Emma and Kevin found South Farm after a long search for their perfect outdoor wedding venue in Hertfordshire. They wanted a beautiful wheelchair accessible wedding location for their dream wedding day. When they visited South Farm for the first time they knew it was the perfect place! Read all about the story of how they met and planned their amazing wedding day…
Date of your wedding: 28/6/23
Time of your ceremony: 2pm
Location of your ceremony: South Farm
We’d love to hear how and when you first met!
Kev and I went to school together, same year, same class. I thought Kev was one of the popular boys and he thought I was one of the intelligent kids. Kev often walked me home but I think it was only to steal my Mum’s biscuits ???? He was one of those very annoying kids who got on with everyone, including the teachers. Think he was a bit of a teachers pet ???? He used to poke and tickle me and just be generally annoying. I went on to 6th form and Kev left school at 16. Years later I was going through a nasty divorce and my Nan had just passed away. I was really upset and looked at a picture of my Nan and asked her to find me someone who would be nice to me and look after me. That same evening Kev messaged through Facebook, it turned out that we were both going through divorce at the same time. We chatted non stop from that moment. We confessed that we both fancied each other at school and from that moment our relationship grew.
Where did you hold your wedding ceremony?
Outside in the garden summerhouse by the pond.
Which was your favourite spot for wedding photos?
That’s a hard question, the pictures in the herb garden were gorgeous but I also love the picture from the driveway in the dark with all the beautiful lights. All of the photos were perfect, it’s so hard to choose a favourite spot. The pictures of Jack the pony and the confetti were also gorgeous.
Tell us about any special colour schemes / themes you had for your wedding day or how you styled your big day?
The colour scheme was vintage purple and different shades of purple and lilac. We had a loose theme of James Bond as we had a murder mystery at the meal and a James Bond Casino after. We led our guests in to a false sense of security with cute flowers, a string quartet and Jack the pony, then surprised them with the Murder Mystery, a Bucking Bronco rude rocket ???? and then Casino and band.
How did you first hear about South Farm and what made you choose our venue for your wedding day?
I was in a wheelchair after a long stay in hospital. We were originally wanting to get married in the salt mines in Poland but they didn’t have wheelchair access. So we started looking for a venue that had wheelchair access and a little holiday at the same time. Venues where we live near Brighton were too expensive and very few were wheelchair accessible, so we looked further afield.
We were looking for somewhere relaxed and somewhere that took the stress away from us. We had both been married before and recall it being very stressful. Neither of us wanted a “normal” wedding and wanted that to be reflected. We dwindled it down to two venues, South Farm and a venue in North Hampshire.
South Farm was the first one we visited and we absolutely fell in love. It was all on one level and easy to get around in the wheelchair. The only snag was that we wanted two nights. However after talking to the staff they agreed we could have a second night, the night before the wedding, to decorate and set up. This sealed the deal and we put the deposit down that day. We were so excited. We never dreamed of such a beautiful place to get married and still can’t believe it. It really is a dream come true.
Tell us some detail about your special day?
We dedicated our day to thanking our guests for being there for us when I was poorly.
Also, I was in so much pain with my stomach all day I was unable to eat. (I’m registered disabled due to stomach and bowel issues). I had massive food envy. I tried so hard not to let the pain ruin my day, I tried to focus on the ‘here and now’ and enjoy it.
After our first dance (where I was sure I was going to trip over my dress, I kept telling Kev to catch me if I slip, luckily we got through it with no mishaps!) Kev got me out of my dress and I had a lay down for half an hour and some of the pain was relieved. I changed in to a more comfortable dress and felt much better in the evening. Luckily none of the photos show how much pain I was in and I managed to stay out of the wheelchair so I was happy.
How did you feel on the day?
Excited, nervous and tired, my tummy pain had me up from 4.30am. Luckily the excitement took over and although I was nervous, mainly about my speech and the first dance, I was so so excited! I couldn’t wait to see all our guests faces with all the surprises we had planned for them.
What was your most memorable moment from your wedding?
There were so many!…
I remember shaking and trying to stop the tears as I walked down the aisle with my dad.
Our ninja vows! We wrote each others vows and didn’t know what the other one had written until Jamie our Celebrant gave them to us. Incredibly they were almost identical, the guests didn’t believe that we didn’t know what the other one wrote. It was perfect and very funny and we were holding back the tears while reading the vows.
The reaction from our guests when Jack the Confetti pony walked out.
The reaction from our guests when we revealed the bucking bronco.
The murder mystery, one of our guests, in character, threw a bread roll and it hit John the murder mystery guy, right in the face. Oops ???? ????
The first dance, I was convinced I was going to trip over my dress.
Kev getting tearful when I did my speech at dinner.
How did you choose your ceremony and first dance music?
We had a list of our favorite songs and dwindled them down to a few then chose our first dance from the few we had listed. We then had dance lessons for six months and had a full routine.
For the ceremony we had a repertoire from the string quartet and we chose our favourite songs from their list.
Same with the pianist, he had a repertoire and we chose Disney tunes and had him play James bond as we entered for the meal. This was a good fit as we had the James bond murder mystery. We are both crazy murder mystery nuts, we love that sort of thing.
The band also had a repertoire, we went through the list and picked out our favourite tunes, mainly 60s music and music to get people dancing. We had fill in music for when the band had a break and when they finished their set. The fill in music was mainly my maid of honour, Sam’s, Spotify list. She put it together for us.
How many bridesmaids did you have and how did you ask them to be your bridesmaids?
Originally I had five bridesmaids, I asked them with a gift box with some gifts inside. On the box lid it said “Will you be my bridesmaid”. Unfortunately one of my Bridesmaids has been very poorly and was unable to make the wedding. Then a week before the wedding another bridesmaid’s dad passed away suddenly, so she wasn’t able to make it. These were completely understandable reasons and were very sad for them both.
How did you pick your best men and ushers?
There was no question on this one. Kev couldn’t chose between all his five best men so they were all best men. Wayne held the rings as he lives near us. The others are all dotted all over the country. The ushers were my eldest two boys.
How many speeches did you have and do you have any advice for anyone giving a speech?
We asked if anyone wanted to do a speech and everyone said no. We understand how nervous it can be and we didn’t want to put that pressure on anyone. So Kev and I did a speech. I was so nervous and nearly didn’t do it but I’m glad I did, I got Kev blubbering ????. On the day others decided to do a speech after all. My Dad said a few words and then Kev’s best men did a speech between them, although I think they cheated a bit, they got everyone to write a story or memory about Kev and read them out. Then my step daughter Megan (11) took the mic after that and she gave a wonderful speech, I don’t think she wanted to stop, she loves being on stage as a dancer so was happy to have all the eyes on her. She did a brilliant job and it was a beautiful speech.
Advice, just do it, the nerves are worth it.
What did you wear?
I wore a Stella York wedding dress called Summer
What are your top tips for other couples?
Just relax and enjoy the day!
Where did you go/where do you plan to go on honeymoon?
We plan to do a cruise around the northern part of the world. We would like to see the northern lights and visit some of the old Viking villages, as well as the ice caps and the wildlife including the Whales! Being on a cruise ship would be perfect just in case I need the wheelchair or if I feel poorly I can stay on the boat, there is everything we need. We are currently saving for this trip of a lifetime. Guests gave us a good head start with their generosity.
Suppliers
Photographer: John Woodward
Dress: Blessings in Brighton
Grooms & Groomsmen outfits: Dickies Eastbourne
Bridesmaid dresses: Ozone Brighton (now closed down)
Cake: Crosstown doughnuts London
Hair: Hair and makeup by Sam and hair by her sister Zoe.
Makeup: Make up by Sam
Flowers: Wedding flower company
Entertainment: Tailored Entertainment Ltd, Bands For Hire. Absolute Mystery. Mousy Brown. Hearts Fun Casino Ltd. Jack Brock Confetti Pony
We loved catching up with Emma & Kev and hearing all about the story of their amazing day. Their stunning wedding photos show how happy and relaxed they both were on their special day and we are over the moon for them both!
If you are looking to book your dream 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, guaranteeing you total privacy on your special day. What’s more, our friendly, experienced team will make sure your perfect wedding day runs perfectly to plan in our beautiful barn outdoor wedding venue.
