An Intimate Wedding Ceremony at Wrag Barn

This summer at Wrag Barn we have been only too aware of the challenges being faced by so many couples who want to declare their love for each other amongst friends and family. Nobody really knows how many people will be able to gather together and how a wedding day will look with words like 'social distancing' in every guideline published.

As the owners of Wrag Barn we have had personal experience of this, and inspired by a marriage of one of our children on the beach in New Zealand we have teamed up with fellow Whitewed Directory friends and created our own ceremony setting which can be outside with a Celebrant presiding if the weather permits. or inside with a registrar or celebrant depending on the format of the ceremony.

Sandra Trusty from Fabulous Functions UK identified the perfect spot for a location amongst our flower meadows and Steffen Milsom is a photographer who we have both worked with; and so the idea turned into reality...

With the surroundings of daisies and trees, the theme required rustic chairs and classical English summer flowers. We were able to borrow chairs from Hospitality Services based in Swindon, and Sandra provided a beautiful arch of silk roses which she linked with a cream carpet to two columns giving a grand entrance for the bride.

The arrangement of the chairs can be altered so that people from the same household can be close together and those who want to keep their distance are able to do so.

For our son’s wedding in New Zealand, we were able to join them via Zoom, and the rest of the family sent videos which they saw for the first time during the ceremony; there was a mixture of loving and emotional, funny and musical so we were able to laugh and cry with them as they watched our contributions.  We have a copy of the Zoom video – not the usual wedding video we have come to expect, but very precious.

Who you choose to preside over your ceremony will very much depend on whether you want it to be legal or not. If the ceremony is outside, then a celebrant is appropriate and the legal formalities can be completed on another occasion, another son did just this as he wanted his wedding ceremony to be outside which isn’t legal in England because there needs to be a roof over the place where the ceremony takes place in case it rains and smudges the ink – this law is under review so check the latest guidelines.

Last thoughts about getting married outdoors; it would be a good idea to inform your guests so that they bring an extra layer for warmth and maybe leave their stilettos at home.

Our next photo shoot covers ideas for an intimate wedding breakfast celebration with armfuls of greenery brought in from the golf course, a brilliant idea for low cost venue decoration, so do check back for more beautiful intimate wedding ideas and inspiration.