All Together Now.

Rebecca and Rob married underneath a beautiful oak tree in Windsor Great Park last summer. Not only is Rebecca donning one of the loveliest gowns I have ever seen (sleeves people, when will I ever get over a sleeve?!) but also a very lovely hair-do, I defy everyone not to practically run to your hairdresser with a picture in hand asking for an exact copy.

I am also particularly impressed with the DIY table centres, so simple yet so pretty – just small sprigs of gyp in test tubes suspended from twigs.

And I’ve got to hand it to Love Lust List member David Jenkins, he manages to capture everything and everyone to perfection, all the details, joy and organised chaos that the perfect W-day consists of.

Happy Wednesday you gorgeous lot.

I actually got my dress from America. I was on holiday visiting family and decided to go wedding dress shopping whilst I was there.  The dress was by Manuel Mota which I believe is part of the Pronovias collection. It was a lot cheaper buying the dress there although fittings were impossible which resulted in a couple of disasters, all were easily fixed once the dress arrived in the UK.

In my head i wanted a dress with sleeves and some kind of back detail, all of which at the time were hard to find. Once I saw the dress I loved it however it was missing the back detail which we altered and incorporated into the style of the dress. The elegant V at the back was just perfect. I finally found a dress that I felt was me.

Classic Beauty

The beauty section in my wedding scrapbook was bulging with cuttings, it was real brides in magazines and blogs who inspired me. At first I struggled to find a make-up artist I felt comfortable with until I booked Katie Clement-Lorford for a home beauty party as part of my hen do. We arranged a trial make-up session which she did in natural sunlight, and we took photos, so I was confident she was the right person.

I have fine hair and knew i’d need help to get volume, so I asked hairpiece expert Maureen Smith to create my big day style. I kept showing Maureen pictures of quite messy styles, although I sensed she wasn’t convinced. She suggested more classic styles that wouldn’t date. I eventually chose a classic up-do to show off the detail on my dress, decorated with a slide from silver-sixpence-in-her-shoe.co.uk. I decided against changing my hairstyle in the evening and was enjoying myself so much I didn’t re-apply my make-up either. Looking back I could have done with a little extra blush in the evening, although with all the dancing, at least I did achieve that slightly messy look I originally wanted!

 

Silver And Gold

As the dress had so much detail going on I wanted to keep the accessories at a minimum. I wore a simple diamond bracelet that my husband had given me when we first met. I am not an earring person but as I didn’t wear a necklace felt as if I needed to wear some and ended up borrowing a pair from a good friend, this was my something borrowed. I had an outside wedding and didn’t feel a veil was appropriate so decided on a diamante slide from a new bridal accessories designer called Silver Sixpence In Her Shoe it was designed bespoke to fit with the style of the dress and was perfect for the look I was aiming for, she also made me a matching garter.

My shoes were by Badgley Mischka and were gold. I thought they were beautiful and although they probably didn’t go with my dress I didn’t care as you couldn’t see them through the dress. During the evening celebrations the shoes were ditched and I danced in my bare feet!

A Rustic Theme

My three older bridesmaids wore lilac dresses by Amsale the dresses were in the same colour and fabric but were slightly different styles which suited each of their shapes. For the little ones their ivory dresses were from NEXT and the groomsmen wore navy suits from River Island. The lilac and blush flowers/button holes tied them all together and suited the rustic theme we were trying to achieve.

Don’t Tell The Bride

My husband is happy in shorts and a scruffy t-shirt so to see him in a light blue suit all from Reiss was a relief. I wanted him to feel comfortable and wanted him to choose the suit himself. I did ask a good friend to tag along on his shopping trip whose judgement I trusted. It was lovely not knowing how he was going to look and added to the excitement of the day.

Couture Blooms

For flowers we had soft hues of cream stock, lime green hydrangea, lilac, blush and peach roses, purple freesias, scented lavender with a touch of rustic foliage were used for the bridal party bouquets. Buttonholes were a single lilac rose with sprig of lime hydrangea. I used Rebecca Jane Higgins Flower Couture based in London, She really understood what I wanted and achieved it gracefully.

The centre pieces were tall clear vases with large twigs inside them. Hanging on the twigs were love birds and small test tubes with gypsophila inside them, all hand made by myself.

A Thousand Words

Our photographer was David Jenkins – We loved his style and relaxed take on weddings. I searched the net for ages trying to find the right photographer. I wanted the picture to speak a thousand words and looking through his portfolio I felt he achieved this. Some wedding photography can look really staged and a little cheesy, David’s natural approach was perfect and incorporated the style of our wedding.

A Blank Canvas

The reception venue was a village hall, we wanted somewhere we could personalise and make unique and the setting was beautiful. However it was hard work and was a huge amount of stress but with the help of some very good friends and family members we worked for eight hours the day before decorating the room, it looked perfect. Rustic, whimsical and a natural relaxed wedding was what we aimed to achieve. We both love this style and suited our personas. With the wedding being outside we carried the natural greenery theme inside the reception area. My aunties had been on the hunt for ivy and greenery for weeks which they used to decorate inside. We had lots of twigs and tree stumps around the room with birds dotted all around too. Most things were created by family and friends.

Outside Inside

My wedding cake was made by Nina Laurenti. The bottom two tiers were lemon cake and the top fruit cake. It was decorated with white icing, fresh flowers and a bird bride and groom on the top which I got from www.etsy.com.

I wanted something simple and again fitting in with the style of the day. We put the cake on top of a tree trunk again incorporating the outside theme inside the reception area.

To Dance Or Not To Dance

We had a band, The versions who were fantastic They played for the first few hours. We then had a barn dancing team come in and teach everyone how to do-se-do, which was hilarious. The band then carried on until the early hours of the morning.

The first dance song choice was a hard one we decided on Simply Red “You make me feel brand new”. The first dance was the hardest bit as my husband has two left feet, I think in hindsight we should have danced to a more upbeat song which we both would have enjoyed more, we don’t really do the traditional mushy romance so it was rather cringe-y….!

Home-Made And Personal

For favours we gave each guest a personalised message of how much they meant to us which we wrote ourselves on the back of luggage tags. I also made lavender cushions for the ladies which I hope are still hanging in their homes!!!

DIY Decor

My table plan was designed by Lesley Eaton it was a family and friends tree which matched our wedding invitations. We put it in a frame and hung it on an easel. It is so lovely it is now on our wall at home. We also had a queen impersonator who came along, this was a huge success and very fitting with the location and recent royal wedding!

We had baskets and tall vases of flowers scattered around the venue. On the window sills we placed small and very old plant pots with flowers inside. We also hung heart shape twigs with lavender entwined on the walls. Along the windows and by the bar we had string with photographs of us though the years pegged on, between each photo was a heart shape paper doily. The room looked fab and no longer resembled a school hall.

Making It Our Own

I would say we had a DIY wedding, we did everything ourselves from choosing the caters to buying the alcohol and hiring knives and forks. There was nothing we didn’t decide on and that alone made the day completely our own. It was hard work especially as we had also just had a baby but it was worth it all! I would have been lost without the help from friends and family which I would advise any bride to do, delegate when it is all getting too much it also makes loved ones feel they are also massively part of the day. Have a checklist, once you see ticks on the list it will put you at ease.

Enjoy the planning, once it is all over you will miss it!

Venue – Windsor great Park

Make-up – Katie Clement-Lorford

Brides Gown – Manuel Mota

Hair Accessory – Silver Sixpence

Grooms Suit - Reiss

Blooms – Rebecca Jane Higgins Flower Couture

Table Plan – Lesley Eaton

Photographer – David jenkins

Aren’t they just the most beautiful family?

And I love the personalised message on a luggage tag idea, as a guest there is no way on earth you would be leaving that behind.

Big Togetherness Love

Charlotte xxx