Monks Barn Wedding Lighting

The Monks Barn is among our very favourite venues as it offers endless possibilities for decoration with lighting.

The larger of the two barns is usually used as the dining area and looks stunning with a fairy light canopy or chandeliers and drapes plus uplighting around the walls.

The smaller barn is usually used for the evening entertainment and sometimes also serves double duty as the ceremony area or drinks reception. We have lighting that can adapt throughout the day, transforming the atmosphere of the room from day to evening.

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Monks Barn Lighting Ideas

Fairy Lights

A stunning canopy of fairy lights suspended from the beams looks superb in either of the barns. We use warm white fairy lights which give a lovely golden glow and we install them with easy to use dimmers so the light level can be lowered for the evening.

The layout of the beams, especially in the large barn, is perfect for several different canopy designs giving lots of choice for personalising the space to suit the style of your wedding.

Some fairy light canopy designs also work well combined with additional decorative touches such as chandeliers, paper lanterns or pom-poms.

Some of our most popular fairy light designs for the Monks Barn include:

  • Gathered - lights run the length of the barn, suspended from three points and gathered more closely in the middle.
  • Double gathered - similar to gathered, but suspended from four points with the middle two gathered.
  • Widthways - a very sparkly canopy formed by running lights side-to-side across the barn.
  • Single swag - parallel lines of lights suspended between the outmost two beams.
  • Multi swag - parallel lines of lights suspended from the beams to form three swags.

Chandeliers

A set of chandeliers hanging from the beams makes such a difference both in terms of lighting and the feel of the barns.

Chandeliers create a focal point which helps to lower the apparent ceiling height, bringing a sense of intimacy and style to a large space.

The light from the chandeliers is warm white in colour, and they are of course dimmable for the evening.

Our crystal and white/ivory chandeliers look particularly effective at the Monks Barn or make a real statement with our stunning mirror ball chandeliers above the dance floor.

For the full range please see our main chandelier page here.

Paper Lanterns

A canopy of paper lanterns is the perfect choice for adding colour and light to the barn.

Available in a wide range of colours, lanterns can be installed as a cluster, distributed around the barn as a canopy, or added to fairy lights or festoon lights.

Design options for the Monks Barn include:

  • Distributed canopy - lanterns are suspended from supporting lines along the barn to create a distributed look.
  • Central cluster - a large cluster of lanterns as a centrepiece to the barn.
  • Add lanterns to fairy lights - unlit lanterns are added to a fairy light canopy.
  • Add lanterns to festoon lights - unlit lanterns are attached to selected bulbs on a festoon light canopy.

Some lantern designs can incorporate our unique disco mode, where the lanterns can be switched from normal lighting to a synchronised colour-change mode in the evening. The effect has to be seen to be believed and looks fantastic above the dance floor in the small barn.

Festoon Lights

A lovely alternative to fairy lights, festoons have a series of larger bulbs along their length and are a beautiful warm white in colour.

They give a warm, sophisticated glow during the wedding breakfast and can be dimmed later in the day to provide the perfect light level during the evening entertainment.

Festoons are normally hung in a traditional zig-zag style which can be either lengthways (between two beams) or widthways (across the width of the barn).

Edison Bulbs

Bare edison bulbs hanging from the beams make a stunning feature and give a lovely golden light.

The bulbs come in a variety of shapes, sizes and filament styles and are connected to powerful dimmers so that they can be bright for maximum impact during the day and then turned down to a gentle glow for the evening.

In the Monks Barn the bulbs can either be hung directly from the beams for a clean, modern look or for a really special feature consider placing your top table under our unique Edison bulb chandelier in front of the large barn doors at the centre of the barn. See this page for more details.

Uplighting

LED uplighting works really well the Monks Barn, creating a beautiful effect while filling in the light levels around the edges of the venue.

In the large barn, using uplighters around the edges of the barn increases the overall light level while creating a striking effect on the rough stonework of the walls. The lights can be set to a wide range of colours including white, bold and pastel shades.

In the small barn synchronised, colour-changing uplighting can be used to create a full-room lighting effect for a club-like atmosphere. The lights are supplied with a simple controller to switch from a choice of static colours in the day to colour-changing in the evening.

Fabric Drapes

Sumptuous fabric drapes complement white table linens and soften the lines of the barn, helping to create a more intimate atmosphere for your wedding.

At the Monks Barn drapes can be attached to the beams, in either an up-and-over style to create an arch shape under each beam, or as a pair of faux curtain drops at the ends. The up-and-over style shown here works particularly well with chandeliers.

We use wide, high quality flame-retardant voile for our drapes ensuring safety and a lush, luxurious look.

Disco Lighting

The small barn is normally used as a dance floor in the evening. Adding some disco lighting really helps create a fun atmosphere that can be turned on at the flick of a switch.

Colour-changing uplighting is the perfect starting point for disco lighting in this area as it is unobtrusive during the day (perhaps set to a static colour to match the main barn), but utterly transforms the room in the evening when colour-changing disco mode is selected.

Add a mirror ball (or even a mirror ball chandelier) hanging above the dance floor for real wow factor. We use a large motorised mirror ball and powerful spotlights to shower the room with dots of light for the classic disco ball effect.

To take it to the next level we can also offer beam-mounted effects including intelligent moving heads, UV blacklights and lasers.

DIY Disco

If you'd like to dance the night away to your own music playlist, our DIY disco includes everything needed to connect your own music source to our powerful, high quality PA speakers.

Includes PA speakers, mixer and optional illuminated DJ booth for a really professional but easy to use sound system.

Combined with beam-mounted disco lights, glitter ball and colour changing LED uplighting the effect is truly dramatic!

Outdoor Lighting

The garden area is lovely on a summer's evening, and adding a few lighting touches turns it into an inviting space that remains usable after dark.

Popular outdoor lighting options include:

  • Flood lights on the side wall of the barn - colour of choice.
  • Fairy lights wound around the tree trunk and/or along the hedge line.
  • Festoon lights along the side of the barn.

Anything Else?

The Monks Barn is such a blank canvas that it's a great place to try something different.

We're always happy to discuss bespoke lighting designs so if you have an idea or have seen an image of something you like, get in touch and let's talk it through!

Professional Installation

We have built up a lot of experience installing lighting at the Monks Barn so we're able to install large scale displays quickly and efficiently while causing the minimum disruption.

All lighting installations, particularly those that involve overhead lighting, have stringent safety requirements which must be met to ensure the safety of you and your guests. All of our installations are designed with safety in mind, using only high quality professional equipment which is regularly inspected and maintained.

We hold relevant public liability insurance (PLI), portable appliance testing (PAT), electrical safety and working at height certification.

Find Out More

The images on this page show some examples of our previous work at the Monks Barn. For lots more images of our work, see our Monks Barn Pinterest board.

To discuss lighting options and ideas for your wedding in the Monks Barn, please contact us here.

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