Your Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wedding - Feb/Mar 2020 (Issue 81)

COLSTON HALL 01753 392 400 | colstonhallgx.com This striking Grade II listed property is surrounded by grounds and pretty gardens making a picture-perfect setting for photographs and for entertaining al fresco – a beautiful backdrop! Awash with neutral colours its façade and interior will complement any big-day theme, with its large halls and rooms providing a wonderful atmosphere for a grand, yet relaxed day. For ceremonies, couples can host their nuptials in the Garden Room for up to 116 guests with access leading straight into the gardens, or Colston Hall holds up to 140 loved ones, and this large hall benefits from a neutral colour scheme. The latter, is also the setting for post-vow celebrations, 150 friends and family can enjoy a sit-down wedding breakfast and up to 200 attendees can partake in the evening festivities. THE beautiful SOUTH Where to wed in South Bucks and South Oxon FISON BARN, EARTH TRUST 01865 407 792 earthtrust.org.uk/weddings Nestling at the foot of the Wittenham Clumps nature reserve, Fison Barn is set amidst 1,200 acres of countryside. This stunning and beautifully maintained nineteenth-century barn boasts original oak beams which have been lovingly restored and local Western Red Cedar has been used on the exterior cladding. The large barn doors open onto a tranquil courtyard where bats and swallows have made their homes in the barn eaves, red kites swoop overhead and there are floral displays of herbs and plants attracting butterflies and insects. For vows, couples can say ‘I do’ al fresco in the courtyard and inside Fison Barn each holding 85 guests. To celebrate, couples can enjoy a wedding breakfast with up to 85 loved ones and an evening do with 200 standing with the use of a marquee (hired separately) in the courtyard, an ideal extension space for events. When tying the knot here sustainability is at the heart of everything hosted at the venue; its eco-friendly biomass boiler provides underfloor heating during winter for all buildings. Rain is harvested for use in the toilets and its solar panels generate greenhouse-free electricity to meet a substantial portion of electricity requirements. The beauty of choosing Fison Barn for a big- day venue is that it’s a ‘dry hire’ venue; tables and chairs are supplied but then couples have the flexibility to hire in caterers, entertainment and a bar company, with the freedom to also decorate the barn as they wish. lauramarthaphotography.com  REGIONAL VENUES 29