Pros and Cons of Using a Barn for your Wedding Venue

Stockade Buildings Inc.

Honestly, the day after I got engaged I was online the WHOLE day researching wedding barns. I was really super excited to be engaged, but I knew finding a venue would be a problem. I was 100% positive I wanted a barn wedding. I sent out a flood of e-mails asking about availability and I was somewhat shocked that everything was booked 1-2 years in advance...and nothing was available in October. 

When my fiance asked for my hand in marriage in December of 2013, I was pretty dead set on having a wedding in October 2014....that is until I realized there IS a reason why it typically takes 18-24 months to plan a wedding. Unless you have a lot of friends and family who can either pitch in, pull strings, or offer services like a venue, catering, photography, and flowers it is HARD to put a wedding together in less than a year. In all honesty, it cannot be done IF you want to have a big party type wedding where friends and family come from out of state. Furthermore, barn weddings skyrocketed in popularity in the last 3 years and it seems that everyone wants that setting for their big day. This has caused a shortage in venues of this type because while a large number of people have a barn in rural Indiana, they house livestock and hay and are not "wedding ready."

Now, of course all that you need on your big day is your fiance, your license, and an officiant - that is it. But, being a big DIY person myself and wanting to have my personal touches incorporated into the wedding it became very evident in about a months time that the wedding would look "thrown together" if we tried to push for October. Furthermore, I was so set on having a barn wedding since it meshes with vintage so well, the idea of using a different kind of venue was something that I did not even want to think about because it was stressing me out. So, quickly my vision of having chandeliers hanging in a rustic setting while guests danced the night away were quickly fading. All my Pinterest pins were becoming irrelevant, my plan of an autumn wedding was going out the window, and the panic was setting in.

Then...the harsh reality of a barn venue hit me. Like a ton of bricks it hit me.

Many of the barn venues I looked at were open and bare, and had cafe rope lights and some chandeliers hanging inside. You get taken in by the ambiance, but once you start asking questions the more and more impractical they become. In fact, if you really take into account the needs of your guests - not just you - but all the people coming to your wedding, you might end up regretting having a barn wedding. 

Here is why: 

Zionsville Barn

Parking:

Many barn venues have you park in the grass or a pasture - this might be directly next to the barn. This can eliminate the possibility of having an outdoor ceremony if you wanted to use the barn solely for the reception. This can also be a problem if it rains and you will have women in heels tromping through mud. Some of the venues will also NOT come with parking attendants - this can become a nightmare fast because some of the lots are SO small, that you must pack the cars in like sardines to get everyone in. If left to park themselves, most people will not tightly pack-in unless directed to do so. So, you might fill the lot and not have enough room for everyone.

Hoosier Portables

Bathrooms:


Only ONE barn venue I looked at had a bathroom in the actual barn. Many barn venue sites do not tell you this because I think they hope the vision will take over and you will not mind renting a bunch of blue port-o-pots for your guests. I do not know about you, but my grandmothers and many elders in my family cannot and would not use a port-o-pot. Port-o-pots also DO NOT have sinks or running water. To have a hand washing station, this an extra cost AND YOU MUST HAVE WATER HOOK UP to use a hand washing station. 

If the barn you are looking at have no plumbing or a place to run water, guests cannot wash their hands. We were contemplating renting a Luxury Portable Bathroom Trailer from Hoosier Portables (pictured above) if we went with a barn venue. These look like real restrooms on the inside, have toilets that flush, have sinks with hot and cold water, have changing tables for babies, and are heated/air conditioned. BUT you MUST have electrical hookup and water hoses to get them to work. Furthermore, these cost $1500 to rent for ONE DAY!  

Another caveat is that none of the portable toilets are handicapped accessible. If you have any guests who use a wheelchair or walker they will not be able to use a portable restroom. And in speaking of most barns not having water...

D&R Market

Catering:

Nearly all caterers WILL NEED ACCESS TO A KITCHEN. Most of the time if a caterer is coming to an on-site venue, they will need the use of a full kitchen to prepare food. Even if someone is bringing a BBQ smoker, they still need refrigeration for meats and sides. Keep in mind that a barn, which probably housed horses a few years ago, will not have a kitchen. Unless there is a secondary building on site or the barn has been converted, the caterer you choose might not be doable if there is no kitchen. 

Even if you went with something like a food truck, just like the portable restrooms they need both water and electrical hookup to work. One of the barns I looked at had all these "partners" for catering. When I looked through them and what they offered, I suddenly realized that they were only showing pictures of hors d'oeuvres, appetizers, and snacks. In the small print on one of the catering sites they specifically said that if you have a wedding at "X" barn the only food option is cold appetizers and a full meal is not possible. It would be a BAD day if you booked your dream venue only to find you could not have real food served. 

Poetic Home

Heating & Air Conditioning:

Unless you are looking at a barn that has been converted, IT WILL NOT BE CLIMATE CONTROLLED!!! I am planning my wedding in the state of Indiana. We have deathly cold winters and sweltering summers. It can also be 30 degrees in the morning and 85 in the afternoon in the middle of October. In other words, the weather is so unpredictable that you have to plan for the worst case scenario. Most of the barns I looked at left it up to the renter to locate and rent fans or heaters at an additional cost. If you had to heat the inside of a wooden barn - how well do you think the heat would stay inside a structure without insulation and high ceilings? The answer is not very well. 

You would also probably be really limited on the number of heaters to rent (it would be taxing on whatever electrical they have) so if it were cold, guests would likely be shivering in their coats all night long. The prospects in summer can be just as bad with the common 100% humidity we get in July and August. A box fan - or even 20 of them will not do squat if it is humid. It will just make a TON of noise and BLOW napkins and hair everywhere and do nothing to cool a room.  

Keep your guests in mind!!! Many of our beloved elders are on medications for various things. I know there are at least 10 family members on my side of the family that CANNOT under any circumstances be allowed to get over heated, dehydrated, or be left in the sun for too long without having the option to go to a climate controlled area for even a little while. Sweltering heat can also cause dehydration to set in quickly...so if your guests will be having a few cocktails at your wedding be prepared to have some very tipsy guests. 

Memories Bridal & Evening Wear

NO Tables, Chairs, Tents, or Dance Floors:

Only TWO barns I contacted provided tables and chairs. Most of the barns are a "bare canvas" for you to envision what you want. But, that does mean you will need to rent your own tables and chairs. I priced this out at a local hardware store that rented round and rectangle tables and chairs - it would have been $700! Do not forget that if you want the ceremony outside, you will need extra chairs for that as well -one for each guest or enough benches for all. And you will need an arch, podium, or something like that for you to stand in front of while you exchange vows. 

You will probably need a tent too...believe it or not you cannot get more than 125 people in most barn venues - and double check the capacity with your venue manager! Some will assume that an open patio off the barn will serve as an additional seating area, but obviously if it is not covered and it rains everyone will need shelter. Once you get tables and chairs inside a barn with a DJ, buffet, gift table, cake table, etc. it can get cramped fast. If you find yourself in need of an outdoor space for people to spread out, to rent a tent that is 40X60 it will cost $800-$1000. If your idea was like mine and want a ceremony outside and a reception inside you have to plan what will happen if there is rain - which is why a tent is of the utmost importance. 

Some of the barns also have dirt floors or old slat floors. Have you ever danced on a dirt floor? What happens is the room will fill up with dust and look like a stampede and everything will get dirty. If the barn has a slat floor, beware of heels!!! Heels will get stuck in between the slats and cause falls and rolled ankles. Some of the barns have concrete floors but if they do not, you need to plan on renting an actual dance floor.

Clear Air Net

Allergies:

When the barn trend skyrocketed, many people decided to cash in on the wedding potential. This can mean that your amazing barn venue might have had horses, manure, and hay stored inside the previous summer. Many barns are also located on WORKING farms - meaning you could have crops being harvested in October or planted in the spring right outside your venue door. While it would not bother me at all if a combine rolled by while we were exchanging vows, I know my fiance would be in allergy hell. He is even the son of a farmer and has a cornfield in his backyard and he still has horrible allergies.  

Keep guests in mind!!! Many people are allergic to hay and dust from crops! Some barns, if they have been closed up and recently reopened to be used as a venue, might be moldy, musty, or smelly...or smell like horses. While you might think you can "get past the smells", in the summer the smells could be worse and be really gross while guests are eating. Be sure to ask if your venue has been renovated or treated. Two of the barns I looked at mentioned in their FAQ that they were sprayed and cleaned but some of the others were questionable.

Rustic Wedding Chic

A DJ, PA System, WiFi, Speakers, Etc.:

Like I mentioned before, some of these barns are really small on the inside once you get tables, chairs, and things like buffets, bars, and gift areas inside. Some are so small they specifically mention that they provide an "entertainment bar or suite"...which really means they have a card table for your laptop to play from Spotify. Many barn venues offer nothing more than that - so no speakers and many will not have internet access or WiFi. 

Now, most DJ's will have their own speaker stands and all their equipment - but many barns simply do not have the room for such things. And again, you will need to address the electrical situation because DJ equipment takes a lot of outlets. DO NOT FORGET about outside!!! I think a lot of couple do not realize if you have your ceremony outside, unless you have a microphone and speakers, no one past the first row can hear you. NO ONE CAN HEAR YOU AT ALL. I think this is one of the biggest wedding faux-pas that seem to happen again and again. Unless you see an electrical box outside the barn, you must ask if it is possible to run a PA system outside. If not, you might need to furnish your own extension cords so that your friends and family can hear your vows!

Elizabeth Anne Designs

Getting Ready:

Some of the barn venues have small bridal suites available for getting ready. However, of the barns I located that have suites, they were located in a "main house" or adjacent building to the barn. The issue you run into with this is that many of these barns are located on private property. This means the main house is probably where the owners live and you will be using their bedrooms, bathrooms, or basement if they did not add onto their property for this specific reason. 

At one venue we looked at, the main house would provide us with the entire upper floor for getting ready...But the groom and groomsmen would be in the same hall, so if you did not want someone to sneak a peek that would not really work. Then, it was quite a walk from the house to the barn - so far in fact that in heels it would not be possible. You would then need to arrange for someone to drive the bride and bridesmaids to the barn - not very practical. Another venue had a room for the bride, but it was only about 10X10 and it was dimly lit. Plus, the bridesmaids would either need to get ready before or after me if they wanted to use the same room. 

The Verdict:

I am still totally in love with the idea of having a barn/rustic/vintage wedding - especially if we found a venue with chiffon drapes, cafe lights, and chandeliers - and bathrooms, heat/ac, and tables and chairs on site. However, when speaking to an event manager, farmer, or private property owner in regards to renting their barn for your wedding do not forget to ask about:

1.) Bathrooms
2.) Handicapped Accessibility
3.) Outlets, Electrical, Water
4.) Parking
5.) Heating and Air Conditioning
6.) Dance Floor Situation
7.) Allergies
8.) Internet, WiFi, or Cellular Availability
9.) Kitchen and/or Refrigeration/Cooking
10.) Dressing and Changing Rooms/Suites

IN ADDITION:

Yesterday as I was researching barn venues I came across a scary reality. Some of these barns ARE NOT LICENSED TO BE OPENED. Depending on where you live, I am sure the laws vary greatly. However, I found a venue page on Facebook where some people opened a barn located on their private property for use as a "party barn" after they remodeled it for a family member's wedding. While it is perfectly fine to use your home, barn, shed, pavilion, etc. that you privately own for a private function, it is different than if you are to use the same building or area for a "public facility". 

The barn I looked at the other day was allowed to host weddings for almost a year (with weddings booked two years in advance from that date) only to have the zoning board come in and shut them down suddenly and without warning. I would imagine more than 2 dozen couples lost their venue when this happened if not more. Make sure with the venue owner or manager that they are licensed and insured to be open. Furthermore, make sure you read their contact and what it says regarding cancellations, accidental double bookings, emergencies, injuries, etc.