Bronwyn & Jamie’s Southend Barns Wedding

Bronwyn and Jamie had already decided they wanted a barn wedding venue for their big day so when Southend Barns starting ticking their boxes (and they fell in love at first sight!), they set about planning their summer celebration in this beautiful setting, complete with fairy light adorned Threshing Barn and picturesque gardens and grounds.

Bronwyn says…

From the moment we arrived in the car park and admired the building before us we instantly knew it was the venue for us. We loved how intimate the venue felt with beautiful surroundings and elegant details. We were searching for a barn wedding venue but Southend Barns had not only the barn but also a beautifully intimate sheltered area and a really lovely option B, their Dairy Barn, in case the weather wasn’t on our side. The grounds were also a huge selling point and incredibly well kept.

We wanted to keep everything elegant and timeless in regards to the decor with a focus on neutral white roses and oodles of green foliage, paired with some rustic elements to suit the barn’s interiors such as bare wooden tables and an upcycled glass paneled door as our table plan. Southend Barns looked after all the decor within their barn. We especially liked the amazing fairy lights that lit up the barn, along with their wild and green table decor which suited our style perfectly.

I found my gorgeous dress and veil, Anneka by Justin Alexander, from the utterly incredible Isabella Grace Bridal in Tunbridge Wells. Their service was impeccable, I can’t recommend them enough. Alexander Sharpe Bridal then went to work ensuring my dress fitted me perfectly for the day, even adding an extra fitting for me. She is such an amazing, talented wonderful soul.

My hair and makeup was done by Kirsty McCall, who is a pleasure to work with and accommodated us right through Covid with three postponements. Nothing was ever too much to ask.

The Floral Artisan fulfilled all our floral needs and excelled our brief! The signature piece was the moon arch which was utilised for the ceremony and then moved onto the lawn for the rest of the day which provided a lovely backdrop for guest’s photographs before being moved one final time into the barn for a feature behind the top table.

My bridal bouquet was truly exquisite. Lucy was extremely helpful and had no problems with my colour change a week prior to the wedding, the crisp white roses and green foliage was simple but timeless and just what I wanted.

As for the catering, Southend really blew us away with their food offering. They have an incredibly well equipped professional kitchen/team that not only delivered the most delicious meal but the timings were perfect and the staff were amazing, the whole experience was very impressive. We opted for their homemade pizzas in the evening which were incredible. They even provided some marshmallows which our guests thoroughly enjoyed toasting over the fire as the sun went down.

Instead of a sweet traditional wedding cake we decided to choose a selection of our favourite cheeses to make up a wedding ‘cake’ tower which was presented on a custom tier stand by the amazing MH Woodland, engraving included. Our selection of cheeses were from The Fine Cheese Company, accompanied by their beautiful toast crackers. Our cheeses included: Brillat Savarin, Langres, Colston Bassett Stilton, Baron Bigod, Hafod, and a Godminster cheddar heart for the top of the cake. It looked incredible and was very well received!

Our menus were created by the most helpful, Peachy Prints UK – they even did some last minute menus a week prior to the wedding.

Martin Beard Photography is a true professional who couldn’t do enough to help from the moment we booked to even now when we want to order more photos a year on. We are delighted with our wedding images and couldn’t recommend a better experience!

Best part of the day

Watching our day unfold and having our guests enjoy the day we had planned from beginning to end was such a joy. The venue and our suppliers also get a special mention because they were just utterly amazing from the moment we arrived.

We have also had endless praise over the incredible XO Party Band who sung our first dance and entertained our guests late into the evening.

From one couple to another…

Don’t over complicate it, and choose the day you want not what others expect.