by Olivia • August 20, 2023 • Wedding Planning Guides
Picture the perfect twilight wedding on our farm. The gorgeous golden sun is setting just between the rolling hills of the Cheshire countryside, and a magical glow descends across the fields, illuminating our iconic Sycamore tree.
A path of warm, mystical light winds its way across the field to our Oak Pagoda, where you and the one you want to share the rest of your life with are stood, surrounded by friends, family and an unbelievable amount of love.
This is your moment. The most romantic day of your life. And it’s framed by that electric twilight and enchanting atmosphere.
This is what a twilight wedding is all about at Heaton House Farm.
It’s a wedding that typically starts around 5 or 5.30pm (though perhaps earlier if you’re opting for a winter wedding) and embraces a shorter order of the day.
Guests arrive for the ceremony and then celebrations turn straight to the reception and the dancefloor, usually missing out on a traditional wedding breakfast in favour of informal evening dining.
When you’re walking down the aisle as the fading sunlight casts that luscious golden glow over your décor, your guests and your partner waiting at the aisle, it’s easy to see why sunset weddings are so popular.
They create the perfect backdrop for your twilight wedding – an unforgettable atmosphere that just blossoms with enchantment and wonder.
That sunset holds a symbolic value too. It’s the beautiful end of the day and the anticipation of a fresh dawn, a perfect metaphor and mirror on your union – the end of your time apart, and the start of a wonderful new journey together.
Heaton House Farm, nestled amidst rolling hills and under those orange-tinted skies, is the perfect place to illuminate your love and send you on the path to everlasting happiness.
There’s really something spectacular about a farm wedding at dusk, where romance fuses seamlessly with nature at the very moment that photographers refer to as the golden hour, or the enchanting hour.
A twilight wedding captures that dreamy ambience perfectly. The rolling countryside dazzles in the setting sun. Birds sing and dance in the air as they make their way home. And on our patio (or inside our warm cosy barn), glasses clink, laughter echoes and love sparkles throughout.
Because even when you’re celebrating inside, our barns are naturally illuminated by the setting sun, with incredible views right across three counties. Pair that with our rustic oak beams, gorgeous décor and all the personal touches you want, and a twilight wedding at Heaton House Farm is like a fairy-tale come true.
To find that perfect twilight wedding venue, you need to focus on the outside surroundings and settings, the evening arrangements and the flexibility to set up your ceremony and reception the way you want, to really take advantage of that setting sun.
The twilight ceremony is the heart of your wedding, so you’ll want to make sure you find the perfect location. It’s no use choosing a great venue if the ceremony is indoors and won’t catch the setting sun.
At Heaton House Farm, we have multiple ceremony areas where you can exchange your vows under a spellbinding sunset, whether it’s on our lawn underneath our Sycamore tree, in our outdoor Oak Pagoda or in our oak-beamed barn with large picture windows.
A twilight wedding typically starts later and takes advantage of late-night celebrations. If a venue has an early curfew of 9 or 10pm, it probably won’t be your best option.
Talk to the wedding team at each of your shortlisted venues and run through an ideal order of the day for a twilight or evening wedding, to make sure you have the time and flexibility to fit in all the celebrations, food and dancing you’d like.
Talking of evening celebrations, you’ll want to think about how you’d like your wedding to look after the twilight ceremony now. What type of reception will you have? Will you be serving informal food? Where will you take photographs in the evening light (or the dark?) And what entertainment will you have?
Again, look for a wedding venue with experience hosting twilight weddings. You’ll want somewhere that can accommodate all your wishes and be flexible with your arrangements.
Our guide to twilight weddings has more ideas and advice on planning the perfect evening celebration.
That experience hosting evening weddings and twilight wedding packages will be very helpful when planning the logistics too, making sure your guests are well looked after and key logistics are all in place.
At Heaton House Farm, we love nothing more than mesmerising twilight celebrations, and our coordinators know exactly how to make sure your wedding brings all your dreams to life and how to keep your guests comfortable and happy, basking in the glow of your love.
There’s a reason why we’re Hitched’s number 1 choice for a twilight wedding venue!
Whether you’d like a giant outdoor picture frame to capture the setting sun, a path of fairy lanterns to illuminate the way to the dancefloor once the sun has set, or romantic candles forming romantic centrepieces on your evening dinner tables, we can make it happen.
However you’d like to theme your twilight wedding, we’ve got the picturesque setting and the incredible backdrop for your big day.
When you’re ready to embrace the magical twilight, let Heaton House Farm illuminate and enchant your big day.