Rewriting the Rulebook: Non-Traditional Wedding formats at The Granary Estates
Who says a wedding has to follow the same order of events as everyone else's? More and more couples are realising that "tradition" is optional, and that the best weddings are the ones that actually feel like them.
At The Granary Estates, we love a non-traditional wedding. Here's how to build a day that breaks the mould, your way.
Jessica Ren Photography
Start with the structure
Traditional weddings tend to follow a script: ceremony, drinks, speeches, wedding breakfast, cake cut, first dance. But there's no rule that says you have to stick to it.
Want speeches before the meal instead of after, so nerves don't ruin anyone's appetite? Done. Prefer a first dance on the lawn straight after the ceremony while everyone's still buzzing? Go for it. Some couples skip speeches entirely in favour of a slideshow, an extra live band set, or simply inpromptu open-mic style speeches in the drinks reception. Our wedding planning team are used to helping couples mix up the running order to suit their day, not the other way around.
The ceremony itself can flex too. Choose a registrar for a civil ceremony, bring in a celebrant for something more personal and unscripted, or have your legal ceremony at a church or register office and join us afterwards purely for the celebration. We hold a license with the Cambridge Registry Office across 3 of our spaces including an outdoor ceremony location, so however you want to say "I do," there's a way to make it work here.
Image: I Am Here To Shoot
Choose a setting that matches your style
We have three ceremony spaces, each with a completely different feel. The Granary Barn, with its timber beams and flint walls, is dramatic and suits big, characterful celebrations. The Flint Barn is smaller and more intimate, with the same rustic charm in a cosier setting. Or say your vows outdoors in our courtyard garden, surrounded by seasonal planting, for ceremonies between April and September.
Want to push things further? Extend the celebration into a multi-day wedding with a relaxed recovery brunch the morning after. Our on-site cottages and lodges mean your wedding party (and any guests travelling from afar) can stay close by and make a proper weekend of it. Need more accommodation? talk to our team about adding bell tents.
Image: Emily Tyler Photography
Make it personal, right down to the menu
Non-traditional doesn't have to mean alternative dress codes or no-shoes-allowed dance floors (though we're here for that too), sometimes it's about the smaller details that make a day unmistakably yours. Our selection of caterers means your menu doesn't have to be a standard three-course set meal. Met on a trip to Italy? Build a menu around it. Grew up on your grandmother's curry? Let's serve it for late night food. Food is one of the easiest ways to tell your story without saying a word.
And when it comes to styling, our in-house Prop Shop and list of recommended stylists means you can dress the space to reflect exactly who you are, whatever that looks like.
If you're planning a wedding that doesn't follow the rules, get in touch with our team. We're rather good at helping couples build days that look nothing like anyone else's.
Image: Rob Sims Photography
