Barchill Farm Wedding, Welford

Emily & Tom have been friends of mine for years, and I’ve met their families and many of their friends at various functions. Emily was soooo excited for me to see her venue. She and Tom knew they’d found somewhere quite extraordinary to host their big day. Sadly, COVID delayed things, so what should have been a 2020 wedding eventually ended up taking place in August 2022.

Barchill Farm, Welford

Barchill Farm is located on the northern outskirts of Welford, on the Leicestershire-Northamptonshire border.

The farmhouse at Barchill Farm

It is very definitely not your typical wedding venue. The husband-and-wife team of Jeff and Sally Harris really do offer something quite unique and are the most welcoming couple you could ever wish to meet.

The main part of the property dates back to 1757 and is surrounded on all sides by the most beautiful countryside. Jeff, a builder by trade, has added bits along the way, creating a location that is full of charm and personality, and it truly is wonderful.

Barchill Farm really is just so quaint

While the whole property is made available on a wedding day, it is primarily a marquee venue for the main part of the day. T&L Marquee Hire from Northampton supplied this one.

Barchill Farm set up ready for Emily and Tom’s marquee wedding

The Wedding Day

Emily & Tom’s day got off to a glorious start. The sun was shining and the sky was a decent shade of blue for August.

The Girls – Bridal Prep – Barchill Farm

Emily and her girls (and dad!) were in the very early stages of their preparations, mainly sat around in the gorgeous lounge area in their dressing gowns. The wooden beams, books and nick-nacks all added perfectly to the character.

The incredible Laura Lane was on hand to make sure everyone looked just perfect.

Once the basics had been completed, the girls headed out into the conservatory for the bulk of the bridal preparations. This was just another room that was perfect for the job. It was so light and airy, and having the ability to go outside to shoot in allowed some quite different shots to be captured.

The light and airy conservatory is just perfect for bridal prep

Laura Lane applies Emily’s wedding day lip gloss

We were joined by Ali of Ameer Photography, who was going to video the day for Emily & Tom.

The Boys – Clipston

Tom wanted some shots of him and his groomsmen walking to the church, so I shot across to the village of Clipston to capture them.

Tom and his boys make their way to the church

Then it was back to Barchill Farm for the final portion of Emily’s bridal prep.

The Girls – Finishing Touches – Barchill Farm

We hung up Emily’s beautiful dress from the big oak beams for pictures. It was supplied by Serendipity Brides in Weedon.

Emily’s gorgeous wedding dress

Emily’s wedding bouquet and the button holes were crafted by the amazingly-talented Florry Florals.

Bridal bouquet by Florry Florals

The gorgeous flower crowns were supplied by Hidden Botanics.

One of the Hidden Botanics flower crowns

Wedding ready! Emily and her girls

Pre-wedding-ceremony hugs

Bridal Carriages of Northamptonshire supplied a beautiful 1935 Rolls-Royce 20/25 Landaulette for the wedding car. It carried out two journeys, firstly taking Emily’s bridesmaids and flower girls to the church before returning to take Emily and her dad.

Emily’s bridesmaids make the journey to the church

And they’re off!

A very proud Father-of-the-Bride

The Wedding Ceremony – All Saints Church, Clipston

Emily and Tom’s wedding ceremony took place in All Saints Church in the village of Clipston. It was a beautiful ceremony, during which Emily’s brother and sister made readings, as well as bridesmaid Emily.

An excited Mother-of-the-Groom

Here comes the bride!

A wedding day should be about real emotions

Emily’s brother and sister perform their reading

The important part of the wedding ceremony

With this ring, I thee wed

You may kiss the bride

After the ceremony we did confetti shots and group shots with the immediate families of the happy couple, before retreating back to Barchill Farm for the remainder of the day.

We did it! And relax!

Emily and Tom share a kiss as the confetti flies outside Clipston Church

Emily & Tom with the Rolls Royce supplied by Bridal Carriages of Northamptonshire

The Wedding Reception – Barchill Farm

The Occasion Bar provided arrival drinks with options including Aperol spritz and a cracking range of superb local beers from the Braybrooke Beer Co.

A refreshing Aperol spritz

A selection of Braybrooke Beer Co lagers

Beautifully-presented canapes by Burnt Lemon Catering

Who doesn’t love bubbles?

The cutest little family

By now, the marquee was looking perfect with tables fully set. Glassware was also from The Occasion Bar, and guests received either a pack of wildflower seeds from Wedding in a Teacup or a jar of Clipston Honey as their wedding favours. Wedding stationery was by Sketch My Home.

One of Emily & Tom’s full tables

The beautiful table settings

Gorgeous wedding stationery by Sketch My Home on The White Emporium’s pallet board

The White Emporium provided a number of items, including the cake stand, pallet board, candle holders and vases on the tables.

The beautiful memory table and pallet board seating plan

Outside the marquee, a swing had been set up with an engraved seat that Emily & Tom could keep as a souvenir. It was supplied by The Wedding Swing.

Emily and Tom arranged to have this beautifully engraved swing for their big day

The Wedding Breakfast – Barchill Farm

Speeches came before the Wedding Breakfast, and I’ll be honest, I thought the Father-of-the-Bride would have gone harder on Tom than he did! 😊 All three speeches, from FOTB, Groom and Best Man, mixed emotion with humour perfectly and were each very good in their own right.

Listening on intently to the father-of-the-bride’s speech

Even Tom can’t believe how lightly he’s got off!

A smile from the groom’s new brother-in-law

Her new husband brings her close to tears with his speech

The superb catering for the Wedding Breakfast came courtesy of James Peck’s Burnt Lemon Catering, though I am told he is now focusing on his restaurant, Ember.

Vodka cured salmon, avacado & lime with Bloody Mary pearls

Chicken supreme, pomme anna, roast cauliflower, caramelised cauliflower puree, raisin and roast hazelnuts & chicken sauce

Chocolate tart, dulce de leche and brownie ice cream

Emily & Tom’s stunning wildflower-themed wedding cake was created by The Enchanted Pantry.

The stunning wildflower cake created by The Enchanted Pantry

After Emily & Tom cut the cake, we gathered everyone up for a big group picture in front of the Barchill Farm “pavilion”.

The raised bank in front of the Barchill Farm Pavilion made it an obvious location for the big group shot

Not every wedding venue has a vintage tractor for you to play sit on

Ali, the videographer, did an amazing job of getting everyone singing along to Sweet Caroline, which worked brilliantly for the video and helped me get some great pics, too!

SWEEEEEEET Caroline, bum-bum-bum

We then let everybody else head off for some chilled time while we went off to grab some pics of Emily and Tom in the stunning gardens. The sun was just beginning to dip in the sky, and we were treated to some amazing light.

Emily and Tom will be the first to admit that they don’t much care for PDA shots, but some of these are super cute!

“This is so awkward that it’s funny!”

Oh look, wedding rings on our fingers!

I do love a black and white edit

Beautiful couple pics

I happened to turn around at one point, and Emily’s sister had sat down on the bench at the top of the garden, making herself most comfortable! The light was too good to not grab a shot or two.

Emily’s sister puts her feet up for a little rest in the middle of a long, busy day

As we returned to the main party, evening guests were starting to arrive, but the light just kept getting better and better. So we just kept shooting and shooting!

The most glorious golden light at Barchill Farm

Golden hour bridal party and groomsmen

A bridesmaid-assisted Marilyn moment for Emily

The beautiful Barchill Farm setting

Emily and her girls

The Evening Reception – Barchill Farm

DJ for the evening was Rich S of Stylish Wedding Disco. He’s also the co-presenter of the Morning Glory Breakfast Show on JackFM. The playlist was banging – right up my street – and the dancefloor was busy all night long.

Late-night dancefloor shenanigans

The party in full swing

The happy couple enjoyed their First Dance as husband and wife before Emily had a dance with her dad.

The first dance between husband and wife

The Father-of-the-Bride takes the opportunity to dance with his daughter on her wedding day

It was just the perfect day…. And all in the most perfect setting.

The above represents a tiny smattering of the images that came out of the day.

Searching For Your Own Wedding Photographer?

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For more information on what happens when you decide you want me to photograph your wedding, please see: WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY by Karl Drage – How I Work

While every wedding is different, there are certain elements which are usually broadly similar. Take a look at a typical wedding day to get a feel for the primarily documentary wedding photography style I’m likely to employ for your big day.

There’s much more work involved in photographing a wedding than just rocking up and taking the pictures. I’ve put together this guide to explain why wedding photography can seem expensive but it’s really not.

I’ve also put together this wedding photography FAQ list and my responses – Questions you should ask a wedding photographer!