Country Wedding Elegance
Tuesday, May 5th, 2009
Posted in Venues
On Saturday evening I attended a wedding reception at Cooling Castle Barn and as usual my ‘wedding brain’ was in overdrive! The whole event was very stylish, and I was particularly taken with the venue, which literally did take my breath away. Set in the middle of the Kent countryside just north of Rochester, Cooling Castle Barn is made up of three barns with exclusive use for the entire wedding day as standard.
The 16th/17th century Tithe Barn holds up to 160 for a seated wedding breakfast and up to 250 for an evening reception. With its exposed beams and a height of 9 m it really has that all-important ‘wow’ factor, and the minstrel’s gallery is an excellent space for live musicians or a DJ. The Fathom Barn is a smaller version of the Tithe Barn and is perfect for a civil ceremony, whilst the Heritage Barn has a more contemporary feel and is primarily used as a welcome area for guests.
All three barns open onto a large lawn and patio area, providing a secluded area for children to play and for guests to relax and enjoy warm summer evenings. The 3 acres of grounds and imposing castle turrets at the entrance provide plenty of photo opportunities, and there are 15 luxury bedrooms set just behind the barns for an overnight stay.
Prices start at around £6500 for 80 guests on a Saturday in March-October, including venue hire, reception drinks and 3-course meal, with the evening reception costing from £1900.
