Stacey & Saul’s beautiful Jewish Wedding ceremony took place in The Tudor Barn under a stunning hand-made Chuppah, decorated with Olive branches. Their wedding reception included energetic Israeli dancing in the Horse Barn and we also love that they had night-time photos with the pigs! Take a look at the wonderful story of how they first met, how they planned their beautiful wedding day and how they felt on the day itself!
Date of your wedding: 12th March 2023
Time of your ceremony: Chuppah at 15:30
Location of your ceremony: Tudor Barn
We’d love to hear your first date stories or tell us how and when you first met!
Stacey and I met on JSwipe (a Jewish dating app) during covid nonetheless. Our first date was literally the day before we went into the national lockdown in December 2020. The first date went really well, there was clearly an instant connection and clearly something worth pursuing – so, the following day when Boris announced the lockdown, we decided to bubble over the Christmas Holidays, and the rest as they say, is history!! Most of our dates during that time were park walks and baking and cooking together. We had our second “proper” date four months later, when we were able to go into London. But by then, we had already developed the most wonderful relationship…. Amazing what can happen walking around a park!
Which parts of the venue you used for your big day?
Tisch – Dining Room
Ceremony / Chuppah – Tudor Barn
Reception – Old Dairy
We had the main function in the Tudor Barn, with dancing, including some incredible (and incredibly exhausting) Israeli dancing in the Horse Barn.
We had the full South Farm experience with the confetti walk (through the iconic blue door) and the courtyard group photo, although it was rather cold and windy.
Unfortunately, the weather didn’t permit us to have an outdoor wedding. However, The Tudor Barn was truly spectacular.
Which was your favourite spot for wedding photos?
In front of the blue door (we have some brilliant photos of that including the confetti walk).
And with the piglets!! We have some great night-time photos of us with the piglets.
The driveway at night – we have some stunning photos including smoke bomb photos at night in the driveway, lit up beautifully.
Tell us about any special colour schemes / themes you had for your wedding day or how you styled your big day?
Our colour scheme was shades of purple and silver.
Our Chuppah was hand made by Saul’s sister and help from his dad too.
We tried to keep it additional decorations minimalistic (ie minimal to no flowers and external decorations) to keep to the authentic rustic style of the beautiful barn venue, with photos of our journey since we met on each table.
We had Olive branches on the Chuppah and the top table in memory of Stacey’s late dad, Oliver, which really helped Stacey feel his presence at our wedding.
How did you first hear about South Farm and what made you choose our venue for your wedding day?
We found South Farm on an online list of recommended Jewish wedding venues. We knew we wanted something with a rustic/barn style or a lake feature, and not the typical London Hotel Jewish Wedding. We visited the venue in March 2022 (the weather that day was beautiful) and we instantly fell in love with everything about the venue and Michelle and Becky too! I turned to Stacey and said “we’re getting married here”.
The feedback we have received since our wedding has all been about how beautiful and stunning the venue is, and how different the experience was to other Jewish weddings our guests have been to previously. It really is “distinctly unique!”. And the sheep and pigs were adorable and add to the charm.
Tell us some detail about your special day?
Arriving to the venue whilst separately, we were both so excited for the day ahead (we hadn’t seen each other for a week).
Getting ready with our respective parties and giving them their thank you gifts were special.
Bride – Even though we ran behind schedule a little, getting ready with my bridal party was special and I had both mothers with us which made it even more special.
We got married under a beautiful handmade chuppah and then spent the day celebrating with our family and friends.
The Israeli dancing was truly memorable. We were also lucky to have some night time shots around the farm.
The whole day exceeded our expectations and was more spectacular than we could ever have imaged.
How did you feel on the day?
Bride – I did have a few nerves before and during walking down the aisle (I was also worried about tripping over my dress and bursting into tears of joy when seeing Saul ). However, once I was under the chuppah, the nerves disappeared, and I felt like the luckiest woman to be marrying my best friend. I was so happy to be able to celebrate our special day with friends and family (some whom I had never met and some whom I hadn’t seen in years).
Groom – Surprisingly not nervous! My biggest worry when getting ready, was getting my contact lenses in. Meeting Stacey half way down the aisle, the Bedeken took my breath away and I could feel the tears coming but we both helped each other keep it together. Just a feeling of immense pride and happiness throughout the day. The nerves kicked in just before my speech.
What were your most memorable moments from your wedding?
The Israeli dancing
Our first dance (our dance lessons paid off and we really impressed our guests).
Getting the piglet experience at night was an incredible experience.
Being able to dance with family and friends.
Getting to marry my best friend with family and friends watching from not only in the barn (friends and family watched on ZOOM).
Saul’s cousins sang at our ceremony – were the chuppah singers.
How did you choose your first dance music?
In October of 2022, Stacey saw a reel on Instagram of a snippet of a song that was going to be released in November 2022. Stacey felt that the snippet was singing about our relationship and after Saul heard it, we decided to wait until the release of the song to make the final decision. When we heard the full song, we knew the song was meant to be our first dance song.
How many bridesmaids did you have and how did you ask them to be your bridesmaids
I had one matron of honour and 3 bridesmaids. I asked them to be my bridesmaids in different ways:
My sister (matron of honour) – I took her to a West End show and out for dinner (a girl’s night).
My now sister-in-law – I asked her over a video call as she lives overseas however took her out for dinner when she visited.
The other two were either asked over phone or when we went out for lunch with a small proposal gift.
How did you pick your best men and ushers?
I have grown up with the best man through school, university and beyond. I was best man at his wedding so was honoured that he could return the favour.
The rest of the groomsmen were close friends for between 18 to 25 years.
How many speeches did you have and do you have any advice for anyone giving a speech?
Four speeches plus two toasts (one to the King and one to Israel).
The mic stand provided was really helpful and meant that the speakers didn’t have to struggle turning pages and holding the mic.
What did you wear?
Bridal dress from Oliver’s Bridal
Grooms Suit from Skopes
Is there anything you would have done differently?
Maybe started an hour earlier to allow for daylight for more outdoor couple, family and bridal/groomsmen party photos.
What are your top tips for other couples?
Breathe, the day goes by so quickly.
Embrace it and enjoy every moment.
Some things may not go perfectly with the plan you may have had but it will still be perfect, and no one will know other than you.
A photo with the pigs is a must!
Where do you plan to go on honeymoon?
We went on a minimoon in April to Bournemouth for a few days. We’re planning a trip to South Africa next year for our honeymoon and to celebrate with friends and family who were unable to come to the wedding.
Suppliers – who did you use?
Photographer: Catherine Brooks Photography and Tim Payne Photography (Catherine was our main photographer and Tim was our second photographer)
Videographer: N/A
Dress: Oliver’s bridal and formalwear
Grooms & Groomsmen outfits: Groom – Skopes. Our Groomsmen all wore their own.
Bridesmaid dresses: JJshouse
Hair: Make up by Sam
Makeup: Make up by Sam
Flowers: The Brides bouquet
Entertainment: DJ Gary (South Farm’s amazing resident DJ!)
We loved catching up with Stacey and Saul and hearing all about their Jewish wedding at our countryside wedding venue. Despite a colder March day we love how they used so many different areas of the venue and gardens for their day. Congratulations Stacey & Saul! We are thrilled to share the story of your beautiful wedding day!
f 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 and stunning gardens. We have a fantastic choice of ceremony and reception spaces whether you are looking for a large or small wedding day. We offer exclusive use for your wedding day and our flexible, professional team will make sure your perfect wedding day runs exactly to plan in our stunning barn wedding venue.
