According to Bridebook’s 2018 report, 40% percent of couples want a quirky wedding that isn’t held at a traditional venue, place of worship or registry office. This has led to an uptick in venues and suppliers catering for more unconventional weddings. Here are 30 ideas for your quirky wedding.
1. Get married in the middle of nowhere
Stunning views and a remote location ensure your quirky wedding won’t be forgotten. Just make sure it’s accessible.
2. Host your quirky wedding on a farm
There are lots of rural options for weddings these days. Make sure the venue is licensed for ceremonies and has all the facilities you need to be comfortable. You want rural not ramshackle.
3. Choose somewhere with history
Before we turned our long barn into a wedding barn, it was a cattle barn. Before that it was one of several similar huts at Park Hall Army Camp, near Oswestry. Located there from around 1915, the barn came to Tanycoed Farm, home of Barnutopia, in the 1970s.
4. Find somewhere with quirky accommodation
A venue with unusual accommodation will be a hit with your guests. Ideally, comfort shouldn’t be compromised for quirkiness.
5. Don’t be afraid to go for something completely different
At Barnutopia, there are 4 yurts, 2 cabins (soon to be 3), a stable and a bunkhouse.
6. Make sure unusual accommodation is functional as well as beautiful
Your guests will love the idea of staying in accommodation that isn’t a hotel room. They’ll love it even more if they have the conveniences of a hotel in spectacular surroundings.
7. Sleep under canvas but with all the comforts of home
You can have quirky and comfortable. All glamping units at Barnutopia have real beds made up ready to sleep in, power, lighting, heating and free WiFi.
8. Really, you should not sacrifice comfort for quirkiness 
Yurt Axana, the largest yurt at Barnutopia, has everything you need to ensure you or your guests enjoy the thrill of camping without the cold and damp.
9. Have your guests sit on bales of hay
Easy, inexpensive and effective. Add some hessian for comfort.
10. Decorate a simple garden arch with your favourite flowers
Different flowers make a different arch. Perfect for a quirky wedding.
11. Bring your dog
There’s no reason for your faithful hound to stay at home.
12. Let your friends bring their dogs
How many weddings allow dogs? Well-behaved dogs are welcome at Barnutopia.
13. Grow your own daisies
Or any other flowers you like. Use them to decorate the aisle and other parts of the venue.
14. Bring your horse with you
Okay, this one’s ours, but you are welcome to bring yours.
15. Personalise your ceremony for the ultimate quirky wedding
There are no rules. You can do what you like. Fancy including a dinosaur as part of the proceedings? Feel free!
16. Invite a clown
Some folks might think it odd. We think it’s just another way of ensuring you have a quirky wedding.
17. Wear shoes you love
If you get married on a farm, comfortable shoes are essential but that doesn’t mean they can’t be blinged up.
18. Make sure there’s a pig to hog the limelight
Add almost any animal for a quirky wedding. Barnutopia’s kunekune pigs, Felix and Fiona, are happy to wander around the yurt field meeting guests.
19. Bring a selection of garden games to keep your guests entertained
There’s nothing like a game of giant Jenga to get the pulse racing.
20. Plant a tree as part of your marriage ceremony
We lost a couple of fruit trees during a storm and one bride and groom asked if they could plant an apple tree as part of their ceremony.
21. Cut your wedding cake outside
The gorgeous Shropshire and Powys countryside is the perfect setting for a cake cutting with a difference.
22. Create a foliage wall as a backdrop for pics
Easy to do and very effective. This one is in the corner of the Dutch barn at Barnutopia.
23. Or use fairy lights and voile for a different effect
Just as easy and who doesn’t love fairy lights?
24. Make sure your venue allows you to decorate the way you want
Venue dressing is the hallmark of a DIY wedding and a fabulous way to showcase your quirkiness.
25. Check what is and isn’t allowed.
At Barnutopia, pretty much anything goes except for safety reasons we do not allow naked flames in the wedding barn. Flickering LED candles are very effective instead of real candles.
26. Make sure the venue decor reflects your personality
You should be limited only by your imagination.
27. Add a unique touch that means something special to you
A colour, a flower, a theme … it could be anything.
28. Set up your own bar
We don’t charge corkage, which means you can save loads on alcohol.
29. Choose unusual transport
If you get married and have the reception at the same venue you can have a bit of fun with transport, even if you don’t really need it.
30. Get married in winter
Surprisingly, there are lots of advantages to getting married in winter. If you fancy a quirky wedding that’s affordable and fun, check out our venue hire package.
