Curds Hall Barn
I recently visited Curds Hall Barn, a popular dog friendly wedding venue in Norfolk. I’d like to thanks Events Coordinator Evie for agreeing to show me around the venue and for sharing some images that I could use for this article. I first learned about Curds Hall Barn from a couple who had booked Curds Hall Barn and were enquiring about my dog chaperone services. Unfortunately the date requested was already booked but I hope to visit the venue again for a wedding soon.
Curds Hall Barn Location & History
Curds Hall Barn is located close to the village of Little Fransham, just to the east of Swaffham and pretty central within the county of Norfolk. Based on the drive time from our base we consider enquiries relating to Curds Hall Barn to be within our catchment area.
Dating from the 17th century, Curds Hall Barn is one of the remaining buildings from Curds Hall which was mostly demolished between 1935 and 1950. Curds Hall Barn was previously used as a grain store and a workshop and only became a wedding venue much more recently. Back in 2018 Lucy and Paul used Curds Hall Barn for their own wedding reception and this started the idea to do a full renovation to turn it into the wedding venue it is today.
Currently Curds Hall Barn can carry out about 2 weddings a week and they aim to complete about 50 weddings a year (the venue is hired on an exclusive use basis for a 3 day period). Typically weddings take place on Wednesdays and Saturdays, with there being a £1000 discount for the mid week weddings. Apparently dogs are present at a number of all these weddings which is perhaps understandable since dogs are welcome both at the wedding ceremony and indeed overnight in the accommodation. In cases where the venue is dog friendly overnight we find that our Gold package is very popular where we are asked to look after the family dog until 11pm when a family member will take over for the night.
How Curds Hall Barn Differs From Other Wedding Venues
Having visited a number of wedding venues now it’s clear that they all seem to have their own unique way of working. Many insist you use their in-house catering team. Some venues only host weekend weddings because they have hotel guests or business conferences during the week. The approach taken with Curds Hall Barn is that you are just hiring the venue. You will have a wedding planner present on the day and their own bar area will be staffed but they are flexible in regards to how you want to plan your wedding which will suit some couples. They can of course recommend suppliers but the venue is treated more as a blank canvas wedding space where couples have more freedom to create the look and vibe they want for their big day.
Main Barn – Ceremony Space
In terms of where the wedding ceremony takes place you have a few options. The Main Barn is where most couples will exchange their vows and is suited for up to 120 guests. In good weather the outside grounds can be used for the wedding ceremony if couples prefer. The other option for those who want a traditional church wedding is to use one of two local churches in Fransham for the ceremony and then return to Curds Hall Barn for the wedding breakfast and evening celebrations.
The Woodshed – Wedding Breakfast / Reception
The Woodshed is the area where the wedding breakfast normally takes place. Since you are only hiring the venue couples are not forced to have the traditonal 3 course sit down wedding breakfast. How you cater for your wedding is really down to you. Again this are is suitable for groups of up to 120 guests.
Main Barn – Evening Entertainment
Once the ceremony has finished the chairs can be removed and the main barn becomes the space where your DJ and / or live band will setup for the evening party. With chairs removed the space is large enough for up to 200 gueasts. At the back of the main barn is a small, well stocked bar.
Curds Hall Barn Accommodation
Just a short walk from Curds Hall Barn is their on-site accommodation option, known as The Old Coach House. The 5 bedroom barn conversion has an airy feeling being that it’s open plan and even has its own games room. A sofa bed can be added for those that require 6 beds. The Old Coach House is dog friendly and makes an ideal place for them to relax after all the excitement of the wedding ceremony and photos with all the guests in the grounds.
There is also the option to camp in the grounds of Curds Hall Barn, the pitch fee being £20.00 which includes access to the toilets inside the barn which is kept open overnight. For those that prefer luxury camping or glamping as it’s often known, Curds Hall Barn can arrange to hire bell tents from The Little Beach Bell Company.
For those that require even more accommodation, Curds Hall Barn recommends a number of local hotels, pubs and motels, something to suit everyone!
If you would like to know more about Curds Hall Barn, a visit to their website linked below would be a good place to start.
