Hadsham Farm is hidden, and it means it. The venue occupies a secluded valley on a family farm in north Oxfordshire, on the northern edge of the Cotswolds outside Banbury, and the first thing most couples say is that they had no idea this was here. Giant interlinked tipis stand beside a lake, with rolling fields on every side and no neighbours to speak of. The styling is deliberately restrained — canvas, wood, water and sky — on the sensible theory that couples arrive with their own ideas and a venue should leave them room.
It is a dry-hire, exclusive-use site, and the hire is a proper stretch of time rather than a single frantic day: 3 days and 2 nights, which lets you set up at your leisure, marry without watching the clock, and clear up over a lazy Sunday. You choose every supplier yourself, there is no corkage, and the food can be anything from a food truck to long-table feasting to something genuinely smart. The whole operation runs off-grid on solar power and spring water, which is unusual and rather lovely, and the sound system, furniture, lighting and security all come with the hire.
Around 80 to 130 sit down under canvas, with space for up to 200 as the evening fills out. Ceremonies can take place on the lakeside decking, which is about as good as an outdoor aisle gets, and the couple get a shepherd’s hut to themselves for two nights. Guests can take one of 12 furnished bell tents or simply pitch their own, free of charge — which, combined with the season running through the warmer months, makes for the sort of wedding where nobody leaves at 10 to catch a taxi.
Where the band plays
The main tipi is the dancing space, and tipis behave differently from rooms: the canvas soaks up reflections, the sound goes up into the poles, and everything feels warmer and less boxy than a hard-walled barn. Bands generally allow for a bit more PA than the headcount suggests, and the payoff is a room that never gets harsh however hard the drummer works. A five- or six-piece is well matched to these numbers. Ground conditions are the thing to think about practically — it is a field, so bands and their gear appreciate a dry route in and a word about where to park.
How the evening runs
Because the site is off-grid and out of earshot of anyone, there is far less of the usual anxiety about volume and stopping times here, and the evening tends to shape itself around the fire and the lake rather than a schedule. In practice things run to around midnight, with the band playing two sets across the heart of the night and music or a fire pit carrying on afterwards for whoever is still standing. Confirm the power arrangements for the stage when you book, since an off-grid site works a little differently from a mains hook-up.
Bands available in Oxfordshire and perfectly at home in a venue like this.
More live music in Oxfordshire.
- Oxfordshire Wedding Bands
- Oxfordshire Events Bands
- Tribute Acts in Oxfordshire
- Wedding DJs in Oxfordshire
- Corporate Entertainment in Oxfordshire
Worth reading before you book: Sound Limiters Explained. More questions answered on our England & Wales FAQs.