THE Ribble Valley countryside is a stunning location for a wedding.
And there is one family-run, award-winning venue that has played host to a range of weddings, from a sporting celebrity couple to Harry Potter fans and animal lovers.
The Out Barn in Waddington has welcomed a variety of traditional and quirky weddings and was named 'Wedding Venue Of The Year' at the Lancashire Tourism Awards.
It is situated on 360 acres of land and run by a small team of dedicated staff who work closely together in aim of curating the picture-perfect day for their couples.
From organising professional union rugby player Jade Konkel-Roberts’ and her wife’s wedding last year, to planning Harry Potter-themed weddings and axe-throwing entertainment, the wedding coordinator at The Out Barn reveals her standout weddings and her personal favourites over the years.
Alice Schofield, wedding coordinator, has helped couples plan their weddings for around three years and, during this time, has witnessed many deciding to ditch the traditional ceremonies.
Speaking of one of the more recent trends, Alice said: “Quite a few have taken on the Harry Potter theme last year. The couples were mad for it and as a Harry Potter fan myself, I was more than happy to organise these weddings. I thought it would work really well, especially with our venue.
“The couples really went to town with it. They had the table plan as the Marauder's Map and they had Ferrero Rocher as golden snitches.
“We also set up the room like the Great Hall with the long tables in Hogwarts with our rustic trestle tables and each table was named after the Hogwarts houses. We’ve had quite a few walk down the aisle to the Harry Potter theme tune as well.
“They were around October time because, with the darker evenings, it creates that kind of atmosphere that works really well with the Harry Potter theme.”
Harry Potter isn’t the only fantasy story The Out Barn has brought to life as a few weeks ago, a couple had a Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings theme.
“Basically, everything in that genre has definitely been a big trend at the moment,” Alice said.
Because of the abundance of indoor and outdoor space the venue has, “it really lends itself to extravagant themes”. Last summer, one big wedding had axe throwing as their entertainment for all the guests.
Having alpacas join couples’ special days has been another popular trend and during the festive season, Alice noted that reindeers made an appearance.
One interesting emergence has been Colin the Caterpillar worming his way into weddings. Alice said this children’s birthday cake has become increasingly popular and one couple, and self-proclaimed Colin fans, wanted something a bit more fun and light-hearted for their guests.
Trends generally emerge and evolve from pop culture. Everything from film, art, music, social media, and social-political movements.
Alice said: “It’s all in waves so we see the classic weddings, Asian Fusion weddings, the black tie and black bridesmaids’ dresses - which is something we experienced last year - all the way to the colourful and floral bridesmaids’ dresses.
“So we see it all but some come and go depending on the seasons and what’s in trend at the time.
“I love it when the couple is up for a laugh and happy to take on our ideas. We do this every day, we know what works and what doesn’t so if you can make a really good connection with the couple, that makes the process a lot easier and more enjoyable for them.”
One milestone wedding was when Konkel-Roberts married her partner Helen Roberts last Summer because although the Scotland rugby player is comfortable speaking publicly about her sexuality now, she says it wasn’t so normalised during her early days growing up in the Scottish Highlands.
Speaking on how much more accepting society is now, Alice said: “We organise a lot of different weddings which is great. We’re very accommodating and welcoming and open to anything because weddings should be inclusive.”
Couples tend to book a year or two in advance and throughout that time, wedding organisers have several meetings with them.
Alice said: “The bigger the wedding, the more time it takes but the benefit of booking with us is you get that wedding planner included where we work with them from start to finish. We’re very accommodating of all different weddings so we’re open and welcome to anything.”
Sharing her favourite aspect of being a wedding coordinator, Alice said: “When you see the bride walk down the aisle for the first time, the feeling is just pure joy.”
“I’m a people person and love being creative so I enjoy helping couples achieve their dreams.”
The Out Barn was crowned Wedding Venue Of The Year at the Lancashire Tourism Awards this year and the team will also be appearing on the Wedding Valley Show that airs this spring on the W Channel.
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