A few weekends ago we had the absolute pleasure of having a nosy round a stunning new barn venue in Silchester, Hampshire. We heard that our friends at The Wild Fork, Benjamin Stuart Photography, Wessex Flower Company and Victoria Shute Calligraphy were taking part in an exciting photo shoot for a brand new venue so we just had to find out more!

We'd heard wonderful things from a handful of suppliers who had already had a sneak peek of the venue. So, we dropped Al and Carla a message on Instagram and agreed to pop along to see what this new rustic venue had to offer. We were expecting great things but in fact what we were greeted with was even more fabulous than we could have imagined.

Al and Carla have thought of every last detail with Silchester Farm, making sure everything is perfect (including the toilets which are quite frankly, fabulous). This is how you renovate an 18th century barn whilst still keeping every inch of its unique character!

Lots of lovely local suppliers had dressed the venue in such a complementary way that their creations almost looked as though they were part of the venue itself. Wessex Flower Company, Ruby and Grace Florist and Miss Mollie's Flowers showcased their floral wizardry with an abundance of foliage and autumnal hues. We particularly loved the dried woodland foliage in the ceremony backdrop and archway in the barn entryway.

Finishing flourishes included Pretty Pieces Perfect Day's charming vintage china as well as a macrame backdrop and rustic welcome signage from Ivory and Bloom Hire.

The tables in the barn were a true collaboration of all the suppliers involved, including yours truly with our pumpkin tea light holders, hand-dyed cotton table cloths and metallic animal place card holders! We were honoured to be part of such a wonderful bunch of wedding professionals and when it came to the tables we were over the moon to see how they'd turned out. Jasmine had her Wild Fork hat on and used her creative direction to craft a range of beautiful tablescapes with crockery and glassware from Crystal Hire and Victoria Shute's beautiful calligraphy. Again, the florists adorned the table with their amazing arrangements.

As we walked from the driveway, we could see the reception area through the large glass windows. There are actually a surprising amount of windows in this barn venue so light will certainly not be an issue! There's a large open space to the right as you walk in which you can see has plenty of potential for dressing - Silchester Farm are also going to hire out this space for hen parties, workshops and other events which is such a wonderful idea!

The space to the left is possibly the most cosy little nook we've ever seen, complete with squidgy mismatched furniture and fireplace. It's an ideal for spot for older guests who may need a little peace and quiet later in the evening. 

Although the atmosphere was warm and cosy whilst we were there on a rainy September day, the barn itself is extremely open and spacious. Fairy lights enrobed the oak beams which gave the barn a festive, wintry feel. With large windows either side, you can tell that this venue is absolutely perfect for summer events too and we can picture the large doors opened out to the extensive grounds outside.

Long family style dining tables and chairs are included in the hire price which we think is super generous considering their quality. Long trestles are right up The Wild Fork's street so naturally they dressed them beautifully with Crystal Hire's stoneware plates and little trinkets. We were so pleased with how our pumpkin tea lights looked and our metallic animals looked right at home.

Now, toilets might not be the first on your list of things to check... but, Silchester Farm's loos are pretty impressive! With an industrial vibe and a Hollywood-style full length mirror, your guests will be queuing up for a totally different reason. Did someone say toilet selfie?!

If you're on the look out for a rustic barn venue for your 2020 wedding then do make sure you get in touch with Al & Carla from Silchester Farm. Not only were we seriously impressed with their renovation, they're also a pair of incredibly lovely people who we'd be more than happy to work alongside for your special day!

Wedding Suppliers Involved in Open Day
Flowers - Wessex Flower Company, Miss Mollie's Flowers, Ruby & Grace Florist
Table Settings - The Wild Fork with Crystal Hire Ltd
Pumpkins, Animal Place Card Holders, Dyed Cotton Runners - Wedding Shed
Drinks and Nibbles - The Wild Fork
Photography - Benjamin Stuart and Studio Rouge Photography
Stationery and Table Plan - Victoria Shute Calligraphy
Welcome Sign & Macrame - Ivory and Bloom Hire
Cake Display - Victoria's Sponges & More
Tiered Wedding Drip Cake - Francesca Calkin's Cake Company
Vintage China - Pretty Pieces Perfect Days
Harp - Lizzy Bennie Music
Band - Karizma 

It’s safe to say that we absolutely LOVE flowering a Moongate here at Eden Blooms HQ. So much so, that we’ve invested in our very own! It certainly hasn’t failed to disappoint. Who knew the moon gate, (effectively a giant metal hoop) could bring both florists and clients alike so much joy!

​Our team of florists at Eden Blooms are constantly so inspired by its versatility to create different floral designs and styling throughout the Seasons. From Spring growing gardens to fully flowered fresh whites and greens for Summer. Filling a room with it’s fragrant scent of Sweet Peas and Flowering Mint. Through to rich Autumnal tones and berried textures. It’s the oversized wreath that just keeps on giving. Our next vision, to create a beautiful Winter Wonderland inspired showstopper. It will consist of contorted willow, silvery foliages, with a natural woodland them. It will be surrounded by massed column vases and candles and would be the ultimate statement piece for a cosy and romantic Winter wedding.

​Moongates really make the most striking feature in the room (second to the bride and groom of course!). It’s a fantastic way to frame a top table or indeed to marry in front of. Something that can be so beautifully captured by your photographer and will remain in all your photographs for years to come. If you are considering a focal design that creates a total wow factor in the room, then this might just be something for you!

Image 1 - Eden Blooms 
Image 2 - Eden Blooms
Image 3 - James White
​Image 4 - Guy Collier Photography

When Benjamin from Benjamin Stuart Photography drops us a DM to say he's sent a real wedding our way, we get pretty darn excited. His ability to creatively tell the individual story of each wedding he photographs is mesmerising, you'll see exactly what we mean below.

We weren't at Emilie and Tommy's wedding, but just by flicking through Benjamin's gorgeous photos we can relive the buzzing atmosphere of their special day. You can see how important family is to this lovely couple as the whole day seemingly revolved around loved ones with beautiful DIY touches created by family members, traditional outdoor games (including tug of war!) and SO much laughter. 

Tommy's Gran's chicken farm made the perfect backdrop for this rustic marquee wedding and their handcrafted décor tied in their countryside theme. If you're looking for DIY wedding inspiration then have a flick through their gorgeous photos below, they created their very own up-cycled weddings signs, an outdoor bar, Krispy Kreme wedding cake and so much more. Their wedding team included Kimberley Dredge Makeup, The Wedding Dress Barn, The Styling Chair and Marc Darcy Suits. 

Are you looking for a rustic barn venue in the Berkshire countryside? Nestled within the rolling hills of Combe, near Hungerford, sits the spectacular Combe Manor Barns. We've both visited this charming venue many times with The Wild Fork and absolutely love the set up. The space consists of two great barns which are attached in an L shape to offer plenty of flexibility, a beautifully picturesque lawned courtyard and a stunning manor house which couples are able to use for the bridal bedroom and drawing room.

If you'd like to know if Combe Manor Barns ticks all your boxes, scroll down to see our list of popular questions and answers... 

Between the two spacious barns sits a generously-sized stage which offers the perfect space for a band or DJ to set up their equipment.

Combe Manor Barns are licensed to hold civil ceremonies in their barns, you can see an example of the set up below (there's space for 150 seated guests). There is also a Grade 1 listed church next door which can be used for the ceremony subject to discussion with the local Rector and agreement with the Church of England. This beautifully historic church is just 50 metres away from the barns!

Combe lies within the rolling hills of the West Berkshire countryside and the winding roads up to the barns offer the most stunning views! To the west lies Wiltshire, Basingstoke and Deane to the east and Test Valley to the south. Combe Manor Barns is an easy drive from surrounding towns including Newbury, Hungerford, Basingstoke, Reading and Swindon.

Next to the barns there's a fully functioning kitchen which can easy handle a wedding breakfast for up to 200 people! Combe Manor Barns recommend a selection of caterers but you're also very welcome to bring your own caterer, although this does incur a small surcharge. Their recommended caterers include The Wild Fork, Total Hospitality, Vaughan's Kitchen, Nyama Catering and The Little Kitchen Company!

Combe Manor don't charge corkage (yay!) and they have fridges to chill down those all important bubbles and wine for your special day. If you're keen to have a pay bar for all or part of your day, they can recommend a few companies who can help with licensing and supply a fully-stocked bar and staff (your chosen caterer is likely to offer this service too). 

No! Combe Manor Barns have round and trestle tables, as well as chairs for up to 150 people. Even better, they don't charge for these.

As you can see, Combe Manor offers a gorgeous rustic setting within tranquil and picturesque location. You'll most likely still have plenty of questions about this countryside venue so thankfully they've included a whole host of information here on their website!

This quick and easy little DIY project is perfect for filling empty space at your venue, either as a backdrop behind your cake, a polaroid station or against a rustic brick barn wall. We've made ours into a photo display, but this can easily be transformed into a table plan; simply swap the images for table and guest names!

Now, we know that you don't choose the DIY life... the DIY life chooses you. Sometimes, you and the DIY life just don't work, and that's okay! We'll be adding some exciting new items to the shop soon so you can pop on and buy one from there.

Amazon, Ebay and school supply shops are full of these traditional hula hoops!

Your hula hoop is going to be a little too smooth for the paint to grip onto, so to get a rough surface rub the whole hoop down with medium sandpaper until you can feel a little texture but not too much that you get large pieces of plastic coming off. Be gentle!

Recognise this? It's the Champagne Gold spray paint from Wilko that we used for the cute little woodland animal place card holders! Make sure you're in a well ventilated area and spray away! We recommend a metallic spray because it's likely to hide any scuffs or marks, but really you could rock any colour you like! Hanging the hoop while you spray is the best way to achieve an all-over even coating.

We had a hard time choosing ribbon from Paperchase. Whilst it's not the cheapest place to find crafty items their selection is beaut! We opted for a muted Champagne pink colour. Start in the middle, tying your ribbon in a tight knot at the top and bottom and turning the knot so that it's on the outside of the hoop, and the ribbon is taught. Next, tie the two outer ribbons in the same way so that you have even spacing between them. Finally, tie the inner two ribbons following the same technique until you have 5 evenly spaced taught ribbons.

Using the same spacing technique as the ribbons, start organising your photos. We used the legends over at Lalalab for our polaroid style photos which turned out AMAZINGLY!! We attached our images with minute little wooden pegs. Aren't they adorbs?

Ok, so did you know TK Maxx have heaps of faux fleurs? We opted for a mixture of white and pink peonies, and some smaller ditsy blooms in between. Start at the top left of your hoop and work around to the right, tying each bloom with dark green floral wire and hiding the wire with the next bloom. You can use dark green floral tape if you find this easier - just make sure you tie the tape tight under foliage and florals to keep it hidden.

We've been itching to bring something a little different to the blog, and when Pen & Paper's new wedding cards landed in our inbox we were over the moon.

We would never expect anything less than super snazzy stylishness from Pen & Paper, but these cards still wowed us! In a range of designs, Pen & Paper's cards include cheery bright colours, snazzy geometric designs and iridescent typography.

Whether bright and bold, pretty pastels or sleek marble are your vibe, you will absolutely find the perfect card for your happy couple on the shop. These are the definition of unique and are created locally in Buckinghamshire (you know we love to champion local folk!)

With happy couple, Mr & Mr, Mrs & Mrs and Mr & Mrs cards available this range is completely inclusive and we LOVE it. You don't have to ask for bespoke designs with Pen & Paper.

We know your high street favourites have some gorgeous options for wedding cards, but why not shop small and support your local artists and designers? We know we will!!

Images courtesy of the wonderful Adam Whitlock!

When this arrived in our inbox, we have to admit we did a weird little excited jiggle. In December, Lulabee put together the most darling selection of stationery for Sophie and Elliot's wedding at Wasing Park and we're lucky enough to be able to share this with you!

Table plans can feel like a daunting rabbit hole, especially if one spends any wedding planning time on the 'P' word...(Pinterest!). You're torn between simplicity to ensure that your guests find their seat in an orderly fashion, and originality because it's an area you can really get your creative juices flowing!

Well, this deliciously rustic winter display certainly did not disappoint. Cherubs created the most whimsical indoor escort tree for guests to find their beautifully illustrated escort cards, and make their way to their seats. Among rustic crates, apples, ivy and greenery, Lulabee's delicate name cards looked beautiful.

Guests found their seats to be greeted with more romantic stationery. Each table had been named after special places for the bride and groom with a soft deckle edge, made from recycled Indian rag. The place names followed suit. These were certain to be name cards that guests would clutch onto and squirrel away in their bags to cherish as a memento of the occasion.

We love how Lulabee's stationery finishes your chosen look, tying the tables together. We can quite safely say that we have never looked at a suite from Lulabee and not been amazed by her talent.

If you love the outdoors but don't want the risk of soggy guests and frizzy hair, you have to have a nosy at some teepee weddings. Teepees offer the perfect combination of rustic and cosy but serve as a blank canvas for any theme or style. In the colder months your guests can warm up by the fire with a mulled wine and on sunny days you can open up the side to let the outdoors in!

Stunning Tents have kindly shared some gorgeous images from Alan Law Photography to give you a little inspiration if you're considering a teepee or marquee wedding. Joss and Fergus certainly weren't afraid to get creative and their décor was truly stunning. Although it was late October, this lovely pair chose to channel the tropics with zingy foliage-filled arrangements, mini palm trees and cocktails!

It's pretty clear they were absolutely buzzing about their special day as here's what they had to say...

"If you're looking for a party / wedding tent with a difference, just book Stunning Tents and don't think twice. Their ability to think of unique setups for your space, their range of beautiful finishing touches to make it all look amazing and their effortless attention to detail and positivity were just amazing. They were seamless, super calm, super professional and with tents / accessories / ideas that made our wedding beyond our dreams. We compared extensively with other suppliers on costs, range and also willingness to create a custom solution and they were hands down exceptional on all fronts. Book them now!" 

Teepee - Stunning Tents
Catering - Carte Blanche
Photographer - Alan Law Photography
Photo Booth - Hello Booth
Band - Turn It Up

It's a beautifully sunny Spring day in April but we're feeling super festive thanks to this stunning winter wedding from Benjamin Stuart Photography. We had spotted a few snippets of Sophie & Will's wedding across social media and knew we just had to share it on the blog. Not only is it the perfect example of a tasteful festive wedding, it also features a handful of our favourite local suppliers including Benjamin Stuart Photography, Ufton Court, The Wild Fork, Oakwood Events & Extremely Lovely Weddings.

When we think of wintry wedding arrangements, we visualise lots of deep red tones but these beauties celebrate the season perfectly with lots of dark green foliage and subtle pops of white. Ferns and eucalyptus add a wild vibe to these bouquets and dainty sprigs of fir add a classy nod to Christmas.

It's no secret that we love a naked cake here at Wedding Shed and this semi-naked creation is no exception. We all know buttercream is the best part of any celebration cake which is why this one in particular gets a big thumbs up from us - it's covered in the stuff! 

As guests arrived into Ufton Court's beautifully rustic Tithe Barn, they were greeted by this charming little set up of petal confetti, mini pick 'n' mix bags, a themed copper table plan and the ever-so-popular ivory post box.

Simple but so effective, the table plan consisted of handmade paper attached to a copper grid with the most adorable dinky wooden pegs. The table names were based on the 12 days of Christmas and had been hand-written in modern metallic calligraphy.

We're not afraid to say that we're firmly anti chair covers, you know the weird elasticated ones that get stretched over the chairs so they look like they're wearing a strange pair of spanx. Chair drapes like these, on the other hand, look bloomin' marvellous and we're digging this relaxed, natural look with added ivy.

It wouldn't be a festive wedding without a Christmas tree and Ufton Court's tree was looking particularly gorgeous dressed in gold tones and twinkly lights. Oakwood Events had installed their warm white festoon lights which added extra interest amongst the solid wooden beams.

We both tried our hand at wreath-making over the Christmas holidays and we felt pretty smug with our creations. After seeing these monsters we're feeling pretty inadequate, aren't they amazing?! They look so perfect contrasted with Ufton Court's original barn doors.

With warming British dishes being their bread and butter, The Wild Fork were made for a rustic winter wedding like this. Guests were treated to a champagne reception, comforting savoury canapés and a British game-themed three course wedding breakfast. Dessert was The Wild Fork's famous orange and treacle tart which we've tried first hand and can confirm it tastes as good as it sounds.

Metallic calligraphy and handmade paper featured once again on the tables. Victoria Shute created these cute mini menus which sat upon equally cute mini easels!

As well as capturing beautiful daytime photos, Benjamin Stuart is famed for his ability to capture the buzzing atmosphere into the night. When the sun sets and the night sky appears every little bit of light stands out, from dancing sparklers and flickering flames to festoons and twinkling fairy lights.

If you're thinking of having a winter wedding, we hope this helps you plan your special day! If you have any questions or are looking for a few pointers, please don't hesitate to email us via hello@weddingshed.co.uk. 

We've been lucky enough to receive the beautiful behind-the-scenes and wedding images from Helen Sarah Pictures of Kimberley and Edward, who married in the charming countryside setting of Ufton Court.

Now, as you know, we're always pretty chuffed when our recommended suppliers collide in an explosion of wedding gorgeousness, and this is no exception as the talented make-up and hair guru behind the bride's stunning look was from no other than Melissa Clare! With a degree in fashion and styling that found her working behind the scenes on London Fashion Week, Melissa has a deep and rich knowledge of her craft.

Just the right amount of glow - Melissa started with a soft complexion with a subtle hue to the cheeks, enhancing Kimberley's natural beauty. On the eyes, a natural warm tone with a little glitz provided a fresh and radiant take on the smokey eye giving those big blues centre stage.

Melissa continued the natural feel by creating a pale pink and girly lip with a delicate shine.

Onto the hair, and operation flower crown! 

Melissa loves working with fresh flowers; without taking away from the delicate beauty of the foliage and soft white blooms, she crafted a low-lying braid mimicking the intertwined florals. At the front, tousled strands fell softly around Kimberley's face.

The look encompassed everything you'd associate with a romantic, English countryside soiree. With a delicate lace dress and statement veil, Kimberley truly was a vision! The groom's look also nodded to the countryside with a textured waistcoat, and with bridesmaids in tow dressed in the most swoon-worthy shade of dusty blue, our eyes were pretty overwhelmed with just how gawj it all looked!

​Love this look quite as much as we do? Why not have a nosey at Melissa's website here.