Need to knowsFrequently Asked Questions

We usually hold an Open Day each Summer, however we would love to show you around as soon as possible so you can decide if South Farm might be the right wedding venue in Hertfordshire for you. Please get in touch and we will arrange a private viewing for you. These can be held on week-days during office hours or on weekend mornings. A member of our team will take you on a detailed tour, answer any questions you may have and provide a detailed estimate for an available date of your choice. It takes about 1.5 hours to show you around – there’s so much to see! Do get in touch to book a visit.

Of course!  We have a Video Tour and a Virtual Tour that you can enjoy at your leisure which shows all our lovely spaces. We also can offer you a ‘Virtual Showround’ where an experienced, friendly member of our team will chat through all about your requirements for your big day and then talk you through our Video Tour, pausing to answer your questions and go over the finer details.  We can also put together a detailed estimate personal to you.

Our venue hire fee includes exclusive use of South Farm for the duration of your event plus all the extras you need….tables, chairs, crockery, glasses, table linen and all our twinkly fairy lights throughout the venue so you don’t have to worry about hiring additional items in. There are also lots of extras we provide, included in the venue hire, to make your day seamless and unique, sound systems in all our ceremony spaces, microphones for speeches and even bio-degradable South Farm rose petal confetti! You will have a dedicated, experienced Event Manager and a friendly and professional Front of House team on hand to look after you, your guests, your suppliers and all the little details so that you can relax and just enjoy your day!

This depends on what time you are getting married and you may need to pay for additional hours. We are licensed until 12am all days of the week except for Saturdays when we can organise a late 1am licence if you wish (again an additional charge will apply).

We do not have any chair covers at South Farm, if you would like them you are welcome to hire these through an external supplier. Our indoor Cheltenham chairs are a light, neutral colour and painted in a bespoke lime wash – they already look pretty without a cover. You could consider a small bunch of flowers tied to the seats down the aisle for the ceremony or something special for the back of the Happy Couple’s seats for the Wedding Breakfast for extra embellishment if you wanted to!

Take a look at our Spaces page which gives you all the detailed capacity information for ceremonies and receptions.  Our maximum guest numbers for ceremony and dining is 146 and for an evening party 250.  Please note that your evening guest numbers should not exceed your day guest numbers so for example if you have 100 guests with you in the day you can have up to another 100 in the evening but not more.

Yes, we can sleep 24 guests in total on-site. We have five main bedrooms, two of which can sleep four. We then have our collection of five Showman’s and Romany Wagons which can each sleep two. In addition we have two camp beds and two travel cots for younger guests. We also have Fen Bridge Farm Bed & Breakfast, 1.4 miles down the road towards Bassingbourn, which is automatically reserved for your wedding and has three double rooms (nb there are two periods each year – the late May Bank Holiday and over Christmas & New Year – when Fen Bridge Farm will be closed and the accommodation will be unavailable). We also allow people to camp – in a tent, caravan or campervan (we have two electric hook ups in the camping area) – there is plenty of room on site!

Check in is anytime from 12 noon unless there is no wedding the day before when earlier access may be available.

All guests, Couple included, must be checked out by 10.30am the morning after the wedding.

Yes, we have the beautiful Coach House Suite which is complimentary to the Couple on the day & night of their wedding.

Check in to the Coach House Suite is the same as the rest of our accommodation at 12 noon. It is the first bedroom that we prioritise after check out as the team are very aware that you are going to want to get settled in there ASAP! We usually have the Coach House Suite ready as early as 11.15am but please remember that while we do our best this isn’t guaranteed. You are more than welcome to use other spaces in the venue to get changed before the Coach House Suite is ready, the Granary works particularly well and you can access the Granary from 10am.

Yes it is, as you have exclusive use on the day, all the bedrooms are reserved for your use only.  If you do not fill them all then they will remain empty.

The rooms are booked by our Couples on behalf of their guests, that way you can ensure that you have your closest family staying on site. The Couple can either pay for all guest accommodation or we can invoice guests directly via email.

We don’t operate as a hotel which ensures you can have your nearest and dearest staying with you on site and seated with you the morning after your wedding for a lovely full English breakfast. We can accomodate 24 guests onsite and an additional 6/7 in FenBridge Farm. Please note that Fen Bridge Farm is closed annually over the late May Bank Holiday and over Christmas and New Year. Don’t forget we also allow unlimited camping and we can also recommend other local accommodation should guests wish to stay in the surrounding area.

We have offered two day hire on a small number of occasions however couples considering this should check our availability and our venue hire and minimum catering spends as any two day hire would still need to meet these requirements. Please contact us if you would like to discuss your options further and our team will be happy to help!

Yes, well-behaved dogs are allowed in all the outside spaces, with our prior approval. Dogs are not allowed in all of the indoor spaces, including the Tudor Barn, the Farmhouse or in any of the accommodation or carpeted areas. The only exception to this is assistance dogs who of course are allowed in all spaces within our countryside wedding venue.

Pets are also now permitted during Civil Ceremonies (we are licenced by Cambridgeshire) but not in any of the carpeted areas so your pet can be part of your Ceremony if you are getting married either in the Old Dairy, Horse Barn or outside in the Summerhouse.

Please check with Cambridgeshire Registrars if you are having your ceremony with us and would like to include your pet.

We suggest that you include your pets in the ceremony and drinks reception parts of your day and then arrange for them to be collected at the end of the drinks reception in both of your best interests.

If there is a power cut then there is no need to worry at our countryside wedding venue.

We have a generator which means there will be perhaps a 20 second blip, with emergency lighting, until the generator kicks in and power is restored. So no worries at all in the power department!

And of course we have had our planning permission approved for a significant solar array on site which will mean that we will be generating a good proportion of our own power needs very soon!

Of course! All you need to do is detail their arrival time and their contact details on your Wedding Planner as well as sending us their Public Liability Insurance documents for your file. They can always email these into us directly ahead of arriving on site.

We have a sound limiter in the Tudor Barn which is set at 90 decibels and one in the Horse Barn which is set at 100 decibels. The sound limiter cannot be switched off.

Usually this is while we serve tea and coffee after the meal in the Old Dairy, once the Tudor Barn has been vacated. If they are playing in the Horse Barn then they can start setting up before coffee while you are still in the Tudor Barn – this will save time and get the party started earlier!

We have sound systems and speakers in each key space which you are welcome to play background music through (even in our Garden!) Just bring a device with your playlist on and we can plug it in for you via an auxiliary cable. Please note that our sound system isn’t suitable for musicians to plug into and they would need to bring their own PA system with them which will need to be PAT tested. We also have two wireless microphones in the Tudor Barn that you are welcome to use for speeches.

We normally suggest that guests leave gifts on the large table in the Old Dairy as that is where guests will be passing through and mingling at various points in the day. You can bring a hamper or a post box for guests to deposit their gifts & cards if you like! The South Farm team can move any gifts from the table to the Coach House Suite for safe keeping when your evening reception is underway.

Rest rooms are located on arrival in the car park, in the Old Dairy lobby and in the Horse Barn. The Bridal Bathroom, disabled facilities and baby change are in the Horse Barn.

Yes, these are located in the Horse Barn.

South Farm is fully accessible with paving and pathways around the whole venue and everything is on ground floor level. The entrance door into the main farmhouse and French windows out onto the terrace have small thresholds to get over but we have ramps which can be put out on arrival – just let us know that these are required at your Planning Meeting. We also have a rest room with disabled access in the Horse Barn. Have a look at our accessibility plan on the maps page.

Accommodation-wise our most accessibly friendly bedroom on site is the Tack Room, this is located near to the Tudor Barn and has a walk in shower and hand rail next to the toilet. At Fen Bridge Farm, our sister B&B down the road, there is fully accessible disabled accommodation for two.

We have coat rails available in the Granary however this area is not locked at any point in the day.

Yes, we have plenty of parking for your guests, we also reserve the first gravel row of the car park for the Wedding Party.

Absolutely, we just need to be aware that a coach is coming on site so please let us know! We do prefer that the company you use is one of our recommended coach companies or that they have at least been on site at South Farm before as they need to be aware to come on site via the HGV entrance and not down our fairy lit driveway. We can contact the coach company directly for you to give them the necessary information for getting on site safely to make your guests’ arrival as smooth as possible!

They can, as long as they are collected by 11am the next morning.  We cannot accept any liability for vehicles left on site overnight.

Sorry!  We are really flexible but these are things we are unable to allow. We have lots of lovely neighbours and need to be respectful to our animals and the neighbouring animals too. Fireworks and Chinese lanterns in particular are also a huge fire risk as our buildings are predominantly wooden structures and lanterns are environmentally extremely unfriendly!

Yes – Our Public Liability Insurance is £10million.

No need to worry – we have depth in numbers and any one of our seven Event Managers will step in and run your Day! We have an amazing Team of Event Managers who are also wedding co-ordinators and you will likely have met them, or had emails from them, during your wedding planning. We are a lovely friendly bunch!

Yes we are, we have five licensed ceremony areas:

• The Drawing Room in the house which is licensed for up to 35 guests
• The Horse Barn which is licensed for up to 65 guests
• The Summer House in the Garden which is licensed for up to 146 guests (March to October only)
• The Old Dairy which is licensed for up to 100 guests
• The Tudor Barn which is licensed for up to 146 guests

Yes – our Summer House set in the stunning gardens is licensed for your outdoor wedding ceremony (March to October). Our countryside farm wedding venue is the perfect location for an outdoor ceremony. Decorate with flowers and bunting or keep it simple, it’s picture perfect either way! The wedding party make their entrance from the Farmhouse through the gardens and on down the aisle. The couple enter the Summerhouse together to make their vows. Just perfect!

Yes! If the rain has stopped play outside in the Summer House for your ceremony, and you have had to go your Plan B indoor ceremony option inside, then the outside set up fee is refunded – even if it has been set!

We set up your indoor option overnight and  the outdoor option on the morning. Once the Registrars arrive, half an hour before your ceremony, the final decision will be made (if needed) as to whether the ceremony can take place in the Summerhouse at our countryside farm wedding venue in case of wet or windy weather – it gives you maximum flexibility.

You will then be refunded for the outdoor option after your big day when a reconciled account is provided.

You will need to get in touch with the Cambridgeshire Ceremonies Team to book your ceremony time with them directly.

Yes! We are delighted to have hosted a number of Jewish, Sikh, Hindu, Celebrant and Humanist weddings.  The Wedding Ceremony may be held in your choice of any of our four indoor ceremony spaces or outdoors in the garden. Please see the Ceremonies page within our Finer Details Guide for more information on spaces. We also have a range of catering options to suit your needs: Fish, Vegetarian, Vegan, Kosher Friendly with Rabbinic Guidance, Masorti Guidance & Supervision – all making the most of fresh seasonal Fruit and Vegetables from our Smallholding and Eggs from our Chickens!

Ceremonies at South Farm most often take place take place at 3pm in the Summer and 2pm or 3pm in the Winter. However you can have a Ceremony as early as 1pm if you wish.  Ceremonies earlier than 1pm do not really work as there is simply not enough time for yourselves or South Farm to prepare! If your ceremony is earlier in the day your venue hire will end earlier too but you can extend this if you wish and where licensing hours allow for an additional hourly charge.

Yes of course! Our Chefs can adapt your menu to suit your guests with dietary requirements or offer an alternative option. We ask for details of all guests with dietary requirements in advance of your wedding day so that we can make sure they are properly catered for. It must be noted however that we are not a nut free kitchen, and so our kitchen will contain traces of nuts at all times.

Our food is genuinely Field to Fork. Home-grown, hand-picked produce from our organic small-holding is used in our mouth-watering wedding menus – all freshly cooked and expertly served. Our organic small holding supplies nearly all the fruit, vegetables and herbs featured on our wide range of seasonal menus. Whatever menu you choose you and your guests will NOT be disappointed! 

Of course! We have a Children’s Menu which includes a Gingerbread man with the child’s name piped on as part of their place setting, a main meal and a dessert. If you are having a buffet style meal the children attending can eat from the Buffet rather than having a separate Children’s Menu – just let us know what to prepare in advance at your Planning Meeting. Please note that when choosing the Children’s Menu we do ask that you choose one main and dessert to be served to all children attending. We will of course cater for children with dietary requirements separately.

We generally say to cater for children between the ages of 2 and 12 years of age however if you have a 15 year old attending who would prefer the Children’s Menu that is absolutely fine! Similarly if you have a one year old that eats really well, feel free to include them for a child’s meal too.

Absolutely! We call this a multi-choice menu, it does come at an additional cost on top of the menu price for the additional work in the office (preparing ahead of the day for a smooth food service) and for our Chefs but it can be a really lovely addition to your day – especially if you cannot choose what you would like to eat after your Menu Tasting!  We do ask that you provide your guests with name cards to put out on the tables including their food choices as we do find that guests forget what they have chosen by the time the day comes around! Check out the details in our Finer Details Guide.

When you book with us on a bespoke basis you are invited to a complimentary Menu Tasting evening held the Winter before your wedding. At the Tasting, you get to sample a selection of our delicious Canapes, and you are also served eight tasting starters, eight tasting mains and eight tasting desserts, as well as having the opportunity to sample some delicious options from our Fusion and Buffet menus too. A lot of our Couples have said that the tasting evening got them even more excited for their wedding day! It will also give you a really great experience of our service in action and of course the opportunity to try lots of delicious food to try and decide on what you want to serve your guests for your big day! You’ll also get the opportunity to try a selection of wines from our wine list and to buy any bottles at half the price too!

Menu tastings are not offered as part of our Packages.

Any unopened drinks provided by you throughout the drinks reception and the meal are refunded after your big day unless you have requested for it to be served during coffee and the evening. If this is the case then additional bottles opened will be tallied and you will be refunded for any left unopened at the end of the night.

Any wine left on the tables at the end of the meal (if it not hoovered up by your guests when they move for coffee on the sunset terrace) is decanted into full bottles and served free of charge to your guests from behind the bar during the coffee period and throughout the evening.

 

Yes, we have licensed bars in every key space throughout your day.

No, you can decide throughout the day when you would like the bars to be open or closed, at no extra charge.  They can be open on a cash/ card basis or you may decide to offer a tab for certain parts of the day – the choice is yours!

We have our Garden Bar outside for drinks reception time, the Granary Bar for indoor drink receptions and Tea & Coffee time and our Main Bar in the Tudor Barn for the meal and your evening party!

Yes, we have draft beer & lager in each of our bars.  The Tudor Barn bar has the largest selection – have a look!

Yes, we try and have two/three real ales available, this is dependant on the time of the year & number of Weddings that we have around the date of your wedding.  There is a larger selection in the Tudor Barn bar.

The bar can be open from any point after your ceremony, it then closes at the end of your venue hire period.

Yes! We have our own extensive wine list and a fully stocked bar. But if you prefer to bring your own drinks, that’s fine too. Corkage is available for wine, champagne and sparkling wines. We also offer corkage for real ale depending on whether you want to bring it yourself or for us to get it in for you – ask us for further details if this is of interest! For other drinks we have lots of options and we always say if there is anything you fancy that we don’t stock as standard then let us know – we can try and get it in for you! Just remember with corkage you will need to source the drinks yourselves and bring it to us at least three days before your wedding so that we can make sure it is served at the correct temperature!

If the weather isn’t playing ball then the price of the ice cream bike and the ice creams are simply refunded to you after you big day! Simple!

No, as we have our own in-house team of talented chefs who cater for each event. They use seasonal home-grown produce from our own small-holding in our state of the art kitchen to create a range of delicious and diverse menus. If you prefer something different that’s no problem, just let us know what you have your heart set on and our Chefs will create your own personal menu!

Yes, we are very happy to provide you with a cake knife to use to cut your wedding cake! If you would like our chefs to cut your wedding cake to be served to your guests with your evening food then that’s no problem too! 

Of course! We offer a blank canvas at our Countryside Wedding Venue so you can add whatever finishing touches you envisage to compliment your theme. Bunting, floristry, paper pom-poms and candles (in ceramic/glass containers) all look pretty in the barns and gardens. We can provide measurements for any of the spaces.

You will have access to the Gardens, Tudor Barn, Old Dairy & Granary from 10am on the day of the wedding.

Sometimes! If we do not have a wedding booked the day before yours you can. We can confirm this for you five weeks before your wedding date and you would be able to come in between 2pm and 5pm the day before.

Yes we do. We have a set of five Jaques of London outdoor garden games which you can hire for a small cost. These include Giant Jenga, Giant Connect 4, Skittles, Coits and Boules and we will set them up on the lawns on the day for you. We also have a Jaques of London croquet set you can hire separately. If you prefer to bring your own garden games that’s no problem too!

We only allow natural petals or lavender seeds but there is no need for guests to bring their own as we supply dried rose petals for all our weddings which your Event Manager will pass around during/ after your Wedding Ceremony so guests can shower you with lovely sweet-smelling confetti!

We grow a good proportion of our rose petal confetti – what could be more sustainable!

We only have a log slices (although we have a shed full!) but you are welcome to borrow them! They look great dotted down the aisle with flowers on top for Ceremonies or under vases for centrepieces for the Wedding Breakfast. We also have six storm lanterns which you are welcome to repurpose during the ceremony. These live in the Old Dairy and are set out on the reception tables during a wet weather or Winter Drinks Reception to give an extra glow!

Our team are very happy to talk you through your requirements for your wedding day and provide you will a detailed estimate.  However if you would like to calculate an estimate yourself you can easily do so following the steps below and using the information in the Pricing section of our Website. Please note Prices are Plus VAT.

• Choose a venue fee – Venue fees vary according to the day of the week and the time of the year
• Choose an indoor ceremony option – This will largely be dedicated by your numbers, details on ceremony capacities can be found on the ‘Spaces’ page.
• If you would like to get married outside in the Garden add in The Summer House fee – the Summer House is available for ceremonies March – October and is weather dependant.
• Then choose a menu style for your wedding breakfast in the day and an option for your evening food
• Don”t forget to check you have met the minimum catering spend
• Choose your reception drinks – usually budget 1/3 of a bottle for fizz.
• Choose your wine for the meal – usually budget 1/2 a bottle per person.
• Add in a glass for toasts if required for speeches – usually budget 1/6 of a bottle per person.
• Finally add in any extras, there are just a few possible extras – the evening guest cover charge, garden games, and hire of our Ice-Cream Bike are the most common ones.

The main venue hire covers an eight hour period and allows for exclusive use of the venue spaces which include the Drawing Room, Hallway, Granary, Tudor Barn and Gardens and all recreational outside areas plus the Coach House Suite. We guarantee that all of the other accommodation at South Farm will be available for your guests to use – we ask our couples to allocate them to their guests.  There is no obligation to fill the rooms and if they are not filled we do not charge for them and they will not be let to anyone else.

The ceremony fee covers a two hour period and commences one hour before your ceremony to allow guests plenty of time to arrive and allows an hour for the ceremony, which is generous as most Ceremonies at South Farm take around 30 minutes.  For example if your ceremony is at 3pm then your ceremony fee covers you from 2pm up until 4pm, then your eight hour venue fee commences at 4pm and runs until midnight. If you have your heart set on a garden ceremony we ask you to choose an indoor space too in case of unpredictable weather.  We charge for the indoor space with an additional fee for the Summerhouse.  Both fees are charged if the Ceremony is outside, however if it rains and you get married inside you do not pay for the outside option – even if it is set up!

Yes, when securing a wedding date with us we do require a deposit which is £1,500 on signing your Agreement for a bespoke booking and £1,000 for package bookings. The deposit is non-refundable.

For bespoke and package bookings, after the deposit is paid we invoice for 50% of the remaining amount nine months prior and then the final amount one month prior.

VAT is not included on our advertised bespoke booking prices and food costs but package prices and drinks costs are inclusive of VAT. Everything is clearly stated on our pricing page.

Yes of course! We ask that you phone to arrange this with us prior to their visit, to ensure they do not turn up during a wedding!

You will be invited for your planning meeting four to six months prior to your wedding day.

We have an office team of experienced wedding planners who help you with the whole planning process. You will also be invited in for a ‘Planning Meeting’ where all details will be covered.

Yes, you will be allocated an Event Manager to take care of you on your wedding day nearer to your wedding date. They will be there three hours before the ceremony is due to take place and they won’t leave until after your evening food has been put out.

We have lots of different sized tables depending on what kind of set up you would like for your meal. See our Finer Details for Clients for details on our table sizes and how many guests can sit around each table.

You will go through a specific itinerary for your wedding day during your planning meeting which will be tailored to your specific plans however the below is an example of an itinerary for a Summer wedding for 100 guests:

• 2.30pm – Guests arrive at South Farm
• 3.00pm – Ceremony to begin
• 3.30pm – Drinks Reception & Photos to be taken
• 5.00pm – Guests to move to the Tudor Barn for the Wedding Breakfast
• 5.15pm – Wedding Breakfast served
• 7.15pm – Tea & Coffee served in the Old Dairy
• 7.30pm – Evening Guests to arrive (if applicable)
• 8.00pm – Guests to move back to the Tudor Barn for the Evening Reception
• 8.15pm – Cake Cutting & First Dance
• 9.00pm – Evening Food served
• 12 midnight – Evening finishes, bar closes & guests depart

Please note that no two weddings are the same and if you would like a run down of your special day ahead of your planning meeting to work out timings for invites just call the office and we can help you with this!