Are you considering a barn or outdoor wedding venue for your Vermont wedding? In our decades of experience as DJs serving Vermont, we have worked a lot of rustic wedding venues. While they are beautiful venues, we have some barn wedding tips to make sure your big day goes smoothly.
“Rustic chic” is a very popular theme and the perfect way to exhibit it is through your choice of venue. In fact, many of our favorite wedding venues in Vermont fall into this category! Outdoor and barn venues are open and airy, you can fit all your loved ones, and they tend not to be as expensive as places like country clubs or hotels.
However, here are several barn wedding tips to take into account when planning your Vermont wedding. Once you’ve checked that your venue is licensed to be open to the public, there are ways to plan ahead to make sure your guests have a fantastic time!
Check Local Sound Ordinances
As professional DJs, one of the biggest obstacles we face at barn wedding venues is the local sound ordinance rules. When looking at wedding barns or farms in Vermont, make sure to ask about the allowed decibel levels for music. Some places will have rules about “no loud music”.
Now, we’re not talking about blowing out anyone’s eardrums. However, we know how to manipulate sound levels so that your guests will go from chit-chatting during cocktail hour to getting on the dance floor. Oftentimes, this requires some music played at a level that elicits some toe-tapping at first, then a bit of chair wiggling, then a bumping base that gets people to shake their groove thing!
Dancing is usually one of the most important parts of a wedding reception, so you’ll probably want to make sure people are able to hear the music! By checking the local sound rules ahead of time, you can ensure both vendors and guests are happy.
Budget for Extras
If your barn wedding venue is not full-service you’ll definitely set aside some of your budget for “extras”. Extras could mean any of the following:
- Tables and chairs
- Dishes and glassware
- Generators
- Tents
- Lights and decor
- Portable toilets
Each Vermont venue is unique, but when booking an outdoor venue, make sure to get a list of things that are included (or not). This way you can give yourselves time to plan/rent/buy whatever else you’ll need.
Day-Of Coordinator
One of our biggest barn wedding tips is to hire a day-of coordinator. Check with your venue, as not every place has an in-house person to help with logistics, planning, and monitoring the flow of the event on the big day.
If your rustic Vermont wedding venue doesn’t have a day-of coordinator, you might want to consider hiring a wedding planner and/or coordinator who specialize in outdoor or barn venues. (They do exist!)
Plan for Ways to Ensure Guests’ Comfort
The whole idea of a rustic wedding is to embrace natural and outdoor elements. While it may be beautiful, it can also be uncomfortable for some people. Thankfully, there are some ways you can ensure guests’ comfort.
Are you getting married in the heat of summer? If your venue doesn’t have air conditioning, maybe you hand out paper fans to guests.
Will your wedding take place near quintessential Vermont cows or hay bales? Make sure to stock some over-the-counter allergy meds in the bathroom!
Guarantee Restrooms
Speaking of bathrooms, make sure there are some! This is another of our most important outdoor wedding tips. While many barn venues that host weddings a lot will most likely have restrooms, more rustic venues, like fields or farms, may not.
If that’s the case, one of the extras budgeted for above will need to be a portable toilet vendor. Many portable restrooms nowadays have sinks and lighting, so even if your venue is provincial, your restrooms don’t need to be.
Be Mindful of the Ground
When planning an outdoor or barn wedding, it’s important to know what the ground is going to be like. Will it be muddy or pebbly? If so, you’ll probably want to leave the high heels at home and encourage guests to do the same.
It’s also important to note that uneven ground can be tricky for elderly guests. Check to see if there can be alternate forms of transportation, such as golf carts, or if there’s an accessible path for wheelchairs, etc.
We hope these barn wedding tips help you plan your perfect rustic Vermont wedding!
