From the moment Kirstie and Jeff stepped onto the grounds of South Farm, they knew it was the perfect place to say “I do.”
Opting for a relaxed and family-focused day, Kirstie and Jeff embraced the natural charm of our intimate wedding venue in Hertfordshire, with their ceremony in the Old Dairy, drinks reception in the Granary, and an evening full of laughter and dancing in the Tudor Barn and Horse Barn. With soft green and champagne tones complementing the idyllic rural setting, their wedding was effortlessly elegant and full of heart.
From hilarious speeches and dance floor antics to a surprise flirtation from a great aunt, their special day was filled with personality, warmth, and genuine moments of connection.
Read on to discover how this fun-loving couple brought their vision to life at South Farm — complete with our sweet little piggies, country music and a Grand Cayman honeymoon…
Date of your wedding: 7th November 2024
Time of your ceremony: 2:00pm
Location of your ceremony: The Old Dairy
We’d love to hear how and when you first met?
I will say it quickly as it still makes me blush 15 years on but Jeff was one of my brother’s friends (I know!!) we met because I was friends with the sister of another of my brother’s friends and we used to go to the same house parties, we kept it our little secret for a few months before we plucked up the courage to tell everyone….. it didn’t go down well at first as you can imagine but we’re all one big happy family now!
Which parts of the venue did you use for your big day?
Our ceremony was in the Old Dairy with drinks reception in the Granary and our evening was in the Tudor Barn and Horse Barn.
Which was your favourite spot for wedding photos?
It is hard to pick a favourite spot, the entire venue is so beautiful! But I’d be lying if I didn’t say getting in with the gorgeous piggies was top of the list!
Tell us about any special colour schemes you had for your wedding day and how you styled your big day?
We had such a tight budget for our wedding as we just decided one day after six years of being engaged ‘let’s just do it!’ and, after viewing South Farm as our first venue, nowhere else compared so we did everything we could to make it work by having less themes/décor for the day.
As the venue is so beautiful we found we really didn’t need that much anyway and tried to keep our theme in soft greens/champagnes so it was in-keeping with the countryside and already fabulous surroundings.
How did you first hear about South Farm and what made you choose our venue for your wedding day?
I think I found South Farm on a Google search of wedding venues near where we live and it kept appearing on Bridebook, it turns out I had South Farm favourited on Bridebook for years after we first got engaged (it was meant to be).
Tell us some detail about your special day?
Even though we have been together for so long our wedding was the first time the majority of our families met and it was lovely to see everyone getting on so well together. Our wedding party was really small with mostly just family members and it really took the pressure off with planning the wedding… it was so stress free I thought for sure I was doing something wrong!
The day could not have been more perfect! And I am so pleased we chose November as our month to get married, the weather was really mild and our photos came out beautifully with the colours of Autumn on the trees around the farm.
Everyone who attended commented about how wonderful South Farm was, how beautiful the venue was and also how friendly and attentive all members of staff were! They still talk about it now seven months on!
How did you feel on the day?
Strangely calm right up to just before I walked down the aisle! As we provided all the décor ourselves Jeff and his Groomsmen set it all up so he had a lot more stress than me, wanting to make sure it was perfect for me.
After the ceremony and the nerves died down, I just felt total happiness!
What was your most memorable moment from your wedding?
There were so many wonderful/funny moments throughout the day! Turning around after the registrar declares you husband and wife to face our family and friends who were all clapping and cheering was amazing …to the emotional rollercoaster of our speeches! Watching my Dad and Uncle dance around the Horse Barn like they were still teenagers! But I think watching Jeff’s 70 year old Great Aunt flirt with one of his golf friends after a few too many whiskeys and the sheer panic on his face – may be one of my favourite’s (there is always one! ).
How did you choose your ceremony and first dance music?
We spent days on long car journeys creating our playlist that would be played throughout the day in the background and made sure it was filled with all of our favourites, for the music for the ceremony we picked songs that we felt the lyrics really represented us which is why it was not a hard decision to choose ‘Stand By Me’ as my walk down the aisle song, we had our first dance song chosen before we even booked the venue thanks to our joint love of country music.
How many Bridesmaids did you have and how did you ask them to be your Bridesmaids?
I really didn’t want a big bridal party and wanted to keep the entire wedding and day really intimate with family and close friends so I only had my sister in-law and nieces.
How many speeches did you have and do you have any advice for anyone giving a speech?
We originally had three speeches (Bride’s Dad, Groom, Best Man) but surprisingly the other Groomsmen also decided to do a little improv speech and they were so funny!!
We decided to have our speeches before our meal so those who were a little nervous/anxious could relax after and enjoy their meal and the rest of the day and we think it was the best decision it also split up the day really nicely.
What did you wear?
My dress was from Wed2B! I went to a few wedding boutiques and just felt so ridiculous in a wedding dress, I was so worried I wouldn’t find anything that I would feel comfortable in, I found Wed2B online and took a trip to our local store and I fell in love with the 2nd dress and took it home with me that day! The most stressful part was the alterations.
The Groom and Groomsmen wore suits from Next, It turned out to be so much cheaper than renting suits and they get to keep them for other occasions…Bonus!
Is there anything you would have done differently?
Honestly….no! the only thing I wish we did was have a videographer even if it was just to film the speeches as I would have loved to be able to relive them!.
What are your top tips for other couples?
Plan your wedding for yourselves not your guests and take 5-10mins out of the day to stand back and take it all in (it really does fly by).
Where did you go on honeymoon?
We very generously had our honeymoon gifted by a family member who couldn’t attend the wedding and they flew us out to Grand Cayman!! So we had a great honeymoon and got to spend time with family members we don’t get to see very often!
Suppliers |
Photographer: Photography by Bea
Dress: Wed2B
Grooms & Groomsmen outfits: Next
Bridesmaid dresses: JJs House
Cake: M&S
Hair: Karen Starr
Makeup: Karen Starr
Flowers: The Flower Mill
A huge thank you to Kirstie and Jeff for sharing the beautiful details of your wedding day with us. We’re absolutely thrilled that your wedding was everything you hoped for (and more!) and wish you a lifetime of happiness, adventure, and more wonderful memories together. South Farm will always be here to welcome you back — and we hope it will forever hold a special place in your hearts.
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 dream wedding day runs perfectly to plan in our beautiful barn wedding venue.
