This page is for couples booked to have their big day at Cott Farm. If something’s not covered below, please do get in touch! Please also do have a look at our Questions & Answers page.
After booking your wedding venue
Book your Registration Officers
If you are having a civil marriage or partnership ceremony at Cott Farm, you should book the registrars for your wedding ceremony as soon as you have booked your date with us. Registrars for weddings at Cott Farm are booked from Somerset Registration Service (Somerset Council), regardless of where you live.
Registrars can be booked up to two years in advance of your wedding date and we recommend booking your registrar early to ensure they are available. It is your responsibility to make the necessary booking with the registration office.
Send a Ceremony Booking Request to Somerset Registration Service here and select ‘Cott Farm’ for the venue.
Wedding Insurance
Please remember you are required to obtain wedding / event insurance as part of your booking with us. We cannot recommend specific insurance companies because of the law governing the selling of financial products, however the below links can give you more information on wedding insurance.
Wedding Insurance Guide, Money Saving Expert
Compare Wedding Insurance
Money Saving Supermarket partnered with Protect Your Family comparison tool
Planning your order of the day
Our team will help you plan the order of your big day. Just let us know the confirmed time of your ceremony once you’ve booked your registrars (or church), and we will send suggested timings for the day.
Every wedding is different and timings are largely determined by the format and contents of your ceremony, the number of guests, your wedding breakfast menu and your entertainment. As a rough guide we recommend allowing:
- Ceremony: 30 minutes (if having a civil ceremony at Cott Farm)
- Welcome drinks, canapés & photos: 1 – 2 hours (depending on whether you are having canapés)
- Wedding breakfast: 1.5 – 3 hours (depending on menu, number of courses and number of guests, but roughly 45 minutes per course + 15 minutes)
- Speeches & toasts: 45 minutes – 1 hour (they’ll probably take more like 30 minutes, but it’s good to allow a buffer before your band arrives to set up)
- Band set up: 1.5 hours
- Evening food: 1 – 1.5 hours (depending on menu and number of guests)
We will work through these timings with you to make sure your day runs as smoothly as possible.
We ask for you to appoint a guest to serve as your master of ceremonies (MC) for your day if possible. This is typically a job for one of your wedding party (such as a best man, maid of honour or an usher), but any guest who enjoys public speaking would be suitable! We don’t need this person to ‘keep track of time’ or anything else other than make announcements when prompted by us – we provide wedding coordination throughout the day and will find your master of ceremonies at the time they are needed to announce each part of the day.
Choosing your wedding suppliers
See our local wedding supplier recommendations here.
You’re free to choose the professionals you want to provide additional services for your wedding day. We don’t have a preferred supplier system… But this obviously brings its own challenges as a venue! In addition to compliance with all statutory legislation as a company, we have legal obligations as a licensed wedding and events venue. Therefore we must require your suppliers to follow certain policies to ensure everyone meets both legal obligations and our shared goal of creating the most magical day for you and your guests. In particular, any individual or company you contract to provide their services to you at the venue must hold valid insurance for providing their services and all required relevant licenses and professional certifications for their services and equipment.
We’ve outlined important information for suppliers here.
Choosing your menus
Please let us know when you have chosen what you’d like to eat for your wedding breakfast (your daytime food) and in the evening. You can choose from our sample menus or plan your own dishes. Alternatives for vegetarians, vegans and guests with other dietary requirements will be provided for all choices – please make sure you ask your daytime and evening guests to RSVP with that information!
Planning your wedding theme, decorations and styling
Decorations
- You are free to decorate The Barn, its grounds and the ceremony pergola as much, or as little, as you’d like within your hire period. We ask that you are mindful to not damage the fabric or contents of the building and grounds. Hooks are provided on the walls inside the barn for you to hang your own decorations (or to use ours) – please use these and not drawing pins, Sellotape, blu-tack or any other fixings.
- All decorations provided by you must be delivered and removed by you during your hire period.
- The barn is approx. 20m long and 10m wide. There are 7 wooden beams spanning the 10m width. Each beam is fitted with fairy lights (which are included). You are welcome to use the beams to hang additional decorations.
- In addition to the fixed decorations, we have a wide range of wedding styling props and decorations. See our range of wedding venue styling props…
- We offer a venue styling service if you need help bringing your vision to life or you simply don’t have the time to put together your decorations.
Furniture
- The Barn can seat up to 150 people, with ten people on each of our 15 handmade wooden tables.
- We recommend seating at least eight people per table.
- Each table is 2.4 metres long x 1 metre wide.
- Our tables do not require table cloths. A table runner is a nice way of adding texture and tying in to your wedding colour scheme.
- Recommended table runner lengths: if you’re seating ten guests to a table (i.e. one either end and four down each side), we recommend allowing a space of at least 30cm for each place setting. A table runner of 1.8m long x 40 cm wide is ideal. If you’re seating eight to a table (i.e. no one either end), a table runner longer than the table length (to create an overhang) looks pretty. Please contact us if you’d like us to hire these for you.
- Chair covers: our chairs are all wooden to suit the style of the barn and you do not need to use chair covers.
Pergola decorations
We provide a lace curtain and garland for your backdrop. This is 210cm wide. If you wish to decorate the railings at the front, each side is 160cm wide.
4-8 months to go
Send your wedding invitations
We recommend sending your wedding invitations four to eight months before, with an RSVP date of two months before to give you time to chase non-responders and get your table plans organised. (See our suggestions for what to include on your invitations).
Remember, you need one invitation per household, not per guest (yes, we actually made that mistake and bought double the amount of invites and stamps!).
Though we do not restrict the number of children you may invite, if more than 10% of your guests are under 14 years old, you must arrange a suitably qualified and insured creche or childminding service for the duration of the wedding. Please see our list of local wedding suppliers. If you’re planning a child free wedding, see our suggestions for wording a child free wedding on your wedding invitations.
Give notice
Giving notice is a legal declaration that you intend to marry. It’s a private meeting at your local registration office with a registration officer in advance of your wedding so that permission can be granted for you to marry.
Here’s a summary of the process of giving notice:
- You must give notice at least 29 days before your wedding. You can give notice up to a year in advance, and the marriage authority is valid for a full year for the venue you have chosen, so we recommend doing it 3-6 months ahead.
- You give notice of marriage to the council in the area that you live, even if your ceremony venue is in a different area.
- If you live in Somerset, you can book your appointment online for any of the register offices in the area. If you don’t live in Somerset please contact your local council.
- You’ll need to provide the date and location of your ceremony, so you must have booked both your venue and your registrars before you can give notice.
- You must both attend your notice appointment in person.
- You both need to provide original documents confirming your name, age, nationality and marital status. Typically, this means you will both need to take:
- A valid passport
- Driving license or current year council tax bill or utility bill dated within 3 months or bank statement dated within 1 month
- If you are divorced: Decree Absolute. If you’re not previously married, no documents are needed.
Please visit Somerset Council’s website for more information about marriages on approved premises…
4-6 weeks to go
Finalise your wedding ceremony plans with the registrars: This is your big day and to a large extent it’s up to you what you include in your ceremony. You need to agree on what legal declarations and vows you want to say to each other. You’ll also (probably, though this is optional) want to decide which music you’d like for these three moments: walking down the aisle, signing the register and walking back up the aisle.
The details of everything you want to include need to be given to Somerset Registration Service at least 4 weeks before your ceremony, or they can prepare a standard ceremony format for you. As a guide, a civil wedding ceremony will last between 20 and 30 minutes, depending on whether you’ve chosen a classic or enhanced ceremony and which personal readings, vows and music you choose. Please see the marriage and partnerships guidance from Somerset Registration Service for more details.
Finalise your plans with the venue: We’d like to meet with you at the venue around six weeks before your wedding day to run through your final plans. We’ll ask for your final daytime and evening guest numbers, menu choices and all dietary requirements at this meeting, as well as asking for the contact details of any suppliers you have contracted, running through lots of practical things, and the final details of timings for every part of your day.
The final month countdown!
Create your table plan: Now all your guests have RSVPed, you can plan your table layout and where you’d like each person to sit. Check out our top tips to make planning your seating plan easier!
Check in with your suppliers: Confirm times and details with your photographer, florist, band/DJ, hair/make up etc.
Final fittings: Complete the final dress/suit fitting with shoes and accessories.
Delegate roles: Assign specific, small tasks for the day-of to wedding party members.
FAQs
Setting up and packing down timings
Your agreed weekend wedding booking period is:
Friday 10am – 5pm to set up
Saturday (the Event Date) 1pm – 1am
Sunday 10am – 1pm to collect possessions.
Please refer to the booking terms and conditions if you have booked something other than a weekend wedding with us.
There is no access to the site to you, your guests or your suppliers outside of these times.
Please ensure you arrange the timings for your suppliers (any person or company you have contracted directly) around when you will be at the venue. We cannot accept deliveries or collections, or sign off on your contracted services from a third party on your behalf.
Can you choose your ceremony location?
We will always try to make everything happen as you want it on your big day. This includes your preference to have your wedding outside, but unfortunately the weather is one of the things we cannot control. However, we do have the perfect back up plan in place as the barn itself is licensed for ceremonies.
There’ll be no other weddings taking place anywhere at the venue, which means right up until the morning of the big day itself you (or indeed the weather) can choose your ceremony location. We can leave the ceremony location decision until the last possible moment, with all our fingers crossed, but please note the Registrars may insist you have your ceremony inside if the weather is awful, and we can’t overrule them as it is a legal ceremony. Please do trust us – we will always try and work to your wishes and will help you make a decision in the best interests of everyone!
Confetti throws
- Real flower confetti is allowed. This must be used outdoors only.
- We do not allow any synthetic (including that labelled ‘biodegradable’) confetti anywhere within the grounds.
- Confetti, including table ‘confetti’ decor, is not permitted inside the barn.
What tableware is provided by the venue?
Your catering costs include individual place settings for the menu and drinks you have chosen, for example serviettes, cutlery, crockery and glasses. Plus central tableware for each table, such as salt & pepper mill and serving equipment. Jugs of water will be provided for each table, plus there’ll be fresh water available from the bar throughout.
How are drinks packages served?
If you have chosen a drinks package we will take care of the quantities, staff, and glasses required for your final guest numbers. Welcome drinks will be served by the glass – please choose one type of welcome drink for all guests and this will be served with a non-alcoholic alternative. Table wine is based on a glass for every adult guest, and any left over wine will be cleared from the tables after your meal. Toast drinks are served by the glass to your guests at the table by our team.
The bar will be open throughout the day for your guests to purchase drinks.
Please remember for both safety and licensing reasons, all food and drink consumed on the premises must be supplied by the venue. Edible ‘favours’ and thank you gifts are not permitted.
Should you include your suppliers in your numbers?
You may be expected or contractually required to provide food and drink for your suppliers (any person or company you have contracted directly). Photographers nearly always need to be included in your daytime guest numbers for catering. They will sit separately to eat their food while you and your guests are eating. Your evening suppliers (especially your band, and often your photographer) should normally be included by you in your evening food numbers unless you have explicitly agreed otherwise with them.
Some suppliers expect a provision for drinks from the bar too, and we are happy to accommodate you if you wish to set up a small soft drinks bar tab for suppliers. Please check with your individual suppliers what they expect or require and let us know what has been agreed. Our talented kitchen team will be serving your carefully curated menu, therefore all daytime and evening food must be pre-ordered.
Wedding cake arrangements
- Please remember your wedding cake must be prepared, stored, delivered, set up and decorated by a registered Food Business. This means they must be registered with their local authority for food hygiene purposes.
- You must ensure your wedding cake accounts for guest allergies and compliance with rules on food-safe decorations (for example FSA’s 2024 prohibited flowers). Your baker will need to provide written allergen information upon delivery.
- Cake deliveries and set up should take place as late as possible before your wedding ceremony start time.
- Once you’ve done your ceremonial wedding cake cutting, we transport it to the kitchen and process it into slices to be served informally ‘buffet-style’ during the evening.
Camping
- If you have booked our glamping & camping option, this includes five bell tents and your guests can bring their own camper vans, and caravans, as well as tents. We do not have electric hook up facilities.
- Our glamping and camping option is one price for the exclusive use of the whole camping field (including the bell tents). We don’t offer an option for guests to book individually with us. Likewise, breakfast can only be provided for the minimum number of guests and we can’t offer this to individuals. It’s not a problem for you to ask your guests to pay you for their camping pitch and breakfast, however you are responsible for making such arrangements with your guests.
- You have exclusive use of the venue from Friday morning. Your guests may set up and take down their tents at anytime during your hire period. Staying overnight is only permitted on the night of the wedding.
- All guests must leave The Barn by 1am. Those camping must head back to the campsite. No sound systems/amplifiers etc are permitted in the campsite.
- Due to insurance we cannot permit overnight stays by anyone if you have not booked our glamping & camping option.
Visiting Cott Farm
- Weekend wedding bookings include two planning meetings. We suggest the first takes place shortly after you have booked for you to re-visualise the space, and start making your wedding plans with our help. This often includes bringing parents and/or friends to show them the space. The other visit is normally around six weeks before your wedding day so that we can finalise your plans with you.
- For single day wedding bookings we include one planning meeting 6-8 weeks before your booked date.
- If you would like to arrange additional private visits or planning meetings for you, your family/friends or your suppliers, we will always try to accommodate you but there may be a small additional charge for this. Please remember visits to the farm are by appointment only.
Changing your booking
We appreciate your final guest numbers may increase or decrease by a few people between your completing your booking form and receiving your RSVPs, and that is expected. If your guest numbers look like they’re going to vary significantly either way from your booking, or if you would like to change anything else you have booked from us, you need to let us know as soon as possible. This is because your booked requirements (as specified on your booking form) are used to calculate the estimated price and payment schedule for your booking using the costs specified in our brochure for venue hire, catering and your other requirements. We use these to plan and book everything from our suppliers for the booked date to the wider schedule of maintenance, renewals and other annual costs. It’s therefore really important we agree to any amendments you wish to make to your booking. All amendments to your booked requirements must be agreed in writing with us.
Your booking with us is date specific and we’re not able to offer voluntary postponements. If you wish to change your booked date, you will need to cancel your existing booking with us and book a new date. Cancellation is subject to the terms and costs set out in our booking terms and conditions. You are required to obtain wedding/event insurance as part of your booking with us so please check your wedding/event insurance covers your circumstances before contacting us to discuss booking a new date.
Within 14 days of booking: We can usually accommodate date changes to another available date within one month either side of your booked date. For example, if the registrars have no availability on your booked date we will endeavour to move your booking with us to the next or previous available weekend. However whilst we will try to accommodate your request if made within 14 days of booking with us, no guarantee can be made.
Anything else?
Please do in touch if you have any questions or need any help!
Becca & Ollie x