Planning

Fit bride alert! Kate looks sensational in her Catherine Deane Omelia gown, and her bouquet.... it's the most fabulous oversized, hand picked mass of florals and foliage I ever did see. Also the yurt reception is just spectacular; decorated with more gorgeous wild blooms and foliage, twinkling lights and before you enter this rural haven, you are greeted with a very creative and delicious looking escort card table accompanied by your very own copper spray painted animal. Get yourself a cuppa and get those pinning fingers ready folks, it's a goody.

Our Story

Kate The Bride: My family farm in Lincolnshire has a very special place in my heart, which is why Steve chose to propose to me there on Christmas day two years ago. We had been together for nearly 8 years, so as I started an elaborate treasure hunt that took me to my favourite place on the farm, I’m amazed I didn’t cotton on sooner that he was about to pop the question! From that moment on, there was never any doubt that we were going to have our wedding on the farm...

The Dress

I was uncharacteristically decisive about my dress – the Omelia dress by Catherine Deane – having immediately fallen in love with it. It had a beautiful Edwardian glamour whilst still feeling relaxed enough for our meadow wedding.

Grooms Attire

Steve's suit was tailored for him by Cad & the Dandy on Saville Row. He won't admit to me how much it cost, but it was definitely worth it - it fit him perfectly, and unlike my dress, he will actually get to wear it again!

The Venue

Our yurt was the most amazing find. It was beautifully made and created such a cosy, intimate atmosphere, even though it was the largest yurt in Europe! Jayne and Gabriel at Castle Yurts were the loveliest people to work with. They had built the yurt themselves and it felt like a real labour of love. It took 4 days to put up– which they bravely did in torrential rain whilst camping on the farm!

Decor

I wanted the décor to feel natural and simple, but with a touch of glamour. Kinfolk meets Pearl & Godiva....or at least that is what I was striving for! I spent so much time obsessing over details, and my amazing family and friends heroically stepped up in the days leading up to the wedding. Some were spraying little animal figures gold for the name tags, others were sewing the orders of service, the rest were helping me to hand pour all the candles for the tables! The morning of the wedding was crazy with absolutely everyone mucking in! The love and effort that everyone put in made the wedding so much more personal and special – I can’t thank them enough!

Flowers

The church flowers and bouquets were done by Sophie’s Flowers and Mrs Umbels. They understood straight away the 'wild and wonderful' style I wanted and they created the most stunning arrangements. The rest of the flowers were done by my Bridemaids and I. One of my most treasured memories is of us flower arranging in the barn at midnight on the night before the wedding, with car headlights as our only source of light. We had such a laugh!

The Wedding Party

Choosing the Bridesmaids’ dresses was the most difficult part of all! Eventually I found the perfect dresses at NABBD. The outfits for my Flower girl and Page boy were from Monsoon Kids. The Ushers wore suits from River Island and Steve chose a different set of buttons from Liberty for each of their waistcoats. Their ties were from Etsy sellers Linen Fox and charlie Buttons.

Ceremony

The ceremony was at my local village church, and so afterwards we were all able to walk back to the house together. One of the highlights of the service was a John Williams piano medley that was played during the register signing. It had all the iconic songs from our favourite films - Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park and it went down so well! I had designed the orders of service myself and had painstakingly stitched them together. My lovely Aunt helped make the confetti bags, which were also stitched and embossed. I really wanted everything to feel handmade and personal!

Music

A university friend and his band played for us in the evening. They were incredible – it felt like the entire room was on the dance floor the whole night!

Food

Steve and I had been to Argentina a few years ago and loved their Asado – basically meat cooked on an open fire and served on thick slabs of bread. We couldn't find anyone in the UK who does it and so asked John from our village pub whether he would give it a go. He really got behind the idea and commissioned special metal grills to be made by the village welder - it was a huge success and a fantastic talking point! Steve’s Dad built a wooden framed canvas canopy to go over it, which was beautiful and also saved the day when it started chucking it down with rain! For dessert we had the wedding cake with summer fruits, followed by chocolates and port up by the huge bonfire. It was the summer solstice and it was so magical chatting around the fire as the sun went down...

Photographers

Cinzia and Matteo were the most amazing photographers. Incredibly talented but also super lovely to work with. Their photos completely captured the emotion and energy of the day – I would wholeheartedly recommend them to anyone!
Charlotte O'Shea

Written by Charlotte O'Shea

Dress Designer: Catherine Deane - Omelia | Grooms Suit: Cad and The Dandy | Bridesmaid Dresses: NABBD | Flower Girl Page Boy: Monsoon | Ties: Etsy Shop - Linen Fox | Etsy Shop - Charlie Buttons | Yurt: Castle Yurts | Food: The Houbloninn | Cake: The Cake Hole Seaford | Florists: Sophies Flowers | Mrs Umbels | Piano: Infinity Entertainments | Lights: Lights4fun

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