Inspiration

There is no denying we're huge fans of Naomi Neoh gowns. They've been long standing members of our Look Book, and each collection is as dreamy and elegant as the next, so it's always a treat when we see a real bride wearing one of her gowns, and Samantha looks an absolute vision in the blush fleur wedding dress & lace jacket. Both Sam & Ed look super relaxed and chilled out, enjoying every minute of their lantern filled marquee reception at Nettlestead Place, including an awesome barn dance with guests (like bee's to honey) hitting the dance floor, jumping & jiving along to the band, and don't forget to check out the epic cheese tower wedding cake. Mmm.

The Dress

Samantha The Bride: I fell in love with the romantic style of Naomi Neoh's dresses. The floaty silk skirt and French lace was beautiful and I loved the pink flower sash adding a bit of colour! This dress really was everything I had always imagined my wedding dress would be. I truly loved every minute of wearing it.

The Grooms Fashion

Ed The Groom: I hired a Ted Baker Navy three piece suit- I felt smart, but not too formal, which was the look I was going for. I found some light mint green ties and handkerchiefs on Etsy to match with the Bridesmaid's dress colour. These went well with our overall colour theme.

The Venue

Nettlestead is such a special place. Very unassuming from the road, you could easily drive past it. When we visited for the first time, we knew it was perfect for us. The gardens are really pretty, and offer a variety of areas for people to collect in - from the picturesque pond in front of the house, to the wild flower borders. It has a semi-permanent marquee up, which was ideal for our wedding breakfast and dancing.

Colour Scheme/Decor

We had a rustic summery pastel-ly colour scheme which we felt suited the venue's environment. We wanted to make as much of the decor as possible, to put our stamp on things. All the flowers were in jars which we had collected and decorated in hessian and lace. We also made the wooden table centrepieces, menu holders and cheese board. The latter we crafted into a cheese board after picking up the log from a local farmer days before the wedding. We loved the impact the hanging lanterns had on the look of the marquee. Fortunately we had access the day before to run around with a ladder and put all 70 of them up!

Florist

We found Suzanne through the venue and she straight away understood the look we were after. On the day, the flowers really blew us away. We borrowed a couple of old milk churns from a friend of the family - with their big floral arrangements, these formed great displays either side of the entrance to the marquee.

Ceremony

We were married in St Mary's Church in Goudhurst. This is about 100 metres up the road from Samantha's family home. The vicar played a big part in making us feel relaxed and led a beautiful service.

Entertainment

We chose to have a ceilidh for our after dinner entertainment, inspired by Samantha's celtic heritage. It was a great way of getting everyone young and old up and dancing! The band were lively and created a fun atmosphere.

Food

We were introduced to Henrietta through the venue. She treated us to a tasting which we were immediately sold on! She made us feel so reassured and we didn't have to worry about a thing. On the day, everything ran seamlessly - all the staff were professional and the food was amazing. Her chocolate brownie is to die for!

Photographer

We loved Alex's style of photography and he was naturally friendly, so we felt really comfortable around him.  Throughout our wedding day, Alex whizzed around, in and out of bushes, capturing great candid moments. Most of the time, he was so stealthy, we really weren’t aware of him being there. He was there snapping away well on into the evening dancing, and appearing to love every minute.

DIY

We both do screen printing as a hobby and we were really excited to integrate this in to our special day. We used this technique to design and make our menus, table centrepieces and wedding favour labels, as well as the invites and save the dates. this meant we could easily coordinate it with our style and colour scheme. We built our guest book from an old antique picture frame, onto which we strung little washing lines to which people could hang their messages on postcards. 

Advice

We would advise any couples to pour as much of their personality into their day as they can, as this will make it unique and more bespoke to you. Doing little bits at a time keeps it enjoyable and not overwhelming.  Remember to savour each moment of the day - we would relive it all in a flash, if we could.
Lorna Shaw

Written by Lorna Shaw

Dress Designer: Naomi Neoh | Bridal Boutique: Naomi Neoh Showroom | Bridal Shoes: Rainbow Club | Veil/ Headpiece: Judy Mott Bridal & Occasion Wear | Bridesmaid Dresses: Coast | Groomsmen Suits: Moss Bros | Tie: Kerchiefs from Etsy | Bridesmaid Dresses: Coast | Venue: Nettlestead Place | Caterer: Henrietta Donovan | Cake Maker: Godminster Cheese Celebration Cake | Decor/Styling: Hanging Lanterns | Florist: The Flower Smiths | Entertainment: Alive Network | Transpsort: Bridal Bug Weddings | Southdown Historic Vehicles

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