• Find a Venue
    • Find a Venue
    • Venue Finder
    • Collections
    • Late Availability
    • Open Events
    Venue Finder
    Your perfect venue awaits!
    Collections
    Need inspiration? Browse our edit.
  • Planning Advice
    • Planning Advice
    • Venue Search Tips
    • Wedding Planning Tips
    • Wedding Dresses
    • Suppliers
    Venue Search Tips
    A series of tips and key questions.
    Wedding Planning Tips
    Essential advice from the experts.
  • Inspiration
    • Inspiration
    • Latest
    • Venues
    • Inspire
    • Plan
    • Suppliers
    Inspiration
    Love stories and editorials.
    Planning
    Latest articles from the experts.
  • About
    • About
    • Join Us
    • Our Story
    • Submissions
    • Contact
    Join Us
    Want to be a member? Find out more.
    Submissions
    Feature your weddings and editorials with us.
  • Favourites

Kate & Michael’s The Oak Barn Wedding

by Emma Hla
Photography by Matilda Delves Photography.
This is a rather special wedding.

Kate & Michael were the first couple to marry at The Oak Barn – a stunning 18th Century Oak Barn nestled in an enviable rural position within Kent’s Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Not only were they the first to marry at this new venue, but they found ‘the one’ on this very platform.

It’s such a pleasure to tell their story today…

Notes from the Bride

Kate says…

We were the first ever wedding at The Oak Barn and it really is a very special space! I’d driven through Benenden the previous year and came home to tell my boyfriend that I’d found where I wanted to buy our forever home. When we got engaged we found the venue and instinctively knew it would be perfect! The barn was still a building site when we signed up, but we fell in love with the barns position in the valley and loved the concept the owners were creating around using low carbon technology and restoring original building materials as part of the renovation.

I looked at lots of bridal designers but struck gold at Suzanne Neville, her designs are really classic and simple. My dress was corseted with an empire neckline and a cropped jacket to keep me warm in February! My bridesmaids were all in a dark navy, almost petrol blue. The dresses were adjustable so they all wore it individually to suit their shapes (thanks Marks & Spencer!). Our hair and my bridesmaids make up was done by a local wedding hair and make-up artist, Ally. I really didn’t have any preference on how they wore their hair and just wanted everyone to feel comfortable. My own make up was done by Jen Oliver, who is an Educator for Bobbi Brown, who is lucky enough to be a friend of a friend. My husband and his groomsmen were all in black tuxedos with a Tom Ford bow tie.

We wanted our styling to be classic and simple. We did black tie for our dress code, which was perfect for a winter wedding. I was worried that I’d played it a bit safe by not having any décor apart from flowers but when we saw the barn finished just a few weeks before the wedding I realized that actually it didn’t need anything, it was just simply a stunning backdrop in itself. Inside the barn is a gorgeous log burner so the whole place just glows. It snowed the day before our wedding too which made the whole venue look magical!

A local florist called See Rose Floral Design created our flowers. Clare was amazing and so helpful even after I changed my mind a few times. We had blush and red roses with Eucalyptus sprays, scabiosa seedbheads, succulents and berries. I still have one of the succulents potted in my house.

We didn’t have a cake… in my experience barely anyone eats it. We had macarons as our favours from the Crow Kitchen. Our caterer was Sarah Hall, who lives in the same village as the venue. We loved Sarah the moment we met her, she is so warm, assuring and her food is incredible. The food at our wedding was delicious and all our guests raved about her food. Sarah also seamlessly organized everything we needed to hire, including the staff. I cannot recommend her enough if you’re getting married nearby.

We picked Matilda Delves because we didn’t want formal photos, we basically wanted lots of photos of everyone hopefully enjoying the day and if you have a look at her gallery online that is exactly her style!

Best part of the day

We truly loved every minute of our wedding, it completely surpassed all our expectations, I would love to do it all over again. The feeling of having everyone you care about in the same room celebrating is totally a one-off and so special. My most memorable moment was walking back into The Oak Barn when everyone stood up from their table to welcome us back in. We walked into the applause and cheers from all our friends and family with The Source & Candi Staton ‘You Got The Love’ playing; it was the most amazing reception and we were both so happy!

From one bride to another…

Hire a planner! We used Amulet Events, our planner Nadia was a friend of my sister’s and I was worried about not having someone on site as our venue was dry hire. I chose and booked all our suppliers but Nadia managed all the logistics in the run up and ensured that everything ran seamlessly. I didn’t have any stress or anxiety with Nadia on board, it truly meant that I genuinely enjoyed the planning of my wedding, the build-up as well as the day.

Credits

Venue The Oak Barn

Photography Matilda Delves Photography

Catering Sarah Hall Catering

Beer Kegs Love Beer

Wedding Favours The Crow Kitchen

Florist See Rose Floral Design

Hair & Make Up Ally B Make Up Artist

DJ Mint DJs

Wedding Planner Amulet Events

Furniture Hire Jubilee Hire

Photo Booth Captive Photography

Tags: Barn, Classic Elegance, Coco Collection, Kent, Matilda Delves Photography, Real Wedding, The Oak Barn, Wedding Inspiration
Browse all articles
Share This Page
The Oak Barn, Frame Farm
The Oak Barn, Frame Farm
The Oak Barn, Frame Farm
The Oak Barn, Frame Farm
The Oak Barn, Frame Farm
The Oak Barn, Frame Farm
The Oak Barn, Frame Farm
Saved Save
The Oak Barn, Frame Farm
From £3,250

Based on a weekday wedding in February.

In an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, this stunning eco-friendly farm has been beautifully restored to blend historic charm with versatile modern...
Meet the author
Emma Hla
Emma is the founder & curator of these award-winning pages. Passionate about venues, interiors and a good Whiskey Sour. You'll also find Emma working as a Creative Director consulting for wedding venues around the UK.
More by author
Related Venues
Regions
East Sussex wedding venues
Kent wedding venues
Wedding venues in South East
Types
Barn wedding venues
Eco wedding venues
Historical wedding venues
Wedding venues with land
Multi-day / weekend hire wedding venues
Features
Accommodation onsite
Allows ceremonial fire
Allows external caterers
Dry hire option
No corkage
Outdoor ceremony
Parking
Pet friendly
Supplier flexibility
Wifi
Styles
Boho wedding venues
Classic wedding venues
Vintage wedding venues
Rustic wedding venues
Capacities
Elopement and micro wedding venues
Big capacity wedding venues
Intimate wedding venues
Party wedding venues
Simple wedding venues
More to Explore
View All
Inspire
Dare to be Different at Number Ten
Inspire
Jess & Chris’ Grangefields Wedding
Inspire
Rock ‘n’ Roll Meets Disco at Elmore...
Inspire
Spring Flowers and April Showers at Alrewas Hayes
Inspire
Tasmin & Becky’s Garthmyl Hall Wedding
Inspire
Charlotte & John’s Retreat East Wedding
Inspire
Intimate Glasshouse Wedding with Bridal Two-Piece...
Inspire
Sophia & Charlie’s Big Weekend at...
Inspire
Lewis & Katie’s Autumnal Fairytale at...
You'll also Love
Discover our Venues
Refine your wedding venue search by location, capacity, type, and style.
Visit Venue Finder
Be Inspired
Planning advice, real wedding stories, and venue showcases to inspire you.
Read Journal
Collections
Just getting started? Browse our most popular wedding venue categories.
Browse Collections
We're the UK's original style-focused wedding venue directory and an award-winning blog, serving up inspirational wedding venues, helpful articles, and indispensable planning advice.
For Couples
  • Venue Finder
  • Collections
  • Inspiration
  • Venue Search Tips
  • Planning Tips
For Venues
  • Join Us
  • Member Login
  • Submissions
  • Our Story
  • Marketing Advice
  • Featured Badges
For Suppliers
  • Our Story
  • Submissions
  • Featured Badges
Terms & Conditions
Privacy & Cookies
Diversity
Sustainability
Photography Credits
© 2025 Coco Wedding Collective Ltd All Rights Reserved.