Why we chose Stennack Farm for our wedding venue
We wanted a venue that was a blank canvas, allowing us to style freely and mostly DIY. Having said that, Stennack was so much more than a blank canvas, calling it that really doesn’t do it justice; the Barn is so light and spacious and the wood panelling creates a feeling of warmth whilst the large windows bring the outside in. Our photographer commented on how the light moved around the barn throughout the day and this made for some stunning photos (we were blessed with perfect weather!).
The outside spaces were perfect for welcome drinks and photo opportunities. The accommodation also appealed, the chance for close family and our bridesmaids, groomsmen and their partners to all stay with us for two nights.
How we wanted our wedding to look in terms of style and aesthetics
We definitely didn’t want any ‘out of the box’ wedding styling, we wanted our own style and personality to shine though with classy rustic theme.
We started by choosing a colour scheme to tie everything together and then ideas developed from there (mostly thanks to Pinterest). We went for ‘less is more’ with the exception of the bunting which was ‘go big or go home’! Jess made almost 300m of bunting in total, white lace for indoors and colour scheme bunting for outside and we were really pleased with the result. The tables were decorated with cheesecloth table runners from Etsy, napkins from Dunelm, IKEA placemats, simple tea lights in jars and to finish off were the houseplant centre pieces that also doubled as the favours – each guest took one home.
Jess also made the succulent bouquets and buttonholes. This was a lot of work to source the succulents of the right shape and size but after watching many YouTube videos and a bit of practice, putting them together was not too tricky and could be done several days before so no last-minute rush. The best bit is that all of the surviving succulents (there were some casualties) have been potted up to keep hopefully forever more!
Our amazing photographer
Photographer: Nick Bailey @photobailey
One of my bridesmaids gave us some really good advice: find a photographer who you get on well with because they are going to be following you around all day! We searched through so many portfolios but it was Nick’s documentary style and use of light that really stood out to us. Nick was such a nice guy, so easy going and very experienced. He captured all of the special moments of our day beautifully and we could tell he wanted every shot to be perfect. We are absolutely delighted with the results and highly recommend Nick.
Jess’s elegant and beautiful wedding dress was from Monsoon, and Mark’s and the groomsmen’s suits were bought online at Skopes.
Our caterers and all about our wedding food
Caterer: Kerra’s
Kerra and her team were very professional throughout and their familiarity with Stennack made everything really easy. We had canapés followed by a two-course wedding breakfast with main and dessert. The food was incredible and all of our guests commented on how delicious it was. The staff were lovely and made an effort to ensure the Bride and Groom both got plenty of canapés – very easy to miss out on your own wedding day!
Evening Food: Ann’s Pasties
Delicious Cornish Pasties delivered warm and fresh at 9pm and the leftovers went in the fridge for the following day.
Dancing the night away
Band: The Crossfades booked through Function Central
We chose to book the band through an agency because they offer a level of protection and assurance. The Crossfades played a great set list including our request for first dance and got everyone up on the dancefloor.
Our perfect selection of suppliers
Celebrant: Celebrant in Cornwall @celebrantincornwall
We decided to go with a Celebrant ceremony because we wanted it to be personal and unique. We worked with Lisa, who wrote a beautiful ceremony that Sam delivered superbly on the day. We had a hand tying, Lisa helped us write our vows, which would have otherwise been very daunting, and we also had some lovely readings by family and friends. It was just perfect and both Sam and Lisa made us feel so relaxed throughout, we highly recommend a Celebrant wedding with these lovely ladies. We were legally married at Truro Registry Office just with two witnesses on a different day.
Cake: Josie from Simply Baked @simplybakedcornwall
Josie explained all of the possibilities and the associated costs. She embraced our succulent theme and made us a beautiful cake that tasted delicious.
Hair & makeup: Jennifer @cornwall_hair_and_mua
Jennfier did a wonderful job with our hair and make up on the day and she was fun to work with. Nothing fazed her and the timing was perfect which meant we all had a relaxing morning.
Décor Hire: Stargazey @stargazeydecorhire
We hired the arch and some garden games from Stargazey, which was super easy to organise.
Little Eden Entertainment let us use the lights they had set up for the open day the next day, so a special thank you to them.
Our favourite part of the day
Everything came together so perfectly that it’s really hard to choose. We were able to have some quiet moments to ourselves as well as spending time with all of our guests.
Looking back, we would have done this differently
Maybe make a bit less bunting?! (Note from Stennack Farm: Never!)
Stand out Stennack Farm service
The Team were fabulous – special thanks to Nancy who answered all of our emails and Jordan who made our wedding day totally stress free.
How Stennack Farm made our wedding day special
The freedom to choose all of our suppliers and style exactly how we wanted, in addition to our unique Celebrant ceremony and the perfect weather, especially for October!
Jess and Mark celebrated their wedding at Stennack Farm in October 2023. We’re so pleased they chose us for their venue!
