Hosting your wedding or reception in a barn opens the opportunity for any number of rustic charm accents that your heart desires, magical photos, and a heartwarming celebration for yourself and your guests. However, barns were built to store horses and the initial purpose was not to serve as the rustic wedding venue of your dreams, more so than a traditional wedding venue, you want to make sure you have these logistics on lock down before your wedding day:
- Build in budget padding for converting the barn into a beautiful rustic wedding venue. If you were hosting your wedding in the ballroom of a hotel, you wouldn’t have to give a second thought to tables and seating, lighting, caterers, or even electricity. These are all amenities that a barn might not be equipped with. If the barn you’ve chosen for your wedding events is frequently rented for weddings, some arrangements might be made already. Otherwise, the coordinator might have a checklist of common party essentials that you need to provide yourself, and even a few suggestions for sources. Just make sure that you understand what is and isn’t provided so that you can make additional arrangements necessary.
- Pay attention to codes and ordinances. First and foremost– particularly if the barn you’re hosting your wedding at does not commonly host weddings– make sure that the site is licensed and insured to accommodate the public. You also want to check the noise ordinances. It might be less of an issue if the barn is too remote to be heard beyond the property line, however, if there are any homes nearby, you will need to be mindful of what hour the band must pack up by.
- Make a weather backup plan. According to folklore, rain on your wedding day is a sign of good fortune on your marriage. It might throw a wrench in your plans though. If any portion of your special day is going to be hosted outside, you should reserve a big tent that can be used in case of rainy weather. It’s not a bad idea to have a few dozen umbrellas on hand to help usher people from the barn to their cars in rain as well.
Even in sunshiney conditions, barns are typically not insulated or designed for human comfort in extreme hot or cold weather. Make sure to check with property manager on any heating or cooling amenities that can be used. It’s also a good idea to include verbiage on the invitation with attire suggestions for your rustic wedding venue.
- Consider farm-appropriate footwear. Barn floors are often made gravel or sometimes bare dirt. Even barns that have wood floors often require long walks through the field from the cars. Ladies wearing high heels might find these conditions uncomfortable to walk in. A very inexpensive way to mitigate this is to offer flip flops that women in heels can wear to enjoy the event without ruining their shoes.
Are you planning a farmhouse chic wedding? We want to hear all the details of your upcoming nuptials! Please leave us a comment with what you’re excited about and what your nervous about below!