Designing a Wedding in Your Chosen Season | Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter

Finding a wedding venue that celebrates everything you love about your chosen wedding season is so incredibly important. You’ll have an idea (and several saved Instagram posts or Pinterest Pins) of how you envisage your wedding looking in your chosen season, so make sure that the wedding venue you choose really shines at this time of year.

We have gathered some of our favourite seasonal wedding decoration and flower ideas, as well as details to consider when planning your spring, summer, autumn or winter wedding.

Spring Wedding Ideas

We love spring weddings here at Clock Barn. The gardens are bursting into life, the days are growing longer and love is definitely in the air!

Here are some of our favourite spring wedding ideas to help you decorate your day.

Spring Wedding Flowers

Spring is the most perfect time for flowers so try to capitalise on this abundance of colour and variety. We love sweet peas, hydrangeas, peonies, ranunculus, blossoms and tulips to name but a few.

Tip – invest your floral budget in one or two key areas to really maximise impact rather than spreading your budget across rooms where florals can get lost. We can always move them to a different space to ensure they’re a feature across your day.

We love large decorations made from blossom-filled branches on either side of the aisle or on the registrar’s table. Or try statement arrangements in rustic containers such as oversized milk churns or stand your displays on wooden crates.

Line the aisle with spring flowers tied to chairs and fill jam jars with spring flowers to display on tables and windowsills. Remember to add a selection of flowers to your cake to tie everything together.

Spring Wedding Decorations

There are plenty of other ways to decorate your day in spring. Here are a few of our favourites:

Big balloons bring a real sense of fun to your wedding ceremony and are a super easy way to create impact.
Faux candles in lanterns are a really elegant option. Use them to line the aisle and surround your ceremony with romantic, soft light.
An ornate mirror in a frame makes a unique focal point in your ceremony. Why not add your favourite romantic quote in calligraphy to the mirror?
Paper pom poms and pinwheels are still so popular for decorations and with good reason. They’re also perfect for barn weddings and you can find the ideal colours to suit your theme.
Bunting or fabric drapes are brilliant in our barn. They bring a real sense of celebration to your wedding ceremony.

Summer Wedding Ideas

Summer weddings – what can we say. The sun is shining, the Clock Barn gardens are in full bloom and absolutely everyone is in the mood to celebrate.

To make your summer wedding even more fabulous, we’re here with a selection of summer styling details that you and your guests will love. Summer has never looked so good.

Summer wedding theme

Summer offers a huge amount of choice when it comes to selecting a theme and colour palette. If you want to opt for a rustic day or a traditionally elegant event, you can. If you want pastel shades, classic white tones or bright pops of colour, go for it. One of the very best things about summer is that everything works well at this time of year.

To bring your theme to life and to celebrate summer in all its splendour, include as many seasonal elements as you can. Talk to your florist and find out which flowers are in season, opt for wonderfully refreshing, summery drinks and include a BBQ or outdoor food in the evening.

Summer wedding dress

What to wear. A dress in a heavy fabric might not be what you want if the day is hot and similarly, if you burn easily, a strapless dress could leave you looking a little red at the end of the day. On the other hand, if the weather is less than kind, you might want to think about adding a wrap or bolero to keep you warm. For grooms and groomsmen, again think about the temperature. Tweed looks great at Clock Barn and it’s perfect for country weddings but it’s also very warm. Consider teaming a tweed jacket with lightweight chinos or just opt for a waistcoat and shirt. Also, bring a spare shirt or two with you if you’d like to freshen up.

Summer flowers and decor

When it comes to options for summer wedding décor, you really are spoilt for choice. Summer flowers look amazing and jam jars or bud vases on tables or scattered around the venue give a relaxed, garden feel – perfect in summer.

Embrace English flowers and arrangements and installations that look natural to give the impression that the garden has made its way indoors. Think about dahlias, nigella, garden roses, delphiniums, sweet peas, poppies and even cow parsley.

Buttonholes tied with twine and bouquets with a soft, natural style give that ‘just picked’ impression. Flower crowns are another fantastic summer accessory and why not line the aisle with field flowers so that it looks like you’re walking through a meadow?

You can also embrace the season with your wedding favours. Packets of wildflower seeds are a great choice as are homemade favours that celebrate the best of the season. Little jars of jam or honey are always popular or even bags of seasonal fruit or tiny potted plants.

Baskets of blankets set out in the evening will make sure that you guests can enjoy our gardens right through the evening.

Autumn Wedding Ideas

Autumn in the countryside is absolutely beautiful here at Clock Barn. From cosy details and the rich hues of seasonal flowers to warming drinks and wedding menus, there’s so much to enjoy at this time of year.

Here are some of our favourite ideas for sensational seasonal celebrations.

Autumn wedding decorations

Take inspiration from the season and think about including lots of natural details. Seasonal blooms, fruits, feathers and even autumnal favourites such as leaves, pine cones, acorns and of course, pumpkins! You could make confetti from dried petals or leaves, line your aisle with pumpkins and create table centres with all sorts of autumnal touches.

Use plenty of fairy lights and candles to create the cosiest atmosphere as nights draw in.

This is also a great time of year to get creative with your wedding favours. Opt for toffee apples or other edible options that use the best of the season. Homemade jams and chutneys are always really popular with guests or go for something a little different – make your own flavoured oils or put together packs of spices so that guests can make their own mulled ciders at home.

Autumn wedding dress

At this time of year, you need to be prepared for all eventualities. For brides and bridesmaids, the best option is to have a wrap to hand so that if the weather is cooler, you can keep warm if you still want to get outside. We also loving seeing brides wearing chunky knits or even personalised leather jackets. Go for something that really fits with the style of your day and with your personality. Grooms, think about adding a waistcoat and remember that tweed looks great at this time of year. Finally, from a practical point of view, keeping an umbrella or two on standby is a good idea too.

Autumn wedding food

A fantastic autumn wedding definitely needs fantastic food and drink. Think about creating an indulgent harvest feast for your guests. Start your wedding reception with warming drinks and canapes – we love hearty favourites such as fish and chips and shepherd’s pie. Moving on to your wedding breakfast, how about a family-style service? Here, beautifully cooked meats are brought to the table and one of your guests takes on the job of carving and serving everyone. There are delicious side dishes to go with the meats and then what could be better than dessert with lashings of custard? A perfect autumn feast for everyone!

Winter Wedding Ideas

With cosy spaces, plenty of room for all your nearest and dearest and a host of beautiful details, Clock Barn simply oozes atmosphere at this time of year. So, if you’re planning a winter wedding, snuggle up and take a look at our pick of superb seasonal wedding ideas.

Winter wedding dresses and suits

Whilst we can promise you that Clock Barn will be wonderfully warm and cosy, if you want to get outside for some photos, you’ll need to wrap up. Think about including a wrap, bolero or chunky knit and if you’ve fallen head over heels in love with your wedding shoes, you might also like to think about swapping them if the weather is wet (or snowy!)

For grooms and groomsmen, this is the perfect time of year for warm tweed suits if you’re going for a country style wedding or black tie if you’re planning a sophisticated celebration. To brighten your rustic look, add pops of colour with your tie or pocket square and don’t forget the well-shined shoes and crisp white shirt if you opt for black tie.

Winter wedding flowers and decorations

Foliage is the best way to bring the outside in at a winter wedding. Lots of gorgeous greenery looks absolutely amazing at this time of year. Wrap foliage garlands around beams and pillars and don’t forget that the fabulous Clock Barn Christmas tree will be in place during the festive season! Whatever flowers you choose to match your theme, think about including lots of seasonal details into your arrangements. Feathers, berries and even luxurious ribbons all make great accompaniments to your florals.

Lighting plays a big part in creating atmosphere at winter weddings and warm lights give a super warm welcome to guests. At Clock Barn we love fairy lights and we have them decorating the barn throughout, but who says you can’t add more hanging from beam to beam throughout the main barn. Light-up signs, huge lit letters or even cool neon additions will also look great at your evening reception. Using different styles of light throughout the day will help change the mood.

Baskets of blankets, favours of hot cocoa mix, table plans made from beautiful baubles, sprigs of greenery tucked into napkins at place settings and lots of seasonal wreaths as decorations will add a real air of winter to your wedding.

Winter wedding food

A seasonal feast really needs to be at the heart of your celebrations. Here at Clock Barn, we LOVE serving delicious treats to your guests. Think about warm canapes after your marriage ceremony, perhaps served with a warm drink such as mulled wine or cider.

A winter wedding breakfast should be full of all of your favourite dishes and if you want to serve a traditional roast or hearty favourites, we can do that too. A warm dessert with lashings of custard will keep everyone happy and don’t forget some irresistible evening food to fuel your party. Burgers, pizzas and street food options will keep everyone feeling content and cosy, particularly when you serve hot chocolate (with a cheeky shot of booze for the adults!).

Seasonal wedding design tips

Before we leave you with all of these seasonal ideas, we wanted to share a final few tips to help you create the wedding you’ve always dreamed of.

Tip 1 – when you visit a wedding venue, try to do so in the same season you’ll wed in! There’s no better way to understand which areas may require a little more tlc and which areas will serve as the perfect backdrop for your ceremony, photographs etc. Alternatively, ask to see photographs of other weddings at that venue in the season you’re looking to marry in.

Tip 2 – Think about focal points. Which way will guests be facing during your ceremony and where will they arrive? Decorations placed in prime view will have maximum impact.

Tip 3 – Take inspiration from our previous brides! We’re very happy to show you photos of the barn dressed for spring, summer, autumn and winter weddings.

To start planning your wedding, why not book a show round so that you can see for yourself what it is that makes Clock Barn so special. If you have a season in mind for your wedding, you can check our current availability to find your perfect date.