Floral Fabric, Fairy Lights, Pretty Pastel Pompoms – A Relaxed, Rustic, Farm Wedding

In this afternoon's wedding feature, photographer Amy Lewin shares her images of couple Charlotte and Gary, who chose to tie the knot on 2 April this year at the perfect, rustic and beautiful backdrop that is  South Farm in Shingay-Cum Wendy, Royston, Hertfordshire.

"We cannot say that we were inspired by a particular style,
theme or colour but our wedding day was probably created in the image
of our home (except bigger and with fewer limitations – Gary has drawn
the line at having pom poms hanging from the living room ceiling!).

We
wanted our wedding to be relaxed, individual and not too perfect. We
then pinched ideas from blogs like Love My Dress and magazines too. We were keen do
make things ourselves, both for enjoyment and to keep the cost down. We were so inspired, that our
biggest problem was deciding which ideas to leave out, not which ones to include!" 

Love My Dress Wedding Blog – Photography Copyright (c) 2013, Amy Lewin Photography

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

"My dress was a Sincerity Bridal wedding dress
which was in the sale. However, I made the mistake that no bride
should: I carried on trying other dresses on after I bought it! I guess
there was part of me that wasn’t 100% happy with it. I knew that I loved
the detailing and the fact that it was floaty and not restrictive. It
was only after several dress fittings and coveting some very expensive
dresses indeed, I decided I had actually loved the dress, it just needed
a little something extra.

The original dress was strapless. I had the
lace and buttons added. The lovely Janine at Wedding World in Kings Lynn was extremely patient and helped me create the final product.
"

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

"Dawn at The Manor Florist listened
very intently over a cup of tea while we described the style we wanted.
We didn’t ask for any types of flowers in particular but we wanted the
flowers to have a freshly picked country garden style consisting of pale
tones. Dawn created the look we wanted perfectly using seasonal
flowers."

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

"I hadn’t expected Gary to propose that weekend, so much so that I
hid under the duvet and said ‘no’ out of shock! I don’t think I had ever
imagined myself getting married nor had any idea about how our wedding
would be. Even once I had composed myself and finally said ‘yes’, I
wasn’t sure if we would get married straight away. Gary took me away for
the weekend to a cottage near Whitby.

Typical of the weather in
England, it rained and I found myself in a shop looking through the
wedding magazines. South Farm was one of the venues featured. We both
fell in love with it just from a picture and knew we had to get married
there.  We did try to convince ourselves to find somewhere a little
closer to home but no other venues compared. So about a year later we
did just that."

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

"My only request for Dawn at The Manor Florist was that I had David Austin Roses in my bouquet…"

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

"I wore a bracelet which was made for me by a friend of the family, Rhiannon Wilkinson. I talked over some ideas with her and she returned a wonderful bracelet."

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

"We strung fairy lights across the barn and hung pompoms from the
lights. We collected all the old bottles and jars from various antiques
shops and decorated these and the tea light holders with lace. In the
ceremony room we hung various wicker love hearts that I picked up along
the way.

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

"My head dress was bought on Etsy. I literally spent hours looking
online and probably found this the most difficult to decide on."

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

"The Bridesmaid dresses were from Coast. I loved the vintage feel they had about them."

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

"The groom and I had very different visions about what he
would wear on the day at least initially! There was a good chance that
he would have turned up in shorts and flip flops if he was given the
licence to, but I understood that he wanted to feel comfortable. Again
we took ideas from websites and magazines and ended up creating a look
which fitted his character. The outfit was put together from a range of
different shops. The groom and best man wore matching jackets from Next.
"

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair 

"We wanted to give people wedding favours which would last and
have meaning so I bought a range of bulbs and seeds from the garden
centre that people could plant in their gardens. I also created personalised napkins using floral materials. We went to another wedding
just last week and one of our mutual friends was wearing the napkin as a
hankerchief in his suit pocket so we know that at least one person kept
it!"  

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

"We chose Amy Lewin Photography
to capture our day. We didn’t want the photographs to be forced or a
chore. We wanted them to be natural and capture the intimacy of the day.
Amy had the same philosophy and we literally could not have made a
better choice. I’m quite shy and the idea of being in front of a camera
made me squirm. Amy took us on an engagement shoot in the woods and we
knew from that day that we were in safe hands. Amy made us feel relaxed
throughout."

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair


South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

"I didn’t hire a makeup artist.  I wanted to look natural on the
wedding day and I was worried that I wouldn’t look like myself. So I did
my make up myself. I also asked one of my work colleagues to do my
hair. She did an amazing job."

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

"My shoes were a bargain on Ebay. In fact, flat shoes
were a must. Not only do I find heels uncomfortable and difficult to
walk in, I didn’t want to be taller than the groom!"

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

"My Mum gave me away – and we walked down the aisle to ‘Here comes the sun’ by The Beatles.

Gary’s mum read ‘I’ll be there’ by Louise Cuddon. It’s a fun take
on the dilemmas that individuals face in a relationship and how
important it is to have a partner who will see you through.
"

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

"Sticking with the theme of making and creating our
wedding, our cake was made by another one of my work colleagues. Who
knew midwives could have so many hidden talents!
"

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

"Our first dance was ‘Toothpaste Kisses’ by The Maccabees. They are one of our favourite bands. It’s a really sweet song."

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

Words of Wedded Wisdom…

"Try to remain as chilled out as possible, for me organisation
was the key to this, ensuring everything went smoothly. Every detail
(that mattered to me) had been thought out before the day. So on the
day, if it hadn’t been thought about it clearly wasn’t that important
and wasn’t worth worrying about.  Everyone says your wedding day goes so
quickly, but it’s difficult to imagine quite how quickly. Enjoy every
bit and hire a great photographer, that way you have great memories to
keep.

It really is too difficult to pick a favourite part of the
day. Gary would tell you that his is when I walked down the aisle. He
got quite emotional when the music played and he saw me walk down the
aisle. I think that’s perhaps a little bit obvious and predictable.
"

South Farm Wedding, Hertfordhire Wedding, Amy Lewin Photography, Bride with short hair

Ahh, that beautiful golden hour, when the sun shines bright and the photographer has two gorgeous people to shoot and makes it look so utterly beautiful – thank you so much Amy Lewin for sharing these gorgeous images with our readers – and congratulations to you too Charlotte and Gary for sharing your beautiful and inspiring wedding day.

Readers, if you love this photography, then you can see more from Amy Lewin on Love My Dress here. Take a look at our rustic, barn and farm weddings, pastel pretty and pompom pages too!

I'd love to hear from our readers and see some feedback and appreciation for this lovely wedding – what do you love most about it and will you be pinching any wedding day styling ideas?

With much love,

Annabel

Heart

Photographer – Amy Lewin Photography
Venue, Catering + Entertainment – South Farm, Hertfordshire 
Wedding Dress – Sincerity Bridal with alterations by Janine at Wedding World in Kings Lynn
Veil/Headpiece – Etsy
Brides' shoes – Ebay
Bride's accessories – bracelet by Rhiannon Wilkinson
Groom's Attire – Next
Bridesmaids – Coast
Flowergirls dress – Monsoon
Page boy suit – Next
Flowers – The Manor Florist
Cake – Friend

Annabel

Annabel View all Annabel's articles

Founder of Love My Dress. Passionate Podcaster and Editor. Annabel lives in rural North Yorkshire with her husband and business partner Philip, their two daughters and menagerie of furry hounds. She loves photography, meditation, walking, being outdoors and star gazing. She is fierce when it comes to championing talent within the wedding industry and when she's not working on Love My Dress, she supports her husband Philip in the running of the family's sustainable flower farm and floral design business, Moonwind Flowers. In 2013, she became a published author.

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