Wedding Inspiration

Traditional & Simple Wedding Ideas That Are Perfect For A Barn Wedding

At Upwaltham Barns, we’re surrounded by the glorious Sussex countryside so it’s no surprise that lots of our lovely couples are inspired by this beautiful setting when planning their decorations. We’ve seen so many memorable wedding ideas lately that we thought we’d share some of these brilliant traditional and simple details with you here. These fabulous decorations all work perfectly with the rural, rustic style of the barns so we’ll leave it to you to choose your favourites…

Traditional wedding ideas

A traditional wedding needs lots of flowers so why not set the scene for your guests from the moment they arrive? A huge floral heart over the entrance to the barns will welcome everyone in style, or a garland full of beautiful blooms above the doorway of the East Barn looks beautiful and adds a little extra flourish to your ceremony.

For more floral delights, why not line the aisle of the East Barn with posies of flowers? Tie them to the chairs next to the aisle and, after the ceremony, move them to the South Barn for your wedding breakfast. And don’t forget your confetti! Paper cones, filled with real petals, are perfect to give to guests once your ceremony has finished. Every wedding needs that iconic confetti shot!

The South Barn always looks stunning when it’s dressed for a wedding and, there’s just so much that you can do to make it your own. We love seeing lots of little bud vases, filled with flowers and surrounded by candles and tea lights or even terracotta pots planted with herbs. Alternatively, stand large candelabras on the tables and scatter petals across the table tops for a stylish look. You can also wrap flowers and foliage around the wooden pillars in the South Barn for added natural beauty.

Traditional decorations that don’t feature flowers can also provide a completely different, yet equally fabulous, look. Classic country bunting or swags of fabric adorned with fairy lights are currently firm wedding favourites.

Simple wedding ideas

Sometimes, the simple things in life are the best and when it comes to wedding decorations, this is certainly true. If you’re looking for a more relaxed, informal vibe with a touch of rustic style, simple wedding decor will really bring your day to life.

Let’s start with props! Props such as ladders are becoming really popular at weddings and they make great focal points. You can also use old suitcases, stacks of books, crates or even vintage bicycles!

Naked wedding cakes are just ideal for barn weddings. We love seeing these dressed with fresh fruits or flowers and finished with a cute cake topper. If you’re using fresh flowers, speak to your florist to make sure that the blooms they use are safe to use with food.

For your table centrepieces, jam jars filled with blooms always look wonderful. Collect as many jars as you can, wrap them with lace, hessian, twine or ribbon and fill them with flowers – simple! Gather groups of jars on your tables or use them in crates or on ladders for country wedding perfection.

On the flip side, small details can also be very special. A single sprig of rosemary or another favourite herb, tucked into a napkin, can be a perfect finishing touch for your tables.

If you want to get crafty for your wedding, there are lots of things that you can create to suit your theme. Stencil your name and wedding date on wooden crates, make long tassel garlands that work with your colour theme or even blow up some large bubble balloons to bring a big touch of fun to the look of your reception.

Lots of couples also make amazing wedding signage for their big day. Modern calligraphy on wood is very popular but we also see a lot of signage made from old wooden pallets or signs directing guests to the ceremony, Moroccan snug, bar or other important areas. Quite often, wedding signs become part of a larger decoration so you can really get creative and we’ve got some excellent wedding signage ideas here.

If you’d like more inspiration, we’ve got bunting ideas, rustic country wedding ideas and wedding reception decoration ideas on our blog plus a host of real weddings that are packed with the most wonderful details!