How to Decorate a Barn for a Wedding Reception

A well-kept barn is a great place to hold a casual wedding or wedding reception. Its large, open construction provides plenty of space to set up tables for guests and food, as well as room for musicians and a spot for dancing. When decorated, guests will forget that they are in a functional farm building. Before decorating, however, it's important to thoroughly clean the barn. Sweep or rake the floors and hose down all hard surfaces. Use a broom or long-handled tool with a rag at the end to brush away any spider webs on the walls. Keep the barn open for a while to air it out and get rid of any animals smells. You're now ready to transform your barn into a wedding hall.

Things You'll Need

• Hay bales
• Gingham or bandanna fabric
• White light strings
• Rope
• Tables
• Chairs
• Tablecloths
• Milk cans
• Flowers
• Wagon
• Seed packets

Instructions

1. Stack hay bales around the perimeter of the barn to create casual seating. Place large squares of gingham or bandanna-print fabric on top of the bales to prevent loose hay from getting on guests' clothes.

2. Loop thick rope garland-style around the walls. Attach the end of the rope to a barn beam and loop it over to the next beam. Continue around the barn. Run strings of white lights under the rope. Make shoelace-type bows from sections of rope and tack them up to the beams at the points where the loops come up.

3. Place tables and chairs around the barn. Small tables placed here and there create a friendly feeling, but long, banquet-style tables will allow you to seat more guests. Cover the tables with checkered tablecloths. Place bouquets of daisies and wildflowers in simple containers in the center of the tables.

4. Hunt down some old milk cans to place around the barn. Fill them with large, long-stemmed sunflowers. If you cannot get real sunflowers, use silk flowers.

5. Place a wooden wagon in the corner of the barn to use as a gift table. Put a large board over the top of the wagon and cover the board with checkered fabric.

6. Make up decorative seed packets for each guest and place them around the tables. On a small square of paper, write the following saying: "As these seeds grow and bloom, so will our love." Add the bride's and groom's names and the wedding date. Attach the paper to the seed packet.