Located in the picturesque Belchamp countryside, Smeetham Hall Barn dates back to the 16th century and has been transformed into one of the top wedding venues in Essex. Set against a stunning rural backdrop and within breathtaking gardens, complete with a willow bordered lake, this venue is sure to provide beautiful wedding photographs for you to treasure forever.
The Barn is fully licensed for civil ceremonies and it offers the perfect, country setting for making your vows followed by your wedding breakfast and evening celebrations. We offer either a package at amazing prices or, if you would like a little more flexibility with your menu, you may choose the ‘venue-only’ hire. You can then choose one caterer from our list of six.
We are also very happy for you to provide your own alcohol and soft drinks for the day. The caterers will serve these for you and there is NO corkage charge, allowing you total freedom to choose your favourite tipples without the worry of extra costs!
The Barn, for a Saturday wedding, is available to you from 9am on the Friday until midday on the Sunday.
The Barn has a large dancefloor with the bar close by!
Smeetham Hall Barn is a wonderful wedding venue for all seasons (the Barn and the marquee are heated to an ambient temperature) and can accommodate small, intimate weddings or more extravagant celebrations of up to 150 guests for the wedding breakfast.
While the venue boasts a truly stunning countryside location, there are excellent transport links making it easy to travel to and from London, Hertfordshire, Suffolk and Kent.
We understand how important your wedding day is and we are committed to doing everything we can to give you the day of your dreams.
Beautifully restored 16th Century barn and marquee
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It is safe to say that ours has not been an easy wedding journey. We have attempted three weddings now and will be planning a fourth when the time is right for us.
Our first wedding date was booked for June 2019, until we lost my Dad very suddenly to advanced cancer only 6 days after diagnosis, in late April and had to make the decision to postpone to July 2020. Then a global pandemic hit and we found ourselves unable to go ahead again, so we re-booked for April 2021. Now, what with the stress of the uncertainty that so many couples, venues and suppliers must be going through, we have made the incredibly painful decision to postpone once again. Our mental well-being has definitely suffered from the disappointment, and after 4.5 years of planning and hoping, we need a break!
Bridget and the team at Smeetham Hall Barn have been, genuinely, the most spectacularly kind and supportive people we could have chosen to work with.
We first viewed the barn back in 2016 when we first got engaged and we fell in love immediately. Bridget was so friendly and put us at ease straight away. We loved her personal approach and her attitude towards the business - we loved that she was more concerned with couples having a lovely day than charging ridiculous prices. Having viewed some venues which felt very corporate and impersonal, we found this very comforting!
The barn is beautiful: the wooden frame makes it feel rustic but classy and with the delicate fairy lights dotted around there really isn't a need for much decoration. For us, less-is-more has been our approach from day one. The barn is set around the most picturesque farm which makes for incredible photos on the day; in front of the gorgeous manor house or the tranquil lake which comes into view as you arrive. Having the permanent marquee attached means that you can enjoy your reception drinks without needing to worry about the transfer of the chairs and tables for your evening set-up, and having a bride's room and private loo makes keeping your belongings and anything you need to put aside super easy, as well as having a sanctuary for you and your spouse to share some time after the ceremony! The team don't charge corkage, and (with our Saturday, venue-only hire deal) you have full access to the kitchen from the Friday to store your bubbly and decorate the barn, ready to go home and get your beauty sleep for the next day! They really have thought of everything.
We have friends who have had a terrible experience with their venue and it has been an absolute horror story. We could not be more grateful to Bridget and the team for their unfailing flexibility. We even received flowers when we lost my Dad, from Bridget and Sally from Splinters Outside Caterers (also a truly incredible business and owner who we would recommend to anyone): such a thoughtful and touching gesture. They made one of the worst experiences anyone can go through, so much easier - we didn't need to worry about a thing. Bridget has been so quick to help us in any possible way right from the start of our journey and it has been a pleasure to have a chat and a catch up each time we have been in touch; we do feel slightly like veterans having first met Bridget 5 years ago! We could not have been luckier in finding such a perfect package of venue and suppliers.
As soon as we are ready to start thinking about organising our fourth attempt (and please God, our last), we will be straight back in touch with Bridget and Sally to re-book and get excited again for spending the most fabulous day of our lives at Smeetham Hall Barn.
Sent on 07/02/2021
Smeetham Hall Barn's reply:
Wow! Thank you, Charli so much for such a fab review. We can't wait to start planning again with you when the time is right. All best wishes to you both, Bridget and Sophie
Laura H.
· Getting married on 19/02/2022
5.0
Quality of the Service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value for Money:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
So helpful and understanding in unpredictable times
Thankyou to Bridget and Sophie who have been so helpful throughout a very stressful time trying to plan a wedding in a pandemic... who would have thought that would be a thing! They have been always there at the end of the phone to discuss our options and helped us plan for all sorts of different situations and tier changes! Although we have now had to postpone to feb 2022, the process was so easy and they helped us pick the new date that was pretty close to our original!
We can’t wait to FINALLY get married in Feb 2022 at your beautiful wedding venue!
Sent on 30/12/2020
Kirsty C.
· Married on 03/10/2020
5.0
Quality of the Service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value for Money:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
Dreamy and welcoming venue
From the moment I stepped into the grounds of SHB I knew I wanted our wedding to be there. Having done my research on the packages beforehand, arriving at the barn just made the decision instantly for me. The drive up is beautiful and the grounds are wonderfully landscaped.
The barn itself is such a great size for a medium to large wedding which is what I had planned for.
I managed to speak with Bridget the owner and she was so relaxed and comforting that I felt understood straightaway. We also chatted to the on-site caterers and told them how we imagined the meals and even though it was off menu they were so on board with our ideas.
Honestly working with all the suppliers at SHB was so easy. I also don't think you'll find a better value for money wedding package at any other Essex venue. Trust me I did my research!
