Barnfield Weddings

Barnfield Weddings sits on a small working family farm on the edge of Sible Hedingham in North Essex. With fewer than ten weddings each year, the venue offers exclusivity, privacy, and a natural rhythm that feels both intimate and expansive. Its meadows, woodlands, and lakes create a landscape of quiet drama, where wildflowers and winding pathways soften wide rural views.

Practicalities are already in place, including three-phase power, a reliable water supply, strong, hard-ground access, and generous parking. With good connections by car, rail, and air, it is as accessible as it is rural-ideal for couples seeking something beautiful, romantic, and slightly wild.

Three ceremony spaces are offered, each with its own character.

• The Willow Field: Majestic silvery willows stand in straight lines among meadows alive with butterflies. The space has a structured yet relaxed feel, ideal for rustic or festival-style weddings, with bunting, hay bales, and wildflowers fitting naturally into place. Couples often choose this option for celebrant-led ceremonies, accommodating up to 120 guests.
• The Woodland Glade: A secluded clearing within birch, oak, ash, rowan, and maple trees. Without straight lines, it feels organic, private, and atmospheric. Popular with couples who want a spiritual or symbolic ceremony, including blessings or handfastings. Seats up to 100.
• The Lakeside: The showpiece of the venue. Its open water, with ducks gliding and golden light reflecting at sunset, sets a breathtaking backdrop. It suits relaxed, elegant, or bohemian ceremonies, and comfortably seats 120 guests.

The venue is not licensed for legal marriages, so most couples choose to complete the official paperwork separately and hold their personalised celebration at Barnfield.

Receptions at Barnfield are shaped entirely by you. Lakeside meadows provide the main backdrop, where tipis, stretch tents, or marquees rise against views of water and open countryside.

• Arrival & Drinks: Guests gather by the lake after the ceremony for drinks and mingling. With a dry-hire approach, you can provide your own service-be that a prosecco cart, gin van, or mobile bar. Lawn games and acoustic music suit the setting perfectly.
• Dining: Whether a sit-down banquet, shared platters, or informal food trucks, the choice is yours. Rustic menus using seasonal produce feel at home here, though there are no restrictions on style or scale.
• Evening & Entertainment: At night, firepits glow, fairy lights sparkle in the glade, and the marquee becomes a dance floor for DJs or live bands. Evening food-burgers, pizzas, tacos-keeps the celebration alive.

Exclusive use ensures complete privacy until the 11pm licence ends. On-site camping or glamping means the party can continue informally.

On-site, a converted barn offers self-catering space for up to six guests, with camping and glamping options also available.

Nearby, Brickwall Farm provides two converted barn cottages just 400m from the venue. Both are dog-friendly and include open-plan kitchens, rustic interiors, and patios.

• Patsy’s Cottage (Sleeps 4): A king-size en-suite upstairs, plus a ground-floor twin with an accessible wet-room.
• Jo’s Cottage (Sleeps 2): Features a romantic four-poster bed and en-suite shower.

Shared facilities include:

• Heated outdoor pool (Easter-October) with loungers.
• Weber barbecue and firepit.
• Free Wi-Fi and ample parking.
• Dog-friendly extras, including bowls, bedding, and towels.

Guests can roam 56 acres of meadows and woodland, home to rare-breed cattle, sheep, and abundant wildlife.

Dining at Barnfield is entirely flexible, with no in-house caterer. Couples may choose full-service caterers, informal food trucks, or festival-style setups.

Options include:

• Sit-down meals, buffets, or sharing platters.
• Informal spreads such as pizzas, hog roasts, or grazing tables.
• Mobile bar companies, or DIY drinks service with no corkage fees.
• Evening food such as burgers, tacos, or doughnuts.

The venue provides all essential infrastructure-power, water, and access-making it simple for suppliers to set up. The team can recommend trusted local caterers if needed.

Barnfield is rooted in sustainable farming. Solar panels, a biomass boiler, and its own water supply reduce its footprint, while over 3,000 trees have been planted in the past 30 years. No pesticides are used, and biodiversity thrives, from orchids and owls to snakes and dragonflies.

Specific commitments include:

• Limiting weddings to a small number each year.
• Working with climate-conscious suppliers.
• Prioritising recycling and reducing single-use items.
• The sight of ducks swimming during receptions and kingfishers returning the next morning reassures the owners that wildlife remains undisturbed. In 2025, an ecologist’s wedding will take place here-an affirmation of Barnfield’s ethos.

Barnfield sits in the Colne Valley, where rolling countryside meets historic villages, meadows, and waterways.

Highlights include:

• Castle Hedingham: Norman keep and medieval events.
• Colne Valley Railway: A heritage line with restored carriages.
• Alderford Water Mill: An 18th-century mill with much of its mechanism intact.
• Suffolk Wool Towns like Lavenham and Clare, within easy reach.

Sible Hedingham itself has everyday essentials-shops, post office, pharmacy, butcher, bakery, pub, and fire station. For city trips, Chelmsford, Colchester, and Cambridge are 40-50 minutes away.

• By Car: 15 minutes from Braintree, 40 minutes from Colchester, 20 minutes from Sudbury, around 1 hour 15 minutes from London.
• By Train: Direct trains from London Liverpool Street to Braintree take about an hour. From the station, it’s 20 minutes by taxi.
• By Air: Just 35 minutes from Stansted Airport.