How to Style a Barn Wedding

A barn is a truly lovely backdrop for a wedding, combining a heritage building with a countryside setting. Barns are beautiful in their own right, and also offer a wonderful blank canvas for styling, giving you the opportunity to add flowers and decor that really brings your wedding to life.

“The opportunities to style a barn are endless because you’re not limited in any way, whether you’re having a colourful styling palette or something more formal or classic,” says floral stylist Julie Enwood from Crystal Amor. “Every style will suit a barn wedding!”

We’ve chatted to wedding stylists and florists who have shared their top tips for styling a barn wedding. Whether you take inspiration from the seasons or are led by a specific colour palette, these tips will help you make the most of your venue and create a look that’s perfect for your celebration.

“Styling a barn wedding is all about creating a space where the natural charm of the venue and your styling details come together in harmony.”  This is what Loren from To Have and To Hire always starts with when she’s planning the decor for a barn wedding, and we couldn’t agree more.

“Use the space to your advantage,” advises florist Emma Soulsby. “Frame the space – use floral arches or statement installations at key entry points to create a wow moment upon arrival. I’d also advise enhancing the height, too. Barns often have high ceilings, so embrace them with hanging florals, draped greenery or suspended lighting for added drama.”

Stylist Kirsten Butler from The Little Wedding Helper likes to layer the details, considering furniture, linens, tableware, stationery and more. “Think about the flow of your day, as this will also help with where to have displays and installations that really make an impact.” She also has an important reminder: “Just because you’re having a barn wedding does not mean you need to have hay bales and hessian everywhere!”

Flowers are one of the simplest but most striking ways to transform a barn and create a unique wedding style.

Selina and Phil’s stunning wedding at Alfriston Gardens is a great example of using florals in a dramatic way. “Their day was a beautiful fusion of elegance and romance, with florals playing a key role in transforming the space,” describes Emma, who was behind this luxe look. “The ceremony was framed by an ethereal entrance arch, a floral-lined aisle and a statement arch with suspended floral chandeliers, creating a breathtaking focal point.” 

“For the reception, we hung cascading mauve wisteria from the ceiling, a deeply personal touch inspired by their proposal, which made the setting feel intimate and dreamlike.”

You can also use flowers in a simpler way that embraces the rustic heritage of a barn. Delicate posies in glass vases set on log slices along your reception table look charming, while additional posies tied to the ceremony chairs add an elegant yet understated touch.

“We find lighting is key when styling a barn wedding,” says Steph from By Emerald Events. “Fairy lights, candles or lanterns can create a warm and romantic ambience in a barn setting.”

Use fairy lights swagged with fabric drapes to create a soft glow. “These add that extra level of romance and are great for taking your styling from day to night,” advises Loren. You can also wrap fairy lights around the beams to highlight this unique barn aesthetic, which also gives the space a cosy glow.

“Mass amounts of candles are so romantic!” enthuses Julie. “Candlelight can be added in many different forms from tealights, cylinder vases, dinner candles in beautiful holders and lanterns of different sizes. Add these to your reception tables, alongside large lanterns at the entrances and any tables around the sides of the reception room.”

For a more luxe and dramatic style, you could even hang chandeliers – these look amazing with a barn’s high ceilings and create a gorgeous focal point, especially alongside clouds of flowers.

Stuck for choosing your barn wedding decor? “The seasons can really help you when it comes to styling your wedding,” advises Kirsten. “Working with nature’s designs can help make some decisions on colours and details a little easier if you’re feeling overwhelmed or going down a Pinterest rabbit hole!”

Colour palettes for this season are light, bright and fresh, with an abundance of seasonal flowers to take advantage of. “For a spring wedding at Alfriston Gardens we’d definitely use our large blossom trees at the end of the aisle for a real wow factor!” says Steph.

Kirsten suggests using potted bulbs as part of your centrepieces or even as favours that guests can take at the end of the night. Her other tip is to add coloured dinner candles for a welcoming glow as your guests take their seats.

 “You don’t have to stick with traditional white tablecloth or napkins either,” says Kirsten. “Depending on budgets, hiring in linen is easier than ever. By adding a colourful napkin, you can really elevate the look of your tables as well as the stationery that goes on top of them!”

Lighter textures and brighter colour palettes can work really well in summer. Kirsten suggests fabric welcome signs alongside soft and blousy florals adorning the tables.

Her top tip is to consider repurposing your ceremony florals to your wedding breakfast, cake table and even the table plan display – this can really help your styling budget stretch a little further.

Kirsten also loves getting creative at drinks receptions with lemonade stands, a Pimms station or a gin and tonic display with herbs and fruits. This is not only colourful but also smells great – and, of course, tastes delicious!

You can also create a sun station if the weather is forecast to be hot, with sun cream, paper fans, jugs of water and anything that keeps your guests sun-safe and hydrated.

Dried flowers can look stunning at this time of year, evoking the natural feel of nature starting to wind down. We love how Jack and Zoe used these to great effect in their September wedding here at Alfriston, with dried flower posies placed down the reception tables and an unusual triangular arch decorated with dramatic pampas grass.

“An autumn wedding doesn’t mean limiting yourself to pumpkins,” says Kirsten. She suggests using wood, moss, ferns and even fruits such as plums, figs and grapes as a way of adding textures and details to your tables and displays. Log slices also provide texture to a table centrepiece, as do rattan mats on each place setting.

With the temperature dropping, it’s important to create a cosy and welcoming environment for your guests. “Think fire pits outside, warm blankets, twinkly lights and lots of candlelight,” enthuses Kirsten. She also suggests adding a hot chocolate station for your guests after dinner, with glass handled mugs, different-flavoured chocolate powders, marshmallows and cream – a lovely way to warm up!

For winter wedding inspiration, check out Abbie and Ryan’s festive celebration. Their table centrepieces really evoked a winter feel: candles, tiny ceramic cottages and miniature fir trees set on log slices, wreathed with fir and pinecones, plus dried oranges and cinnamon sticks for extra scent and texture. Abbie’s cosy faux fur shrug added a stylish and practical touch to her dazzling white satin gown, while her bridesmaids’ deep green dresses were the perfect winter colour. This seasonal shade was also picked up with sashes on the chair backs for the wedding breakfast.

Neutral

You can’t go wrong with a neutral-inspired colour palette of whites, pale pinks, greens and earthy tones. “These work so well with the warm natural wooden elements of a barn, such as any exposed beams,” says Loren.

Soft

Emma loves playing with colour to add a contemporary touch. “Mauve, blush or muted gold can bring a barn setting to life in a modern way.”

Autumnal

Different shades of green, caramels and burnt orange with touches of blush pink are one of Kirsten’s favourite ways to create a warm look and feel for an autumn wedding.

Dramatic

Navy, plums and deep reds, complemented with gold or rose gold, are a stylish option for weddings in the cooler months.

Alfriston Gardens’ two barns are the centrepiece of our beautiful Sussex wedding venue.

Our magnificent Century Barn, dating back to the 1700s, seamlessly blends historic architecture with a thoughtful modern restoration. The result is an amazing 21st-century light and airy wedding space, where soaring oak beams contrast beautifully with the whitewashed walls.

“When styling a wedding at Alfriston Gardens, we always make the most of the Century Barn’s beautiful beams, which can be draped for elegance,” describes Steph.

The Century Barn also includes a stylish modern mezzanine level, where guests can relax in sumptuous mint-green velvet cinema seats!

Adjoining the Century Barn is the Woodland Barn, a brand-new structure that can host up to 155 guests. It perfectly complements the Century Barn and is a simply stunning setting for the post-ceremony celebrations.

Both of our barns work well with a range of styling schemes, whether you love the idea of romantic candle lanterns and swagged chairs or prefer a more boho or rustic aesthetic. For weddings in the warmer months, the far wall of the Woodland Barn completely opens via bifold doors onto the gardens and patio, creating a seamless indoor-outdoor space that also takes advantage of our glorious countryside views. It really is the quintessential British barn wedding venue!