Inspiration

What could be better than getting married at the church where your parents said I do, and then following it up with a marquee reception in your parents back garden? Everything looks incredibly beautiful. Undoubtedly due to the abundance of wild flowers, rustic DIY decor, and genius hay bale Gin bar. You know we all have a soft spot for gin here at RMW HQ, and we would've loved to have enjoyed a tipple there. Also, I just have to mention Irene's Kobus Dippenaar bridal gown from Morgan Davies. It is so, so pretty. The picture taken by Kirsty Mackenzie of the train captures the delicate lace perfectly, and I love how it moves as she dances with her beau in front of the tent. Such amazing details, for such a sentimental wedding. Full of smiles, embraces, and golden hour portraits to warm the heart.

The Dress

Irene the Bride: I loved the vintage style of long sleeved lace dresses, and I wanted something that was quite fitted as I’m quite petite, but there were very few dresses I found along those lines, Morgan Davies helped me put together a bespoke style by adapting an Anna Georgina design to add sleeves and a high neckline with a ‘v’ shaped back.

Grooms Fashion

Ryan had a 3 piece suit made by Henry Herbet, Alex was so knowledgeable and passionate- we’d recommend them to anyone looking for something a bit special.

The Venue

My family home where I grew up, a Tudor working farm in Surrey, such a special setting for us. My mum and dad worked tirelessly to make the gardens look beautiful; it was a stunning backdrop for the traditional style Marquee from Maypole Marquees.

Florist

Bouquets were from Greensleeves and Jacque and Felicity who are friends of my mother’s worked for 2 days and through the night to put together the stunningly pretty table centrepieces and arrangements around the marquee, stage and bar in rustic watering cans, milk churns and anything else we found scattered around the farm.

Wedding Party Fashion

The wedding party were our closest friends, our brothers and my gorgeous niece and nephew, Isabel and Lucas. The bridesmaids dresses were from ASOS and Jewellery was from J Crew, and Isabel’s dress was from Monsoon and the boys were in navy suits.

Ceremony

Our ceremony was held at St Mary’s in Ewell, where Ryan’s parents got married 33 years before, which was such a beautiful settings and Russell the vicar was so lovely, going for a pint with him a couple of weeks before definitely helped make us feel at ease. My friend Zanna read Robert Fulgham the Union which had everyone in tears and Ryans’ Dad wrote a blessing for us.

Entertainment

My uncle Barry and cousin Nicholas played traditional folk music to accompany the Greek dancing. Followed by a 5 piece band Got it Covered- so incredibly talented and so much energy, had everyone dancing all night! As well as a special performance from John and Clare, who sang with them.

Food

Jacaranda provided a selection of canapés on beautiful rustic trays decorated with wildflowers.
Wedding breakfast: Cured salmon with pickled samphire, compressed cucumber, salmon tartare, lemon oil and crème fraiche Butterflied legs of Southdowns lamb cooked over charcoal with rosemary and garlic, with galette potatoes and summer vegetables Sharp lemon tart with fresh raspberries and raspberry coulis Evening food was pulled pork buns with Louisiana slaw.
My bridesmaid Gemma made the cake, which was Carrot and Lemmon Chiffon and decorated with flowers and petals from the garden. Beer was sourced from our local brewery in Brixton: Clarkshaws. Everyone was raving about their Summer Pale Ale.

Photographer

Kirsty Mackenzie, who made us feel so at ease in front of the camera and was such a ray of sunshine and from the moment she arrived and throughout the day, such a pleasure to have her with us on the day, and was incredibly patient with my unruly Greek family.

DIY

We made a DIY photo stand made with wooden pallets and pictures included all our friends and family over the years. Having our wedding at home, meant that every detail was personal to us, it was lots of hard work, but the endless rounds of wine tasting, cheese tasting and beer tasting helped along the way. The whole day was better than we could have ever imagined or hoped for, everything was perfect.
Lorna Shaw

Written by Lorna Shaw

Dress Designer: Anna Georgina | Bridal Boutique: Morgan Davis | Bridal Shoes: Michael Kors | Headpiece: Lilly Bella | Grooms Suit: Henry Herbert | Groomsmen: D Major Tailors in Fulham | Venue: Maypole Marquee | Florist: Green Sleeves Online | Caterer: Jacaranda Catering | Band: Got it Covered | Bridesmaids: ASOS | J Crew

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