Casterley Barn {Environmentally Conscious Wedding Venue}

Weddings are notoriously not great for the environment. There's a lot of excess and a huge amount of resource poured into just one day, which becomes totally redundant once that day is over. But, there are lots of things you can do to make your wedding day more eco friendly and one of those is choosing a venue that is environmentally conscious. It's hard to find venues like this, especially those that don't compromise on style too which is why I'm SO excited to share Casterley Barn with you today. The barn is run entirely off grid even producing it’s own electricity, which is pretty impressive. Here's a little look inside, with the barn beautifully styled by What Peggy Did Next...images by the lovely Lydia Stamps Photography.

The Venue

Casterley Barn is a brand new modern barn venue set in a family run organic farm in the heart of the Wiltshire countryside. The barn is set on a hill, surrounded by wild grasses, totally exposed to the elements. Helen Ward, Events Director & stylist at What Peggy Did Next was inspired by the contrast of cool contemporary architecture sitting next to wild rugged landscape and so when it came to bringing together suppliers and décor concepts every element of the look was inspired by the barn’s contrasting mix of modernity alongside the organic.

Environmentally Conscious Wedding Venue

Though Casterley is set on the farm in the site of an original barn the building is a far cry from a rustic old barn. It is a cool and contemporary space with high apex ceilings and huge front aspect windows & amazing eco-credentials - it’s run entirely off grid even producing it’s own electricity. One side of the building is almost entirely glass with panoramic views of the countryside from the hill on which it’s set. It’s been designed to sit in harmony with the natural environment and to showcase the stunning simplicity of the surrounding countryside which juxtaposes beautifully with the modernity of the building. This juxtaposition is reflected in the mix of clean contemporary elements like the perspex plinths and chic cutlery alongside the wild undone florals, brushstroke cakes and amazing textured macramé placemats. The clean parts of the décor beautifully complement the more organic & tactile elements and textures. The colour palette was inspired by the farm setting of Casterley Barn, and the seasonal pops of colour seen in the surrounding landscape.

Bridalwear

The mix of contrasting organic elements alongside the contemporary follows through to the bridal wear by Tara Bradley-Birt. Our model Nadia wears a soft day time look of a silk slip dress with botanical leafy lace bolero followed up by an evening look with the coolest bridal dungarees teamed with a hat.

The Styling

The images from the shoot tell a full story of a wedding day through from a ceremony set up under a asymmetric copper archway bedecked with flowers through to the table scape complete with complementing sweetheart table. Sweetheart tables are cute little tables for two where a bride and groom can sit alone for the wedding breakfast and enjoy watching the wedding breakfast unfolding in front of them. Sweetheart tables look set to be an increasingly popular & unique option for couples, banishing any of the politics and traditions about who should be seated on the top table and allowing the couple some time to themselves during a busy wedding day. And what better way to finish your wedding day than with an outdoor first dance? Snuggle up to your beloved with a glass of something delicious under a rug, and bedeck the dance floor with festoon lights and flowers from your wedding breakfast.