Shimpling Park Barn Weddings - A Dry-Hire Barn Wedding Venue in Suffolk
Shimpling Park Barns is a beautiful, exclusive-use dry-hire wedding venue in the Suffolk countryside between Bury St Edmunds and Sudbury near Lavenham and Long Melford. Set on our organic family farm, our two restored barns, courtyards, gardens and pond-side ceremony area give couples the freedom to create a wedding entirely their own.
We deliberately host only a small number of weddings each year. There are no fixed wedding packages: you hire the venue exclusively for your set-up day, wedding day and clear-up time. You choose your own style, caterer and bar and make the space your own.
Whether you are planning an intimate wedding breakfast, a relaxed country wedding or a festival style celebration, Shimpling Park Barns gives you the flexibility to dry-hire and create it your way. The Tall Barn seats up to 80 guests for a formal wedding breakfast, with up to 150 guests for an evening celebration. The smaller Lantern Barn is cosy and atmospheric and is a great space for smaller gatherings. Both are exclusively yours to create the event you want. The two barns open onto three beautiful courtyards perfect for outdoor weddings whilst having plenty of indoor space if the Suffolk weather changes.
You can go full festival pop up waggon style… or indeed, mix it up to your taste. You can partner with a trusted caterer and bar. (We do not charge any commission or corkage) to make your wedding fit your dreams and your budget. We have a glorious area under the trees by the ponds for your outside wedding ceremony. We have amazing views in the gardens and farm for perfect unique farm wedding photographs. But we also have enough space inside so you have creative flexibility for beautiful barn wedding pictures too: the two barns are as beautiful in the rain and the sun so you can have the confidence to plan what you want in the knowledge that everything will work whatever the weather throws at us.
Our organic farm sequesters more carbon than it omits. If sustainability and environment is important to you this barn wedding venue near Sudbury, Bury St Edmunds and Lavenham will suit well. Our barns are underfloor heated by renewable fuels produced on the farm so if you decide on a winter wedding, Shimpling Park Barns will be as toasty and special as you can imagine.
If this sounds like the kind of wedding you are dreaming of, we would be delighted to show you around.
“A massive thank you again for Saturday night at the barn. What an amazing venue. We had the best time!”
“THANK YOU so much for letting us use your wonderful barn. Everyone commented on what a fantastic venue it was. We both had a fantastic day and felt very lucky.”
“Where do I start? When we started looking we fell in love with the venue as soon as we stepped foot in it. Everyone who came to our wedding told us how wonderful the venue is and how good the food was and the service. Thank you to everyone who helped us! It was such an amazing day and we couldn’t have done it without you all! ”
Everyone of our weddings is bespoke, deeply personal and utterly joyous!
Click the images for a gallery of previous weddings hosted at Shimpling Park Farm
Every celebration is unique at Shimpling Park Barns.
The location and barns are utterly beautiful with their rich red brick and beautiful festooned courtyards. We strictly limit the amount of weddings we host per year so that we can really concentrate on making each one of them exactly what our couples want. We are a “carbon negative” totally organic farm. The barn has been converted with an eye to environmental sensitivity with recycled materials and heated with renewable fuels, so if the environment is something that is important to you, you can be sure your wedding does not “cost the earth”.
We are not licensed, so the legal registration is done at a Church or in our local Registrars Office with whom we have great relations. Back at Shimpling, you can design your own ceremony . You can have a celebrant ceremony, a family celebration. You can have an outside pond-side ceremony and you can be be as formal informally as you want. You have the creative freedom to create the wedding you want. Your commitment to each other is totally bespoke to you.
You can seat from 10 up to 80 for a formal style “wedding breakfast” in the tall barn. You can have more if your meal is more fluid. You could have up to 150 if you want extra evening guests to dance later! The smaller Lantern Barn comfortably seats 50 and is cosy and atmospheric.
Exclusive use of the Tall Barn and the Lantern Barn, the outside bar area and the three courtyards. We have plenty of Vintage style trestle tables and folding wooden chairs. (You are of course welcome to rent in round tables if you prefer). There is plenty of parking and plenty of kitchen space for your caterers. There is easily accessible festooned courtyard for any food trucks / pizza ovens / ice cream vans or bar trailers you might want and there is a fire pit with logs available if you would like.
No. There are no extra costs from us. We have a range of trusted caterers delivering a wide choice of delicious treats. From full tasting fine dining to street food style, you can partner with them direct to choose the fayre that YOU want. You are free to supply your own drinks and get them served by your caterer (we do not charge any corkage) or get a pay bar to organise this for you. Again, you will partner with them directly to ensure they deliver exactly what you want.
No. We have extensive knowledge of a wide range of tried and tested caterers offering a host of different styles and budgets. We know they are all good. You choose what suits your taste buds and your budget.
No. We have a beautiful bar area that you are welcome to use from which you can supply your own drinks and get your caterers to serve it. Alternatively, you can rent in a pay bar. You will partner directly with them so you know you are getting what YOU want.
Yes, the gardens and farm are very photogenic with woods and ponds as well as a “ha ha.” You are welcome to use them for a pre-event shoot.
Unfortunately, we do not currently have accommodation on site but we can give you a good list of great places to stay nearby.
The Nitty Gritty
You can have exclusive access from 9am to 5pm on the day before your wedding so you can enjoy the setting up. You have exclusive use of the whole barn complex on your special day. (We ask that the licensed bar stops serving at 11.30 pm and recorded music stops at 11.45pm and that the wedding party leave by 12.30 – you may be exhausted by then!) At your own risk, you and your guests are welcome to leave your cars and your decorations at the barn as long until noon the day after your wedding.
We will give you a clear contract, so you know where you are, but in brief, we ask for £500 to secure your booking. We ask for £1500 six months before your wedding and the balance is due a month before the wedding. There is a returnable damages deposit of £500. (We have never had to withhold any damages money at all)
We keep it simple. For weekdays (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday) the current price for exclusive rental of the venue is £4400.00. For weekends (Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday) it is £4900.00. Currently the prices for 2028 will remain the same if booked before the end of 2026.
