Dionne & Jay were married on 23rd October 2024 at The River Barn
Photographer: Rachel from Love and Luna Photography
For our wedding venue we wanted a barn feel that was modern, surrounded by picturesque scenery. We wanted it to be intimate and exclusive, we didn’t want somewhere that had other guests there, and somewhere where we could do everything, from the ceremony to the wedding breakfast, to the first dance. We also needed somewhere relatively local to us and offered accommodation for our closest friends and family.
The River Barn was the first out of three venues we viewed in the area – we instantly fell in love with it for several reasons. We had talked about our dream wedding venue being a barn style with lots of rustic vibes, yet at the same time somewhere cosy and modern, The River Barn ticked these boxes. We loved how private and exclusive the venue was and the fact that it wasn’t somewhere where people could just pop in for a drink – it was just for weddings. Everywhere was so clean and the outside has so many lovely aesthetic backdrops for pictures. The manor house was a big seller – being able to have our closest friends and family stay in one place and host a little gathering in the big kitchen the night before was the best!
We loved that the staff were so on it with our vision. We booked The River Barn in January 2022 for our wedding in October 2024. Each meeting we had with them, we would go through a big form of everything we wanted. We felt like they listened to things we did and didn’t want, and they were all so knowledgeable. We only had 48 day guests and an additional 6 evening guests, so we wanted something small enough where it wouldn’t look empty, but somewhere that also had different areas where people could go off and socialise. We loved the greenery and vine lights. It was just everything we envisioned and only 25 minutes from where we live.
The River Barn has some of the best photo opportunities – the manor house is not only a fantastic backdrop but has some lovely interior photo opportunities too, particularly coming down the stairs. Outside by the water feature was another good spot and inside the barn where we had the ceremony looked perfect with the wooden beams beautifully decorated.
The wedding team at The River Barn were excellent. The planning process was so thorough that each member knew exactly what we wanted on the day. The night before our wedding we stayed at the venue and were able to drop off any accessories. We wanted to set up certain things such as our crisp wall, but we also left things for the venue to set up. I spoke to them about exactly how I wanted things setting out and they did it perfectly. On the day the communication was fantastic. Someone came over in the morning to talk me through what would happen when and for each part of the day, there was always someone available to talk us through things and check that we were happy. We really cannot fault them at all – they were a massive part of our day going so smoothly!
We chose Above & Beyond Ltd to style our venue. They were heavily recommended by the venue and as soon as I saw their photos of the venue I fell in love. I immediately set up a meeting with them and we discussed what we wanted. Our wedding colour was sage green, but we also had touches of pink in our flowers, so we asked them to match the venue dressing with this theme. We wanted to keep the rustic vibes, but dress it up slightly so it wasn’t just all wood. They did the most amazing job and went beyond our expectations! They just made everything look so put together, it really was like a fairytale.
I would recommend The River Barn to any engaged couple, because they really care about making your vision come true. They are so accommodating and do not judge your style or preferences. They make the day all about you (as it should be), they follow your lead and they are so knowledgeable. The venue itself is just stunning and there are so many amazing photo opportunities. The River Barn is exclusive for your wedding and the manor house is a fantastic place to have your friends and family stay. They really look after the place – it is always spotless and whenever we had a meeting there were always people looking after the grounds.
VENUE:
The River Barn
86A Mains Lane
Poulton-le-Fylde FY6 7LE
www.theriverbarn.co.uk
@riverbarnweddings
SUPPLIERS:
Photographer: www.loveandluna.co.uk
Venue Dresser: Above & Beyond Events Ltd – @picked.official
Hair and Makeup: sophiejakeman.co.uk
Caterer: www.thestripedkitchen.co.uk
Magic Mirror: youbooth.co.uk
