Barn for a wedding in Bristol/Gloucestershire/Somerset/Bath area

[lillythepink]

Hi All My friend is looking for a cheap barn they can hire for their wedding in the Bath/Bristol/Gloucesterhire/Somerset area. They want to provide the bar, PA, lighting and catering themselves, they are literally just looking for a cheap venue.

Does anyone know of a good way to find a venue like this? All the "wedding barns" advertised on the web seem to want to include everything which makes it very expensive.

Any ideas?
Thanks

[nutgoneflake]

We got married in the tithe barn at Priston, nr Bath. It may well be one your friend has looked at, and I can't remember whether we were obliged to use the caterers recommended, but we did. I thought I would just say it's a fantastic place, and you can rent it for a whole day into evening, or just the day. We had it until 5 or 6, and on a Sunday, which made a massive difference. They may well have put their prices up since then, of course, but I organised the whole day, to a very small budget, all by myself.

Has your friend considered saving money elsewhere? I didn't want outside caterers, but it was fantastic that that was done for us, and even the cheapest menu was impressive, all hassle avoided! Everything else was thought out a bit more carefully, and managed on a shoestring:- we got a friend to do the photos, another made my dress, we had no official best man or ushers - no morning suits! - and just roped in brothers on the day, even bought antique rings. They were cheaper, but a million times better than new ones, and came complete with history! We got everyone to send us an extra set of any photos they took - no need to buy disposable "table" cameras. We got in touch with the people getting married on the Saturday, and asked if we could pay half of their flowers and they were all left behind. (I'm particularly proud of that idea - the mother of that bride refused to accept any money, although I really was prepared to pay!) My uncle didn't know what to get us, so he paid for the wine. I bought ribbon and net and lots of sugared almonds, and made my own little bags, because the bought ones were eye-wateringly expensive. My husband designed the invitations and had RSVP and Thankyou cards printed on the same A4 sheet, cutting the cost by two-thirds...

You get the idea! We spent well under �2000 on the lot, inc registrar, and friends still talk about it being one of the best weddings they've been to!

Not quite what

[nutgoneflake]

you asked, but maybe food for thought? :O)

[emx384]

I dont know if its too far south from Bristol but Halse Village (near Taunton) have a lovely converted barn as their village hall. Might be worth looking into if location is right?

[lillythepink]

Hi guys

Thank you so much for your suggestions, I will check them out.

That's a great tip about the flowers from the previous wedding and definitely worth a go!

Thanks again,

Lilly