Wedding at The Old Barn, Devon

On Christmas Eve, almost 12 years after Sarah and Chris met on a night out at university, he presented her with a gift. It was actually multiple gifts, with each layer of wrapping paper hiding another gift... with the final one being an engagement ring! 

Opting for The Old Barn in North Devon as a venue, the couple started planning their relaxed and fun day. "We loved the fact it was a DIY venue, which enabled us to choose our own caterers, entertainment and, very importantly, decorate in our own style," says Sarah. 


The ceremony was held in the conservatory area, which was light, airy and covered in lush green vines on the ceiling, whilst the meal and evening entertainment were held in the barn.

"We wanted a rustic and bohemian style incorporating lots of natural elements," explains Sarah. "The green vines worked perfectly with this theme and we used lots of foliage and fairy lights in the barn. We added candles, plants and homemade wooden signs to add our own style and a little bit of a festival theme too."

Wearing a three-piece Catherine Deane gown, Sarah made her vows to Chris in front of all their loved ones; a moment of the day they particularly loved for its "romance and uniqueness". The couple then made their way to the picturesque village of Clovelly for photos, before a hog roast and speeches were enjoyed. "The speeches had us in tears with laughter, and the weather was kind to us and the showers stayed away," she remembers. "We just loved the fact that the whole day was so relaxed and nothing was a chore."


A novel and exhilarating form of entertainment filled the gap between the wedding breakfast and evening dancing.  "We had an hour-and-a-half of dodgems, which was a really fun and unique element! All our guests thoroughly enjoyed this," laughs Sarah.

"We also had our own playlist playing, which included songs from our uni days when we first met. It was definitely a highlight! We are also very fortunate to have a friend as a DJ so we asked him to look after the music for the evening. We opted for a funk and soul-themed disco, as we love this type of music. It spans so many decades, it was perfect to get everyone up on the dance floor!"

Unable to choose a favourite moment from the day, Sarah and Chris both agree on one thing: "We could not fault the day we had!"

And their advice for busily planning couples is to get the big things booked early on. "Getting catering, photographer, flowers and entertainment sorted will reduce stress later on and ensure you get your first choices."

Photography Freckle Photography frecklephotography.co.uk
Venue The Old Barn oldbarnwedding.co.uk
Catering Field to Fork Catering fieldtoforkcatering.co.uk
Dress Catherine Deane from The Ivory Secret theivorysecret.co.uk
Groom's outfit House of Fraser houseoffraser.co.uk
Hair Fringe Hair Co facebook.com/fringehairco
Flowers Sarah Hill Flowers sarahhillflowers.com