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About

On Hitched.co.uk since 2021

Last update: February 2024

The BarnYard

Nestled in the heart of the Kentish Countryside, in a natural valley surrounded by 150 acres of stunning landscape combining rolling hills, natural woodland and romantic orchards, lies The BarnYard – an enchanting setting to host the most memorable day of your life. Tranquil, charming and unique, licensed for Ceremonies and home to both a beautiful old barn conversion as well as a truly luxurious permanent grand marquee which can host lavish receptions for up to 300 guests.

We are a totally unique wedding venue – offering something for every budget and every taste – whether it be large and extravagant with money no object or small and intimate.

There is also now a stunning Dressing Room available for your use from the morning of your wedding day.

At The BarnYard, we pride ourselves on attention to detail, ensuring an attentive service carried out by our highly experienced and very flexible wedding team. We understand that to make your wedding dreams become a reality, it is important to focus our efforts by dedicating our time to you allowing that personal touch for your special day.

Our menus offer a fine dining experience and have been created for your every indulgence. Our talented Chefs will use fresh and locally sourced ingredients to prepare carefully selected dishes from 3 course menus to BBQ’s and Hog Roasts. And if there is nothing you see in our brochure that takes your fancy just talk to us and we will see if we can create your perfect menu from ideas you may have.

Although we advertise a very appealing wedding package offering, we are fully flexible and happy to create bespoke packages to meet your expectations.

We are happy to offer ideas and guidance on menus, entertainers, flowers, photographers and all your requirements for an unforgettable day or alternatively you can find and view our recommended suppliers via the ‘recommended suppliers’ link on our website. For those that want everything made as simple for them as possible – we offer a ‘bolt on’ package where we do the ‘nitty gritty’ with suppliers for you.

Please note that we are a pet friendly wedding venue so on your big day you don’t have to leave your treasured pooch or puss at home !

The Arboretum

The Arboretum’ – our elegant, brand new, all season permanent ‘glass’ Marquee is purposefully positioned at the bottom of a hill in a natural valley surrounded by woods, trees, apple and pear orchards.

Unlike other venues with marquees which have them erected and dismantled seasonally, The BarnYard’s marquee is permanent in structure which has allowed us to equip it to the highest of standards. Although the roofline is a traditional marquee, there is nothing else that looks like a marquee as every single side panel all the way around the structure is now bi-folding glass doors which, when all open allows more natural light to flood in and gives a much greater circulation of air.

A 6m long modern bar has been built right alongside the dance floor above which has been installed state of the art intelligent lighting (which can be programmed to match your colour scheme), beautiful fairylit ceiling with enormous crystal chandeliers, green foliage chandeliers and garlands, brand new (fully enclosed within the marquee structure) luxury toilets (with separate accessible toilet for disabled and baby changing), thermostatically controlled heating, stage and dance floor, fully integrated sound system with PA, speakers and wireless microphone for speeches. The dance floor is ‘cocooned’ with twinkly starlit black side and ceiling curtains and a gorgeous mirror ball hangs from the ceiling along with other DJ lighting.

We can accommodate up to 200 guests for a wedding breakfast and up to 300 guests for the evening party. There are a number of room configurations and layouts depending on numbers but we are happy to be as flexible as possible to accommodate your requirements. Although The Arboretum is beautifully decorated already, it is still a blank canvas which you are welcome to decorate in any way you wish.

You are welcome to get married on site in one of four wedding ceremony areas. For those wishing to be married outside, the first is our Lavender Walk Gazebo set at the end of a gorgeous long wedding aisle. The second is our tranquil Orchard Garden Gazebo situated behind the marquee which has breathtaking panoramic views of beautiful apple and pear orchards, rolling hills and bluebell woodland. For those liking the idea of an inside ceremony (or in case the weather is inclement on the wedding day) you can be married in either the inside ceremony area at the end of The Arboretum or you may decide that you like the idea of utilising our gorgeous Apple Barn for your wedding ceremony for a different ‘feel’ for part of your day.

The BarnYard is magical also at night. As dusk falls the landscaped grounds around the marquee and the entranceway light up with thousands of fairy lights strung from the trees, the gazebos, the pergola and uplighters in the foliage, making a stunning impact for your evening guests as they arrive and for you to enjoy while having ‘al fresco’ drinks on the lawn.

We believe that once you have had a showround you will be blown away with how gorgeous everything is.

You’d need to see it all to believe it – it definitely has an incredible WOW factor and is totally stunning.

The Apple Barn, Roost and Courtyard

We would like to welcome you to The Apple Barn, Roost, and CourtYard, a separate wedding area within the grounds of The BarnYard – perfect for Twilight wedding ceremonies and party functions.

Our recently renovated and converted Apple Barn & Roost with its own integral CourtYard is simply gorgeous – strung with thousands of fairy lights spanning the oak rafters inside the barn and festoon lights spanning the skyline above the Courtyard outside the barn – it will be love at first sight!
For couples who wish to have a slightly less extravagant wedding day or are on a stricter budget or just simply prefer a rustic barn venue we offer ‘Twilight’ Weddings.

With our Twilight weddings, you get married later in the day and go straight into an evening party. The timing of these is such that sit-down meals, formal speeches, table plan layouts, etc are not required and thus removes any headache these could potentially bring to the wedding couple.

The Apple Barn can host Twilight wedding ceremonies for up to 90 guests with up to another 90 guests being invited in the evening (180 guests in total). You can have indoor wedding ceremonies within the barn itself or choose to have an outside wedding ceremony in our beautiful Courtyard Gazebo. Decoration is allowed earlier in the day. Our in-house DJ company, Apollo Funk Entertainments(www.apollofunk.com) has fitted the barn out with state-of-the-art DJ and lighting equipment which is available to those who have our DJ-inclusive package.

The oak folding chairs match the very rustic wooden trestle tables in the barn which can be set out inside in a variety of ways as well as outside under the festoon-lit skyline for alfresco suppers!

Within the fully enclosed CourtYard sits a pretty oak gazebo for those who do prefer (weather permitting) to have an outside ceremony. There are numerous olive trees planted in terracotta pots dotted around including our grand-daddy olive tree which takes pride of place in this Courtyard. Surrounded by these and the pale orange brickwork of the old barns – who needs Tuscany!

Frequently asked questions

Venue type:

In the country
Pub or restaurant
Marquees and tents
Barn
Outdoor license
Vineyard weddings
Unique weddings

Ceremony options:

Civil ceremony licence

Dining options:

Seated meal facilities
Alcohol licence
Buffet meal facilities
In-house catering

Evening entertainment:

Marquee available
Dance floor
Entertainment licence
Live band facilities
Evening reception facilities
DJ facilities

Venue staff assistance:

Wedding coordinator

Other features:

Exclusive use
Accessible facilities
Car parking
Confetti permitted
Changing room for wedding guests
Pet-friendly
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Do you have any questions?

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5.0 out of 5 rating
74 reviews
  • Quality of the service
    4.9 out of 5 rating
  • Response time
    5 out of 5 rating
  • Professionalism
    4.9 out of 5 rating
  • Value for money
    4.9 out of 5 rating
  • Flexibility
    5 out of 5 rating
98% Recommended by couples
Kate
Kate S. Sent on 28/12/2021
5 out of 5 rating

Gorgeous Wedding Setting!

We had our wedding at the BarnYard in September and it was the most magical day, the perfect venue and setting for what we were after. We had so many compliments from guests on the venue being stunning and glad we dragged them there. We did drag our guests a while but without a doubt was worth it for the beautiful Kent countryside, gorgeous outside ceremony area and idyllic orchards.

We had a BBQ for the main meal on our day, guests said the food was great!

Without a doubt, we could not have chosen a better venue for us. The size, versatility and beauty of the venue are all amazing and you just have to see it to know what I mean. I wouldn't hesitate recommending this venue to anyone if they are looking for a beautiful outdoor and indoor setting for their big day.
S
Symes Sent on 27/10/2023
5 out of 5 rating

Great venue!

The barnyard is used regularly by us for events, family weddings and dinners. Every time is faultless and the team always give 110%
K
Katie B. Sent on 13/07/2023
5 out of 5 rating

Beautiful venue.

We can't thank The Barnyard enough, everything went so smoothly on the day, there were no issues, staffall very friendly and accommodating. Just the most perfect venue! Everyone needs to get married here!
R
Vicky K. Sent on 02/01/2023
5 out of 5 rating

Beautiful venue and incredible staff

We had the most beautiful day at the Barnyard for our October wedding. We have had nothing but compliments about how gorgeous the venue was and how smooth the day went. Kirstie bent over backwards to ensure we were completely happy from the prep leading up to the big day to the day itself. I couldn't have dreamt of a better venue!
L
Lizzie L. Sent on 11/10/2021
2.4 out of 5 rating

Wedding reception at the Twilight Barn

We recently had our reception in the Twilight Barn.

Pros:
- the venue really is very beautiful, everyone commented on how stunning it looked
- it needs very little decoration which helps with budget
- food on the whole tasted good
- booking process was very easy and organised

Cons
- the service just was not good. On the night we had a different coordinator to the one we had booked/planned with. At no point did she introduce herself or speak to the bride and groom other than to ask me how much cake we wanted saving
- we said there were 100 guests expected - they put 1 person on the bar. Reports from guests were that this person was slow and a number commented on their rude/abrupt manner. It took 30 mins for one guest to get a coffee.
- other staff on the evening didn't seem bothered about being there.
- food although good wasn't a great variety and very expensive for what it was (in comparison, where we had our sit down wedding meal was only £5 more per head for a 3 course meal) We had BBQ option. I had to organise all the veggies/vegans being fed first, the staff didn't step in to help
- the barn is incredibly hot. It was a mild evening but inside was really hot. This wasn't major but maybe something they could consider
- just something small but when we collected our decorations the next day, our balloons had been left outside all tangled up, and we had to go and look for everything else ourselves. Nobody that was in the office came out even just to say hello and did you have a good night. This just added to our experience of people only really being there because they need to, not because they want to provide excellent weddings

Overall we had a great night due to our band and all of our guests. I didn't feel that the staff were interested in us or our evening and certainly didn't go the extra mile. For the money we paid, I did expect much more as it wasn't cheap. Friendly, helpful staff would have made this a completely different review. Still, it was a beautiful venue and with a few improvements could do some fantastic weddings.
S
Simon Sent on 15/10/2018
5 out of 5 rating

Our perfect wedding.

We spent ages deciding on our wedding venue before we found The Barnyard. We knew almost immediately it was the right venue for us. The setting is absolutely beautiful; surrounded by apple orchards, deep in the Kent countryside. The layout and organisation of the venue allowed for a flawless and seamless day. All our guests commented on how beautiful and well-run the venue is. It really was a perfect day and we are very grateful to Claire and the rest of the team for making sure the day was as magical as possible.
P
Peter Sent on 09/10/2018
5 out of 5 rating

Beautiful setting

We had a twilight wedding. We are a same sex couple and didn't want the traditional service which they were able to cater for. We also didn't want a massive wedding that why we chose the Barn. Everyone who attended said how lovely the venue was. The events team are all really lovely and helpful. Anyone in their team are ready to help. On The day the staff were friendly and helpful, one particular helped our boy who was feeling unwell. The venue looked amazing and decorated as requested and it didn't need too much anyway as it's so pretty. My friends all want to get married here now!
H
Helen Sent on 17/09/2018
5 out of 5 rating

A perfect wedding venue!

The BarnYard is a fantastic venue for a wedding. My son and daughter-in -law got married yesterday and we had the reception there. There were about 145 guests for the meal and 200 in the evening. We have only positive things to say - it was perfect! The setting is amazing with the fields and orchards behind, the outside seating areas are excellent and the huge permanent marquee is beautiful.
The food from start to finish was absolutely first class - delicious, well presented and so much of it! Everyone was very impressed. We did not go hungry!
The staff were polite, friendly, professional and very helpful. The service was slick, smooth and unobtrusive.
Thank you!
M
Mark Sent on 28/04/2018
5 out of 5 rating

What a day!! Absolutely brilliant

Where do I start?! Firstly thank you so much for a brilliant day. The venue looked simply stunning and so many guests complimented how wonderful it looked. Claire and Grace are such a brilliant team, nothing was ever too much fuss or hassle. We’re so grateful that they looked after our ring bearer (Obie the dog) whilst the ceremony happened and the best man ‘forgot the rings’.

All the staff were fantastic , compliments to the chef for the amazing wedding breakfast. I haven’t heard one guest say they didn’t like the food. So many superlatives were thrown about it was unreal.

Once again, thank you so much for everything in the run up to the wedding everything ran so smoothly and we’re forever grateful. Despite the weather , it was a perfect day and couldn’t have asked for a better venue and staff.

The new Mr & Mrs Hadley
A
Anonymous Sent on 27/04/2018
5 out of 5 rating

wedding venue

The Barnyard is a lovely venue for a wedding .
The Marquee staff were very , very good.
The food hot and very tasty.
Your teams attention to detail really made our daughter’s wedding day special
Thank you
E
Emma Sent on 13/06/2018
5 out of 5 rating

Even better than I had imagined.....

We feel in love with The Barnyard online but even more so when we visited in person. The team were so helpful, giving us idea's, things we needed to consider, advising on suppliers, where to stay, etc. it made the whole planning a lot less stressful! The day of the wedding was just perfect, everything went to plan and the whole team worked together seamlessly. No request was to great. The food was amazing both at the wedding breakfast and the buffet. It was the perfect day. Most of our guests commented that it was the BEST wedding they had been to! This was not just because they enjoyed celebrating with us; they also commented on the beautiful setting of the venue and the lovely team behind the scenes. Thank you The Barnyard for making our special day the best of our lives - I cannot recommend highly enough!
C
Craig Sent on 07/10/2017
5 out of 5 rating

Could not have wished for more.

A massive thank you to Kerrie and the wedding team for making the day so special and memorable for us. The setting is beautiful and we had the perfect weather, everything ran so smoothly. The high tea wedding breakfast was superb and went down a storm with all our guests. We cannot recommend you highly enough.
F
Felicity Sent on 26/09/2017
5 out of 5 rating

A truely magical day - thank you!!

Dear Kerrie,

We just wanted to say thank you so much for all your help and support organising our wedding.
We couldn't have wished for a better day. The Barnyard looking stunning and with the exceptional weather we had a truely amazing time!
We will forward you some photos in due course!
We have had so many positive comments from our guests about how amazing the venue was.
Thank you for the care and attention you and your team gave Felicity and myself on our special day, nothing was too much trouble. The entire day will be forever in our memories!

Warmest regards,

Flick (Felicity) and Rob.
M
Mrs Sent on 18/09/2017
5 out of 5 rating

Our Perfect Wedding Day!

We got married at The Barnyard and since the new management have taken over it feels like a new lease of life has been breathed into this beautiful place, having booked our wedding 2 years ago. Our wedding day was absolutely perfect, the food was out of this world amazing - hot, fresh and delicious, and the staff could not do enough for my husband and I and all of our guests. Nothing was too much trouble and the venue was spotlessly clean, the staff and owner were friendly and enthusiastic and we truly felt like we were the first and last people to ever marry at The Barnyard they made the experience so special. Our guests have since commented on how impressed they were - with everything from special dietary requirements, to assistance with elderly relatives and children, and the beautiful venue itself. We have since been for another visit and had a lovely Sunday roast, despite the restaurant hosting a hen party at the same time. I can't thank and praise The Barnyard enough - well worth a visit!
M
Mrs Sent on 18/09/2017
5 out of 5 rating

A Perfect Day!

My daughter had the most amazing day on Saturday Her dream came true as she married Mr Richard Kirby
Jo and her fantastic team made her day most magical They were attentive to her and guests nothing was too much trouble
The whole day was a magical event
The wedding breakfast and buffet was first class The decorations superb
A PERFECT DAY
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
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The BarnYard Real Weddings

Lauren & Paul
44 photos · 12/08/2023
Darren & Kath
23 photos · 26/05/2023

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The BarnYard ME9 7EZ Hartlip (Kent)
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