Amazing Wedding at the Barn at Barra Castle | Festival Party

Wedding at The Barn at Barra

A micro wedding at The Barn at Barra doesn't mean a micro amount of photos. I treat micro weddings as if they were full weddings, I still want to give a full story in a small amount of time. Only a few hours in this case, but we still managed to get all the things you would expect. A little prep, details, ceremony, and group shots, you name it!

Big thanks to my guest blogger Rachel from Rachinamerica.com for writing this blog. She didn't make the wedding in person but attended as a bridesmaid on the big screen/projector.

Introduction



Jennifer and Dave's love story started when Dave convinced Jennifer that the J in his middle name stood for 'Jebediah'.

During one of their first dates, he convinced Jennifer that he was from an Amish family, hence the name. Not to keep Jennifer in the dark, he revealed later that day he had been joking, much to Jennifer's amusement.

A shared sensed of humour is just one of their attributes, that makes them a great couple.

If you were at the wedding, you may recognise me as 'the girl on the screen'. I was Jennifer's Bridesmaid, but due to COVID rules, and that I live in the United States, I had to attend by zoom. Not to miss out on anything, I got projected onto the wall during the speeches.

I (Rachel Gordon) caught up with Jennifer and Dave recently to talk all things wedding.

What Kind of Vibe Where you Looking for?

'Above all relaxed, we had been to some weddings in the past where the schedule seemed very regimented and formal. We wanted to make sure that people felt at ease.'

'Our original pre-covid plans were to have a festival themed wedding. With our smaller micro wedding, we were still trying to fit in with that. We would ask our suppliers for idea's. We talked to our florist, who came up with a natural festival idea. We remember being in her kitchen, and discussing what we would want, right then and there she made a beautiful flower piece out of what she had. Our suppliers took our ideas and ran with them, which we loved.'



Trina (Trina's Art and Flowers) adorned the room with the most amazing flower decorations, and decorated the tables with springlike flowers, making sure to incorporate the Balvenie bottles that Jennifer and Dave wanted to include. This was a nod to her grandfather, who grew the barley for the whisky. During the vows, a dram of Balvenie was distributed amongst the guests. Once Dave and Jennifer were pronounced husband and wife, the guests raised a glass to the newly married couple. Jennifer and Dave, had a special quaich, which they shared as their first toast as husband and wife. An extremely special way to honour her grandfather.

What Advice Would you Give Bride and Grooms Planning Their Wedding?

Wedding Planner 'Use a wedding planner, Michelle (Raphael Weddings) was amazing, and she spoke wedding, which helped with all the other suppliers. This made it much less daunting, because it can be a lot to understand'

Gut Instinct 'Work with people who you like and trust, there has to be that connection there, and listen to your gut instinct'

Wedding Fayres ‘Definitely go to at least one wedding fayre, we found many of our suppliers through a wedding fayre, and they are also a very useful place to get inspiration

Cake Testing 'Enjoy the cake testing! Do not skip this! it is really fun!'

Go to local bars for live bands. We would go to pubs such as the illicit still, the wig and blackfriars, and listen to live music. We would then get in touch with them and see if they were able to play our wedding.'

Enjoy it ‘Have fun with planning, if there is a particular part that you enjoy , such as the music, make more time for this. We had so much fun making a playlist for the wedding' For parts that are less enjoyable, ask for help with these.'

Planning the Wedding

It took Jen and Dave the best part of a year. They went to the Trinity Court wedding fayre which helped them find and get to know suppliers for their special day. They also used their wedding planner Michelle (Raphael Weddings), who was invaluable to them. Because of her experience as a planner, she had loads of amazing ideas that they loved. They couldn’t recommend her enough and described how at all stages of planning, and especially during covid, she was able to take a lot of stress off them. When we had to reschedule, she would contact our suppliers for us. She also made sure everything went smoothly on the day, and she did an amazing job.

Any Planning or Wedding Disasters?

Obviously Covid through a spanner in the works of Dave and Jen’s wedding, but determined not to give up on their special day, they decided to have a micro wedding, and then on the first year anniversary to have a bigger celebration. One of the issues was whether I would make it (obviously the most pressing problem!), but due to the wonders of modern technology, I was able to be there through zoom. This meant I was able to be there.

One of the other issues was that Jennifer’s gorgeous wedding shoes got destroyed, yet this was all in the name of fun. Clarke brought them into a field to take pictures, and I’m sure if you see the pictures, you will see it was all worth it. Jennifer was also worried when she was about to walk down the aisle with the watering can of her flowers. Thankfully, Trina (Trina's Art and Flowers) took this off her hands.



Their day in May, was a special intimate occasion, with many nods to those who Jen and Dave cared about, as well as a personal mark of who they are as a couple. From the whisky, local suppliers and very familiar back drop of Bennachie, to the cuff links of Nick Cage that Dave gave to his brother, this was a wedding that was undeniably them.

How was your photography experience?

‘Really good fun! We had initial concerns over whether it would be awkward, but Clarke squashed them immediately. It was like having one of your best friends with you, we felt so relaxed.

We would say if your photographer asks you to do something different, do it, it comes out amazing. We loved how a lot of the pictures were candid and natural. He captured so much happiness!’

Thinking of booking Barn at Barra for your Wedding

If you like our style I would love to hear from you. We love nothing better than working with awesome couples who know how to have a good time. So hit me up for some more info and availability.