Charli & Dom had a fantastic wedding reception at our countryside farm wedding venue in June 2023. Being big foodies, they were very impressed with our eco-friendly ethos and home-grown seasonal menus and when looking for a venue with exciting catering options, South Farm was the perfect fit for their beautiful day. Read all about the story of their stunning wedding day in our latest blog…
Date of your wedding: 17th June 2023
Time of your ceremony: 1.30pm
Location of your ceremony: St Mary’s Comberton
We’d love to hear how you both first met?
Dom and I met through a mutual friend, Michael, in 2015. Dom and Michael go way back, they went to school together in Cambridgeshire. I met Michael at university in Birmingham, meeting on the first night, and we quickly became great friends. In the summer after the 1st year of university, Michael hosted a party at his mum’s home in Cambridge, inviting a few of us along from uni, as well as some of his Cambridge friends. Dom was nearly not invited to the party, as Michael has a habit of forgetting people. But thank god he was reminded and did invite Dom last minute, because that’s where Dom and I met. Our eyes met across the circle of people playing Cards Against Humanity when we both made a comment about The Lord of the Rings films. We then spent the entire rest of the night chatting about all sorts of things; films, food, the existence of alien life… etc. I also serenaded him with a very bad rendition of Noah and the Whale’s 5 years time on a ukulele. We had an instant connection that night and so the rest is history!
Dom proposed on our 5 year anniversary while we were lost in the woods, watching a herd of deer run past. It wasn’t the original plan, as covid got in the way, but it turned out to be magical!
Which parts of the venue did you use on your big day?
We had the ceremony offsite at a local church, the drinks reception in the lovely South Farm gardens, the amazing meal in the Tudor Barn, coffee in the Old Dairy and dancing in the Horse Barn with the funky light-up floor!
Which was your favourite spot for wedding photos?
The beautiful gardens with all the wildflowers, and in front of the classic blue door!
Tell us about your special colour themes you had for your wedding day and how you styled your big day?
There wasn’t a strict colour scheme, the only consistent colour we used was sage green. (I wore sage green shoes, we had sage green dresses for the bridesmaids, sage ties for the ushers, and sage green and white lanterns on the barn ceiling etc). We wanted a bright and colourful looking wedding so we had loads of beautiful colourful flowers to decorate the church and South Farm barn.
Dom and I are big nerds, so we had themed tables featuring postcards in frames and props to match. We had Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and other film based table names. We even had the appropriate film soundtracks playing during our meal. It was so fun to plan!
How did you first hear about South Farm and what made you choose our venue for your wedding day?
I found South Farm on the Hitched website and we fell in love with the venue instantly. It was the only venue we ended up viewing, as we didn’t feel the need to see anywhere else! We just thought it was so beautiful and unique, and it felt like it suited us. Plus we were impressed with the eco ethos of the venue and the emphasis on using locally grown produce. We’re big foodies so we knew we wanted a venue with exciting catering options.
Tell us some detail about your special day?
We had the most amazing day. The food was incredible (friends and family are still banging on about how much they enjoyed it! We were lucky enough to see some piglets, as they were born not long before our wedding day. The guests were all besotted with them and were definitely a special detail of the day. During the speeches, we were surprised with being gifted the very ukulele that I used to serenade Dom on the night we met! Later in the evening, the dancefloor was so much fun. We provided inflatable lightsabres and instruments and so we got some brilliant photos of those being used. We also had an amazing photobooth that was enchanted forest themed! It was the happiest, most emotional, joyful and wonderful day.
How did you feel on the day?
The day felt like the most amazing dream! We both felt like we were floating along on cloud nine all day, it was very surreal. The joy and love we felt was overwhelming and something we will never forget!
What was your most memorable moment from your wedding?
It feels impossible to choose! Possibly when two of our friends attempted the Dirty Dancing lift on the dancefloor and it ended badly – it was very funny and no lasting damage was done luckily! (We have it on video!)
How did you choose your ceremony and first dance music?
For walking down the aisle, I had ‘Arrival of the Birds’ by the Cinematic Orchestra. I heard the piece of music in a film years ago and have loved it since. For our church exit, we had 5 Years Time by Noah and the Whale as that was the song I played for Dom on the ukulele the night we met. Our first dance song was ‘How Long Will I Love You’ from the film About Time (but originally by The Waterboys), played live by our fabulous wedding band. One of our absolute favourite films to watch together is ‘About Time’, and one evening while watching it we realised what a perfect first dance choice it would be!
How many bridesmaids did you have and how did you ask them to be your bridesmaids?
We had four bridesmaids. Hayley was my maid of honour, she is my oldest friend. Grace and Asha are two of my closest friends. And Emma, who is now my sister in law! I asked them all in person, in different ways with little personalised gifts and cards. Luckily they all said yes!
How did you pick your best men and ushers?
It was only fitting that Michael was our best man at the wedding. Without him introducing us, none of this would have been possible! For ushers we had Chris (Dom’s brother), James (Dom’s brother in law), and Zoey (one of Dom’s closest friends).
How many speeches did you have and do you have any advice for anyone giving a speech?
We had the traditional three speeches. Father of the bride, groom and best man. They were all amazing, heartfelt, emotional and funny. Our best man’s speech was so funny my dad nearly fell off his chair (we didn’t realise this until we watched back the video)!
Dom’s advice for anyone giving a speech would be to prepare it in good time, speak from the heart and don’t overthink it!
What did you wear?
I wore a beautiful dress called Camille from Madi Lane. I fell in love with the floral and leafy lace and the floaty train. Dom wore a lovely navy suit with a tweed waistcoat and floral tie.
Is there anything you would have done differently?
We’d have maybe not eaten as many tasty canapes so we had more room for the buffet food later!
What are your top tips for other couples?
Do whatever feels right to you. Don’t worry about current trends or what other people think your day should be like. It is your day and it should feel like it reflects you as a couple.
Also, really make an effort to take a few moments throughout the day together, and breathe, look around, listen, smell and take it all in. One of our favourite little moments of the day was sitting at a table together sharing a plate of our evening buffet food, having a breather and just observing everyone around us having a great time.
Where did you plan to go on honeymoon?
We had a mini-moon the week after the wedding, we spent a few days in Crete. Next year we’re planning on doing Disney World!
Suppliers |
Photographer: Rafe Abrook
Videographer: Nine Embers
Dress: Camille by Madi Lane (from Farnham Bridal Boutique)
Grooms & Groomsmen outfits: Chimney Formal Menswear
Bridesmaid Dresses: Dessy dresses in the colour Evergreen (from Bicester Bridal)
Cake: Wisteria Cake Company
Hair: Sarah Harris
Makeup: Did it ourselves
Flowers: Sarah Maylin
Décor: Fleur de Lace
Transport: We were chauffeured by our lovely ‘father-in-law-in-law’ Darin in his Jaguar.
Entertainment: Rollercoaster Wedding Band & Blooper Photobooths
We loved catching up with Charli & Dom to hear the story of how they first met and planned their incredible Spring wedding day with us! We’re just over the moon to hear they both had an unforgettable day filled with the happiest memories and we thoroughly enjoyed reading their helpful ‘Top Tips’ for other couples! Thank you both so much for sharing your wonderful story with us and we truly wish you both all the very best as Mr and Mrs!
If you are looking to book your dream garden wedding venue in Hertfordshire for your wedding day please get in touch. We’d love to hear all about your wedding plans and to show you around our Hertfordshire wedding venue, rustic wedding barns and stunning gardens. Our fantastic choice of ceremony and reception spaces is perfect for intimate weddings or larger guest numbers. There are so many gorgeous spaces to choose from and we offer exclusive use for your wedding day. What’s more, our friendly, experienced team will make sure your perfect wedding day runs perfectly to plan in our garden wedding venue.
