Folly Farm Vintage Wedding

I’m delighted to present highlights from Claire & Matthew’s beautiful Folly Farm vintage wedding near Bristol. Folly Farm is a beautiful, natural wedding venue nestled in the Somerset countryside, and it’s in this lovely setting that Claire and Matthew chose to spend their wedding day. Despite being early in the year, when the special day dawned the skies were deep blue as far as the eye could see, all the way down the Chew Valley – hard to believe it was February.

Claire spent the morning getting ready for the big day with her bridesmaids and had planned the entire wedding herself. Her timeless dress and vintage-inspired feather headpiece set the theme running throughout the wedding. The bridesmaids wore soft muted hues in styles which complemented both the bride’s gown and the season. They started as they meant to go on, bringing buckets of fun to the proceedings. There was lots of laughter in the room as they got ready; it was clear that Claire has a really strong emotional link with all her bridesmaids. Lilah and Clementine looked enchanting, even more so when accompanied by little Clementine’s precious cuddly gorilla.

The wedding ceremony itself was held in the Oak Room at Folly Farm, where Matthew and Claire became man and wife, surrounded by family and friends. The ceremony was very emotional, and everyone was touched when Matthew’s young daughter Lilah, who was in charge of the wedding rings, stepped up to hand them to the bride and groom.

After the ceremony, celebrations officially began with drinks and canapés in Folly Farm’s Atrium. We were able to take time for the group photographs, while their guests relaxed with a drink on the lawn while the children played. There was real summer party feel to the day, enhanced by the blue skies and sunshine. Claire had organised a fabulous and fun tug of war which the entire wedding party took part in, with an air of very friendly competition. I was greatly amused by little lad who, on finding his mother’s Louboutins parked neatly next to the players, decided to try them on! As the competition came to an end, a huge rainbow appeared in the sky above Folly Farm, such a fitting reflection of the happy day. What better to do then, than literally jump for joy, as the guests then turned the tug of war rope into an impromptu skipping session with a massive skipping rope – and so much fun to photograph. Taking advantage of the beautiful afternoon, I accompanied Claire and Matthew as we ventured out into Avon Wildlife Trust’s Nature Reserve for their creative photo shoot. The dappled sunlight in the woods set a beautiful mood for their husband and wife portraits.

After all the exertions, the wedding party moved back to the transformed Oak Room and adjoining marquee, where Thyme Chef excelled themselves with a fantastic and delicious wedding breakfast. Yet again, Claire’s great eye for detail could be seen in the place settings with vintage china on all the tables, which really helped to continue the theme throughout the day. The Best Man had everyone in stitches during his awesome speech; the “dummy” moment had us all crying tears of laughter!

Before the evening partying began in earnest, and despite being beset by the odd shower of rain, we managed to squirrel Claire and Matthew away for a few low light creative photographs. I felt as though I had managed to capture some special moments in the dark of the evening, a few minutes in which they seemed calm and so elated at the same time, just the two of them together. Back to the party, and the dance floor bustled with happy guests and children throwing some seriously stylish shapes! I so enjoyed the day with Claire and Matthew, and I know their wonderful wedding day will be one they look back on with very fond memories in time to come.

This beautiful Folly Farm Vintage Wedding was photographed by Rich Howman & Claire Duggan. If you’re planning a wedding at the Folly Farm centre we’d love to hear from you, so please get in touch here.