The Wellbeing Farm - TV's Dream Wedding Venue

The Wellbeing Farm, established by Celia Gaze has gone through a number of transformations since opening in 2013.  Now a proud accredited BCorps events business, which has attracted multiple awards, they welcome corporate guests and host up to 80 weddings each year.

We caught up with Liv Chase, Head of Sales and Marketing as they await the broadcast of the Channel 5 TV show ‘Rich Wedding, Poor Wedding’ which was filmed on the farm, to ask about that experience.

The programme was first broadcast on Sunday 3 May, 9pm on Channel 5 and can be viewed again here.

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How did the filming at Wellbeing Farm come about?

Sometime in October 2025 we got a call about being part of a pilot programme called ‘Rich Wedding Poor Wedding’.  A similar format to the ‘Rich House Poor House’ show, it takes two couples and gives them a taste of a different kind of life experience; in this case a wedding without the worry of a budget.

The couple in question Janet Royle and Gary Griffin (now Mr & Mrs Royle-Griffin), would get three venues to choose from and then plan their dream wedding with their preferred venue. We were chosen as one of the initial three.  Celia and I were on the way to another event in London when ‘the call’ came in and we had to speak with the producers there and then, on video.  Just a few days later they were at the farm with the couple, for a ‘first viewing’.  A normal first show-round normally takes about half an hour but with filming etc it took around 3 hours. Less than a week later we were told the couple had chosen The Wellbeing Farm for their dream wedding and in January, the crew and everyone was here for a dream wedding!

What kind of weddings take place at The Wellbeing Farm?

We celebrate every kind of wedding at Wellbeing Farm. We’ve even had a Star Wars wedding.  The similarity between them is that we don’t push pre-packaged weddings; we listen to what the ‘dream’ is and then our aim is to deliver it.

We welcome pre-visits, menu tasting (our brilliant chefs Head Chef Dan Swift and Sous Chef Sue Parkinson – are always coming up with new food ideas). We always serve the best ‘seasonal’ vegetables and locally sourced food and make sure anyone with allergies or special dietary requirements never feels like they’re an afterthought, every dish is considered and delicious.  At the end of any of our events, the food waste is collected and turned into biofuel.

As we have animals on the farm and lots of space kids love it here (and are seldom bored as they can be at other venues). Our ‘Prop Shed’ means you can re-use any of our decorations to dress the barn – so there’s less waste and expense, as it’s free to use. We’re very transparent on costs ‘what you see is what you get’. In terms of the team the staff are all ‘in-house’, are all on contract and have great pride in what they do.  Celia is great at developing people too; Molly for example started at 15 years old waiting on tables and she’s now 21 doing a degree apprenticeship.

What was Janet and Gary’s vision and did the cameras and crew affect that?

Janet and Gary wanted the barn to look like an ‘enchanted forest’ and loved the atmosphere of the farm when they visited. Janet is an animal-lover so having our animals around was important to her wedding – just as it was for her own dog to be there.  Both she and Gary also valued our sustainable and charitable ethos; knowing that whatever was spent on their special day was also benefitting others, made them feel even happier.  These and many other personal touches contributed to making it perfect.

There’s no denying the cameras and crew added another level of organisation to the day. After weeks of calls and planning, we had a final Zoom meeting with all the suppliers and the TV crew a few days before the wedding, to make sure everything was ok.  On the day itself the team was all mic’d-up and everyone was respectful of the others’ roles – thankfully, it all went very smoothly!

Gary is a wedding singer, so he was probably a little more used to having an ‘audience’, Janet was perhaps a little more aware of the cameras being around.  The venue looked stunning and it was a very special day for the couple and their family.  It was certainly one they’ll never forget and they now have a TV programme as their wedding video!

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For unique weddings and corporate events that reflect The Wellbeing Farm’s BCorps status, their sustainable and charitable culture, please visit thewellbeingfarm.co.uk or contact Liv Chase on Tel: 01204 852113

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Wedding photos by Creative Camera Photography.