a wedding day. This whitewashed old barn is nestled among flower beds and tall oak trees in the Texas countryside. The barn, which is framed by Union Valley’s natural nature, has an old-world beauty and majestic simplicity that we can’t help but admire. Quinlan is a town in the state of Texas.
Long Ridge Farm.
This small barn is humbly rustic in all the right ways, and it will surprise you. A large room with stunningly high ceilings and wood beams on the inside is ideal for a wedding and reception. Long Ridge Farm is located in the town of Shelbyville, Kentucky.
Sweet Meadow Farms.
If you’re searching for an effortlessly elegant party, this great working family farm is the place to go. Although there are more than 160 acres of meadows, ponds, lawns, and forests on this outdoor site, the red roof barn is enough to win us over. Tallapoosa, Georgia’s Sweet Meadow Farms
The Farm.
This stunning house, nestled in the highlands, features a European-style barn with a Southern flair. This 300-acre property is completely remote and feels like something out of a storybook. The Farm not only has a barn and stables, but also cottages, mountain hikes, and lake views for the ultimate visitor experience. The Farm is located in Rome, Georgia.
Homestead Manor.
This Tennessee barn is a Southern wedding gem, with soaring ceilings, reclaimed wood, and stone fireplaces. Homestead Manor is steeped in more than 150 years of local history, and its 50 acres provide a feast of rural vistas ideal for a countryside party. Thompson Station, Tennessee’s Homestead Manor
Hermitage Hill Farm.
Hermitage Hill Farm & Stables offers a rural ambiance with all of the conveniences of an upscale resort, making it the ideal location for a fairytale wedding. If the magnificent horses on-site aren’t enough to take your breath away, the breathtaking views of the Blue Ridge and Allegheny Mountains will. Farm and Stables on Hermitage Hill Waynesboro, Virginia.
The Bridlewood Barn
The Barn at Bridlewood’s exposed brick and gorgeous wood beams are only the beginning of what’s within. This comfortable yet elegant Mississippi barn, beautifully rebuilt utilizing the barn’s original wood structure from 1851, provides everything from a bed & breakfast to tiny horse stables on its spectacular acreage. The Bridlewood Barn Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
The Cedar Grove Barn
The Barn at Cedar Grove is the place to go if you’re seeking rustic romance. On the property’s isolated 200 acres of wooded meadows, streams, and creeks, you’ll discover everything from rocking chair-filled porches to picot fences. The venue’s antique wooden barn has been repaired, yet it still exudes the elegance of the early 1900s. The Cedar Grove Barn Greensburg, Kentucky.
Homestead of Brodie
The barn at Brodie Homestead’s outside, clad in stone-covered grandeur, exudes timeless beauty, unlike any other Southern barn we’ve seen. Inside, chandeliers adorn the rounded wood ceilings, which nicely merge the barn’s original charm with an updated, sophisticated aesthetic. The barn’s exquisite combination of fabrics and rustic charm set a scenario that feels much more distant than it is just south of Austin, Texas. Homestead of Brodie Austin, Texas.
Heartwood Hall.
Heartwood Hall, located 45 minutes outside of Memphis on 25 forested acres, is a historic home with both sophisticated and rustic beauty. A magnificent main house, lovely ceremony garden, exclusive grooms quarters, and, of course, a gorgeous, reception-ready barn can all be found on the site. Heartwood Hall is located in the town of Rossville, Tennessee.
Fearrington Village.
The Fearrington Village, a converted dairy barn, offers everything from sweeping fields to a lovely farm silo. This picturesque barn location is close to Chapel Hill and is part of the farm’s now-thriving hamlet of shops, restaurants, and a country inn, making it ideal for couples looking for a rural wedding with facilities for their guests. Fearrington, England.
Farm Mint Springs
Mint Springs Farm, about 30 minutes outside of Nashville, is brimming with southern charm. This stunning Tennessee wedding location features everything from a ceremony pavilion to a bridal suite and groom’s loft, as well as beautiful lakeside views and a vintage tin roof barn. Nolensville, Tennessee.
Advantages and Disadvantages of the Barn Wedding
Advantages
- Privacy: – The reception party will have seclusion if the wedding is held in a fake barn. The sound produced by a live band or a DJ will not be hampered by the anxiety of keeping the music turned down low.
- Space: – Guests at a barn wedding will have plenty of floors to dance. The wedding guests’ small children will have plenty of room to run about.
- Friendship with Animals: – Your animal pals, from dogs to horses to cows, will have no trouble being a part of your ceremony and celebration.
Disadvantages
- Wheelchair accessible paving: – Make sure the site provides a paved place for your guests’ automobiles. You don’t want anyone to become stranded.
- Possibilities for portraiture: – Many recently constructed barn wedding venues are little more than a pole structure with a parking area. Beautiful landscaping has received little consideration If the venue is not in a gorgeous field or surrounded by landscaping, visit the day before to scout out a great spot for you and your photographer to shoot photographs after the ceremony. If there are no flowers, grass, trees, or area where there are points of interest, a photographer can only produce so much with metal siding, parking lots, and parked automobiles. Driving from point A to point B after the ceremony might delay your arrival at the reception and put your wedding timeline off.
- Accessible to people with wheelchairs and others with disabilities: – Ensure that the barn wedding site is wheelchair accessible and that your guests have access to handicap-accessible restrooms. Otherwise, you may need to hire temporary restrooms. You don’t want anyone, especially the old or disabled, to trip and fall.
- Completed or uncompleted flooring: – Is there a dirt floor or a finished floor in the barn? Many of your guests may have adverse responses to dirt, hay, and dust. Barns are a favorite haunt of spiders. If the bride tripped on a nest of spiders, it will fly up into the floods of her lace gown.