wedding-centerpiece-all-you-need-is-love-The Barn At Startford-Delaware-Ohio_webwedding-centerpiece-love-The Barn At Startford-Delaware-Ohio_webA wedding ceremony and reception was held at The Barn At Stratford. 120 people attended the marriage of Joshua and Lindsey from 5:30-11:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 24, 2016, including their families and friends. The wedding and reception were both sponsored by Lindsey’s parents under the themes of love, and fun.

The Guests Arrive

The bridal party arrived and the ladies retired to the Meeker House Dressing Lounge to prepare for the day’s activities. Photos were taken of the bridal party, while family and friends arranged and decorated the Barn’s Gallery. They created a splendid welcome table to greet their guests.wedding-cards-and-gifts-table-The Barn At Stratford-Delaware-Ohio_web

The table had a copy of the official invitation and special photos of the couple for the guests to see. A separate table was set for the guests to construct their own doggy treat bags with.

wedding-kids-playroom-2-The Barn At Stratford-Delaware-Ohio_webThe guests of the wedding came around 6:00. They left gifts and cards for the bride and groom on a reserved table, and then ate simple appetizers. The kids went to a ‘Kids Room’, separate from the main stage. The kids room included custom coloring books with the couple’s names on the front, which they enjoyed coloring in.

The Wedding Ceremony

wedding-i-now-pronounce-you-The Bark At Stratford-Delaware-Ohio_webAt 6:30, the minister of the wedding began the ceremony from the Barn’s stage. A path was cleared for the bride, groom, and bridal party, to enter. The minister then officially joined Joshua and Lindsey in holy matrimony, to great applause from all in attendance.

After the ceremony ended, the bride and groom took additional photos with their families.wedding-appetizers-The Barn At Stratford-Delaware-Ohio_web The guests resumed eating the provided appetizers and beverages while the photos took place. A group of 15 people also took a tour of Meeker Homestead Museum by Ralph Au, a Delaware County Historical Society docent.

The Buffet

The full buffet meal was served once the couple, and the tour group, came back to thewedding-heflins-serving-line-The Barn At Stratford-Delaware-Ohio_web Barn’s stage. The meal consisted of chicken, twice-baked potatoes, stir-fried mixed vegetables, mixed green salad with dressing, homemade rolls, and roast beef hand-carved by caterer Roy Helfin. The couple’s table had special ‘He’ and ‘She’ glasses for the bride and groom. These were marked with special blue ribbons.

The bride and groom officially cut the wedding cake at 8:40 p.m. A ‘cupcake tree’, designed by The Cupcake Conspiracy for the wedding, was also brought out to enjoy. The tree had four different flavors of cupcakes arranged in an appetizing manner.

The ‘Couples Dance’

wedding-dj-kyle-The Barn At Stratford-Delaware-Ohio_webAt 9:00, the DJ changed the music to old-fashioned dance. The stage was cleared to make a large dance floor for everyone. The DJ brought all the marwedding-married-couples-dance-game-The Barn At Stratford-Delaware-Ohio_webried couples on the dance floor for a ‘Couple’s Dance’. This had couples sent off the floor in ascending years of marriage. The last couple on the floor have been married for over 50 years. After this game, the guests danced, and chatted, with each other. With so many friends and families, there was a lot of conversation among the guests.

Thank you to the following providers for helping make this event wonderful

Chairs: Janie Dehn with Its About Thyme from Powell, Ohiowedding-napkins-The Barn At Stratford-Delaware-Ohio_web
Tableware: Heflin’s Catering from Plain City, Ohio
Food and Beverage Service: Heflin’s Catering
Dessert/Cake and Cupcakes: Jessica Green – The Cupcake Conspiracy
Entertainment: DJ Kyle Rayburn from Delaware, Ohio