Cogges Manor Farm is nestled in the lovely market town of Witney and offers two stunning seventeenth century barns which provide a wonderful setting for celebrations.
I may be a little bias, as this venue has a special place in my heart – not only is it a beautiful local licensed wedding venue in my home town, but it is also a haven and wonderful place to escape with the children.
More than just a farm museum and set location for Downton Abbey, it also offers two rustic and untouched barns as a wedding venue. They are a perfect blank canvas where you can add your own personalised details to make your special day complete.
More and more couples are shying away from the cookie cutter approach to weddings and demanding a more unique and individual wedding.
Photography by Squib Photography
Photography by Ric Mellis
Photography by Tom Weller
Photography by Neil Hanson pink and cream bunting with fairy lights dressing beautiful rustic wedding barn set for reception
Photography by Neil Hanson straw bales covered in pink and cream covers set for wedding ceremony complete with aisle, bunting and fairy lights in rustic barn
This venue certainly helps couples who want to fulfil this ‘diy’ desire as there are hardly any restrictions or prescriptions. You have the freedom to use the suppliers of your choice, you can choose your own room layout and your own decoration to suit your theme for the day. Therefore, you have the option of taking this venue in a variety of different directions. It’s a really versatile space.
Don’t be under any illusions – it may take a little extra work than a ready made venue but you can make this place fit your theme perfectly.
And embrace the fact that it’s rustic – you’ll need to think about your catering options cleverly. For example it would lend itself very nicely for a hog roast, bbq, picnic or food vans.
It feels like the location is really rural but you’re actually right by the centre of town. And this is more than a shell of a building in the middle of a field – there are facilities (although you’ll need to bear in mind it is still rustic and a short walk to the toilets), accessible and ample parking, plus it’s close to bus routes and hotels.
What you do get is a lot of space (both inside and outside of the barns). And the beauty of Cogges is that it is more than just a wedding venue. Your guests can benefit from all the other facilities and attractions around the site in between the formalities of the day. And after 5pm, as well as the barns, the rest of the site is exclusively yours to enjoy too.
There’s a lovely laid back and friendly atmosphere at Cogges Manor Farm and loads of charming locations for photographs, such as the Manor House lawn, the walled garden or orchard and you can even include the farm animals in your photos!
They have a limited number of wedding slots per year and there is only one wedding per weekend.
I will be styling the venue for their Wedding Open Day on Sunday 17th September 11am-3pm. Come and see the barns dressed for wedding planning inspiration.
WEDDING VENUE FACTS Type of venue: barn Find out more:www.cogges.org.uk Location: Church Lane, Witney, OX28 3LA Wedding season: March-October Guests: 200 in Wheat Barn: 60 in Barley Barn Marquee option: weighted marquee permitted Ceremony: Licensed inside from £300 Venue hire: from £3050 Nearest church: St Mary’s Cogges, Church Lane, Witney, OX28 3LA (0.0 miles) Wedding breakfast: bring in own catering suppliers Accommodation: local b&bs Wedding fairs: Open Day in Autumn Other things worth a mention: so much more than just a wedding venue and very family friendly
Based on The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett (published in 1911), this modern Edwardian styled wedding shoot is a perfect harmony of traditional and contemporary elements brought together with sheer glamour and sophistication. Planned and designed by Hanami Dream and wonderfully captured by Squib Photography.
This elegant and delicate wedding is set in the grounds of a local English Manor House in the Oxfordshire Cotswolds of the UK (also used in the filming of another 1910s drama, Downtown Abbey). The lush greenery of a walled garden is discovered behind a secret locked door and its unseen natural beauty is unearthed after being concealed for many years.
Complete with an intimate ceremony on the croquet lawn, drinks in a secluded corner of the garden, followed by a celebration in a stunning Cotswold stone barn, this wedding features modern twists on traditional wedding styles with a real sense of rejuvenation.
With clear acrylic ‘stationery’ and signage with white brush lettering (where the greenery of the garden can be seen through), a hoop bouquet, a fresh take on the time-honoured wedding dessert of a croquembouche, vintage pearl details, antique keys and a friendly robin redbreast motif. Mary and Colin would be proud to attend this stylish wedding.
The colour palette is soft and understated so nothing distracts from the abundance of sumptuous cascading foliage. White is accented with hints of pink Pale Dogwood and plenty of the Colour of the Year of Greenery. There’s a definite nod to the Pantone® Spring/Summer 2017 colours with some subtle inclusion of blues (a navy Lapis for the groom’s suit and a denim Niagara of the manor house internal doors), Hazelnut and more greenery in the form of Kale.
Cogges Manor Farm was the ideal location for this wedding with its very essence in this era. It is nestled in the lovely market town of Witney and offers two stunning seventeenth century barns as well as a beautiful walled garden, stunning grounds and an impressive Manor House as a remarkable backdrop.
The couple got ready in the peaceful setting of the Manor House, strolled romantically through the walled garden, encouraged their families to ‘choose a seat not a side’ on vintage chairs (from Linda’s Vintage Hire) on the croquet lawn, and enjoyed the perfect blank canvas of the Barley Barn where modern, personalised details make this wedding complete.
Hanging from one of the impressive beams is a large rustic wooden cartwheel from Oakwood Events, adorned with greenery along with stylish bulb cages around Edison type filaments, plus some added alliums (from Lark Rise Flowers).
The top table is awash with greenery running down the whole of the table and spilling off the ends to the floor, courtesy of Lark Rise Flowers. Plus, the fragrance of the foliage was a delight to the senses with hosta, hedera, honeysuckle, laurel and hebe. Along with gentle inclusion of white flowers in the form of campanula, astilbe, lady’s mantle, sweet william, viburnum, rambling rose, helleborus seedheads and valeriana.
The sturdy wooden table, along with vintage chairs from Linda’s Vintage Hire, is set simply with white crockery and silver cutlery, plus clear acrylic menus sit on green moss. Alongside each setting is a clear acrylic place name (with guest names paying homage to the character names from the book) attached to vintage keys, along with favours of charming wooden robins by Muffat Prague.
Guests are directed around the farm with stylish clear acrylic signage and find their places by referring to the reclaimed window pane table plan with white brush lettering thanks to The Paper Hare, completing the stationery suite of clear acrylic invitations and clear acrylic table number tubes.
In the garden, the couple relax and enjoy a smooth glass of brandy whilst listening to the gramophone and admiring the remarkable cake by Cotswold Baking, a reintroduction of a traditional wedding dessert. This impressive croquembouche plays on the trend of wedding cake alternatives and sits on top of a plain white cake. The choux balls are decorated with edible pearl balls of varying sizes.
The bride chicly carries a hoop bouquet by Lark Rise Flowers leaving a beautiful scent of jasmine wherever she sashays. She has strong smoky eyes, pinched cheek blush and barely-there pale lipstick reminiscent of the times and beautifully recreated by Blushing Brides.
Her hair is ornamented with a delicate pearl hair vine by Designed to Sparkle and gathered up to reveal the breathtaking backless dress.
She perfectly fits the glamourous, champagne coloured bridal gown, made from Lux Charmeuse, featuring a high neckline, flutter sleeves, low back, attached silver beaded waistline and godet train by Justin Alexander, provided by Proposals of Witney. This 1910s styling is teamed with a multi-strand bracelet and necklace by Designed to Sparkle, made with navette set Swarovski crystal stones and pearls, in creamrose light shade.
The suave, slicked-back groom suited the era with a blue three-piece suit made from a British fabric 100% wool, cut in a traditional style but more modern in shape from The Cotswold Tailor.
It’s the little details that bring any event to life and this was made possible by the wonderful local suppliers who provided their time, services, venue and products for free. Together we have showcased the amazing talent that our part of the UK has to offer the wedding industry.
