I know you are all eagerly awaiting the second part of Robyn and Robin’s perfectly outdoorsy day, especially as you now get to see all of the pretty details and hard work that went into every single aspect of the planning process.
I have never seen a more beautiful venue, made even more so by the sheer amount of love, dedication and creativity that went into building it.
Enjoy folks.
The Easy Part
For us choosing a photographer was one of the easiest things on the list. I grew up riding with Chanelle Segerius-Bruce in South Africa and both her and her husband Craig are brilliant at taking photographs! They made us feel so comfortable and did the most fantastic job. Being camera shy, we wanted documentary style photos and a short 30 minute slot to get in family portraits and some ones of just us. Even with this tight time frame we received countless amazing shots and I cannot recommend them highly enough.
Chatting to Chanelle after her wedding she said the only thing she regretted was not getting her day filmed. Through all the wedding advice we were given this really stayed with me, so we asked Reel Weddings to film our day. Aaron and Andrea are a really lovely couple and a pleasure to have around on the day. Not only are they genuinely nice but as you can see from the video highlights they are kick ass wedding film makers!
Table Treats
We had a few kids at the wedding so to keep them entertained we ordered some great party packs from Event Smiles and added a name-tag as their favour. The adults all got a little rosemary plant (from the slips we made and grew over the last year).
We tied a green gingham ribbon around them with an old school luggage tag. One side had the persons name and the other had a lovely saying about Rosemary. Rob’s mom handwrote all of these! The pots were made out of recycled tins that we collected and washed.
The Baking Master
Rob’s very lovely aunt Charmaine (and my new very lovely aunt!) made us THE MOST BEAUTIFUL wedding cake… EVER. We didn’t want the traditional fruitcake and for those who have ever tasted her carrot cake will understand why we picked it. She’s a wiz in the kitchen and a master at baking.
For All You Foodie’s
I know this report should be mostly about themes, flowers and dresses but I have to mention the food! We were blown away by our caterer Tandem Catering they are a real gem in the South East. I have often read wedding reports and wondered what they were eating.
Either the menu is photographed and I am squinting trying to read it or I see something that looks very yummy and have no idea what it is! So for all you foodies out there this is what we ate….
Canapés: mini crab cakes, mini Boerewors (the SA touch), Parmesan cheese sticks and mini sweet onion tarts all with mouth-watering dips.
Starter: Tomatoe and Mozzarella salad with Italian breads and oils.
Main: Fillet of Beef with roasted crushed baby potatoes topped with rocket, glazed beans and carrots and a selection of béarnaise, horseradish and mustard sauce.
Dessert: Eaton Mess …. Nom nom nom.
All Night Dancing
As our budget was bubbling over the pot a bit every day we had to rein it in and hire a DJ instead of a Band. Although he didn’t play most of the songs on our playlist (naughty!) I have to say that the dance floor was never empty once.
Better Together
Our first dance was to ‘Better Together’ by Jack Johnston. He’s one of our favourite artists and as ‘Head of Music’ Rob chose the song and it was perfect. When it comes to dancing we both have two left feet but when it came down to it we lot of fun together practicing a small routine. We still managed to step on each other’s toes but we didn’t care.
A Competitive Edge
In one of my Real Brides posts I asked readers for some ideas on table entertainment. RMW reader Sam recommended a Bridal Crossword from The Caricature Shop. The crossword is based on questions about everyone in the Bridal party and it went down a storm!
People were going from table to table looking for answers, they were coming up to my mom and having a good look at the colour of her eyes (one of the questions), the competition was ON.
The two winning tables got a nice bottle of bubbly to share amongst themselves. It was a great idea and I would highly recommend it – thank you lovely RMW reader for the tip.
This Little Piggy
You may be wondering about the cute little piggy in the photo. We asked for money as our wedding gift to put towards our honeymoon/home, so we made a giant papier-mâché piggy bank to put all the cards in. He even had red little wellies and false eyelashes. People loved it, especially the kids!
All Coming Together
The bar looked amazing with the beer pumps and strip lights we added, it really to brought it to life. We put a little display area together with the menu, the piggy, old suitcase for pressies and a massive bunch of wild flowers. The yard was in full bloom and the hanging baskets were bursting to the seams.
It all came together beautifully and it really looked far better than we could ever have imagined.
From The Bottom Of Our Hearts
Having so many of our friends and family at the wedding, many of whom were involved throughout the process made the day so special. The fruits of all our labour were on full display and we could finally relax and enjoy it…
We want to say a huge THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts to everyone that flew out here for the wedding and to everyone who helped us during the long build up to our day. From the very first ‘Wedding Working Weekend’ to the final finishing touches on the day, there are too many people to mention individually but you know who you are. We love you, we appreciate you and we are here to return the favour whenever you need it! A special thank you to my parents and my sister. Thank you for the endless amounts of support that you have given Robin and I during this time…
Our wedding was a mammoth undertaking and a few people have asked whether it was worth all the effort and hours that we put in. The answer without hesitation is YES. What is better than sharing one of the most important days of your life, with everybody that matters most to you in the world? Isn’t sharing the love what life’s all about?
Bridal Crossword – The Caricature Shop
Food – Tandem Catering
Childrens Party Packs – Event Smiles
Photography – Segerius-Bruce
Wise words from a thoroughly wonderful lady.
Robyn pet – we salute you.
And yes there is a part 3 – YOU NEED TO SEE THE VIDEO PEOPLE.
Big Sharing The Love
Charlotte xxx
Stunning
Beautiful!!!
This is like THE most amazing wedding ever!!!!! congratulations
That image of you both jumping is too cute X
So gorgeous. Robyn, it looks even better than I could have imagined – you guests must have been blown away!!!
Simply amazing.
xoxo
This is so beautiful guys, I am so happy for you both. Congratulations!
I LOVE THE PIG x
Robyn, you and your family are so talented. Not only is your wedding incredibly beautiful but it looks like everyone had the best time. You are truly an inspiration Sx
Aghhh, the DIY details in this wedding are amazing! So pretty… Congrats!
Absolutely amazing I love every bit of it! The fact it was all made with the help of everyone makes it even more gorgeous! Massive congrats! xx
OMG this is amazing! my favourite wedding post EVER! I have followed robyn’s DIY posts and to see how it turned out has really inspired me and my DIY projects tho they are mini compaired to yours!x
So so beautiful!!! I love it all. What a perfect day, all that hard work was definitely worth it!! Can’t wait to see the video!! Xxxx
Truly beautiful. Congratulations, you did a great job!
I still can’t believe you did it all yourself! Beautiful – what a perfect day. Congratulations!!
Ps: I love seeing what people ate too…and your menu sounds delish. Yum!
Robyn, you are soooo beautiful
Charlotte xxx
Just gorgeous! Thanks for sharing – has brightened up my day no end
You guys are awesome! Thanks so much for the comments. I would love to take the credit for the creative stuff but most of it was my mom. She’s pretty amazing!! Xxxxx
Robyn, love all the details! Thanks so much for the reply re flower girl dresses. Now was hoping you’d share where the lights on the ceiling of the barn were from?! They created a lovely effect! Xx
Robyn, what an incredible mom you have! All the details are so beautifully crafted. Absolutely love every single picture. xxx
Beyond beyond gorgeous!! Best details for me are that amazing bar, piggy money box, table plan and the favours!
Its all so lovely!
Congratulations to you Robyn and Robyn – Looks like such a happy day!
Rachie xo
beautiful venue and some lovely photography
congratulations…thanks for sharing.
Simply BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!
A true inspiration!!!
Lisa – I will have a dig around and see which shop we bought the fairy lights from. We bought them online and went for the longest ones we could find as they had to stretch a loooong way!
To hide the mess in the middle where they all crossed over we used an old Christmas wreath that my mom dug out the loft. I think it was from Ikea many years ago. You can kind of see how the boys assembled them in the last post before the wedding:
http://www.rockmywedding.co.uk/what-robyn-did-mission-complete/
Hope this helps and will get back to you with a link to the lights xox
This is where we bought the fairy lights, they have so many options and some great special offers…
http://www.lights4fun.co.uk/
xox
Robyn, thanks again! That’s soooooo helpful. They looked amazing! Right, am off to watch your video and am going to try my hardest not to cry at my desk! x
amongst quite a few other things i esp love Robyn’s comments on the menu… its so nice that you have included it in your blog Robyn, and your menu sounds divine! RMW can we have more brides talking about their menus please?!
Amazing wedding and I absolutely adore the reclaimed cans with rosemary planted in them as table decorations / favours. So simple and yet a great idea!!! One for the memory bank I think. x
Fantastic post Charlotte.
Oh Robyn, I don’t know how to tell you how much I love your wedding. It looks like the most amazing day ever and it is amazing how much effort went into every single detail. It’s truly inspiring.
I love every single picture! Your ceremony looks like the most beautiful ceremony ever, the yard and barn looks fantastic (it’s really a wonder how you managed to transform it so well), and the flowers, they are simply stunning! I love the boxes in the yard and the flowers on the table are so beautiful! The cake is gorgeous too.
All the details are amazing! I know we say this a lot but I really would have loved to have been a guest at this wedding!
I’m in awe Robyn and Robin (and families)! Best wedding EVER!
xXx
What a gorgeous wedding.
I was definitely expecting more DIY elements byt he titles and comments that lead me here, not just DIY set up, if you know what I mean, but very beautiful and unique.