Farm gets licence to let couples get married in its animal shed
A farm is preparing to venture into pastures new.
Most brides will do anything to keep their white dress looking its best on their special day but Morrells Wood Farm is offering wedding services in its cow shed after being granted a licence.
In the winter the shed will be home to the herd in Leighton, near Shrewsbury, but when they go out to graze, the shed will be transformed for wedding ceremonies. That means a spring clean and a half for staff at the farm, who have been busy clearing up armed with high-powered pressure washers.
Farmer David Harper said: "It is a proper cow shed – but in a few weeks you won't know the cows have been there."
Mr Harper said the idea "snowballed" after a series of open days where prospective brides were invited. The farm has a number of weddings booked for later this summer and autumn.
This year will be the first it has held ceremonies and this week, farmer Derek Harper, has been moving the cows out of their winter shed so it can be cleaned and prepared to hold its first licensed weddings this summer.
Mr Harper, who was born on the farm, has offered accommodation there for about 14 years and currently has holiday cottages and teepees on his field.
But they will now offer wedding packages at the farm, in conjunction with the nearby Wroxeter Hotel.
He said: "It has just snowballed.
"The Wroxeter Hotel were interested in our accommodation as extra and I suggested our fields as somewhere for a marquee and it went from there.
"Now we have a barn that can be used for wedding receptions and we've got a licence for our cow shed to be used for weddings. We had a few open days with the Wroxeter and a lot of potential brides came and asked if we were licensed and one or two said they liked the cow shed building.
"It is a proper cow shed, the cows have been moved out but in a couple of weeks you won't know they have been there."
Mr Harper said the farm has a number of weddings booked for later this summer and into autumn – and organised brides and grooms are already putting in requests for 2018.
Interested parties will be able to look at the cow shed, or outdoor areas to have their service and may also be able to take advantage of the farm's four star and four star gold accommodation.
