This is the story of how we turned our barn workshop into a venue for our son and daughter-in-law’s wedding reception. They had a destination wedding and wanted a low key reception with friends and family a few months later. I love to plan a party so we threw out the barn as an option and they took us up on the offer.

My husband was kind enough to move around nearly everything in his barn and temporarily relocate all the big items for the occasion. In exchange, he got his barn cleaned top to bottom like brand new again.

We started by hanging party lights and a disco ball from the trusses.

The goal was to somehow cover the shelves around the perimeter of the barn. Our solution was to use large rolls of plastic tablecloth. We cut strips to length, placed scrap wood on the top shelves and stapled the plastic to the wood to secure. My handy dandy cordless stapler from my own personal tool box was a life saver. We used a regular desk stapler to secure the panels together in spots so they didn’t blow open in the wind.

Once the plastic was hung, we topped it with lengths of chiffon ceiling drapes, gathered in sections and stapled to the wood.

“I am not afraid of heights. I am not afraid of heights.”

We were able to borrow tables and chairs from the church.

Family friends of the bride let us borrow this DIY pallet bar that we decorated with spray painted frames and prints from their engagement photos at a speakeasy.

Two of our son’s friends served up their signature drinks during the pre-dinner cocktail hour.

We lucked out that three table height shelves along the walls worked perfectly for the food, dessert bar and gift table.

Fly fans near the food helped keep bugs away.

The bride and groom kept it simple opting for a taco bar. I made all the food. Queso was served from a fountain. I thrifted all of the serving dishes in the months leading up to the event. The kids’ old college mini fridges worked great to keep extra food cold in the background.

These warming mats were wonderful for keeping the food at the correct temperature. I will reuse them over and over for future parties and holiday meals.

Photos from their destination wedding were placed at the barn entrance for guests to look at.

The guest book table held paper fans for anyone that was warm but luckily we had a perfectly beautiful September evening.

A Jenga game was used as the guest book for loved ones to sign. They can play the game in the future while remembering their special night.

I was worried the table settings would be too small and simple but I think they turned out perfectly. Not too crowded or too tall so everyone could talk across the table.

Since their wedding ceremony was immediate family only, we created a Newlywed Post that told a little about their wedding day. It also included a reception itinerary and a remembrance of loved ones passed. The folded napkins were imprinted with a thank you to guests.

For a little entertainment, wooden ring toss and tic tac toe games personalized with the bride and groom’s name and wedding date were scattered on the tables. The one thing I didn’t realize until the reception was halfway over was the votive candles never got turned on. Darn it! But that’s the only thing that didn’t go as planned so we are extremely thankful.

I purchased a variety of white flowers from Trader’s Joes and made small arrangements in recycled glass jars. The colored flowers in bud vases were from my garden.

It was a wonderful night with family and friends celebrating the newly weds. The barn setting worked out perfectly.

Following dinner we asked everyone to step outside for a drone photo with all the guests and the barn in the background. I love this photo.

The bride and groom created their own brand logo. While everyone was still outside, they burnt their brand into a cowhide rug for their new home.

The standard wedding reception dances.

Since neither of their parents technically had a first dance at their weddings, the bride and groom invited their parents out for their own proper first dances.

Honored and blessed to have hosted our son and daughter-in-laws wedding reception. A good time was had.

Believe it or not, by late afternoon the next day, everything was down, put away and the barn was back to its intended use. And it only took a few weeks to find everything again.

Reception items used linked below.