Inspiration

Summer may be long gone, but Christmas party season is upon us which means there are a plethora of frocks in the shops to dance the night away in. It was always bride Lauren's dream to do just that on her wedding day, so it was important for her to have a tea length wedding dress she could swish and sway. We think she absolutely nails her bridal look, (and the twirls) and looks every bit the blushing bride at her romantic barn wedding.

Wedding Venue

"The Old Barn at the South Causey was the perfect venue for us. It was one of our first dates and the first of two venues we looked at, only The Old Barn had not been renovated yet – we booked simply off an artist drawing but knowing how nice the Durham suite is; we didn’t hesitate. The packages they offer are brilliant, offering an infinity package which takes care of everything, and most packages giving your guests the option to choose their wedding breakfast. We didn’t choose the infinity package because we wanted to do all the extras ourselves.

Once the Barn was up and running it did not disappoint, it was just something else, and I think our guests would agree. The wedding co-ordinators and staff could not do enough for us, their help, guidance and support through the process was second to none. We still visit regularly for meals, and they are still so welcoming and remember us." - Lauren & Martin

Lauren & Martin

Tea Length Wedding Dress

Being a bride doesn't mean you have to wear a long white dress. In fact, your outfit doesn't have to be white at all, let alone a dress. Real bride Lauren always fancied a short dress (something easy to dance in) and was so impressed with House of Mooshki's offering. From her first appointment, she was able to try on lots of beautiful dresses in their bright dressing room. But in the end, Lauren chose a bespoke tea length wedding dress with gorgeous lace fabric and Bardot neckline. She completed her look with a matching birdcage veil, and her amazingly generous sister bought her fantastic classic blue Manolo Blahniks Hangisi pumps. What a stunner.

Styling

I like to think of myself as being quite creative so I wanted to be all hands-on when it came to the styling, however, with The Old Barn being so beautifully finished, it did not need any further styling other than flowers for the centrepieces. We are very relaxed and wanted that to come across over the course of the day, letting people relax and enjoy the beautiful venue and surroundings – nothing formal. We made all the stationery ourselves too. All our save the dates, invites, RSVPs, menus, table settings and seating plan were made on Publisher. The South Causey is a dog-friendly venue, however, we have a cat. We needed to include him in our wedding somehow, so we typed our table plan on faded photos of Steven (the cat). We framed each table plan and stuck them on a picture I painted of a field of poppies – it wasn’t a Monet, but it was original and enjoyable and gave that extra personal touch.

Lauren & Martin
If you're about to embark on buying your bridal outfit and are unsure where to start, listen to Buying Your Weding Dress Podcast on Spotify or iTunes and then check out the show notes for lots more helpful articles including a guide to choosing your wedding dress featuring a helpful pin explaining all the silhouettes, lengths and necklines availble. Happy shopping!
Lorna Shaw

Written by Lorna Shaw

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