Sarah & Tom

Photos courtesy of Sam Box Photography

You can see lots more photos of Sarah & Tom’s wedding in our gallery here.

Sarah and Tom met 6 years ago when they were living in Harpenden. They moved to Bideford five years ago, and got engaged in December 2016.

What was it about The Old Barn that made you choose it?

We wanted to get married somewhere a bit different, with some character, and as soon as we saw the Old Barn we were blown away! It was just the right size, it’s in a beautiful setting and you can hold the whole wedding there – there’s no travelling between ceremony and reception, which was really important to us. Plus, the staff were really down-to-earth and friendly, and were amazingly helpful. And as soon as we saw the dodgems, we knew it was the place for us!

Was it important to you that it was a ‘DIY’ venue?

Definitely – we’d been to see other venues, hotels etc, which just seemed a bit formal, and you had less input in terms of decorating and choices for food and music. We wanted something really relaxed, and the Old Barn was the perfect blank canvas to start from, to create a day that really suited us.  It was more work and organising in the run up to the wedding, but it was 100% worth it for the amazing day we had!

Did you have a large budget?

We were very lucky, in that we have exceptionally generous parents! We tried to keep the cost down where we could, by doing lots of bits ourselves, like flowers, cake, invitations, decorations etc, which did help. All in, we spent about £10,000, so not the smallest budget, but certainly not the biggest! Weddings are expensive!

What sort of style were you aiming for for the day?

We just wanted something personal to us, but also really relaxed.  The Old Barn is so pretty on its own, you can’t really make it look bad! We chose teal and gold as our colours as they were a nice strong contrast with the more neutral colours already in the barn, and mostly just covered everything in fairy lights.

What did you wear?

Tom wore a navy suit with a teal tie, and my dress was long – sparkly on the top and flowing on the bottom … I don’t know who made it, but it was from The Bridal Emporium in Exeter, they were lovely.

Tell us about the actual ceremony …

It was amazing.  The registrars were lovely and made us feel really at ease.  It fitted in with the rest of the day in that it wasn’t too formal – there was some laughter and definitely some tears! It was such a lovely setting in the conservatory, with all the plants and the vines in the roof.

What about your food and drink?

Our food was by Devon Catering. Leisa was really nice, and the food was amazing. We had so many compliments, especially about the homemade pies in the evening buffet. Everybody loved them!

What about entertainment/music?

The guys at Inspired Party were great.  We had a conversation with them before the wedding about what sort of music we wanted. We made a ‘must play’ list, and they took it from there!  The music was really important to us, as it can really make or break an event, but it was brilliant. They played all the right tunes, and there were no embarrassing ‘wedding DJ’ shoutouts … They made the dancefloor look so good with all their lights, it was an amazing party.

What was the best part of the day for you?

We loved all of it.  It was the best day ever.

What did your guests think of the dodgems?

Everybody loved them! Even people who weren’t able to go on could still enjoy watching and laughing.  It was an amazing ice breaker for people who didn’t know each other, and the photos from the dodgems were the BEST.

Are you glad you had the day you did?

So glad.  It was the perfect day and we loved every second of it.

Did you feel well taken care of by the Old Barn team?

Joss was amazing. She was SO helpful and always there with the answers to all our questions or problems. She did an amazing job of making sure the day ran smoothly, offering all her knowhow and experience to make sure we had the best day.  The rest of the team were brilliant as well.