The rise of the barn as a wedding venue is well documented; the trend toward everything rustic has made barn wedding venues popular. Better yet, there are plenty of these spaces around, and they can accommodate even the largest of weddings.
If you’ve been thinking about barn wedding venues for your Big Day, this guide will help you select the perfect venue. After all, knowing what to look for is half the battle.
Where Is It?
Plenty of people pick barn wedding venues in order to get out of the city and capture a true “rustic” feeling for their weddings. There’s something alluring about the countryside, and a barn wedding can capture that like no other.
Of course, that said, plenty of barns are actually in the country. That means you need to pay attention to just how far any venue is from where most of your guests will be travelling. You might think you’ve found the perfect venue, only to realize it’s so far from home, many of your guests won’t make it.
Always consider public transit as well: More rustic areas often aren’t well serviced by buses, so you may need to make travel arrangements for your guests.And don’t forget accommodations. Look into local hotels for your guests and see if they offer a shuttle service. If not, it may be time to provide one for your guests.
Climate Control
Barn wedding venues aren’t exactly known for having all of the creature comforts you might expect from a more urban or modern wedding venue. That’s because barns, constructed for animals originally, often did not consider things like heating and cooling or insulation.
While many barns are converted specifically as wedding spaces, you should always investigate what kind of climate control is offered—otherwise your winter wedding might be as frigid as the outdoors, or your guests might roast during your summer ceremony.
What about Bathrooms?
Part of the appeal of barn wedding venues is the simplicity they offer. They may seem to transport you back in time, to an era when things were simpler and people were connected to the land.
They might also transport you back in time to an era before indoor washrooms and toilets were common. Always ask about the availability of bathrooms in your wedding venue. You don’t want long line-ups for the ladies’ room—or worse, to need to send your guests to an outhouse or the bushes out back. A good barn wedding venue will have up-to-date bathrooms that will accommodate you and your guests.Be sure to check for accessibility, too. You want to make sure all your guests can be accommodated.
The Floor
When wedding venue shopping, many people look at walls and ceilings, and they imagine decorating the space or how many people can be accommodated. Fewer people think about the floor—but it’s an important consideration for barn wedding venues, especially if your bridesmaids or other ladies will be wearing heels!
Many barn floors are dirt or gravel, which spells bad news for anyone wearing heels. Even those who are not in heels may find the floor unpleasant. A long, gravel walkway or a trek across a field may also present problems for guests. Either be sure to tell your guests to choose appropriate footwear, or be sure to pick a venue with a proper floor.
Indoor/Outdoor Accommodations
Many people choose a rustic wedding venue in order to get back to nature. Often, that means they hold part of the wedding outside. Whether it’s the ceremony or the reception or both, the outdoors can make for a lovely backdrop for your guests.
That is, provided the weather holds up. Be sure your venue will accommodate “rain plans” if you need to move indoors due to inclement weather. And, if you want most of your wedding inside, but want to allow guests the chance to step outside, be sure the venue can accommodate that as well.
