Right in the middle of the July heatwave, the wedding of Jasmine and Mark finally played out here at Elmbridge Farm. It had been a long, long time coming with their original wedding date being postponed due to Covid. In fact this couple booked their wedding date with us when the venue was nothing more than a mound of mud and an ambitious dream.
Rest assured, Jazz and Mark’s day was absolutely worth the wait and the photographs to prove it (shot by David Boynton) are truly something special.
Jazz and Mark stayed here on the farm in the holiday cottages. They checked in the day before and headed over to decorate the tipi. The temperature was pushing 28 degrees, a couple of degrees cooler than the wedding day!…It seemed these guys had been praying for sunshine every single day of their long engagement!
Bridal prep started early on the wedding morning, up in the penthouse bridal cottage, The Swallows.
A teary-eyed Father of the Bride arrived to escort Jasmine to the Church in a cream vintage camper van and the Bridesmaids and Mother of the Bride followed in a matching vintage bus. VIP guest Henry the spaniel was on the guest-list and acted as Ring Bearer during the ceremony.
On arrival to Elmbridge Farm, guests were welcomed with a drinks reception and canapes on the tipi terrace, overlooking the lake whilst the new Mr and Mrs Hitchman and their bridal party were whisked away for photos. Oh the photos! Dreamy!
The tipi was decorated absolutely beautifully. We knew the flowers were going to be fabulous, as they always are by this couple’s chosen florist, Floral Roundabout. Jazz and Mark had created such a lovely collection of homemade touches that it was a treat just to wander around inside the tipi and look at everything. The tipi edge was lined with photos ‘through the years’, meaningful words and signs were dotted around; There was a donut wall ready for tipsy munchies later in the evening and a light-up LED dancefloor which looked spectacular amidst the fairy lights in the tipi.
Being big tapas fans, Jazz and Mark had Las Tapitas caterers on the menu. It was our first time having Carlos and Helen in the kitchen and they definitely won our seal of approval – delicious, authentic Spanish food and just the friendliest people. For the guest bar here, we always ask the couple to choose a cocktail each and we add it to the bar menu. The ‘Hers’ was a frozen Strawberry Daquiri (very popular in the heatwave!) and the ‘His’ was a Pina Colada, both perfect matches for the menu.
Speeches closed the meal, filling the tipi with smiling faces, laughter and a few tears. Around this time, the Bride was transformed into a second beautiful bridal gown – clearly she meant business on the dancefloor! The cake cutting was accompanied by music played by The Mother and Father of the Bride. The first dance took place on the LED dancefloor, just as the sun had set and the tipi and outdoor setting had transformed into a different kind of magic.
From here on in it was dancing in the tipi to the sounds of the band, with intermittent Sambuca and Tequila shots, over in the bar hat.
Carriages arrived at Midnight and having thanked and bid their guests goodnight, Jazz and Mark wondered over to our little island on the lake for a night cap and a plate full of treats from the dessert table. Adorable!
Huge congratulations Mr and Mrs Hitchman!
Bride and Groom: Jasmine and Mark Hitchman Photographer: David Boynton Venue: Elmbridge Farm Church: Salwarpe, Droitwich Accommodation: Elmbridge Holiday Cottages Flowers: Floral Roundabout Videographer: RM Wedding Films Caterer: Las Tapitas
Kinds words from Jasmine and Mark:
”We had the most perfect wedding reception at Elmbridge Farm (a long time coming, as we booked them back in 2018 before Covid meant we had to postpone for a year!).
On top of the usual wedding stress, Amy & Dan had to navigate a particularly challenging Covid year full of miserable, anxious and stressed couples (us being one of them), difficult for every business but especially a brand new one! We appreciate how calm they kept, how professional they were through the adversity, and for keeping positive when all our wedding plans looked like they were slipping away.
Elmbridge Farm is just the most beautiful, relaxed venue. The scenery, woodland and lake all add to the serenity, and the blank canvas of the tipi makes your creativity run wild!
Amy & Dan were much more relaxed about our supplier choice than other venues – we were not made to choose a certain supplier (although they did give us recommendations) and we never felt like we were being forced into a decision. Because of this, we felt we could create a completely unique wedding that felt so personal to us.
What really stood Elmbridge out from other tipi venues was actually the pathways, permanent wooden flooring, toilets & nearby accommodation – the tipi doesn’t just look plonked in a field, the settings and tipi fit together perfectly and has been well thought out in terms of heel choice and making our guests feel comfortable in navigating the venue! Instead of having to hire portaloos in like every other outside venue we looked at, Elmbridge has its very own renovated, permanent bathrooms, with beautiful cottages perfect for a bridal party a 3 minute walk away. We felt we and our guests had the best of both worlds: an outdoors wedding, but with indoor comforts!
I’d recommend Elmbridge Farm to couples who are after something different, are willing to put in the creative work, and want to give their guests an experience, not just a standard wedding! Thank you Amy and Dan, for the last 2.5 years – it’s been a blast!”
