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About

On Hitched.co.uk since 2021

Last update: May 2025

AVAILABILITY IN 2025 & 2026! REACH OUT TO DISCUSS YOUR REQUIREMENTS

The Great Barn is a romantic and rustic wedding venue located in Aynho, Oxfordshire. Surrounded by glistening lakes and picturesque woodland and countryside, this venue offers astonishing backdrops for your special day. You will be able to explore the 250 acre farm and grounds and find photo opportunities at every turn. For couples who wish to experience a truly rural and nature-filled atmosphere on their special day, The Great Barn is an ideal venue.

Facilities and Capacity

The Great Barn offers 18th-century barns that have been fully converted to host wedding celebrations. High ceilings keep the venues cool during the summer, and their exposed stone walls ensure a cosy setting during the winter. Large windows and French doors allow sunlight to drench the interiors, with exposed wooden beams running across the ceilings. The Cart Shed makes for the perfect wedding cerremony, and then followed by moving to the Croughton Barn for the formal meal which can seat up to 120 guests. The Aynho Barn has a more relaxed setting, ideal for receptions and mingling by the bar, and dancing in the evening. This venue can host up to 175 standing invitees and comfortable sofas. The Great Barn also has The Dressing Room: a luxurious space with a capacity for 10 people, where the wedding party can prepare and de-stress. The secluded Patio Garden and large terrace provide ample outdoor space for you and your guests to enjoy fresh air, relax by the fire pit, and play games.

Services Offered

The Great Barn is fully licensed for civil ceremonies and offers exclusive use of the venue on your special day. The hugely talented in-house chefs and catering team will work with you to create an impeccable menu suitable for everyone at your wedding. They offer a wedding planning and coordination service so you can have all the help you need for your celebration. The Great Barn is conveniently located on the Oxfordshire / Northamptonshire border with access to the M40, making it ideal for travelling guests. They have ample parking and accessible facilities, so all attendants can comfortably enjoy your important event.

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Frequently asked questions

Venue type:

In the country
Historic
Barn

Ceremony options:

Civil ceremony licence

Dining options:

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

Evening entertainment:

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

Overnight accommodation:

Overnight accommodation for wedding couple
Overnight accommodation for guests

Venue staff assistance:

Master of ceremonies/toastmaster
Wedding coordinator

Venue leisure facilities:

Fitness centre

Other features:

Exclusive use
Accessible facilities
Car parking
Confetti permitted
Pet-friendly
illustration notebook

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Reviews for The Great Barn

Rhianna
Rhianna Sent on 04/05/2025
5 out of 5 rating

Perfect day at the Great Barn

Our wedding at the Great Barn was perfect.

The venue was beautiful, the food was excellent, and everything ran perfectly. Vicky coordinated everything with a seamless confidence, and all of our interactions with the staff at the Great Barn were excellent. There was no doubt that the venue was perfect after our initial viewing. The bar and ceremony room were still being renovated at the time, but the team showed us renderings of the expectation and the team did a remarkable job delivering on that vision.

The Great Barn have been communicative on email where required and the planning meetings allowed us to ask all the questions we needed to. We were able to drop off things the night before and collect the day after, having stayed in the lovely cottages the night of the wedding.

Along with Hibiscus floral design, providing a wonderful suite of flowers and decorations, the venue was setup perfectly and it was magical to walk into on the day. Everything was completely in hand at all times, we as bride and groom could simply focus on enjoying the day. The team worked seamlessly together. When the registrars were stuck in bank holiday traffic, Vicky reassured us that they were on their way and it was all in hand. The team worked diligently to ensure all dietary needs were catered for. When the ceremony ended the team coordinated moving flowers from the ceremony room to enhance the other space for the day and it all looked perfect. When the bride needed help preparing her dress for the evening Vicky was on hand to help bustling a somewhat stubborn dress to ensure the bride could enjoy here evening.

Limoncello shots were a perfect addition to the speeches, and segued us into a wonderful meal. The lamb croquettes were the highlight for me, but it was all wonderful. We loved by the Rioja and Viognier as our wine choices.

Rather than indulging in an expensive cake, we elected to have an "Espresso Martini" moment, which Vicky and team fully supported and on the day the drinks were ready on time, per the schedule, without us having to think about it. When it was time for evening food - it was abundant and delicious. Thankfully the weather held and we enjoyed time on the outdoor terrace.

Combined with Sam Bennett photography, Hibiscus Floral design, Signed by Charlotte, Signature Moments, and the registrars, our day was perfect.

Thank you team for a wonderful day.
G
Georgina Sent on 14/06/2025
5 out of 5 rating

Beautiful venue for our wedding day!

We had the best day celebrating our wedding at The Great Barn! We viewed a lot of venues in the area and knew this was the one for us when we were shown around by Kate. On our wedding day, we had the lovely Alice looking after everything and us! Alice was perfect, she kept us in the loop and made sure we had everything we needed. The venue is beautiful, we have not yet received our professional photographs but all the photos I have seen that our guests took are gorgeous, it doesn’t matter where you are in the venue, the backdrop is always stunning! So many of our guests commented on how lovely the venue is and how amazing the food was!
Becky
Becky Sent on 01/07/2025
5 out of 5 rating

The best day of our lives

From start to marriage, our wedding at the Great Barn was everything we imagined and more.
The planning, correspondence and support with questions was second to none.
We have had nothing but compliments from our guests on this stunning venue, the food and the service. Our wedding planner Grace made our day go without one hitch. The only hitch that happened was us having the best day of our lives.
We want to do it all again.
G
Gavin Sent on 22/06/2025
3.4 out of 5 rating

Beautiful venue, but restrictive policies

We initially viewed the venue when it was an family run business, but ended up booking it once it had been taken over by a local multivenue business. We felt some of the charm of a family business had been lost, and certain policies and processes put in by management of the venue/head office took the shine off the venue for us. The setting itself is beautiful though, and our wedding coordinator on the day, Grace, couldn't have been friendlier or done any more for us - she was absolutely fantastic.
J
Jemma Sent on 06/05/2025
5 out of 5 rating

The Dream Wedding Venue

The Great Barn, honestly the most perfect wedding venue we could have dreamed of. From the minute you drive up it’s driveway the venue is absolutely beautiful, the indoor spaces, courtyard, and grounds all equally as stunning. The planning process was seamless, from the initial enquiry to food tasting to the wedding itself, the staff went above and beyond to be accommodating and help create our dream day. Particular thanks go to Kate who initially showed us around and Grace who was our designated Wedding Manager- they were both fantastic. All the staff were absolutely lovely and we were always made to feel welcome and very at home at the venue. What I particularly loved about the Great Barn was the transparency; there are no hidden costs and what you see is what you get. The venue is naturally beautiful and we chose minimal decoration which suited our style and budget. The food was delicious and we had so many compliments on it from guests, especially the vegetarian guests who were amazed by the vegetarian options and have not stopped talking about them since. The bridal prep room was a really useful space, not only for getting ready in, as it was so spacious light and airy, but you have access to it throughout the day and having a young baby it was ideal to have a quiet space tucked away from the wedding for her to feed, nap etc. The fact they have 3 cottages on-site was ideal for what we needed too and plenty of other accommodation options locally. We had the most amazing wedding and cannot thank everyone at The Great Barn enough.
Tanya
Tanya Sent on 06/03/2025
4.8 out of 5 rating

A wonderful day at a lovely venue

We had a fantastic wedding day at the Great Barn. My sisters and I had our hair done in the dressing and ordered pastries in advance. We were expecting just a few but there were loads, with fruit as well!

The weather was sunny so we were able to have photos taken under the trees at the front of the venue and on the swing as well as people throwing confetti on the terrace at the back. The venue was about the right size for our group of nearly 70 people and there wold have been room for more people in the evening. We were also able to have one room for dancing and another for chilling.
Our wedding planners were super-helpful and got back to us quickly if we had queries or requests. Grace, who managed our wedding on the day, ensured everything ran like clockwork and was always on hand when we needed anything. The food was really good and people liked having the wood fired pizzas in the evening.

We also stayed in Aynho cottages, which were comfortable and convenient. We would definitely recommend booking this venue as although there are cheaper options, this seems to be one of the best value for money venues in the area.

(I'm afraid I can't attach a photos as it is saying they are too small).
Katie
Katie Sent on 13/10/2024
5 out of 5 rating

Wedding Review

I couldn’t imagine a better place to host your wedding. From the moment we first walked in to view the great barn, it was clear that it was the place for us and the support provided by their staff was amazing. Jess helped us with the wedding planning and then was our venue coordinator on the day. She was amazing and I’m not sure I would have been able to relax throughout the day if it weren’t for how supportive and amazing she was.
The staff at the great barn have been super helpful throughout the whole process and we would highly recommend this venue to anyone getting married.
Thank you for helping us have an amazing wedding day!
Pip
Pip M. Sent on 21/09/2024
5 out of 5 rating

The most wonderful venue!

We got married at The Great Barn one week ago, and we can't even put into words how incredible the day was.

It was the first venue we went to see and we were sold straight away! The new ceremony barn, the wooden square tables, the decor - it's just beautiful, and all day we had guests coming up to us telling us what a gorgeous venue it was.

Jess managed our wedding and we cannot thank her enough for everything she has done for us. We had a couple of planning meetings with her, where we could ask as many questions as we liked, take our time to look around the venue again, and we never felt rushed. On the lead up to the day, we had some questions which she replied to almost straight away and just made the whole process so smooth.
On the day, she was a literal superstar! So calm, organised and efficient - doing so much behind the scenes that we didn't even see to make it the most special day for us. She was wonderful and helped with everything, from helping to cue the bridesmaids walking down the aisle, to bringing us a plate of canapes while we had our formal photos, so we actually got a chance to try them - and make sure we ate something! Jess was just wonderful and we had so many people come up to us to say 'Wow, Jess is amazing!' and we couldn't agree more!

Our evening manager was Vicky and she was also just wonderful, lovely, kind, warm and on hand to help with everything and round us all up at the end of the night! She met us the next morning when we arrived to collect our decorations and flowers and had packaged everything up already, so we just loaded the car with the boxes - amazing when you're feeling slightly 'tired' the next day!

All day we had compliments on the decor, the venue, the beautiful ceremony barn, the incredible food (it's SO good!) and all the wonderful staff, who went above and beyond for us. The wait staff, the bar staff - they were all lovely and so helpful.

We would recommend The Great Barn to anyone and we cannot thank the team enough for making our day so special.
Abi
Abi B. Sent on 16/09/2024
5 out of 5 rating

Amazing Venue, Amazing Team!

We knew the minute we saw this venue we wanted to get married here! It is beautiful, romantic and very well laid out for a seamless wedding! The ceremony barn is beautiful, as is the venue itself, it has outdoor and indoor space and the grounds are beautiful, with many areas for great photo opportunities! The food is also great - lots of choice and is great quality - we received so many compliments on it. What sold it for us though is how amazing the team were! Jess and Vicky looked after us from the point of inquiry all the way through to the day itself. I couldn't recommend them enough! We're so glad we chose the Great Barn for our wedding venue! Thank you to the Great Barn team for making every part of our day wonderful!
Mike
Mike Sent on 27/08/2024
5 out of 5 rating

The most perfect venue and team!

The perfect venue, made more beautiful with recent renovations. The team are amazing and so helpful with planning and took care of everything on the day. We can't recommend The Great Barn enough!!!!
K
Katy Sent on 31/08/2024
5 out of 5 rating

Katy & Jon

We recently got married at the Great Barn and simply had the best day ever. Right from our first viewing, through to our booking meetings and everything in between the team were great. No detail was too small and everything was considered. On the day I didn't worry about a thing. Everything was dealt with and we had the most amazing time. Our friends and family were so complementary of the food, the service and the general atmosphere - it was amazing. We are so grateful for the team for making our special day such an incredible experience. Thank you xx
D
Daniel Sent on 31/07/2024
5 out of 5 rating

Amazing Venue!

Great venue, beautiful location with cottages on site to stay over. Great food, great service!
Would definitely recommend!
Lily
Lily Sent on 21/04/2024
4.4 out of 5 rating

Lovely country wedding venue

We had the most amazing wedding day at the Great Barn. The day flowed seamlessly. The service from the staff was exceptional, they were all so helpful to our guests. The food was delicious… we had the roast beef and it was lovely. They helped keep my partner and I calm before the ceremony and helped us have an amazing day!
L
Lauraand Sent on 21/04/2024
5 out of 5 rating

The best wedding ever!

The Great Barn is the most stunning venue we ever could have wished for on our wedding day. Our wedding coordinator, Jess, went above and beyond to make the day run smoothly and we are so incredibly grateful. I would highly recommend this venue to anyone planning on getting married. It was the most perfect day! Thank you so much to all of the staff at The Great Barn!
Dustee94
Tamara Sent on 29/03/2024
5 out of 5 rating

The best wedding venue!

In 2022 a week after being engaged, my now husband and I found this venue though a quick google search and after being the first and only venue we visited we knew it was where we wanted to get married. It is the most exquisite building with recently renovated modern touches that just work so well together. We got married last weekend and it was the most incredible and memorable day! Vicky is the most attentive, patient, understanding and just the most incredible person. She honestly made our day the success that it was. The food was amazing, the chefs absolutely smashed our menu out of the park.
So whether you're getting married or have an event to plan, I highly recommend hosting it at The Great Barn!
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Hitched Wedding Awards 2025 Winner
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The Great Barn Real Weddings

Sam & Gavin
18 photos · 03/05/2025
Lauren & Daniel
7 photos · 01/11/2024
Hannah & Grant
90 photos · 05/05/2024

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Map

Upper Aynho Grounds OX17 3AY Aynho (Oxfordshire)
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