Why we chose Stennack Farm for our wedding venue
The first time we visited it was for a wedding fair, and we were struck by how picturesque and quiet it is there. It has a lovely rural feel but the barn is large and clean and a real blank space to make your own. It was also lovely to see somewhere with so much accommodation so we could really make a weekend of the wedding, and the cottages are beautiful!
How we wanted our wedding to look in terms of style and aesthetic
We wanted somewhere rustic and quaint, very informal, somewhere we could decorate ourselves to put our personalities on the space. Our vision was to have as much colour as possible, and to keep it quite boho and rustic. We made all of the decorations ourselves, and chose eco-friendly suppliers where we could. The vision initially was to have a garden party, ceremony on the lawn, BBQ, picnic blankets, outdoor games. Unfortunately, it rained quite heavily for a lot of the afternoon and in to the evening so we were unable to do all of that. It was, however, really easy to move everything inside, and the staff at Stennack were so helpful in helping us change our plans at the last minute.
Our amazing photographer
Leo Sharp – couldn’t ask for a better photographer, Leo and his wife Kirsty were the coolest people and they felt like we’d known them for years! They had a real knack for blending in and capturing the golden moments, some of our photos are hilarious! At the same time, we have ended up with some of the most beautiful photos of the two of us and our family, we really couldn’t be happier.
Our caterers and all about our wedding food
Kerra’s Catering – lovely staff, food was excellent, lots of compliments from our guests.
We found Kerra’s Catering by looking on the Stennack Farm website and their recommended suppliers, we chose them because they were able to provide lots of different options with regard to picnics/BBQs, outdoor or indoor catering, etc. and they didn’t have a minimum number of guests that they would cater for which we found with some other suppliers.
We chose a BBQ in the end, chicken, lamb, prawn skewers, homemade burgers, cauliflower fritters, potato salad, griddled veg, coleslaw, etc. It was all so tasty! I made my signature chocolate cookies for dessert and Kerra’s team were really happy to put them out on platters for me and pop them out at the end of the mains.
They then did a cold buffet for us for the evening reception with herby scones, cheese and chutney, smoked salmon and cream cheese bagels, mini toad in the hole, bruschetta, etc.
I want to say also that we had some guests that had tricky dietary requirements and Kerra and her team were so amazing at working with us to make some special plates for those guests, and making different versions of what everyone else was eating especially for them.
Dancing the night away
Sound One Disco (DJ) – everyone was asking me who they were and how they could book them for our next Christmas party! Played absolute bangers all night, they are real pros.
Where we found the perfect dress
The Bridal Studio Helston – Tara was so amazing, we met her at a wedding fair at Stennack Farm! She’s psychic I’m sure, amazing at knowing what dresses to put you in.
Honeybee Alterations – Georgia was so kind and professional, and so incredibly talented.
I wore a fully lace, fitted, strapless gown by Wilderley, and I bought it from The Bridal Studio in Helston. I went in thinking I wanted something very different to that but Tara encouraged me to try on some things outside of my very fixed ideas and I am so glad she did!
I had seven Bridesmaids: my stepdaughter (groom’s daughter), my sister and my two best friends, and my sister’s three girls. My nieces were in ivory flower girl dresses from Next. My stepdaughter (who walked down the aisle with me and my dad) was wearing a full length tulle dress that was embroidered with wildflowers, that was from Not on the High Street, a company called Lily and Bo. The adult bridesmaids were wearing teal multiway dresses from Lace and Favour.
Our well-dressed bridal party
Cornwall Suit Room – really efficient service, we had to order in our suits as we needed matching kids and adult ones and they were so helpful in measuring and helping us choose. The groom, best man (his 11-year-old son), and my Dad were all in suits from House of Cavani, sourced by the Cornwall Suit Room.
Rings – Canary Blue (Truro) – The Groom’s ring has a strip of tin from south crofty in the middle, lovely connection to his Cornish roots! Bride’s ring was handmade by Canary Blue, the engagement ring is vintage and was a bit fiddly shape-wise so we had to make the wedding ring to fit around it, they added beautiful millegrain on the edges to match the engagement ring, and made sure to choose a shape faithful to the same era as the engagement ring – couldn’t have asked for better service and care.
Our perfect selection of suppliers
Cornwall Hire (lawn games and umbrellas) – they set up and took down without us even noticing! So quick and seamless, and the games were great quality and really fun. They didn’t even mind them getting all wet when it started to rain!
Andrea, Simply Bridal Hair – from the first time she came to my house I knew I had made the right choice, so friendly and chatty, and my hair from my trial stayed in until the next day! We also used a metal daisy hair vine handmade by a lady in Belgium that I got on Etsy.
Kathryn Sevier, Studio 13 Make-up Artist – Kathryn is really friendly, really takes on board the sort of vibe you want for the make-up, and uses lovely products. She even did a little bit of basic make-up for the little ones for free, they felt so special.
Canape King – Eco-friendly plates / cutlery / napkins (palm leaf / bamboo).
Funny Faces Cornwall (face painting) – the kids and adults alike loved the face painting, and Delia is amazing, she uses eco-friendly products (no glitter, etc.) and her designs are so bright and fun!
S’mores and More (S’mores Bar and Doughnut Wall) – what an amazing small business, again we met at a wedding fair and I tried a s’more and there was no question that we were booking her. The kids loved toasting their own marshmallows.
We then had a S’mores Bar and doughnut wall for dessert in the evening, it was interactive and fun and both the s’mores and doughnuts were really delicious.
Hidden Botanics (flower crowns)
All decorations – homemade!
All of our suppliers were so special, the best part was that everyone involved was so nice! We chose people that we really connected with and that would make our special day the best it could be!
Looking back, we would have done this differently
The only thing I can think of is to prepare a bit more for the rain! All of the games and entertainment we chose were for outside and I was endlessly optimistic because we chose the weekend after the kids go back to school after the summer holidays, which is always glorious! It was so easy to play it by ear however, the staff were all so relaxed, and we’d decided the night before to move the ceremony indoors so we didn’t have a big panic in the morning, but even if we had left it until that morning to move it all I know now it would have been fine!
Stand out Stennack Farm service
Genuinely, it was a perfect day and a perfect venue, we couldn’t have been happier with the organisation, the coordination on the day, it was faultless.
How Stennack Farm made our wedding day special
It is in the middle of nowhere, but so easy to find, it’s rural but clean, has great indoor and outdoor space, and I doesn’t matter whether you have 50 or 150 people, it feels like a perfect space. It’s really informal which was the most important for us, we wanted to be able to relax, and the space and the staff made that possible, it was all so calm and friendly and zero stress.
We also felt like we were on holiday! The fact that you can have the space for a whole weekend was great, we spent the afternoon before decorating the space, got a takeaway the night before and all ate together, were able to all get ready in different zones, loads of space, cooked up bacon and eggs the morning after, it was fabulous! And the cottages are so beautiful and comfortable, and the separate shepherd’s hut for the bride and groom was so adorable and romantic.
Our favourite part of the day
The ceremony itself was my favourite, we had a celebrant and registrar from Cornwall Council, she really tailored the content of the ceremony to suit us and we’d had a long meeting before so she could get to know us and what we wanted. The barn looked beautiful, all our friends and family were there, it was so special.
Jo and Chris were married at Stennack Farm in September 2024. We wish them both every happiness in their married life!
