Last Updated on December 21, 2024 by Sandra Adamson
A Romantic Rustic Wedding at Hatfield Farm with Joanna and Zach
It was another absolutely beautiful and warm summer day for Joanna and Zach’s Hatfield Farm barn wedding. This wedding venue has it all if you are looking for a rustic barn style wedding day. From the outdoor wedding ceremony next to the lake to the rustic barn wedding reception. It doesn’t stop there thought, how about an amazing games room for your guests to explore. This is a truly all in one inclusive wedding venue.
Joanna and Zach’s Wedding Day Highlight Reel
The Love Story
Joanna and Zach originally met at a townhouse welcoming event. They were paired into the same group by birth month. Zach saw Joanna sitting on the wall and thought she looked adorable. She thought he was part of the event staff and thought to herself “I hope he doesn’t think I’m a first year”. She was actually a transfer student) The feelings were mutual initially but eventually it was Joanna who made the first move to officially begin dating. They both play Dungeons and Dragons together and love to collect pop figures – they have almost 200 now. Learn even more about their love story through their Halifax Public Garden engagement session.
Their Wedding Day
Joanna and Zach’s favorite part of the wedding was having the chance to catch up with friends and family that thay haven’t been able to see much, or at all, throughout the past two years due to the pandemic. Seeing the people they both love most, having fun on the rubber rodeo and meeting up with one another was so great for both of them!
Another thing they loved was getting to see all of their wedding planning come to life – Joanna and Zach made all of their decorations whenever they had the time between a busy school and work schedule.
Advise for the Newly Engaged
Start the wedding planning early and space it out! Communicate about expectations with planning, don’t let the wedding planning stress turn into an argument. Don’t forget to have regular date nights 🙂
The Wedding Prep Photos
Joanna chose the Head Shoppe in Lower Sackville for her and her bridesmaids hair and makeup bridal prep.
Once that was completed they all headed over to an Air BnB they had rented for getting ready. It was a great choice with large rooms to get ready in and a beautiful deck facing a forest of greenery.
Zach opted to get ready with his groomsmen/woman at the Holiday Inn Express in Bedford and it was a very calm and relaxing atmosphere.
Joanna and Zach actually wrote each other love letters to read on their wedding day which I thought was such an awesome idea and gave them such amazing candid captures in photos and video.
The Wedding Ceremony Photos
Joanna and Zach chose the Hatfield Farm wedding venue because they loved the rustic vibe. They knew the rubber rodeo would be so much fun for their guests during the evening. The venue itself, is all inclusive and takes care of so much for their wedding couples. They knew it would take a lot of stress off of them in terms of planning and having the day go smoothly.
Joanna also got to live out her fairytale princess fantasy with the horse-drawn carriage!
The Wedding Party Photos
This is truly an all inclusive wedding venue, there is just so many awesome spaces for wedding photos. From the horse and carriage to the lake front ceremony area and lupin field to the rustic barn building and accessories like trucks and tractors all around the property.
The Wedding Reception Photos
The theme was a rustic fall wedding – both Joanna and Zach have always wanted to get married in the fall because it’s their favorite season. With Joanna being in medical school they had to get married in the summer due to her schedule. But nothing was going to stop them from making it LOOK like a fall wedding with their color scheme!
Having your wedding photographer stay for the entire day, right into the evening once the sun sets can bring about the most spectacular wedding photos! When that sun went down and the lights came up on those trees I went to find both Joanna and Zach for the image that had appeared in my head in that moment.
Covid and the Wedding Day
COVID made the wedding planning more stressful – we picked our date based on “I hope COVID is better by then”. There was the fear that one of us would catch COVID right before the wedding. It meant less people could go dress shopping with Joanna, family had to miss events (engagement party, dress shopping) due to lockdowns and travel restrictions. Our engagement party could only be a small 10-person gathering, and family couldn’t attend because of travel restrictions or health issues. We almost didn’t get bridesmaid dresses in time because of a wave of COVID stopping us from going twice!
Advice for couples in terms of COVID – be flexible, be ok with plans changing and important people having to miss out on some things, integrate virtual when possible.
If you haven’t realized it yet I just love, adore rustic barn style weddings, so if you are thinking about having one I would love to chat with you!
Wedding Resources
1. Check out some of my favorite wedding advise blog posts…
Planning A Nova Scotia Wedding-a 12 months timeline.
20 Tips For Choosing the Perfect Wedding Venue.
2. For great wedding planning ideas visit the knot and weddingwire!
Capturing your L❤VE story is my passion…let’s chat!