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Writer's pictureEmma Solomon

5 Top Tips for decorating a farm wedding venue

Updated: Feb 25, 2021

Featured Property: Doxford Barns, Northumberland. www.doxfordbarn.com

A 550 acre private estate not far from Alnwick, and only 40 miles north of Newcastle Airport or 90 miles south of Edinburgh Airport. Easily accessible from the A1. With either one day or three day exclusive hire available and accommodation for around 40 guests, it's the perfect rural farm wedding venue for you.



We are often asked to recommend wedding venues, to be honest, I find this really tricky. It's like being asked to recommend a first dance track, or a wedding dress designer. Each one of our client's is different, and to me the most important aspect of choosing a wedding venue is making sure that the style and ambience of the venue reflects your own personality and style. Therefore it is essential you visit each venue yourself and find the one that gives you a warm fuzzy feeling and one that makes you think "I can't wait to get married here!" Our own wedding venue, in Oxford, is often used as a film location. I always shriek with excitement when I see it as it reminds me of our own incredible day!


1. My Top Tip for decorating Doxford Barns is to get someone else to do it for you, especially when it comes to bunting. Bunting needs to be put up using a ladder, and along the walkway at Doxford, a certain amount of scrambling is required. The last thing you really want is one of your wedding party falling and spraining or fracturing an ankle (as I did back in October, although granted that was trying to play Netball...). Also, the worst bit is taking it down the day after the wedding. I can guarantee no-one wants to scale a ladder the morning after the night before!!


2. Think about the outside as it will feature heavily in your wedding photos. The wedding itself will take part in the Threshing Hall so after the wedding you will walk down the walkway. We have tried lots of ways to hang the bunting, but we have found the prettiest way is to hang six zig-zag lengths at the end of the walkway furthest away from the Threshing Hall doors. This then gives a very pretty backdrop for your photos.


3. Additionally offer a warm welcome by decorating the front of the barns. This might not necessarily feature so much on your wedding photos, but it will be a lovely welcome to your guests especially if you are booking a three day wedding - you will feel like the whole venue is party ready once the bunting goes up! Either on the front ropes or on the front of the building. However, I should point out that on windy days, the bunting can be blown up and get stuck in the guttering if we attach it to the front of the building! I know that the staff can fix it on the day, but they may not have time, so we can't guarantee it stays in place for three days.


4. Inside always looks pretty with bunting either in the Threshing Barn or the Great Hall, or in fact both! Over the years we've been working with Doxford Barns, the Great Hall has changed it's permanent decor so now we recommend hanging bunting along both the long sides. It frames the room beautifully. In the Threshing Barn it looks pretty hanging along the gantry side of the room.


5. Choose a colour that will tone in with your overall scheme, and one that will look good on the photo backdrops. We often set up our gold sequin bunting as this looks stunning against the Northumbrian stone and also sparkles prettily in the evening - so frames photos both day and night. However, you could always mix a little hire bunting with a bespoke option as Emma & Dave did with printed bunting with their beloved Frenchie's printed on! Love that Doxford Barns is dog friendly and Wishbone Weddings will look after your hounds when you need a little human time!



If you choose Doxford Barns as a wedding venue, you are guaranteed a wonderful time! And if you want more bunting, we can create cake bunting or even personalised bunting for the vintage bike! Hiring bunting couldn't be easier, visit our HIRE page and decide which colour you want, choose where you want to hang it (refer to our Doxford Barns page for details) download our booking form and complete and scan back to us. We'll do the rest!




Thanks to all the photographers for their images...



and for Dog Daycare...



Thank you also to my lovely couples for allowing us to share your images, Emma & Dave and the Frenchies, Ana & Sean, and Emma & Rueben.


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