Rachel and Matt met on the first day of University in 2008 and it wasn’t until four years later that the pair got together. “We became great friends from day one and shared the same friendship group for the full four years. There was never anything romantic between us, even though Matt had always had a thing for me (from day one as it turns out!) Anyway, Matt didn’t think I felt the same way and didn’t want to risk our friendship, so kept his feelings quiet. Then one day, after we left university, Matt plucked up the courage to share his feelings and the rest is history.”

Fast-forward to 9th June 2018 and Matt and Rachel tied the knot in the picture-perfect setting of Northside Farm. The couple wanted a relaxed and laidback affair surrounded by their friends and family, and found this was the ideal venue for their dream celebration.

“Matt’s from York and I’m from Morpeth, so we started our search between these two locations. Once we knew what we wanted, it was easy for us to discount numerous venues. We didn’t want a ‘textbook’ wedding, we wanted an informal, relaxed feel to our wedding so the venue had to suit. I stumbled across Northside Farm via an Instagram post. After a bit of research we had a very good feeling about the place, so we booked a viewing. Northside Farm was the first and only venue we visited. It ticked all of our boxes and we fell in love with it straight away.”

“Would we recommend this venue? Absolutely! It’s a family-run business and you can tell because they care. The team at Northside Farm want to help you deliver exactly what you want for your special day. They make pretty much anything possible. Having the venue for the full weekend was amazing, it gave us the opportunity to spend extra time with our friends and family, both before and after the big day. Our friends and family stayed in the luxury wooden wigwams, camped and a few brought their campervans, so there were a fair few for bacon sandwiches the next morning.”

How did you choose your photographer?
“I went to a friend’s sister wedding (evening do) and although I never met Margarita at the wedding, her photos were super and she was highly recommended. Picking a wedding photographer can be pretty scary, but we were much more comfortable going with a solid recommendation rather than risking an online review. So, we contacted Margarita and went from there. Even from the response to our initial query we knew we loved Margarita’s approach - informal, friendly and caring. Margarita really listened to what we wanted to see in our wedding photos and she nailed it. Natural shots, which capture a moment that can never be relived. On the big day we had an extra friend, not a paid photographer. We had so many compliments following the wedding about her and her approach.”

Advice for other brides and grooms?
“Don’t leave things to the last minute. Always remember that everything takes longer than you would think - especially if you’re decorating the venue yourself. You get so wrapped up mingling and seeing all the family you haven’t seen in a while – don’t forget to spend time with your extra special loved ones. You’re wedding day is a big deal for them too.”

What was your highlight of the day?
“For us, the highlight was to have all of our friends and family in once place, laughing and enjoying themselves – it was just what we wanted. It’s almost impossible to get all of our families together as they live dotted all over the country and further.”

For more information about Northside Farm take a look at its dedicated venue lowdown in the latest issue of Belle Bridal Magazine. For more real wedding inspiration, take a look at our dedicated real weddings section online now.