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In honour of Pride Month this June we have taken a trip back down memory lane to celebrate some of the incredible LGBT+ weddings we’ve had the joy of being a part of here at Southend Barns.

In the past ten years, strides have been made in the acceptance and celebration of different types of relationships and we are honoured to work in a place where we see real and beautiful love in all its forms every single day. Love is love and we truly believe Pride should be celebrated every day, not just in June.

Iain and Henry

A wedding filled with love and personal touches, Henry and Iain’s big day featured lots of creative details. From the couple’s stunning coordinating woollen suits to the film themed centrepieces adorning every table, we loved seeing this beautiful wedding come together.

Images by: Teri V Photography

Hatty and Karen

A joyful abundance of love and colour, Hatty and Karen chose matching bouquets of unstructured blue, purple, pink, white and yellow blooms. Wearing coordinated wedding dresses with shimmering details, they both looked sensational. This really was a day full of emotion and celebration.

Images by: Chris Giles Photography

Russell and Paul

Russell and Paul got ready together on the morning of their wedding, donning perfectly matching three piece suits. They both walked down our Dairy Barn aisle accompanied by their mums before saying their I Dos. Over in the Threshing Barn, the space looked resplendent with white peony table arrangements and stationery featuring their own personalised wedding logo. Inspired by Russell’s love for the performing arts, some of the couple’s talented friends and family performed some fantastic musical numbers to entertain wedding guests.

Images by: Kelly Hearn Photography

Kate and Aimee

Kate and Aimee’s beautiful ceremony included the old Jewish custom Sheva Brachot – the seven blessings – which finished with a wine glass breaking. For their first dance, the couple chose a traditional hora and were lifted into the air on chairs by their friends and family.

As Kate and Aimee opted for a February wedding, the couple and their guests also made the most of our cosy Collecting Yard with sheepskin rugs, shimmering fairy lights, hurricane lanterns and the warm glow of our outdoor heating.

Images by: Rachel Weatherley Photography

Our 10th anniversary party went off with a bang, with the help of three decadent cocktails created especially for the occasion by our talented Roots team.

After a little persuasion (and maybe a cocktail or two), our Executive Chef Dan has agreed to share the recipes…

We’d love to see any photos of you making and enjoying your Southend Barns cocktails – just post them on social media and tag us in!

Enjoy.

The Fleming Punch

A twist on this classic cocktail was an obvious choice for the party given Mariella and William’s surname. We took this cocktail and tweaked it to create a refreshing, light and long drink.

30g Fig Preserves
40ml Blended Scotch Whiskey
15ml Briottete Fig Liqueur
20ml Ginger Honey
20ml Lemon Juice
1 pinch Maldon Salt

Garnish: Quarter fig, Rosemary sprig
Glass: High Ball
Ice: Cubed
Method: Shake the fig preserve and whiskey, add ice and rest of the ingredients, shake, strain and garnish.

The Bee-Root Sour

An entirely new cocktail inspired by the beautiful produce we grow on our Roots allotment. This summery and elegant short drink has a delicious berry and lemon base offset with gorgeously sweet Southend Farm honey.

50ml Brockmans Gin
10ml Cassis
30ml Lemon Juice
25ml Honey
1 Egg White

Garnish: Red Amaranth, Honeycomb
Glass: Rocks Glass
Ice: To shake and chill the glass
Method: Add all ingredients to a shaker with two cubes of ice and shake hard for 15 seconds. Strain into a separate shaker with no ice, shake hard for another 20 seconds. Strain into glass and garnish.

Southend Sunrise

This long and luxurious mocktail was inspired by the classic Tequila Sunrise. Served in a large hurricane cocktail glass, the drink is a beautiful blend of apple, orange, fresh basil and vibrant beetroot juice, all infused with a dash of ginger. The perfect tipple for those long, balmy summer evenings.

75ml Orange Juice
50ml Apple Juice
25ml Beetroot Juice
2 x Sprigs of Fresh Basil
12ml Honey/Maple Syrup
Ginger Beer

Garnish: Basil, Orange, Apple slices and Basil Cress
Glass: Hurricane Glass
Ice: Cubed
Method: Fill glass with ice, add apple juice, orange juice, fresh basil and honey. Carefully add beetroot juice on top. Top up with ginger beer.

May was a milestone moment here at Southend Barns as it marked ten wonderful years of our beloved wedding venue.

To celebrate our first decade, we flung open our barn doors for a special anniversary party. Joined by many of the people who have contributed to Southend Barns’ success over the years, including lots of the wonderful couples to have tied the knot with us, the party was a beautiful and emotional occasion.

May has also seen the launch of our new rebrand and website. Our 10^th anniversary seemed the perfect time to have an update – we’d love to hear your thoughts. 

Keep reading for a glimpse into the fun and festivities at our ‘Cheers to 10 Years’ anniversary party…

It was fantastic to catch up with so many of the couples whose weddings we have been honoured to be a part of over the years. Hearing their stories and their lovely sentiments about our staff and venue was really very special.

“Southend Barns was the first venue we looked at and nothing else compared each time we returned to be sure of our decision. We loved that it was a family business and that the ceremony Dairy Barn was a stones throw from the celebratory Threshing Barn. It was just beautiful, simple and welcoming with a warm and genuine team.”  – Claire & Dan

“We wanted a venue that could host both the ceremony and reception that was beautiful, classic and high quality, but also somewhere that was within 2 hours of London and that had a small town nearby so it would be easy for our guests to come to and stay. Southend Barns just ticked ALL those boxes. We were having a winter wedding and the setting was just stunning. We loved the attention to detail in every aspect of the property.” – Mr & Mrs Smith

“We viewed Southend Barns and instantly fell in love with it, it’s not your typical barn that’s for sure! Everything about it was perfect, everything had been so meticulously thought out down to the smallest detail – a modern venue infused with character and history. The layout of the venue was fantastic and the bridal suite was stunning. It had a variety of great places for photos too. Having the undercover seating area outside was a great option if it rained (we had a May wedding but we all know how unpredictable British weather can be!). The candles and festoon lighting added to the atmosphere as well. Such a magical place which holds wonderful memories in our hearts.”- Ellen & Dean

“We picked Southend Barns because we loved the venue, everyone that we dealt with from start to finish were incredibly helpful, friendly and we felt we were in good hands. And the Secret Garden really swung it – from the moment we saw it we knew that this was where we wanted to get married.” – Kirstie & Dave

To mark our 10^th anniversary we commissioned a sculpture by local artist Kate Viner. The beautiful piece was unveiled at the party and has proudly taken its place in our gardens. You can find out more about the statue and the inspiration behind it here.

Our talented Roots team came up with three delicious Southend Barns themed cocktails for the party. From an adaptation of ‘The Fleming Punch’ – a homage to Mariella and William Fleming, to a completely new creation ‘The Bee-Root Sour’ – a delightful blend of Southend Farm honey, egg white, lemon, cassis and blueberry gin, and the decadent ‘Southend Sunrise’ mocktail – filled with apple, orange, fresh basil and beetroot juice. There was something for everyone.

It really was an unforgettable event and we’d like to thank all the couples, staff and suppliers who joined us to make it so special.

Images: Kelly Hearn Photography

To mark 10 years of beautiful weddings here at Southend Barns we have commissioned a special sculpture by local artist Kate Viner.

The piece was created to embody not just love but real connection and captures the moment just before a kiss, with the couple completely engaged with each other. It is meant to represent each and every couple who has celebrated here over the last decade.

Standing 75cm tall and made from bronze, the sculpture will be displayed in our gardens for all to enjoy. It has been created so that over the years its exposure to the elements will cause the bronze hues to evolve, getting richer and richer, meaning the sculpture will become even more beautiful as time passes.

We worked with Kate 10 years ago to create the beautiful wrought-iron chandeliers that you can still see today hanging in the Threshing Barn so she was our obvious choice for this special anniversary sculpture. It is exactly what we hoped for and we can’t wait to reveal it later this month at our anniversary party.

To find out more about Kate Viner’s work click here – https://kateviner.com

This year marks our 10^th anniversary since first opening our doors on 25^th May 2012.

It has been an incredible 10 years that has been made so memorable thanks to the wonderful couples we get to celebrate with and our fantastic team. We still get such a buzz on each and every wedding day we host here and feel very privileged to be part of such significant life events. It was always Mariella’s dream to see the barns used as a wedding venue and to now be celebrating our own 10^th anniversary is very special.

We will be marking our milestone with the launch of a new website and branding as well as a series of celebratory events, including a party for past couples where there will be an unveiling of a sculpture created by local artist Kate Viner.

Commissioned to honour 10 years of Southend Barns, the stunning sculpture has been designed to represent the bonds of love that a wedding day embodies. Crafted in bronze, the sculpture will be located in the gardens to be enjoyed by couples and visitors for years to come. Watch this space to find out more.

10 year fun facts:

• Over the past ten years the team have popped over 35,000 champagne corks
• Served 20,7480 canapés
• Welcomed over 69,160 guests through the doors.