Inspiration

I'm always jealous of couples who have multiple outfits and wedding ceremonies, but I absolutely love the sentiment and reasons behind the double celebrations at Rachel and Ash's big day. Although they currently reside in Sydney Australia, they decided to wed at Sandhole Oak Barn in the UK, incorporating a traditional English ceremony with a classic white wedding dress and a Chinese tea ceremony with a red Chinese wedding dress. Both moments are filled with love and laughter and beautifully portray the fusion of their heritages.

What Made Our Day Unique

The day was unique as everything was organised from Australia. We had been carefully planning n organising everything for over a year and seeing it together was amazing. It was unique having our friends watch the Chinese wedding games and the tea ceremony as it brought my culture into an English wedding which they had not seen before. We visited the UK in February, 7 months before the wedding for two weeks and in that time frame, we had to make all wedding favours and decorations and also put the invites together. The wedding favours were salt dough thank you heart decorations that were individually handmade along with the origami decorations.

Rachel & Ash

Chinese Wedding Dress

Rachel had not one, but two wedding dresses. For the traditional English ceremony, she wore a white wedding dress which she brought over from Australia and had final fittings the week before the wedding, followed by a red Chinese wedding dress for the Chinese tea ceremony. She looked absolutely incredible in both. And I simply adore her headpiece and protea bouquet she completed each bridal look with.

Inspiration & Styling

We wanted an English rustic bring outdoors inside wedding with a blend of Chinese culture. We've seen lots of outdoor weddings being in Australia so wanted to bring the outdoors i through having hanging tea lights and the table decorations inside a barn with the beautiful lake outside.

Rachel & Ash
Rachel and Ash hit a few wedding planning bumps along the way whilst organising their day from Australia, but with the help of family and friends, they managed it in the end. Their advice is to "plan your day how you would like, the wedding is about the two of you and how you want it to be. Stand firm with your decisions." Sounds like fabulous advise to us and follows our ethos Your Day Your Way perfectly. But if you need a little guidance you know we're always happy to help, with our fabulous planning resources: Book, Podcast, Supplier Directory, Real Weddings, Wedding Ideas & DIY Tutorials.
Lorna Shaw

Written by Lorna Shaw

Venue: Sandhole Oak Barn | Catering: Top Table Wedding Events | Entertainment: Hard to Handle Band | Favours: English Rose Couture | Bridesmaid Dresses: ASOS | Bridal Shoes: Rainbow Club

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