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Ontario Family Barn Wedding

Ontario Family Barn Wedding

This Canadian wedding is reception decor inspiration in a realm of its own. Bridesmaid and photographer Sara Wilde shares the day with us, and it’s clear this is a true labor of love affair — the barn used for the wedding is owned by the bride’s grandfather, and both friends and family pitched in to make the day one to remember. We love how they incorporated the barn into their theme – their song request bucket on a pulley is our newest favorite rustic wedding idea!


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DIY Grandfather's Barn - A labor of love, Durham, Ontario by Sara Wilde PhotographyDIY Grandfather's Barn - A labor of love, Durham, Ontario by Sara Wilde Photography

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From the bride, Vicky: Being a graphic designer and visual stylist, I wanted to do as much as I could myself. My vision for the wedding started with an idea to make napkins for the tables in different patterns – yellow for the girls and grey for the boys. I also used these fabrics to make bunting and tassels which were used to decorate the space. My background in graphic design made me want to brand everything and the brown craft paper really worked with the space. The painted signs replicated the hand-drawn feeling of the font and the illustrations I did for the invitations and the wine and cider labels.

DIY Grandfather's Barn - A labor of love, Durham, Ontario by Sara Wilde Photography

DIY Grandfather's Barn - A labor of love, Durham, Ontario by Sara Wilde Photographysong request bucket wedding ideas

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DIY Grandfather's Barn - A labor of love, Durham, Ontario by Sara Wilde Photography

We knew that we wanted a sentimental setting, and my Grandfather’s old chicken barn, turned out to be the perfect location. The building’s cinderblock structure mixed with the old wood loft and ceiling really complimented our aesthetic that is somewhere between industrial and rustic. Many weekends were spent cleaning and decorating at the barn with our family and friends. While the girls hung flags and added flowers to the tree chandelier, the boys built the bar out of barn boards salvaged from Ryan’s family’s property. We all worked together to add features like the cupcake stand made out of an old ladder, lighting made from sap pails and chicken feeder flower pots.


DIY Grandfather's Barn - A labor of love, Durham, Ontario by Sara Wilde Photography

Ontario Canadian wedding rusticOntario Canadian wedding rustic

DIY Grandfather's Barn - A labor of love, Durham, Ontario by Sara Wilde Photography

We wanted everyone to have a great time so we made sure that there would be lots to do – a photo booth, candy table, guest tree, and DJ request bucket. We also wanted everyone to have a space to be comfortable and get to know each other, so we included intimate seating areas and lots of high top tables to mingle at around the bar.


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DIY Grandfather's Barn - A labor of love, Durham, Ontario by Sara Wilde Photography

View more images from this wedding in the gallery

Wedding Vendors (Durham, Ontario, Canada):

Wedding Venue: Bride’s Grandfather’s barn / Wedding Photographer and Photobooth: Sara Wilde Photography / Wedding Dress: Augusta Jones / Wedding Shoes: Anthropologie / Bride’s Headpiece and Veil: Vicky P Design / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Made by groom’s mother / Bridesmaids’ Accessories: Vicky P Design / Wedding Hair: Kristen Whetham / Wedding Makeup: Jenna Voss / Groomsmen’s Suits: Gorman’s Menswear / Wedding Flowers: Durham Florists / Wedding Caterer: Green Door Cafe / Cupcakes: Cake Creations by Renee van der Heide / Invitations and Stationery: Vicky P Design / Officiant: Pastor Randy Liedtke / DJ: Sensational Sounds DJ Service

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