Inspiration

When The Lou's send us a wedding, we always know it's going to be gorgeous. They attract the most fun loving couples, with a great eye for style but who are always really down to earth too. Sarah and Sam are all of these things - then we noticed that Sarah rocked a pair of Nike trainers for the evening do and we loved her even more than we already did. The pair chose the stunning Walcot Hall to host their day. It's a venue I really love, with great accommodation for both the wedding party and guests, and it has so many gorgeous backdrops and spaces in which to shoot too. Enjoy this one beauts, the colours have got me feeling ready for Autumn, bring on the crunchy leaves and hot chocolates...

The Bride

Sarah the Bride: My dress was Anya by Karen Willis Holmes paired with the Geniveve overlay. I had always intended to wear a vintage wedding dress but when I saw the Anya dress I couldn’t resist it! The headpiece was a custom design from Naturae which I chose because I wanted something delicate that worked with the slightly Grecian feel of the dress. My hair and makeup (and the bridesmaids’ too) was done by the lovely Priya from Lipstick and Curls. I went for quite a vintage look.

The Groom

Sam wore a tartan suit from Charles Tyrwhitt, this was accented by a blue linen tie from Jaeger. The groom and groomsmen were also kitted out with an assortment of Happy Socks to brighten things up.

The Venue

Our venue was Walcot Hall in Shropshire. It was the only venue we visited as it ticked all the boxes- beautiful grounds, plenty of accommodation and the stunning blue ballroom! The wonderful grounds gave us the opportunity to get away from it all for a while and we even fitted in a row on the lake which was great fun! All of the staff at Walcot were amazingly helpful and really kept the day running smoothly.

The Styling

We spent well over a year collecting bits and pieces for the tables to get quite an eclectic mix. Each table had a different brass animal as well as a collection of antique books. We continued the literary theme by naming the tables after locations in P.G Wodehouse books as we’re both big fans! I painted the invites and the table plan, we both love wildlife so it seemed fitting to include lots of animals. Our florist was the extremely talented Caroline Ede of Rough Acre Farm. We wanted lots of wild flowers with quite a soft feel and muted tones. For the bouquet I wanted quite a traditional shape with pheasant feathers added in, they were also added to the buttonholes and bridesmaids bouquets. The table arrangements were a lovely mix of colours and worked really well with the brass and silver vases.

The Ceremony

We held our ceremony in the beautiful and ancient church of St. Michael and all Angels Lydbury North. Several close friends and family members took part, with Sam’s brother and my sister reading passages from the Bible and a close friend of Sam’s delivering a message. It was particularly special to have Sam’s talented cousin Holly Hart playing “the star of County Down” on the harp as I came down the aisle. She also played during the signing of the register and as Sam and I walked out.

The Entertainment

The evening entertainment was provided by the Odd Socks Ceilidh Band. Sam and I had our first dance to “I’d rather dance with you” by the Kings of Convenience and then the Ceilidh got into full swing.

The Food

We had three cakes, one delicious caramel cake kindly provided by our favourite café in Bridgnorth, Charlie’s Tearoom; one three tiered chocolate sponge cake from M&S, and one White Chocolate coated Rice Krispy cake that Sam made himself the night before! All three were beautifully decorated with flowers by my Aunty Fiona, who also made the gypsophila pew ends in church and was helpful in countless ways! Catering was provided by Oak Apple Catering, and we feel that we got the bargain of the century! They were constantly on hand and very helpfully sorted out a few last minute changes with no fuss at all. We had a drinks reception with scones and jam and cream following the service, soup to start, a main course of Chicken with Lemon and Thyme followed by a Chocolate Brownie, and a sandwich and cake buffet in the evening.

The Photography & Film

I am a little camera shy but love photography so choosing the right photographers was something I didn’t take lightly. I found The Lous on RMW and loved their relaxed, personal style and clear sense of adventure. On the day they were incredible, putting us at ease straight away and really throwing themselves into the spirit of the wedding. When we got away from the crowds they gave us the opportunity to relax, have a little fun and enjoy the beautiful venue. Our photos certainly didn’t suffer as a result! We particularly appreciated Louie’s willingness to follow us in a boat across the lake to capture some of our favourite shots of the day. We also had a splendid video created by the very talented Tea4two. They were also very keen to join us in our adventures around the grounds, and Zac braved a leaking paddle to help follow us out into the lake in a canoe, which was much appreciated. We are so delighted that we decided to have the video as well as the photos as watching it really brings the day back to life.

The Transport

When I first met Sam he had a yellow car he named Beatrice which we always joked would be our wedding car! Unfortunately as Beatrice couldn’t make it to our wedding we managed to find a suitable replacement- a yellow Morgan named Mabel!
Fern Godfrey

Written by Fern Godfrey

Bride: Karen Willis Holmes | Headpiece: Naturae Design | Hair & MUA: Lipstick & Curls | Groom: Charles Tyrwhitt | Venue: Walcot Hall | Florist: Rough Acre | Bridesmaids : H&M | Groomsmen: M&S | Catering: Oak Apple Catering | Film: Tea4two

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