10 Barn Wedding Ideas for a Beautiful Rustic Venue
Are you dreaming of a cozy, beautiful wedding that celebrates the beauty of nature? Georgia barn wedding venues offer a perfect setting for your dream wedding. We’re sharing 10 barn wedding ideas that will make you fall in love with barn weddings all over again!
“The combination of rustic charm, natural beauty, personalized options, and a connection to nature has contributed to the growing popularity of farm and barn weddings. These venues offer a romantic and enchanting escape that resonates with couples seeking a distinctive and unforgettable wedding celebration.”
Ready? Let’s jump into the ideas!
Outdoor Barn Wedding Ideas
One of the perks of many Georgia barn wedding venues is the outdoor space. There are several ways you can use the outdoors to create a magical wedding experience.
1. Use the barn as a backdrop for your ceremony
If you love the look of the barn, whether it is rustic wood or a modern barn, then consider using the barn as a backdrop for your ceremony. You can highlight the barn doors as a backdrop for all your ceremony photos.
Add some greenery or garlands to the doors without any arbor needed.
Or you can set up an arbor or cross in front of the barn doors and add your draping or decors there.
If you choose to have your ceremony with a different backdrop (and we’ve got ideas for that!), you can still feature the barn as a backdrop for photos with your family, bridal party or for newlywed photos!
2. Choose a natural setting to reduce amount of décor needed
Barn wedding venues can be found in lots of natural locations. North Georgia barn wedding venues often feature farm views with lush fields, rows of blueberries, or vineyards. You can also find barn wedding venues in Georgia with mountain views which are great for Fall weddings.
Some venues may have gardens surrounding the lawn space at the barn which offer seasonal blooms in Spring and Summer and transition to brightly colored leaves in the Fall.
Use the natural setting as inspiration for your color palette and décor. Working with the views and seasonal colors will help reduce the amount of décor, flowers, etc. you need to bring in for your wedding day. This helps reduce the budget and amount of time for setup!
3. Take advantage of natural views for gorgeous photos
It’s hard to beat a gorgeous sunset over rolling hills for newlywed photos! The outdoor space at barn wedding venues provide lots of options for jaw dropping photos.
Consider framing the views with an arbor for your ceremony. This provides a natural backdrop for ceremony photos. The natural backdrop also offers a great opportunity for a live wedding artist.
Rows of blueberries, vineyards or sweeping fields provide a beautiful setting for first look photos. Flower farms or cut flower gardens are one of our favorite locations for first look and newlywed photos.
4. String lights – add romance, cozy for evening, great for dancing
String lights are the ultimate addition for a cozy and romantic evening! Guests can mingle under string lights after dinner. Plus, it’s hard to beat an outdoor dance floor under draping string lights. Especially for a last private dance before your official send off.
Barn Wedding Ideas for your Reception
5. Choose tables to fit your vibe
There are lots of options to transform your wedding venue to meet your vision. Tables are one option that might be easily overlooked but can have a big impact.
Long, wooden farm tables add to the rustic, casual charm of a barn wedding venue. Farm tables are often wider than standard rectangular tables and allow for large centerpieces or elaborate place settings.
Long rectangular tables with linens can be casual or elegant depending on a few choices. For a more casual wedding reception that encourages guests to mingle and allows conversation to flow, choose low floral arrangements like greenery garlands, bud vases and low votive candles. Place taller arrangements or lanterns at the edges or center of the long tables. If you prefer a more elegant setting, choose specialty linens like velvets, satin or patterned table linens. Include elevated glassware and napkins at each place setting. Decorate the tables with tall candles, high floral arrangements and overloaded flowers.
Round tables combine the feel of a Country Club with a barn venue setting. These allow you to group guests that know each other well in groups of 6 – 10 depending on the size of the table. Large floral arrangements that are beautiful from all sides or groupings of candles are great décor options for round tables.
6. Use linens to transform your barn wedding venue
Table cloths, runners and cloth napkins can create a major transformation to any wedding venue space.
It can start as simple as a choice between white and ivory linens. White is bright and great for cool color palettes including blues, lavender and silver. Ivory warms up the space and works well with blush, burgundy, dark greens and warm gold or copper tones.
Add colored linen napkins to highlight your color palette. Napkins are a great way to bring in colors that aren’t easily found in floral arrangements like blue, gold or silver. You can add elegance through velvet or printed napkins layered on each place setting.
Use specialty printed table linens or lush fabrics to highlight tables in the cocktail space, your head table or the cake table. Or go all out with specialty linens for all of your guest tables, also!
One of our brides is an interior designer and she created custom table linens to use for her wedding. They blended beautifully with the floral boxes and arrangements for a gorgeous reception!
Barn Wedding Centerpieces
The centerpieces you choose to decorate your reception space will add to the overall vibe of your wedding. Create a mood board with images of styles and colors you love and then work with your florist to pull it all together.
7. Greenery garlands as table decorations
Garlands made of greenery draped along long tables are a whimsical and romantic addition to your reception. Layer multiple types of greenery to create depth and interest with different leaf shapes and shades of green. Your florist can add a few flowers into the garland for touches of color or accent the garland with candles. Garlands work best for long tables with linens or farm tables.
8. Use Candles and Lanterns in your centerpieces
Candles add a warm, romantic glow to your reception. They are an easy décor item to highlight any wedding style. You can choose small votives with tea light candles to place along the tables for small points of light. Tall floating or taper candles will bring the light up to eye level for guests at the table. Make sure you leave space for guests to easily see across to others for easy conversation.
Lanterns add light and can make a big décor impact, also. Choose from a variety of sizes and styles to fit your wedding vision. You can use large pillar candles (real or LED) or fill with fairy lights.
9. Consider wood florals for your barn wedding
Wood flowers are a fun and unique option for barn wedding venues. These flowers are made from layers of thin wood that are dyed and shaped to mimic real flowers. They come in a range of beautiful colors and can be kept or reused for later events. Sola Flowers is one of the best known companies. You may also find small, local companies that create wood flowers.
Wood flowers can be used for bouquets, centerpieces, arbor arrangements, welcome sign flowers, boutonnieres and more.
10. Seasonal floral arrangements are gorgeous for centerpieces
Using seasonal flowers in your centerpieces is a perfect way to tie the natural beauty of a barn wedding venue in with your overall style. Look for a florist that specializes in using locally grown flowers for the freshest and most unique options. Many local specialty flowers cannot be shipped and are only available when purchased from a local grower.
Spring flowers are usually hardier and can be found from wholesale providers, but the local options typically will last longer and have a better scent. For example, did you know certain types of snapdragons have a slight bubblegum scent?
Summer and Fall flowers have many options that are only available locally. Zinnias and cosmos do not ship well and need to be purchased from a local grower. Some dahlias can be shipped but local growers will have many more options for these beautiful flowers!
Loose, garden style arrangements work beautifully with seasonal flowers to mimic bringing a part of the garden inside.
Barn Wedding Photos
Find inspiration for any wedding style (modern, elegant, rustic, whimsical) with these photos from our barn venue located in North Georgia.
Related Post: Fall Barn Wedding Ideas
Related Post: Unique Spring Wedding Ideas
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a barn wedding venue cost?
The cost of a barn wedding in Georgia will range depending on location, how many guests, if you are interested in all-inclusive packages or elopement options. The good news is you can find a barn venue that fits your needs and budget with all the options.
You can find the pricing for Pleasant Union Farm’s all-inclusive packages and all the details here.
How do you decorate a barn wedding venue?
Barn wedding venues can be decorated to fit many wedding styles from elegant to casual. Use the cozy, rustic feel to inspire you with warm colors and homey touches for a rustic wedding. Add candles, specialty linens and abundant flowers to create an elegant wedding in a natural setting. You can find lots of inspiration for weddings in the photos above.
How do you plan a barn wedding?
Barn weddings can be laid back and casual or you can work with a coordinator to create a detailed timeline for the day. Consider how many guests you will invite – larger parties typically run smoothly with a day of coordinator involved. If you are hosting family and close friends, you can choose a more relaxed flow for the day. For weddings with extended family, work associates and colleagues, a wedding planner can help plan and coordinate all the details
Owner, chief dreamer and assistant farmer at Pleasant Union Farm
