One: You’ve booked! What’s next?
Congratulations, and welcome to The Barn Family…You’ve already checked the biggest thing off your list and chosen your venue, hooray!
Here at The Barn at Berkeley, we know how important it is that your big day is truly memorable for you and all of your guests too! Our experienced team love weddings and they’re here to guide you through the planning process; from menu choices, timings, suppliers, and on-the-day coordination we’re here to help. Remember it’s perfectly possible to plan your wedding in three to six months, especially as we’re a full service venue so all of the food & drink and venue set up are managed by our team.
First things first - your suppliers
Regardless of how far in advance you book your wedding, there are some things that are always worth booking in quickly to ensure you get your preferred times and suppliers; your Registrar or Celebrant, your Band, your Florist, your Stylist (if you’re having one) and your Photographer. Decide what’s most important to you and secure those suppliers first!
We’ve got a great collection of fantastic local suppliers here.
Next - Timings
The timings of your big day are important - always leave yourself enough time to get ready in the morning, consider travel times for your guests, and make sure that you get to enjoy the Fizz & Canapes at your Drinks Reception! We recommend your Wedding Ceremony takes place between 1.30pm and 3pm if you’re getting married at The Barn - you and your guests have all had the chance to relax and get ready in the morning, have a bit of brunch to keep you going until Canapes, and your guests only need to arrive 30 minutes before your Ceremony starts. A typical ceremony lasts around 30 minutes and then you’re straight down to The Parlour for your Drinks Reception!
Planning Meetings
We typically have two meetings with you to help guide you through the planning process (and also allow our invoices to be accurate). The timings below are a guide; we will work with you to arrange meetings at a time that suits you and our meetings can be in person or over the phone
1. Your 6-month meeting: This is your chance to update us on all of the decisions you’ve made since you’ve booked! At this meeting you will make your choices from our seasonal menus, run through timings for the day, approximate guest numbers, your chosen suppliers and so on
2. Your 6-week meeting: At this meeting you will provide final guest numbers for your Wedding Ceremony, Reception and Evening Party, food choices by guest, their dietary requirements, your table plan and room layout and the final details of your big day. After this point, we will issue your final invoice and the countdown to your big day is on!
We also host two Open Days each year, one in May and one in October; these are a great opportunity to come and meet the team and bring family or your wedding party to see the venue fully dressed and full of inspiration
How can we help?
Planning a wedding is so exciting, but we also know that it can be daunting as there are lots of decisions to make. We pride ourselves in being here throughout the entire process for you and are here to answer any questions, calm any nerves and bring your vision life. We are only a call, email or carrier pigeon away, and don’t forget a member of our team will always be there on the day to keep things running smoothly and get both of you where you need to be at the right times, so you don’t have to worry!
Love,
The Barn Team x