This Grade II-listed 16th-century barn is family run and idyllically set in rolling, Essex countryside just outside of Sudbury and is a rustic backdrop for elegant wedding ceremonies and receptions. Enjoy your drinks' reception on the Great Lawn in front of the lake and then marvel at the exposed beams covered in fairy lights in the Barn whilst you enjoy a delicious wedding breakfast before partying in the Barn in the evening.
An adjoining marquee, opening out onto a courtyard, contributes to the spacious feel of the venue. As well as the beautiful gardens that surround the barn, a magnificent lake, lined with willows, welcomes you as you arrive at the venue.
Built during the 16th century, Smeetham Hall Barn is an historic Grade II-listed building. Previously used as a threshing barn, for grain storage, then housing livestock, it is now a beautiful wedding venue.
The Hyde Parker family have owned Smeetham Hall since 1906 and have offered their barn to brides and grooms since 2000. Smeetham Hall is listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 and the barn featured on BBC's Don't Tell the Bride in 2016!
The stunning 16th-century barn has been carefully converted to accommodate elegant weddings with a rustic twist. Original timber beams give this venue an historic feel, and windows fill this large space with natural sunlight.
Twinkling fairy lights are wrapped around the beams, and by adding delicate floral arrangements and lots of candles, the barn becomes a wonderfully chic ceremony venue. During the evening, the barn will come alive as the spacious dance floor allows plenty of room for a band or DJ - or both!
A PA system and cordless microphone are available and the barn is fully heated. There is also a dressing room to allow a little privacy for the bride and groom. Exclusive use of the barn from Friday 9am to Sunday 12 noon is offered for Saturday weddings.
Civil Ceremony Capacity - 150 Guests
Wedding Breakfast Capacity - 150 Guests
Evening Reception Capacity - 250 Guests
A stylish, silk-lined, 40ft x 20ft marquee adjoins the barn, providing extra space while the barn is neatly transformed from ceremony venue to reception set-up.
Walk triumphantly down the aisle as husband and wife and straight into the marquee, where you can be joined by your guests for drinks. Later in the evening, when you need a break from the dance floor, the marquee provides a welcome, quiet chill-out space for relaxing. The marquee is also fully heated.
Additionally, the marquee stands in a courtyard which can be used for barbecues or hog-roasts during the summer.
The team at Smeetham Hall Barn have created a useful list of recommended suppliers, including accommodation and caterers for you to choose from. Each company offers a variety of cuisine choices, so no matter what style of wedding breakfast you are hoping for, you'll find a catering team who can create it.
Time to celebrate; Smeetham Hall Barn is a no corkage fee wedding venue, hallelujah!
Alternatively, the very popular, fully-inclusive packages (excluding drinks) offer great value and make planning your big day much simpler.
Sunday, 21st January 2024 | 10:30am - 2pm
Let Smeetham Hall show you around their beautiful barn and gardens and chat to some of their favourite wedding suppliers.
No appointment necessary!
Just be ready to talk weddings!
For more information, or to book Smeetham Hall Barn please get in touch using their contact details below.
AddressSmeetham was an absolutely amazing venue for our winter wedding. Everything from the very first viewing to the day itself went so smoothly that it made everything stress-free and enjoyable for us.
We could not have wished for a better day. Bridget and Sophie were fantastic and always on hand to answer any questions and help us along the way.
We could not recommend Smeetham Hall enough, a truly wonderful place for our wedding day.
Absolutely love it here. Not only is it a really gorgeous venue but the team are really noticeably different from a lot of more 'corporate' venues. Bridget & Sophie in particular were incredibly warm & welcoming and I felt right at home. Really looking forward to coming back again next year. ˜ºï¸
Smeetham hall barn was the perfect venue for our wedding with Bridget and Sophie making everything run smooth and effortlessly. It really did make the process so enjoyable throughout having so much help, guidance and warmth towards us from everyone involved. The team were always happy to help towards our requests and changes were made without any hesitation. It was very professionally run throughout with Wilton & Flower and Splinters working alongside Smeetham Hall Barn really completing the day. We would highly recommend choosing Smeetham hall barn and can't thank everyone enough for making our day so special.
From the moment we first walked in to Smeetham Hall Barn and met the lovely Bridget and Sophie, my husband and I knew that this was the place that we wanted to get married! The venue itself is absolutely beautiful before even being dressed for the day. Bridget and Sophie were enthusiastic, responsive and supportive all the way through the process. They were well organised and ensured the day went smoothly for us. It was a wonderful day and all our friends and family were very impressed and complimentary. The recommended suppliers at Smeetham Hall - Wilton & Flower Accessories and Splinters Caterers - were also fantastic and I would highly recommend going with them too. If you get married at Smeetham Hall Barn, you will not be disappointed!
We have just returned from a magnificent day/night at Smeetham Hall Barn for my daughter's wedding. What can I say? The venue, organisation, quality and magical nature of the place made it the perfect location for a great day. I would thoroughly recommend it for any couple looking to host a wedding and can't thank the owners and planners enough
We had our tri-lingual celebration at Smeetham Hall Barn, an absolutely gorgeous 16th century barn, and we could not have picked a better venue! Only 5 minutes drive from Sudbury, it is in a great location with plenty of parking. The getting ready room really helped the morning feel relaxed and stress-free. It is such a beautiful place, both inside and outside with plenty of areas for beautiful photos. The flexibility of venue-only hire, or choosing one of their packages was great, and we were provided with a long list of recommended suppliers to help make the planning process much easier. Bridget and Sophie were amazing to work with throughout the whole process. They were always quick to reply to our emails, incredibly helpful with their advice, and very patient when it came to answering all our questions! They made us feel very welcome, and they genuinely cared about us and making our day special. They met and exceeded our expectations! I cannot thank them enough.
I cannot fault a single part of our glorious wedding at Smeetham Hall Barn. Right from our first meeting with Bridget, her communication and organisation skills were impeccable throughout. The wedding venue, accessories, Wilton & Flower, the florist, Katrina from Cloud Hill and Splinters catering company all came together brilliantly and created the most stunning venue for our wedding. My secret guest appearance was a well-kept secret and total surprise! The DJ was super fun and kept our guests entertained! Bridget has the patience of a saint and calmed my nerves with her presence right up until I walked down the aisle. We are both so grateful to the team for making our day spectacular. Thank you to everyone!!
Love Team BROOK XX
We had our wedding at Smeetham hall barn and we could not have asked for a better day. Bridget and the rest where welcoming from our first visit and the location is gorgeous.
Bridget ensured that everything went smoothly on the day and was just one call away for any questions leading up to the day.
Where do we even start…..
Myself and my now husband fell in love with this venue as soon as we drove down the lane! It was the only venue you we saw and to be honest the only one you need to see! We knew we wanted to be far from tradition and we wanted a rustic boho theme and we more than achieved it with this amazing barn!
Bridget, Sophie and the team are just the best! So helpful, friendly, accommodating and the communication is 👌ðŸ¼
From the moment we first visited until the last moments of our day we couldn't fault anything we honestly had the best day, it was like a dream. All of our guests commented on what a spectacular venue it was.
So a massive, massive thank you to Smeetham Hall Barn for allowing us to have the best wedding day we could have dreamed of!
The most stunning venue! From start to finish it was perfect, a day I thought would only exist in dreams! We both can't stop looking at our pictures and smiling. I Couldn't recommend the venue and Bridget & Sophie enough, nothing was every too much bother!
Bridget, Sophie and all suppliers were incredible. We had the best wedding thank you!
We were meant to get married outside but due to the rain we had to have our ceremony inside. Bridget, Lizzie and Sophie pulled it out the bag decorating everything to make it special.
So many of our guests complimented how stunning the venue was!
Even though we had bad weather we got some amazing photos as the grounds are stunning and rain or shine they are beautiful.
Thank you again to the Smeetham team for making our day so special!
Having our wedding reception and dinner at Smeetham Hall Barn was the best and most magical experience we could have ever hoped for on our Wedding Day. The staff are some of the loveliest we have ever come across and the food and aesthetic are quite simply the very best! Divine! We are both so proud to have had our special day there and we recommend the venue to absolutely everyone in the world! We are blessed and so are the rest who book at Smeetham!
So, get booking everyone if you want the best, most special Wedding Day ever!
SHB is the perfect wedding venue!! Our day was perfect because of them!! The venue itself is absolutely beautiful and we fell in love with it as soon as we saw it. The team however are just out of this world!! They are so relaxed and accommodating and just work so hard to make the day exactly as you want it! I'm incredibly grateful to the team & I would recommend this venue to anyone!
We got married on the 28th January at relatively short notice at Smeetham Barn Hall. Right from the off Bridget and Sophie were extremely helpful, so friendly and always on hand with answers and advice about preparing for a perfect wedding day. Along with Splinters Catering, they provided the perfect day for us. Everything ran so smoothly, we didn't have to even think about anything. The mix of facilities they offer along with being able to provide some alcohol yourself (they amazingly charge no corkage which is very unusual) makes a perfect venue. We received so many compliments about how well the barn and marquee were presented twinkling with fairy lights and looking so cosy and welcoming. Although it was January the whole place is warm and welcoming. The private room for the family to use with a sofa, mirror and table etc is another very welcome addition to store flat shoes or have a moment of quiet time if everything gets too much! We used Wilton & Flower (who work very closely with Smeetham) to hire decoration accessories which took a further element of stress out of things as they set out everything and packed it all away again and we couldn't have wished for better, it looked stunning and fitted in with the look of the barn perfectly. The bar at local pub prices is another plus point. Overall an excellent choice for a wonderful memorable day!
I cannot fault the service at Smeetham and the level of autonomy they allow you to have at your wedding. The level of support they give is so much better. They rescued our wedding at 6 months out as our previous venue was horrific for hidden costs; what you see is what you get with Bridget, Sophie, Lizzie and the team. The caterers were fantastic! So many happy guests. Thank you to Georgina and the team for being a fab support to us!
Wow! Our perfect wedding day
Where do I start?
My husband found this beautiful venue in August 2021, he decided to arrange a visit without me knowing, little did I know this would be our dream venue! We both fell in love with the rustic, beautiful, welcoming venue, not forgetting the most stunning surroundings and knew it was exactly what we wanted for our special day!
Meeting Bridget on our first visit, she just made us feel right at home and nothing was too much hassle! We knew at this moment we had to book it! So we did! Bridget and Sophie are fantastic, they have offered support and guidance to us throughout the planning process and made sure our day went smoothly!
We attended opening days throughout the 17 months of planning our wedding, this was great for us to meet suppliers and gain ideas for how to have our tables/decorations on the special day.
We got married on Monday 21st November 2022 and we had the most magical day. We had the venue from 2pm the Sunday to 12pm on the Tuesday which was incredible. Plenty of time to set up and pack away the day after the wedding.
I arrived at the venue the morning of the wedding to get ready in the bridal suite, Bridget popped in every now and then to make sure all was okay and if we needed anything.
Bridget and Sophie let me know any changes throughout the morning and came to get me when the registrars arrived on site.
The day couldn't have been any more perfect! Everyone had the best day and although the heavens opened, it didn't put a dampener on it! The venue and lights inside were perfect for our family photos!
Bridget and Sophie were available all throughout the day and we cannot thank you both enough! 😊
Well, where do we start with beautiful Smeetham Hall Barn…..From day 1 we were welcomed so warmly by Bridget and team. A real desire for us to come along and share our incredible day at the venue, rather than a pushy sell. From the moment we booked, we were encouraged to contact and visit as often as we wanted. We struck a real bond immediately with all involved at Smeetham, simply due to their nature and desire to give us our perfect day - perfect it was! It is very hard to express how amazing our day was in only a few words and with so many amazing people involved, but……magical, warmly welcomed, stunningly prepared venue, incredibly attentive and lovely staff and PERFECT - felt by us and said by many. We could not recommend Smeetham and staff more highly and although our day has passed, Bridget and team will always remain part of the extended family. Thank you all for giving us, our family and friends the most perfect and unforgettable day. We look forward to seeing you again soon
We were recommended Smeetham Hall by a local hotel, it was so easy to book an appointment and view, the venue was just perfect, intimate, yet with enough space for our amount of guests approx (100). We cannot fault any aspect, from the beginning planning stages, the ongoing communication, help and support throughout, not only from the wedding co-ordinators, but all other services included in the package we chose. Every question or worry we had was answered immediately and we were able to plan everything easily. Having access the day before the wedding to decorate was wonderful, and being able to hire items for decoration was so essential. We were able to have full input in every aspect. Our Wedding Day was managed smoothly, we didn't have to think about anything, the barn looked stunning as did the Marquee, every one of our guests thought the venue was beautiful, not only inside, but the grounds outside, the photo opportunities endless. We felt special as a couple from day one, not just a number, we were treated as "the only couple" which was lovely and a sign of true professionalism, We really couldn't have chosen a more perfect, beautiful venue. The Wedding Package at Smeetham included catering from a local company, which was "faultless" attention to detail just perfection, a videographer, who was passionate about every aspect in making our day perfect, and a wedding disco who managed our whole days music. There really is nothing we can fault, the whole day felt relaxed yet managed discreetly, If we could do this all over again, there is nothing we would change, We cannot thank everyone involved enough, for giving us the most wonderful and memorable day of our lives. We can only highly recommend Smeetham Hall to anyone in the process of planning their wedding.
From our first visit to Smeetham Hall Barn we knew it was the venue for us. The barn is absolutely beautiful and a perfect size, and the outside area is a great place for your drinks reception. The surroundings are gorgeous. Bridget made our whole experience so easy and was always available when we needed her. Could not recommend Smeetham Hall Barn enough.
The perfect venue for a perfect day!
I don't even know how to begin to explain how exceptional this venue is. The entire team at Smeetham Hall Barn were absolutely incredible from the first viewing, right up to cleaning up the day after our wedding. The barn is absolutely stunning and the Suffolk countryside provides the most gorgeous setting, but truly the most special thing about Smeetham is the team. We were always made to feel so welcome. No question was too silly or request too big or small. It sounds a cliche but its absolutely true that we had our perfect wedding and a large part of that was due to the venue and how smoothly the day ran so that we could completely relax and throw ourselves into the festivities. Thank you so much Bridget, Sophie and the rest of the team - you are absolutely wonderful and masters of what you do!
We finally got our happily ever after on Thursday and just wanted to say a huge huge thank you to Bridget and Sophie for all of their help since we originally booked SHB back in September 2019 (which feels like a lifetime ago now!) Like so many couples, we had to move our wedding date due to Covid but I think we win the competition for the most date changes! It was 5th time lucky for us, and throughout every date change both Bridget and Sophie were so helpful and understanding, and did everything they could to find us a suitable alternative date - even when we asked to change one date when I got pregnant and realised our wedding date was to be 3 weeks after my due date! But we got there, with our 1 year old son present (and 2 years, 3 months and 3 days later than planned), we had the wedding of our dreams! Every single minute of our wedding day was absolutely perfect. The grounds are just beautiful - I can't wait to see our photos! The day felt so relaxed and all of our guests commented on what an amazing wedding it was. Thank you to all the suppliers linked with SHB too. Lizzie from Wilton and Flower - the barn looked amazing! The service from Splinters was impeccable and the food was delicious (some said it was the best wedding food they had ever eaten!) Thank you to Katrina from Cloud Hill for our stunning flowers - they were just what we wanted and we loved them! Thank you to the videographer Chris who put us as ease all day and worked so well with our photographer, and thank you to Your Wedding Disco. The day was filled with such love and happiness for us and all of our family and friends - it really was the best day of our lives! The day went by so quickly - we just wish we could go and do it all over again!
Thank you again! With very best wishes from the Cooper-Smiths Xx
Couldn't fault them
Smeetham Hall Barn was the first and last venue that we looked at… from the very beginning we were in no doubt it was the place for us, not only because of the stunning venue & location, but also in large part down to Bridget as she was so approachable and lovely. We would highly recommend SHB, we had the most amazing wedding day!
Unbelievable!
I cannot begin to describe how beautiful Bridget and her team are. Smeetham was the first and only wedding venue that I visited. As soon as I walked into the barn I feel in love, after meeting Bridget, I cancelled all other viewings.
We opted for the package which included catering by Splinters, a videographer and DJ. We also worked with Wilton and Flower for decorations. Splinters catering were incredibly flexible providing us with a BBQ menu with a great selection of canopies and wonderful desserts. They were so open to notes following our tasting and dedicated to getting the correct style and flavours. Sally reassured us that they would deliver and they delivered more than we could ever imagine. I was told by a guest that the jerk chicken was better than what they had in Jamaica! Chris the videographer was kind and professional and was so helpful to our photographer who had not worked at the venue before directing him to good places for shots. Wilton and flower helped us to put together a wonderful selection of decorations to hire. All of our guests loved the candelabras and personalised order of the day palette. The lighting by Our Wedding Disco was excellent and brought the party together. My family are Jamaican and my husband's family are Ghanaian. Throughout planning the wedding the team were so excited about the ways we would be incorporating our cultures and so supportive of all of our ideas. I cannot think of a single criticism or complaint in the way that the day was run or the team behind the venue. We had so many complements on how effortlessly smooth the day was. My husband and I kept saying throughout the night that we wished we had been guests at the weddings because there were so many wonderful things to enjoy and take in. Bridget, thank you for an amazing experience. We cannot express our gratitude for the love and effort you put into our day. We feel truly blessed to have found you all. Tia x
.
Exceptional
Bridget and the team at Smeetham are absolutely experts at what they do. We immediately felt at ease when we looked around for the first time and it didn't take us long to decide this was the place. We had total flexibility and all the options were presented to us so we could tailor the evening to our needs, especially important as we were having a non traditional "wedding celebration" without the ceremony. Nothing about this was an issue, the team were excited to do something new and different and kept in constant contact whenever we needed them to finalise a detail or change something.
The venue itself is stunning, beautiful barn with oak beams, picturesque lake with tiki torches lining the drive when the sun sets, glorious gardens with an array of wonderful flowers, Smeetham has it all. The day went off without a hitch, the food from splinters outside caterers was delicious and well received by all guests, adult and child alike, and the vegetarian option for myself was delicious. The DJ & disco from "your wedding disco" was fab, played everything we asked for exactly as we wanted it, took requests and kept everyone dancing. I was incredibly anxious on the day but I was put completely at ease by how prepared and organised everyone was and how efficiently everything was run. If you're considering going to look round, do it! You will be charmed by both the place and the people there. Thank you Smeetham for a magical evening.
Simply magical
Our whole experience from start to finish with Bridget, Sophie, Lizzie and the rest of the team at Smeetham Hall Barn was unfaultable and better than we could have ever imagined. We chose the venue in the middle of lockdown, it was our first choice and Sophie kindly showed us around via video chat! It was so amazing that we instantly put a deposit down and didn't look at any other venue. When we eventually got to see it for real it was even better in person! From that point on every bit of communication was excellent and everyone was incredibly helpful.
On our wedding day everything was managed so well that everything went smoothly and better than planned and the venue looked beautiful, cosy and magical. It was everything we hoped for and more, it really was the best day of our lives and we couldn't thank Smeetham enough. If you're looking for a venue for your special day we absolutely recommend Smeetham Hall Barn!
We have enjoyed every single minute of planning at Smeetham Hall Barn. All of you have been so lovely and helpful, nothing was ever too much trouble. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with my spare time now!! Thank you again Bridget, you helped make our day the most beautiful with amazing memories that will last a lifetime.
We had the most amazing Wedding Day at Smeetham Hall Barn.
Bridget was so helpful throughout. Our guests were amazed by the beauty of the venue and had a fantastic day and the food from Splinters Catering was delicious! Thank you so much!
On behalf of my husband and I, we would like to say a huge thank you to everyone involved in making our wedding day perfect on 1st December.
From our first visit to Smeetham Hall Barn we knew it was the venue for us. Communication and help along the way in organising our big day was spot on. It truly is a beautiful venue, and something different to your typical wedding venues. We loved having the flexibility to be creative and truly make it our day.
Dear Bridget,
The day was magical from start to finish, but the greater part of the day was spent at your wonderful Barn where everything was just perfect.
Your advice and enthusiasm right from the start of our planning was infectious and gave me huge confidence for what was yet to come.
For me, seeing you straight away when we arrived the day before with boot-loads of baskets was a relief that we were not managing the day on our own.
I appreciate that the barn is your business, but you make each family feel special as though our wedding is the only one that matters.
Thank you for giving us all such wonderful memories of a very special place.
Dear Bridget,
Thank you, thank you for all you did to make Georgie and Tom's wedding day so memorable and special - for all the right reasons.
Not only is Smeetham Hall Barn an absolutely stunning wedding venue but all the planning, advice and support right up to the end of the day was terrific and reassuring too!
It would be lovely to come back to you one day - who knows! We don't have any more daughters but we do have some big birthdays and a 'golden'.
Georgie now thinks of Smeetham as her special place so I need diplomacy!
Thank you again.
Dear Bridget,
Thank you for allowing us to host our daughter's wedding at Smeetham Hall Barn. We all had a really lovely day and your venue was just amazing. I am sure the photos will be spectacular.
We loved everything about the barn and marquee which looked perfect and just as we had imagined and planned. We had two very special days at Smeetham, one decorating and putting all our own decorations, bird cages and flowers in place and then the privilege of the wedding day being spent at this beautiful venue. Your hosting and organisational skills were second to none and we really thought the whole thing was amazing.