As 2019 comes to an end, we would like to say thank you to everyone who chose our wonderful Cambridgeshire wedding venue for their special day. Each and every wedding this year has been just as special and moving as the last and we feel truly honoured to have been a part of this.
We look forward to celebrating with some of you again next month at our ‘Brides & Grooms Revisited Charity Dinner’ and reliving a little of the magic from your wedding day. More details on this event can be found at the end of this blog.
For now, though, we thought we’d take the opportunity to look back through 2019 and share a selection of highlights from some of the many memorable events this past year.
JANUARY – Business Award Successes
Four Counties Wedding Awards
Our 2019 got off to a flying start, as we were awarded the Best Venue Award at the end of 2018 in the 4 Counties Wedding Awards for the second year running.
The awards recognise wedding suppliers in Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Cambridgeshire, who go above and beyond to make every wedding day special. To win the title of ‘Best Venue’ is a real recognition of excellence in our industry and the achievement reflects the care and attention our dedicated team give to every bride and groom.
As well as providing the platform to recognise and celebrate top wedding suppliers, Four Counties Wedding Awards also fundraise for The Wedding Wishing Well Foundation; who work tirelessly to organise and fund weddings for people with a life limiting illness or terminal illness.
It was a real honour to support The Wedding Wishing Well Foundation, and to help to raise awareness and funds for this amazing charity.
FEBRUARY – Mmmm Menu Tasting Evenings
If you were lucky enough to come along to our Menu Tasting Evenings that we held in February and November, you will have tasted over 40 items from our signature three course formal menu, including delicious canapes, starters, mains and desserts.
Our guests enjoyed a lovely evening which offers a perfect opportunity for the 180+ couples who have booked their weddings at South Farm, to sample our homegrown food, try our wine varieties and experience the friendly and professional services of our lovely South Farm team before their wedding day.
MARCH – Video Tour Launch & Farm Wedding Venue Accolade
South Farm video tour
In March, we were excited to be able to share our unique wedding venue with couples, online, via our new video tour. The video, which takes viewers from the front of the drive, through the beautiful Farmhouse and Accommodation, to the Gardens and Tudor Barn (catering kitchen included), allows couples to explore our venue before they visit, or to show their relatives and family.
Thanks to Spatz Filmfor producing it for us.
BrideBook
Also in March, we were very proud to be named in the Top 20 of ‘Farm Wedding Venues in the UK’ on Bridebook– the free wedding planning app. A great tool for couples planning their weddings and searching for the perfect venue. We are very proud of our farming heritage and field to fork credentials and were thrilled to receive such an accolade from this important industry planning platform.
JUNE – Open Day & wildflower meadows that ‘wow’
Open Day
On 11thJune we held our annual Open Day and welcomed over 450 guests to South Farm.
Guests were warmly greeted by our favourite Master of Ceremonies, Chris Jennings, and our Events Team were on hand to chat to couples about their wedding plans.
Visitors were free to roam and take in our beautiful buildings and lovely grounds, whilst some of our wonderful recommended suppliers helped us to showcase the venue.
We were delighted to welcome couples who had already booked their wedding at South Farm and many new couples who were visiting us for the first time in their search for their perfect wedding venue.
Spectacular wildflower meadows
June also saw our wildflower meadows in full bloom with the most stunning mix of colours and wildflowers we have ever seen. Couples marrying in June were able to enjoy this beautiful backdrop as another unique setting for photos on their special day! The meadows also create a wonderful habitat for many wildlife species including our friends the bees and a record number of different species of butterflies sighted this Summer!
SEPTEMBER – Showtime!
Newmarket Wedding Show
We had a wonderful time at the Newmarket Wedding Show on September 15th, as we exhibited for the first time at Rowley Mile Racecourse.
Our friendly Events team enjoyed chatting to lots of couples about their wedding plans and handing out our yummy homemade brownies, whilst showcasing what South Farm has to offer.
Thanks to Alice at Fleur de Lace for her creative input and the styling of our stand.
Gransden & District Agricultural Society Show
On September 28th, our talented smallholding team were delighted to, once again, attend the Gransden & District Agricultural Society Show, in Cambridgeshire and came home with a haul of prizes.
The team were credited for their amazing homegrown produce and won several awards, including first prize for pumpkins, first prize for tomatoes and second prize for our onions!
DECEMBER – Wreath Workshop
Our first Christmas Wreath-Making Workshop, led by Suzie from our skilled Garden Team, was a huge success. Everyone who joined us went home with a beautiful hand-made Christmas wreath and a new talent! We were thrilled to see many of our brides and grooms come back to join us for the fun workshop – not forgetting a glass of mulled wine and a mince pie!
Throughout the year – host to stunning events
Naturally, we were delighted to host beautiful weddings and other events in 2019, throughout Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter.
South Farm’s dedicated team have been busy doing what they love best – helping our lovely couples to create their dream wedding day at our truly unique, rustic Cambridgeshire wedding venue.
Delicious, home-grown food
Our unique working farm, means our events and weddings are catered for in-house, producing outstanding food with extensive menus. Our skilled catering team are able to provide ethnically diverse menus such as; Thai, Indian, Chinese, Malaysian, Mexican and Moroccan as well as the more traditional British cuisine.
This year, we have catered for many all-vegan and all-vegetarian weddings, adapting to the growing shift in diets and helping couples to show their guests how wonderful plant-based alternatives can be. We also launched our new evening street food menus, including delicious American diner, kebab bar and noodle bar options.
Keep our countryside green
Surrounded by the beautiful South Cambridgeshire landscape, we never take the incredible countryside we live in for granted and strive to be as environmentally friendly as possible.
We know that couples who are looking for a wedding venue in the countryside are likely to feel the same as us. That’s why sustainability continues to be high on our priority list as we continue to set the bar as one of the country’s leading eco-friendly, green wedding venues.
We are extremely proud of our large number of long-standing sustainable and eco-friendly initiatives and we continue to develop and expand these in order to reduce our own carbon footprint and make South Farm weddings as sustainable as possible.
Discover more about our eco-friendly practices and efforts including waste management, conservation policies, recycling, water preservation and community endeavours, to name a few HERE.
The Green Team
Continuing with the green theme, South Farm’s Head Gardener, Andy Welch, (who is also one of South Farm’s longest-serving employees), was promoted to the role of Estate Manager. Andy now looks after the fruits and vegetables in our small holding, as well as managing our beautiful formal gardens.
Our Garden Team work tirelessly throughout the year to make sure our venue is pristine and full of colour and interest, during every season.
Our Smallholding Team also have a crucial role at South Farm, liaising with the chefs and wedding planning team and taking on the challenging role of ensuring we have the freshest home-grown produce available throughout the year for the huge variety of wedding menus produced by our talented in-house team.
We couldn’t be more proud of them all.
UP AND COMING: Brides & Grooms Revisited Charity Dinner
We are thrilled to welcome back many of our couples who have married at South Farm, to join us for our next charity fundraiser: ‘Brides & Grooms Revisited Charity Dinner’ taking place on Saturday 18th January 2020.
Couples can look forward to an evening of dining and dancing, in aid of raising vital funds for Petals, the counselling service for trauma or loss during pregnancy and birth.
Tickets are £80 each, with £20 of each ticket, plus 20% of bar drinks, going directly to Petals and donations will also be welcome on the night.
We are incredibly proud to be able to support this fabulous charity and are looking forward to hosting a wonderful evening. For more information about this or future events please email emily@south-farm.co.uk
Wishing you all a Happy New Year and all the very best for 2020!
