Their wedding was the culmination of two very ‘full-on’ years of planning, building and getting ready for the start of a new adventure and direction for the farm. I won’t pretend it wasn’t stressful – but this was the moment when it became a reality – and what a day it was!  They might not have had the beautiful Clock House, slabs on the terrace or glass in the porch (OK, we weren’t quite finished!), but after a mad three month push, the inside of the Barn was complete – a huge relief for our son-in-law Paul, who had project managed the whole build.

Family and friends converged from far and wide, including a large contingent from North Wales, various locations all over England and even from Australia, and it was a truly personal affair.  Hettie’s Aunty did the flowers, a task that entailed her husband climbing a tree to cut down an extremely large ball of mistletoe which was then adorned with fairy lights and hung from the beams in the main hall.  The totally coeliac friendly meal (Sam was fed up with being the odd one out!) was made by a family friend’s company, and we danced the night away to the always fabulous Bill Ding and the Skyscrapers.  And just in case we hadn’t eaten enough – Exe Valley Pizzas were on hand to cook bespoke creations for everyone too. The happy couple were toasted with @sandfordsorchards ‘Fanny’s Bramble’ cider – a particular favourite, and who knows, some of the juice from our own orchards may have found their way into those particular bottles!

Having always wanted to get married in the winter, Hettie and Sam chose Andy from Harrera Images to take their photos for his beautiful atmospheric style, and were extremely keen not to have any posed groups – just a casual record of the day, and that’s precisely what they have.  It always amazes me the little details he managed to catch, although I do also value the fact that they were persuaded to have just a very few family groups!

Hettie wore a gown from @jesuspeirooffical , the bridesmaids wore dresses from Coast, and I commissioned the fabulous Kim from @abidemaids to make a skirt and modified top in bespoke colours from her separates range for myself.

So much has changed since then; for a start, two have now become four!

Harefield Barn has changed and adapted too.  We have had the privilege of hosting more than 70 weddings now, and each one completely different.  Not many by the standards of the more established venues, but we deliberately limit the number of weddings we have each year, and offer an extended hire period so that couples are given a really personal experience, and can truly relax and enjoy the day of a lifetime.

Here’s to the next 4 years – we can’t wait to see what that brings!