A Dorset farm wedding is one of my personal top settings for a Dorset wedding- and an Ashton Farm Wedding is pretty perfect. There’s the wedding barn, the woodland ceremony, the marquee… and of course all the hay bales, bunting and fire pits you could ask for from a farm wedding.
Below is a real wedding story of a Hayhouse farm wedding – it’s Chris & Hannah’s big day.
If you’re looking for a photographer for your own Dorset farm marquee wedding, do get in touch – I’d love to have a chat about your own plans!
Last Saturday I was able to enjoy a beautiful new wedding venue – Ashton Farm here in Dorset – for the wedding of Siân and Andrew. It had been some week for the couple – in the last seven days they had moved house from London to Dorset, started new jobs – and then of course the wedding!
Siân’s father is a keen amateur photographer, and at his request I left him to enjoy the morning with his daughter and to cover the bridal preps, starting my day by meeting up with the bridesmaids (setting the theme for the day in elegantly rustic cornflower blue) at the barn as we waited for Siân and her father. And to be fair, they arrived in style, in her dad’s flower-bedecked car playing a triumphant fanfare as they came through the gates into the farmyard!
The bridal party processed through the gardens to where the guests were seated under the trees by the pagoda where the ceremony would take place. The clouds rolled in and threatened to spoil the outdoors ceremony – but the mizzle in the air soon blew on, and we were treated to glorious summer sunshine for the rest of the day.
It was a perfect setting for the country-themed wedding – the tones were soft pinks and blues, echoed through the masses of simply wonderful flowers grown and arranged by a family friend, and the traditional handmade bunting. I noticed that the heart bunting in the barn had been filled with children’s handwriting; Siân’s class had filled it with lovely messages. The paper flower table decorations were made by Siân and a friend, as were the heart paper scrolls.
After watching Siân and Andrew exchange their rings in the sunshine and share their first kiss as husband and wife, the guests formed a confetti tunnel through the walled garden into the main barn courtyard and Siân and Andrew led the way though into the courtyard for refreshments and to finally catch up with their guests.
The Bride & Groom shared their love of gin by providing a varied gin table for the guests to enjoy, accompanied by a large table covered in a rainbow oddment of glasses and an old wheelbarrow filled with ice and tonics. Judging by the number of empties as the evening drew on this was a massively popular idea!
Throughout the wedding areas signs were hung on old garden forks to let guests know what was where. One of the barns had a camera set up for group shots, and a fork in the centre of the courtyard held the remote control for it! As the guests began to drift towards the barn to find their seats, Siân, Andrew and I escaped for a few quiet moments alone.
The speeches followed the wedding breakfast, and I learned that Siân and Andrew met online through a dating agency (both had friends write their profiles for them!). Andrew had been described as being ‘like ice cream’ – and in his speech he referred to Siân as apple pie (as it goes so well with ice cream…)!
The guests had a quiet spell to enjoy the gloriously warm evening outside while the band set up, before moving back into the barn for the couple’s first dance, and then to party away the night to the rythmn of the fab Sam Lewis Band
Thank you Siân and Andrew – I had a wonderful day, your wedding was beautiful and I wish you all the very best for the future.
Best wishes
Courtenay
Credit where credit is due
Caterers – Dorset Fine Dining
Band – Sam Lewis Band
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All the lovely details from Siân and Andrew’s wedding at Ashton Farm Barn in the heart of the Dorset countryside …
