Open Air Business February 2018

FUNCTION VENUES
willow temple and 100 metres worth
of willow tunnels for the children to
play in. This is harvested annually
to provide material for the creative
courses we also organise on the
farm.
How do you work with your
customers to make their event
unique?
Every event at Church Farm seems
to be totally different - we really do
offer our clients a blank canvas to
do whatever they would like, our
only restriction is that music finishes
by 11.30pm. Other than that we
are very flexible; you can even start
setting up as early as Wednesday so
there’s plenty of time for a couple to
decorate or build their vision. The
last wedding we had was like a mini
Glastonbury with lights on poles and
flags, fires etc. You name it they had
it, and they really did need the three
days to set up - not many venues
give their guests so much flexibility
and freedom.
How do you publicise yourself?
Mainly through our website
and social media - Instagram,
Pinterest and Facebook. We are
also registered with two wedding
websites.
How would you describe your
‘style’ or unique selling point?
Kate and I are as much of our USP
as anything, though we can’t take
all the credit as everybody involved
goes towards making Church Farm a
“IT TOOK
THREE HOURS
JUST TO GET
THE LOO
TRAILER IN
PLACE AS WE
HAD TO MOVE
IT ON SHEETS
OF PLYWOOD
LIKE ANCIENT
EGYPTIANS
MOVING A
LARGE ROCK! ”
beautiful, magical, calm, fun place to
be. We are relaxed and welcoming,
but also efficient, professional, well
organised and have a huge attention
to detail. We have a “no problem/
can do” attitude and if you can’t find
it, we will!
The fact that the farm is a blank
canvas for people to do exactly as
they want to (within the bounds of
decency!) is also very unusual. The
grounds are well cared for but still
with lots of wild, natural elements,
and we have a strong environmental
and ecological ethos behind
what we do, with recycling and
sustainability high on the list.
What challenges have you faced?
The main challenge is weather, or
at least the problems it creates. Our
first wedding was in October 2012
and it had rained non stop for weeks.
At that stage we didn’t have any
hard standing or a separate drive for
vehicles so we had to bring all the
marquee lorries and caterers a very
long way around the field to prevent
the main reception area from
getting turned into a scene from the
Somme! It took three hours just to
get the loo trailer in place as we had
to move it on sheets of plywood like
ancient Egyptians moving a large
rock! We decided to bite the bullet
and pay for the circular drive we
have now and there hasn’t been a
problem since.
When we started we were also
trying to help couples save money
and learned that not having some
things done properly was just false
economy. For example, one couple’s
catering tent (their own cheap one
from B&Q) blew away as they didn’t
want to pay for a company to put
one up; we ended up putting up our
own one to save the day but now we
know better.
Describe your average day midseason
No day is average - it’s all down to
the couple and how organised they
are - but basically on a wedding day
it goes like this:
› 6-7am - up and out to open gates
and check the signs are out.
Hang the Church Farm wedding
sign above the gate and private
drive. Set/check the electrics and
supplies for the band and caterer
etc.
› 8-10am - help move anything out
of the marquee into the games or
blessing area. Direct the loo trailer
etc.
› 11-12pm - deliver drinks etc. to
the marquee for the caterer. Take
delivery of the last gifts, flowers,
wedding cake etc. Take camping
guests’ tents etc. to the Willow
Meadow
› 12-1pm - help set up the sound
system/lights/band
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 15