Gen & Ben met in London, got engaged in New Zealand and held their wedding celebration at South Farm! They chose our venue after falling in love with our sustainable ethos, the multifunctional venue spaces and all the personal touches that make South Farm so special. They planned their wedding from New Zealand with the support of our planning team and weaved some amazing natural & botantical New Zealand themes through their day, creating the most wonderful wedding day that was totally unique and perfect for them. We loved catching up with them to hear all about their amazing wedding journey at our wedding venue in Hertfordshire!
Date of your wedding: 6th April 2023
Time of your ceremony: 2pm
Location of your ceremony: The Old Dairy
We’d love to hear your first date stories and how you first met!
We met during our time at University and both worked for the same events company there. Thanks to Ben’s friend Joe (and Best Man) a first date was on the cards. Our first date we met up in London and went for lunch along the South Bank before doing a trip around the British Museum, we simply clicked, had the same humour and put each other at ease. Gen sweetly found out later he asked for suggestions from his mum as I was a “cultured” person! We’ve been together for a total of 10 years since that first date.
Ben proposed in a small town in New Zealand called Akaroa, and thankfully the time difference allowed us to call our friends and family to tell them the big news.
Which parts of the venue you used for your big day?
We used the Old Dairy for our ceremony along with the drinks reception, then onto the Tudor Barn for the main reception meal. The functional spaces were a complete selling point at South Farm that compliment each other so well.
Which was your favourite spot for wedding photos?
A hard one to pick, there are SO many stunning areas to the grounds. The blue door is definitely up there, but surprisingly the outside in the Garden Terrace patio area, the light and features of the garden all came together for some really sweet photos of the two of us to let the “we just got married” feeling sink in. The wooden bridge was a beautiful spot for photos, especially in the evening.
Tell us about any special colour themes you had for your wedding day or how you styled your big day?
Having stayed in New Zealand during the pandemic, we wanted to bring some of NZ with us for the wedding – we used illustrations of different native birds of New Zealand inside bell jars as the main centerpieces that Fleur De Lace created along with ferns and foliage incorporated into the flowers and decorations from Halo Blossom, so green earthy textures against coppery items and bursts of deep reds, plums and creams. The flowers matched native planting in NZ to a seasonal UK alternative; anemones, astilbe, ranunculus and little waxflowers amongst 5 different fern varieties. They absolutely nailed the concept.
We also incorporated some Te Reo Māori language into the details having started our language journey overseas and wanted to highlight its significance on the day. Each of the illustrated birds referred to their original Māori name, along with our signage stating “Nau mai haere mai” to offer a warm welcome to our guests.
How did you first hear about South Farm and what made you choose our venue for your wedding day?
Instagram – it become the go-to during 2020 to research suppliers and Fleur De Lace frequently decorates for your weddings, and there you were ???? despite planning a wedding virtually and on the other side of the world, South Farm could not have made it easier. Everyone we communicated with was so incredibly kind and enthusiastic, and even took us on a video tour on WhatsApp to see the spaces. We loved the personal touch to everything on site and how multifunctional the spaces were, and your commitment to nurturing a wildlife ecosystem around the farm was such a special touch to it all.
Tell us some detail about your special day?
We legally tied the knot in New Zealand before travelling over to the UK, but it was such a short ceremony we really wanted to personalise it for the UK wedding, so we asked our Best Man, Joe to be our “celebrant” . We hadn’t exchanged personal vows yet, so on the day this was a greater comfort to have a friend up there with us for support. We highly recommend considering a close friend to lead that special part of the day. As we did not need a registry table, we decided to put framed loved ones who have passed on onto the table instead.
During our ceremony, Joe spoke on our legal ceremony abroad and noted that “New Zealand may be home, but this is ‘home home’ “ which really spoke to how we felt about everything we put into this wedding. The pigs also made a little feature by hearing a few distinctive “oinks” from outside which made us giggle. After we walked down the aisle, we had a spare 5 minutes to take everything in, just the two of us, and our Event Manager, Hayley was incredibly kind by bringing us a glass of bubbles to celebrate that moment together in the Drawing Room.
It was also a relief that after a bit of light drizzle the sun came out just in time for group photographs, and everyone got a chance to wander about the grounds and explore, something we kept spotting during our couples’ photographs which made us so happy to see. Our Photographers, Ben and Tim, were so personable and easygoing they blended in like they were our wedding guests; it was lovely to see guests chatting away with them. The Old Dairy was buzzing by the time we returned to meet with family and friends we had not had a chance to see in 4 years, so a big reunion all tied into the day. We got our own special plate of canapes presented to us by Hayley which made us feel like VIPs.
For our reception meal in the Tudor Barn we’d put a disposable camera on each of the tables so get a “guests perspective” of the day. Safe to say teaching anyone born after 1999 how to use them was pretty entertaining.
The BBQ buffet was perfect for us and our guests, and we thought it was a nice little Kiwi nod ???? the chefs combined an awesome mix of food to choose from and we’re so glad we opted for it. Our wedding cake was lovingly made by Ben’s sisters and blended our favourite flavours; lemon for Ben, raspberries for Gen, all coated in a white chocolate ganache.
Our evening entertainment was with the wonderful DJ Gary with a perfect mix of 70s-00’s music, including a couple of hits from the Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack.
How did you feel on the day?
Excited but totally relaxed. Both of us had such a great time getting ready with our respective wedding parties and easing into the day. It hit us both pretty quickly that after all the virtual meetings, we were finally there, in person, ready for the real thing. It truly hit us when it came to waiting behind those double doors into the Old Dairy, a thought of “here we go” when our stomachs dropped!
What was your most memorable moment from your wedding?
For Gen, a moment during the final part of getting into her wedding dress, her Mum had a slight hair emergency and turned up to the suite with hair rollers in having realised there was no hairdryer in her room. She walked up the stairs to find Gen ready in her bridal gown and it was clearly very moved seeing her in it for the first time and gave her a big hug. Her mum noticed the photographer taking a shot of this exchange and got embarrassed, but then laughed with Gen having realised these are the special moments to capture with a mother and daughter, authentic and joyful. It’s a photo we really treasure in that split-second of the dress reveal.
Ben recalls helping one of his groomsmen with his tie by fitting it on him first, then putting the completed tie over his groomsmen’s head. It was not immediately apparent that his groomsmen has a much, much bigger head. It got stuck, and he struggled to pass it over his forehead, resulting in the rest of the groomsmen to burst out laughing. Again the photographers captured this silly moment and now a permanent memory of the exchange.
How did you choose your ceremony / first dance music?
The bridesmaids walked to “Reflecting Light” by Sam Phillips, for those who are a Gilmore Girls fan this is a feature song in the series (one of the bridesmaids gave Gen a ‘look’ when she realised) Gen walked to “Time After Time” acoustic cover by Iron and Wine.
The first dance was probably the least favourite part for Gen, but Ben was very encouraging and helped her confidence with a lil’ bit of practice. We ended up choosing “You’re All I Need To Get By” by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell and put a little bit of effort into the routine, which ended up going great and just enjoying the moment.
How many bridesmaids did you have and how did you ask them to be your bridesmaids?
Gen had 4 bridesmaids; her sister, her best friend from school, her childhood best friend, and her best friend from University. They were all asked over the phone the night we got engaged as it was a gut feeling to who she wanted from various times in my life.
How did you pick your best men and ushers?
Ben had 4 groomsmen originally, but one had decided to travel to guess where – New Zealand. A happy accident meant he could be witness to our legal ceremony abroad, so it all worked out. Ben’s best men were a mixture of his school friends from Nottingham along with his mates from university.
How many speeches did you have, and do you have any advice for anyone giving a speech?
We had 4 speeches in total for the reception. Our advice is to get them out the way first, then everyone can relax and get stuck into some amazing food. Anything more than 5 minutes each is not worth it so keep it brief so you can get celebrating!
What did you wear?
Gen’s wedding dress came from NZ (and in her carry-on suitcase), a high-neck white lace gown with a scooped low back, along with a floor-length veil with small pearls sewn into it.
Ben wore a light grey suite from Charles Tyrwhitt with a deep blue waistcoat, he wore a red tie intended to match the flower from the pōhutahaka tree, while with his groomsmen had ties to match the bridesmaids.
Is there anything you would have done differently?
Had some of the cake on the actual night! Luckily South Farm set up a cake-cutting takeaway station the following morning for the leftover tier, so we got to take some home. Otherwise no, it couldn’t have been better.
What are your top tips for other couples?
Go and take 5 mins to yourselves in the evening to recap all those moments you noticed on the day, if you have time, write some down somewhere, so you can look back and take it all in again.
Set up a shared photo folder for everyone to dump photos from their phones to, it’s a nice chance to see everyone’s take on the day.
Where do you plan to go on honeymoon?
Our honeymoon won’t be until 2025, but our hope is to book a tour of Scandinavia to see the Northern Lights, including a trip away to Iceland. As we returned to NZ we hope to have a mini-break away in Australia or potentially a Pacific island to keep the travel buzz going.
Suppliers
Photographer: Milk Bottle Photography Blog | Milk Bottle Wedding Photography (milkbottlephotography.co.uk)
Dress: French Collection from Brides of Merivale (Christchurch, NZ) Wedding Dress Collections || french collection by Wendy Makin (frenchbywendymakin.com)
Grooms & Groomsmen outfits: Groom wore Charles Tyrwhitt, Groomsmen their own suits.
Bridesmaid dresses: Rewritten Bridesmaids, Groomsmen’s ties as well. Modern Bridesmaids Dresses by Rewritten | Shop Online (wearerewritten.com)
Cake: Homemade by Ben’s sisters
Hair & Make-up : Make Up by Sam Makeup by Sam | Professional Bridal Hair & Makeup
Flowers: Halo Blossom Halo Blossom wedding flowers Hertfordshire
Entertainment: South Farm’s own DJ Gary
We love that Gen & Ben brought so much of their new life in New Zealand to their South Farm Wedding Day. All their carefully thought out personal touches made their wedding day a uniquely perfect celebration with their family and friends. It was such an honour to host their wedding day and we loved hearing their amazing wedding story and seeing their stunning wedding day photographs.
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 countryside wedding venue, rustic barns and stunning gardens. Our fantastic choice of ceremony and reception spaces is perfect for intimate wedding ceremonies 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 wedding venue.
