THE COW SHED CRAIL - BARN WEDDING FIFE
If you’re planning a barn wedding in Fife then you need to take a look at The Cow Shed Crail. I’ve recently moved to Stirling so this is now one of my lovely local venues and it really is amazing.
Surrounded by fields, The Cow Shed Crail is just outside the beautiful coastal village of Crail. The whole area is stunning, one of my favourite corners of Scotland. I love the fishing villages, the beaches, the views out over the Firth of Forth…imagine having your wedding photos taken in Crail, it’s a perfect backdrop!
Image by Andrew Rae
BARN WEDDINGS IN FIFE
The Cow Shed Crail has been in the Logan family for over 70 years. The original dairy has now closed down but, back in 2016, The Cow Shed was given a fresh start when it was turned into a blank canvas wedding venue.
The best thing about The Cow Shed Crail (apart from those stunning views) is that it’s got so much flexibility. There are lots of contrasting spaces within the one venue, meaning you can have a number of differing feels and vibes throughout your wedding day.
I also love just how convenient The Cow Shed Crail is, location wise. It’s not too far from Edinburgh and Glasgow and there are so many places to stay within the area for couples and their guests. Crail and the surrounding villages are perfect for a wee break away pre or post wedding. There are lots of little holiday cottages dotted around nearby which are handy for wedding guests, family and for couples to get ready in.
Image by Marc Millar Photography
WEDDING CEREMONIES AT THE COW SHED CRAIL
Before I start chatting about ceremonies at The Cow Shed Crail, it’s worth knowing that if you’re after a religious ceremony there’s a quaint wee church just down the road in Crail. Sometimes there is a decent distance between a church and a barn style venue which can be quite complicated to arrange logistically and can be a wee bit of a hassle for guests. Crail Parish Church is so close that it’s nice and handy.
For couples booking The Cow Shed Crail for their entire day then there are a lot of options for a wedding ceremony.
If you fancy braving the wonderful Scottish summer weather then you can hold your wedding outside in the Courtyard. This wee suntrap is a really nice, sheltered spot, perfect for a ceremony and / or post ceremony drinks. The lovely tones of the sandstone walls surrounding the Courtyard mean that you just need some simple florals to lead the eye down the aisle - Mason Jars of flowers look great here or you can fill meadow boxes with wild flowers and dot them about the space.
If you’d prefer an indoor ceremony then there’s so much variety at The Cow Shed Crail. The old stone buildings are beautiful with so many features from its history as a working farm. The barns and workshops are filled with those interesting, rustic features that you just don’t get in purpose built modern barn venues.
The Cow Shed Barn is a more intimate space with huge glass doors opening out onto the lawn. Fairy lights are strung from the high, vaulted ceiling and you could decorate the back wall with simple but effective hanging installations. You could add hanging flower hoops here or this wall also creates a perfect blank backdrop for a floral arch. Colourful florals look amazing against the whitewashed stone walls and foliage or wildflowers tied to the chairs or bud vases on the signing table are fab. I always encourage couples to think about how they can use their ceremony flowers and foliage throughout their wedding day. Bud vases and arrangements not only look great but they’re so handy for repurposing in the Steading Marquee for the wedding meal.
Image by Marc Millar Photography
In the last few years the team behind The Cow Shed Crail have refurbished a new space - the Roundal. This was used to store grain in the past and is now an ultra cool, very intimate wedding ceremony room. It’s so cosy and perfect for those smaller, winter weddings, especially when the log burner is lit. As it isn’t your average, rectangular room you can do some really interesting designs and florals here, taking advantage of the wooden walls and sloping ceilings.
The Workshop is generally used for larger wedding ceremonies. I’ve put together floral installations here such as in the window and around the arch shaped doorway, but more simple, minimal flower designs are popular too - with seats in rows, bud vases lining the aisle and a circular arch decorated with flowers. If you have a floral arch on a freestanding frame and want to repurpose the arch later in the day it's easy to move around the venue. An arch creates a fab focal point for the ceremony and a lovely, colourful backdrop for photographs when the couple are standing in front of it.
All the rooms are interconnected within The Cow Shed Crail, and floral arch installations look amazing over the huge sliding doors. There are plenty of corners to create more free flowing organic arrangements that look as if the flowers are growing inside the space. Touches like this are a great way to lead your guests through the venue using your wedding colours and flowers.
Image by Andrew Rae
THE COW SHED CRAIL WEDDING RECEPTION FLOWERS & DECORATION
There are lots of areas within the barn buildings and you can hire props or furniture to kit them out with rugs / chairs / tables and decor. Dotting bud vases or flowers in bottles around is a good option as well as flower clouds or hanging foliage. These are all so effective at carrying the mood of your day throughout the various buildings.
Image by Andrew Rae
Generally people have their meal in the marquee. The Steading Marquee is one of the reasons The Cow Shed Crail is a more unique barn style venue. Couples have the option to use the permanent marquee - a little more elevated than your usual, temporary structure - as well as having the rustic, barn vibes going on and the festival feel of the courtyard. I love all the variety!
The Steading Marquee has a lined marquee ceiling with a ridge bar, perfect for hanging pieces coming down the centre of the marquee. Floating, foliage clouds are so impactful when guests walk in. The drapes are all white, so the greenery really pops. The clouds help to soften things up a little and create an ‘outside in’ feel. Really in keeping with the countryside around the venue.
As well as hanging flower clouds you could incorporate ribbons and bunting. There are so many options! The benefit of doing floral and foliage installations so high up means that there’s no issue later when it comes to moving tables around and creating a dancefloor. The decor is up and out of the way.
Image by Marc Millar Photography
Long, banquet style tables are generally used for the wedding meal. The most popular option here is foliage runners, loose, fresh greenery along the centre of the table. These are so effective against bare, wooden tables and work well with the rustic, boho vibe of The Cowshed. They’re also great if you’re having sharing platters as these can be put down right on top of the loose greenery.
Couples often also like bud vases or bottles and jamjars of flowers dotted all the way down the tables. This is a fab way to create a wave of colour, especially as the tables themselves are so long. You can work in things like a fabric runner or coloured candles, anything that draws the eye down the table and cements your colour theme in the marquee. They are also not too tall so guests can still chat away to the person opposite!
Another option, as the marquee ceiling is so high, is to do more elevated table designs. Instead of hanging pieces from the ceiling you could do taller arrangements, sitting above head height so they’re not blocking guests’ views. Arrangements sat on stands, upon the tables, create drama in the room and more interesting shapes. They can also be moved later on as the room is turned around.
Image by Marc Millar Photography
WEDDINGS AT THE COW SHED CRAIL
You’ve probably realised by now what a flexible venue The Cow Shed Crail is. As an added bonus, as it’s a mix of barn and marquee, the colours are all really neutral meaning you can choose pretty much any colour scheme. Lean into the pastels or go for a really colourful, Mexican fiesta style day. Either looks amazing! I also love Autumn weddings, those rust reds, browns, oranges and peach tones all work so well with the wood and stone backdrops in the barn.
I’ve done weddings at The Cow Shed Crail that are more minimal - using whites and greens which looks a bit more contemporary and high end. Some couples prefer to lean into the barn and countryside feel of the place and go all out with milk churns of flowers, meadow boxes in old potato crates and hay bales. Whether you embrace the rustic or go modern and chic the end result always looks incredible. You can really make The Cow Shed Crail your own, which makes for a wedding that is so unique. I love it!
Image by Andrew Rae
In summary - my top tips for A WEDDING that is uniquely yours at The Cow shed CRAIL, Fife
It’s a blank canvas - so go wild! Colour / monochrome / pastels, the choice is yours!
Think about how you can repurpose your flowers around the venue
Make the most of the high ceilings in the Steading Marquee - hanging installations look great, or elevate your table decor
Bud vases are a fab way of bringing your wedding colours into the venue and can easily be reused in different spaces
Foliage runners work really well on long trestle tables, and they look fab too!
Image by Marc Millar Photography
I absolutely love The Cow Shed Crail, and I hope these tips and images spark your creativity and see what can be done in such an amazing space.
Head to our Flower Ideas page if you’re in the mood for more inspiration or get in touch if you’d like to talk about plans for your wedding flowers.