Grace & Mike celebrated their gorgeous Summer wedding with us at South Farm last July – and what a day it was! From their intimate outdoor ceremony in the Summer House to relaxed sunset drinks on the Terrace with live saxophone music, their wedding day was a fabulous blend of fun laid-back vibes and lots of personal touches.
With bold pops of pink, red and orange, dreamy wildflower backdrops and so many heartfelt moments with their nearest and dearest, their day was nothing short of unforgettable (just take a peek at their stunning photos). We’re so excited to share a little peek into their beautiful wedding day at our barn wedding venue …read all about their day in our latest blog!
Date of your wedding: 12th July 2024
Time of your ceremony: 3:00pm
Location of your ceremony: The Summer House
We’d love to hear your first date stories or tell us how and when you first met?
We met through mutual friends, so had known each other for quite a long time before we started dating in May 2016 – eight years before our big day at South Farm!
Which parts of the venue did you use for your big day?
We were very lucky with the weather (even after a very hit and miss weather week in the week building up to the wedding so it was touch and go!) but luckily it held out for the day and we had the ceremony in the garden (Summer House) and the drinks reception also before moving into the Tudor Barn for the meal. We then went back out and had after dinner drinks on the Terrace and in the Granary area, before going back to the Tudor Barn for the evening.
Which was your favourite spot for wedding photos?
I loved everything about our wedding photos so its hard to pick one favourite spot, but I did love going round the gardens and there was a path back round behind the ceremony area where we got some lovely photos with the wildflowers.
Tell us about any special colour schemes you had for your wedding day or how you styled your big day?
The colour scheme we went for were pinks, reds and oranges. I hired the lovely Gemma Lander from ‘ The White Emporium ’ to do our styling and the florist we used was Rosie Bailey ‘ Wild Florals ’ who did some lovely floral arrangements which really complimented the styling and colour scheme.
How did you first hear about South Farm and what made you choose our venue for your wedding day?
I think I just found it on a Google search if I’m honest! I really wanted everything to all be in one place (ceremony/reception/accommodation) as I didn’t want the fuss of moving from place to place so this was the initial selling point for me with South Farm. It was the first (and only) venue we viewed, when we went to view it, we fell in love with it and knew it would be the perfect place for us! The whole outdoor space was really what sold it for us, I loved the gardens, the wildflowers, the Terrace outside the Granary overlooking the fields. I just knew we wouldn’t find anything better or more suited for our day so knew it was the one!
Tell us some detail about your special day?
The day started with me and my Bridesmaids getting ready in The Coach House Suite and Mike and his Groomsman getting ready at Fen Bridge Farm B&B. This was one of my favourite moments of the day, I surprisingly didn’t feel nervous or anxious about the day and I think this was due to everyone at South Farm being so lovely and helpful with everything it just really put me at ease. Then it was time for the ceremony (which was very luckily outside by the Summer House) we had a small ceremony with only our Bridal Party and Groomsmen and then close family. I think it totalled about 30 people in the end. This was always something we both really wanted to do to make the ceremony feel more intimate and casual (which I also think was the reason I didn’t feel as nervous!)
After the ceremony we had a lovely drinks reception on the garden terrace which was a really lovely touch. We then went to the Tudor Barn for speeches and our wedding breakfast, we went for a plated three course meal – the food was so delicious! I think that was one of the things that most of the guests kept mentioning! And there really wasn’t anything that I could fault with any of the food, it was so lovely. After we made our way outside to the Sunset Terrace and the Granary bar for drinks, we had a saxophone player on the patio (I think this was one of my favourite moments of the day!) And then moved back into the Tudor Barn for cake cutting, first dance and DJ to finish the night off! (Also not forgetting the amazing food we had in the evening, we went for the ‘Noodle Bar’ street food option – so so delicious!)
How did you feel on the day?
I surprisingly didn’t feel too nervous, I just really wanted to enjoy our day as much as our guests after all the planning that had gone into it. I wanted to make the most of it and just make sure we enjoyed ourselves! I think because of this, I didn’t feel that nervous or anxious I was just excited and looking forward to celebrating with all our loved ones! Which we both did and we had the best day! It also helped how amazing everyone was at South Farm, the organization from everyone was next level, I didn’t even have time to think or worry about anything, everything was managed so well it allowed us to both just sit back and enjoy the day!
What was your most memorable moment from your wedding?
I loved the after dinner, drinks on the Sunset Terrace with the saxophone player – it was such a nice fun moment to have with everyone and a great way to break the day up from the day to night transition!
How did you choose your ceremony & first dance music?
We had George Ezra – Hold my girl, it is a special song for us and so just felt like the perfect choice!
How many Bridesmaids did you have and how did you ask them to be your Bridesmaids?
I had quite a lot! In the end there were nine in total (eight Bridesmaids and my sister as Maid of Honor) . I asked them all to be my Bridesmaids on a night our for my birthday before the wedding!
How did you pick your Best Men and Ushers?
They were all Mike’s closet and oldest friends so I think it was quite an easy choice for him!
How many speeches did you have and do you have any advice for anyone giving a speech?
We had two speeches, Best Man & Maid of Honor. They were another one of my favourite moments of the day, they were both funny, light hearted and really lovely heartfelt words to hear from my sister and Mike’s best friend.
What did you wear?
I had a two piece, with a satin slip skirt and a strappy tie around silk chiffon top and a wrap around long sleeved sheer top that I wore during the day and then just had the strappy top in the evening.
Is there anything you would have done differently?
I honestly don’t think so – it was the perfect day!
What are your top tips for other couples?
Enjoy your day! We tried to treat our day as if we were guests and just enjoy every aspect of all of the planning and little touches that had gone into the day and just make the most of it!
Where did you go on honeymoon?
Bali, for two weeks – we left two days after the wedding, it was so lovely!
Suppliers |
Photographer: Sam & Louise Photography
Dress: The Own Studio
Grooms & Groomsmen Outfits: Anthony Formal Wear
Bridesmaid Dresses: Various
Cake: Kelly’s Kitchen
Hair: Cousin
Makeup: E V Makeup
Flowers: Rosie & The Flowers
Styling: The White Emporium
Entertainment:
Banjo – John Dowling Music
Saxophone – Olly Ibiza Sax
DJ – DJ Markus
It was an absolute joy to host your beautiful summer wedding, Grace and Mike! Thank you so much for sharing your special day with us. We were so thrilled to be a part of your love story here at South Farm. From the entire team, we wish you both a lifetime of happiness together. Please do stay in touch!
If you are looking to book your dream Hertfordshire garden wedding venue for your 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 wedding barns and stunning gardens. Our fantastic choice of ceremony and reception spaces is perfect for weddings all year round. 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.
