Call me on 07801 328639 and let me help you find the pieces your wedding's missing
Stories from Your Wedding Friend - The Wedding Planner's Blog
page top anchor Website navigation menuMenu
The 5 Pictures show the outside covered patio area of The Swan Barn, including with paper lantern decorations; the inside is decorated with wisteria vines hanging from the black beams and round tables with white cloths. Each chair is decorated with a whit

Wedding Venue View: The Swan Barn, Markyate, Herts

Many couples on a tight wedding budget look for intimate, more affordable wedding venues, but they shouldn't have to compromise on style or quality just because they're on a smaller budget. I love a beautiful unique or unusual venue and The Swan Barn in Markyate, Hertfordshire fits that bill. Want to know more about this funky, gorgeous DIY wedding venue, then read on.

Many pubs still have back rooms, sure some can be a little bit ropey and old fashioned, this one however is none of those things. The Swan in Markyate has a beautiful sympathetically refurbished function room with its own bar and a barn like feel to it. With black beamed ceilings and white painted walls, it's really quite the stylish blank space.

Small but perfectly formed for intimate wedding receptions, this venue is ideal for local people. The village of Markyate is not far from the M1 and A5, there are several hotels not too far away, and it's right on the doorstep of Luton for the airport and railway (and tonnes more hotels!). You're out in the countryside here but not far from all the amenities you could possibly need.

The village has a beautiful old church - St Johns - for traditional religious ceremonies and is near parks for those all important wedding photographs. There are lots of local suppliers who can support you at this venue as needed and I can certainly recommend some who know this venue well. Simple decoration is all that is needed to make this venue stunning, so you don't need to over-do it on the DIY décor front. You will generally need to do the set up on the day of your wedding though, so best to find someone you trust who can do this for you.

In terms of catering and menu options, the pub offers a simple but filling list of traditional food (BBQ and buffets), however they're also open to the idea of you providing your own and the barn has a kitchen to help in this. If it was me, I might be tempted to get the chip shop over the road to provide a fish and chip supper.

The main issue with this being a small intimate venue at a 17th century building is that there is very little parking available on site, 3 cars max. There is also very limited on-street parking as the older parts of the village are narrow and mostly cater to the residents. So, you're definitely better off looking for ways to transport your guests to and from this venue, unless you or they are local of course.

This 100 guest capacity Hertfordshire wedding reception venue is a little gem for a DIY wedding. Great value room hire, easy to adapt to your needs and very little decoration required so perfect for easier DIY wedding projects. Well worth adding to your wedding venue shortlist.

For more wedding venue ideas within Herts, Beds or Bucks follow the link below. If you're having trouble narrowing down the shortlist from all the amazing venues on offer locally, get in touch and I'll put you through the venue decision test! X