There’s something truly special about a winter wedding at South Farm in Hertfordshire. Twinkling fairy lights, festive wreaths, cosy candlelight and crisp golden sunsets that create a magical atmosphere and stunning backdrops.
For Julia and Jack, South Farm had already captured their hearts long before they were officially engaged. After discovering our eco-conscious wedding venue online and attending an Open House event, they knew they’d found the perfect place to celebrate their Hertfordshire wedding.
Surrounded by family, friends and the warmth of the festive season, Julia and Jack exchanged vows in the Tudor Barn before celebrating with a relaxed drinks reception in the Old Dairy and dancing until midnight in the Horse Barn. With a beautiful winter wonderland theme, thoughtful sustainable touches, emotional family moments and some truly stunning golden-hour photographs, their wedding was the perfect reflection of their beautiful love story.
South Farm are delighted to share more about their special day and the memories they made here.
Date of your wedding: 20th December 2025
Time of your ceremony: 2:00pm
Location of your ceremony: Tudor Barn
We’d love to hear your first date stories or tell us how and when you first met?
We met on Tinder in 2016. After a couple of dates, life took us in different directions, but we remained good friends. Jack was travelling in Thailand and would keep me up to speed on all his adventures. When he returned home, we spent more and more time together, until a few months later we realised that our friendship had become something more.
Which parts of the venue did you use for your big day?
We used as many as we possibly could! Jack and his best men used the Drawing Room pre ceremony to practice speeches and check finishing touches before the ceremony in the Tudor Barn. Our drinks reception was in the Old Dairy and then evening dancing in the Horse Barn with DJ Gary.
Which was your favourite spot for wedding photos?
We have so many beautiful shots it’s hard to choose just one. The photos of us behind the house, on the bridge and in the Kitchen Garden are some of our favourites. The grounds offer a stunning backdrop at every turn
Tell us about any special colour schemes you had for your wedding day or how you styled your big day?
Our wedding was right before Christmas on 20th December 2025. So we leaned into the winter wonderland theme — Jack wore a dark green suit, and my bridesmaids wore burnt orange. South Farm decorate the venue in winter with wreaths and garlands so I wanted my flowers to complement this and focused on foliage and white flowers for the tables. We also added extra fairy lights in the Tudor Barn and lots of candles to give it a twinkly feel.
We’d love to know if you included any eco-friendly or sustainable touches in your special day?
We chose to send all our save the dates and invites online only. I also opted not to provide wedding favours as these so often go to waste, choosing instead to put this money behind the bar.
While all flowers that were with a person (bouquets, buttonholes etc.) were fresh, all decorative flowers such as the centrepieces and a hanging backdrop were hired silk flowers.
How did you first hear about South Farm and what made you choose our venue for your wedding day?
Jack and I had talked about getting married for quite a while, and one day curiosity got the better of me, so I started Googling local Hertfordshire venues, even though we weren’t officially engaged yet. That’s how I first came across South Farm. By chance, they were holding an Open House event the following weekend, so Jack suggested I go along with his sister to have a look and see what I thought.
I immediately fell in love with it. Everything about the place felt special, so I arranged a second visit with Jack so he could see it too. Our venue tour was with the lovely Emily, who talked us through all the options and made everything very clear and transparent, which we really appreciated and was a big factor in helping us feel confident about the venue.
As soon as we got back in the car, the first thing Jack said was, “So… how are we going to pay for this then?” We set a date shortly afterwards, and Jack officially proposed not long after that.
Tell us some detail about your special day?
The weather on our wedding day could not have been any better considering it was almost Christmas. It wasn’t too cold and the sun was shining. It helped us get some beautiful golden hour shots.
When I arrived at the venue, I actually spotted Jack as we drove up the driveway, which was definitely not the plan! Luckily, I’m not one to get too bogged down in tradition and superstition. But I soon learnt that his reasoning was very sweet, although perhaps not perfectly executed. He had wanted to leave a gift for me in the room. It was a lovely Pandora tennis bracelet which was the perfect final touch to my outfit.
How did you feel on the day?
So excited. I really thought I would be more emotional, but I was on cloud nine and everything flew by.
What was your most memorable moment from your wedding?
My ceremony was perfect for me. My oldest niece, Laura played the piano while I walked down the aisle with my dad. It was so special and I’m so pleased she agreed to do this in front of all our guests. My other niece, Mia did our reading which was the poem The Giraffe and The Monkey by Daniel Thompson. This truly reflects Jack and me and really helped set the atmosphere for the day. We wanted the day to feel relaxed and simply be a celebration with all our friends and family.
How did you choose your ceremony and first dance music?
Jack’s favourite song is Jackie Wilson’s ‘(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher’, so this was an easy choice to be our ceremony exit music.
Our first dance was ‘One Life’ by James Bay. We’re both big fans of his music and even went to see him play at the Royal Albert Hall. It’s a beautiful song which he wrote for his wife and just like the poem, which was read during our ceremony, it felt like a good reflection of us.
How many Bridesmaids did you have and how did you ask them to be your Bridesmaids?
I had three altogether. I remember calling one of them specifically to ask, but the other two had somewhat understood without me needing to ask directly.
How did you pick your Best Men and Ushers?
Jack had four Best Men and they’re all very close friends. Two of them, however, now live abroad so he spoke to them separately and asked the other two over a pint.
How many speeches did you have and do you have any advice for anyone giving a speech?
Our speeches were given by my Mum, the Best Men and Jack.
My mum was very excited to be giving a speech, but she was also quite nervous about what to say. She did a lot of Googling and even tried asking ChatGPT for help. While it can help with structure and ideas, don’t rely on it for the whole speech, otherwise it can feel impersonal. Luckily my brother and my niece helped her scale it back and shaped it to be more authentic.
What did you wear?
My dress was from a dress boutique which has since closed down. I came across their website by chance and ended up buying my dress in their closing down sale. It was the Sevilla dress from the Blue by Enzoani collection.
Jack’s suit was custom made by Greylan Custom Clothier. He’s very tall and slim and he wanted to ensure his suit was the perfect fit for him.
Is there anything you would have done differently?
We chose not to have a videographer, which I am still OK with. However, I wish I had delegated somebody to capture certain moments.
What are your top tips for other couples?
It really is true when they say that the day flies by. I tried so hard to take as much of it in as I possibly could so do your best, but make sure you have fun.
Where did you go on honeymoon?
Our honeymoon was in Koh Samui, Thailand and we had the most amazing time. We stayed in a beachfront villa with a private pool for 10 nights. It had been years since we had a proper holiday abroad and we really wanted to treat ourselves and relax, so that’s exactly what we did. It was bliss.
Suppliers |
Photographer: Ashley Morton Photography
Dress: Alterations by Sewn by M.E.
Grooms & Groomsmen outfits: Greylan Custom Clothier (Groom) & Chimney Formal Menswear (Best Men)
Bridesmaid Dresses: Azazie
Cake: Homemade by the groom’s step mum
Hair: Bridal Hair Design
Makeup: Bridal Makeup by Juliet
Flowers: Nici’s Creations
Entertainment: DJ Gary & Blooper Photographic
A huge thank you to Julia and Jack for sharing your beautiful wedding story with us. It was an absolute pleasure to host your wonderful wedding, and we feel honoured to have been part of such a special chapter. From everyone at South Farm, we wish you both a lifetime of happiness, adventure and wonderful memories together.
If you are looking to book your dream barn wedding venue in Hertfordshire for your 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 thoughtfully designed ceremony and reception spaces are 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. Our friendly, experienced team will make sure your dream wedding day runs perfectly to plan in our beautiful barn wedding venue.
