DIY Sustainable Wedding At Wildwood Bluebell
Photography by Phoebe Rossi PhotographySteph & Ash’s wedding at Wildwood Bluebell was arguably the most personal wedding we’ve shared so far this year. Every aspect of this wedding was completely DIY’d! To stick to their budget, the couple handmade a lot of the decor or found things in charity shops, car boot sales or pre-loved sites like Vinted. They transformed the blank canvas field into an enchanting woodland wedding venue and campsite! Steph even found her wedding dress secondhand! She wore a beautiful lace gown she found pre-loved and a reception dress from Vinted. If you’re looking for your own dream wedding dress, you should take a look over at Recycle My Wedding, our pre-loved buy-and-sell platform for all things wedding! The incredible Recommended Supplier, Phoebe Rossi Photography.
DIY Wedding at Wildwood Bluebell with hand-painted decor and dried flowers
Our celebrant was the best investment we made. She told our story so beautifully and was with us every single step of the way. She felt like our wedding mum! She had to kick our bums into gear on a few occasions. She was perfect for us and I’m not sure the day would’ve been what it was, without her!
Steph & Ash
DIY Wedding at Wildwood Bluebell
Steph & Ash decided they didn’t want to spend a fortune on what was just one day. They knew they’d love their wedding day no matter what, so the couple decided to DIY almost all of their wedding day! Steph wanted to reuse their wedding flowers, which meant dried flowers were the way forward. The bouquets were actually £3.50 from Sainsbury’s, which Steph had embellished with extra dried grasses. Pampas grass was really the theme for the whole day. It was everywhere! Steph & Ash love foraging, so a natural boho theme made sense for them. They even had fungi table names, which Steph had drawn and painted herself. The place cards were leaves they collected with the kids, which were pressed with dried flowers and a personalised wax seal.
Personal Touches
During the wedding ceremony, the wedding rings were blessed by everyone and some of the kids got involved in watering a plant for the wedding. One of the couple’s favourite parts of the day was the speeches and vows. Steph’s dad couldn’t be at the wedding due to illness so it was her mum that gave her away. Her mum had written the most beautiful poem that everyone just loved. Ash’s speech and vows blew everyone away and the best man had the guests in stitches at their friendship with Ash. Ash was even at the bar making cocktails! The day was very relaxed and all about those sentimental touches. Ash also made all the outdoor games with a bit of help from the kids! They were a big hit with the guests and perfectly added to the woodland vibe.
TOP TIP
Don’t underestimate how long it’ll take to set up if you’re doing a DIY Wedding! It’s the last bits that got us! I felt like I’d been so organised but when it came to setting up it was a nightmare and we massively ran out of time. On the day, so many things weren’t as they were supposed to be because we had run out of time. We had people there to help, but nobody knew what to do as it was all in my head. Be sure to give everyone specific jobs and ensure they have photos of how you’d like it to look. I didn’t care but I’m pretty chilled. If this is the kind of thing that could potentially ruin your day, be sure to give yourself plenty of time! I was making cocktail signs and sticking vinyl to mirrors the morning of the wedding! Not ideal, but funny looking back!
To stick to your wedding budget and make more sustainable choices all you need to do is get cracking with DIY!
It was great having a completely blank canvas but it was also quite overwhelming at times. Especially on the day we arrived to set up. We loved that we were able to spend the full weekend at the venue as Ash had always said he wasn’t a fan of spending so much money on just one day and all you hear us how quickly it goes, so the idea of it being a weekend-long celebration for us all to enjoy felt amazing!
Steph & Ash
It actually really rained during Steph & Ash’s outdoor wedding ceremony at Wildwood Bluebell. Of course, it rains on the only part of the day it needs to be dry! Typical English weather! Here are all our tips for what to do if it rains on your wedding day. It’s good luck, don’t you know? Sticking to their wedding budget was a priority for Steph & Ash. To help you keep on track with your spending, download our wedding budget spreadsheet.
