Summer Wedding Inspiration for Barn Weddings

At Clock Barn, we absolutely love a summer wedding. Our beautiful barn looks gorgeous, the gardens are glorious and absolutely everyone is in the mood to celebrate. To make sure your summer celebration is as fabulous as possible, we’ve put together some of our favourite summer wedding ideas to get you feeling inspired for your big day.

A summer wedding theme

When you get married in summer, you have a huge amount of choice for your theme and your colour palette. You can opt for a rustic day or one that’s traditionally elegant. You can choose from pastel shades, classic white tones or bright pops of colour. To bring your theme to life, and to show summer at its very best, include as many seasonal elements as you can.

Flowers

Summer is all about English flowers and natural-looking arrangements give the feeling 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 more flowers so that it looks like you’re walking through a meadow?

Favours

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.

Keep your guests comfy

It’s also a great idea to think about what your guests might need in summer and they’ll certainly thank you if you make their day even more comfortable. Baskets of ‘essentials’ in the toilets including sunscreen, insect repellent and even anti-histamine can be a great idea. On the flip side, baskets of blankets set out in the evening will make sure that you guests can enjoy our gardens right through the evening.

You can find a list of our recommended suppliers here.

Summer food and drink

Every wedding needs wonderful food and drink and thanks to the amazing on-site catering team, you’re guaranteed a memorable feast at Clock Barn. We love seeing all the delights that the chefs create and the seasonal delicacies are always our favourite.

Opt for wonderfully summery drinks whilst the temperature is soaring, your guests will definitely appreciate the refreshment. What could be more perfect for a countryside wedding than Pimms served with a twist of cucumber. If you’d like a really rustic look, use cute Kilner jars instead of glasses. Finish with a striped paper straw and you’ve got a fab look for a barn wedding.

Alternatively, a beer barrel is always a great idea. Let your guests simply pick a perfectly cooled bottled beer from a barrel and enjoy. We’ll even provide a twist of lime for that authentic warm weather feel.

When it comes to food, what could be better for a summer wedding than a BBQ feast or fantastic wood-fired pizzas to keep your guests dancing all night long? Here at Clock Barn, we have some wonderful and imaginative evening food to choose from.

For the perfect sweet treat, finish your hot summer evening with ice cream. Our expert on-site catering team can now offer you hire of their very own vintage ice cream cart and this really has to be the ultimate summer indulgence.

Summer wedding entertainment

Summer weddings are the perfect time to create a flow between the outside and inside. We want you to enjoy our gardens and the country setting here at Clock Barn whilst your guests fully enjoy and make the most of the day, so great entertainment is really important.

Garden games

What could be better than traditional garden games? Croquet is always a big hit with guests of all ages and it’s also great to watch, even if you’re not playing. Similarly, boules is also a lot of fun and we love giant games too – why not hire huge Jenga, chess or even Connect 4? Mini treasure hunts for children will keep them active or set up an area for them, under a shady tree, with colouring books and games.

Traditional summer games are a super popular choice too and lots of couples even DIY their own. Take your inspiration from fairgrounds and amusement parks to create skittles, hook-a-duck, coconut shies and many more. Alternatively, if you’re feeling a little bit competitive, old-school sports day races can be absolutely hilarious – don’t forget the hula hoops and space hoppers!

Music

Music always makes a wedding that bit more special and what could be better than relaxing in our gardens listening to brilliant acoustic musicians as you sip a drink and nibble a summery canape? Guitarists always work really well but any live music will certainly create the perfect summer wedding vibe.

Summer wedding fashion

For your wedding attire, make sure you consider the temperature! 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 rainy you might want to consider bringing wellies and umbrellas whilst you get your couple photographs.

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.

Find out more

If you’d like to see what other Clock Barn couples have chosen for their summer weddings, keep an eye on our Instagram and Facebook. There are always heaps of seasonal ideas here. Or if you’d like to come and see Clock Barn in person, why not sign up for one of our upcoming open events. We’d love to meet you!