We’re kicking off this week with a gorgeous wedding – all done on a really reasonable budget, but absolutely beautiful all the same! I just adore Jess’s dress – it’s from Monsoon and she looks fabulous, don’t you think? Bridesmaids’ dresses are from Dorothy Perkins, and Tom’s suit is from Next. Together they’re just so perfect – I hope you’ll love their day as much as I do! They were married at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s witnesses with a reception at Binham memorial hall. All the images of their day are by lovely English Wedding Directory member Grace Elizabeth.

The flowers are by Myrtle and Moss, with blush pinks and natural colours with lots of foliage and a long stream of ribbon which flowed perfectly when it was windy. Emily & Sue did such an amazing job of our flowers and we also had some gorgeous hair pieces. Our venue was a blank canvas. We decorated the ceiling with draped fairy lights which made it look so pretty.

Most of the things I did myself! My tables were made of grey velvet table runners with green ruscus foliage draping down the table centres which I collected the morning of the wedding! I also spent the Thursday before with two friends making our guests’ favours which were lemon biscuits with dusty pink hearts with our names and the date stamped in. The signs, table plan and name cards were all hand written which took many hours but was very enjoyable! My grandad made the bar for us which was super perfect, topped with buckets filled with drink at the front it was just what we needed and meant our guests didn’t need to spend a fortune on drinks.

When we first started planning a wedding we realised why everyone said that they are so expensive for just one day! We were determined to have the most fantastic day yet do it within a reasonable cost but yet not miss out on anything. We didn’t want to compromise. We are very fortunate in the fact we have such a talented family so we were able to keep some of our essential wedding bits within the family. For example Toms nanny used to work in a cake shop and so she offered to make ours. All made by hand it was absolutely phenomenal. Same with our hair, Toms auntie is a hairdresser and she was able to do both mine and my two bridesmaids, which also meant we could have endless trials which was very handy! One of my bridesmaids Becky who is now my sister in law is just amazing at makeup and I wouldn’t have had anyone else do it, she did an amazing job!

The beautiful Triumph stag classic car has been in our family since I’ve been young and I’ve grown up taking it out during the summer and down the country lanes. So again, no question about it that would be the car I arrived in and what made it even more special is that it meant my dad could drive me there too, as well as give me away. And I can’t forget the fantastic band which were some very talented friends from Kings Lynn who were more than happy to play at our wedding!

Wedding photographer’s website:

https://www.grace-elizabeth.co.uk

We found Grace Elizabeth through instagram and instantly fell in love with her work! It was exactly what we were looking for. Her wonderfully natural and documentary style suited us perfectly.

Grace is AMAZING at what she does! She came across as relaxed and friendly and felt more like a guest rather than just our photographer.

When we saw our wedding photos for the first time? Wow! Just wow. From the sneak peeks we knew they were going to be good. But the full set were amazing! They are all so wonderful that I’m struggling to decide which ones to put on our wall!

Wedding venue:

Kingdom Hall of Jehovahs witnesses, Fakenham.
Reception at Binham Memorial Hall

Wedding month:

June

Can you describe your wedding in fewer than 10 words?

Relaxed and friendly, a time to celebrate as family & friends.

Your wedding style or theme:

Boho, Country style

Where did you find your suppliers? (Blogs, magazines, recommendations?)

Online recommendations

What’s your top tip for saving money?

If you have talented family use them! (If they are willing). The best and most memorable parts of our wedding day were done by family and friends.
Search around! And don’t commit to something unless you’re 100% sure it’s the one for you!
If you’re crafty, do it yourself. I saved so much money by just spending that extra bit of time and doing it myself such as the table decorations and favours.

… and which elements of your wedding are you glad you spent more on?

The food. We had a Thai lady do our food and it was amazing and everyone said how different it was. Then in the evenings we had The Food Dude from Norwich who arrived in their done up horse box and served the most amazing crepes and waffles, I just wish I could’ve eaten more!

Where did you buy or source your wedding stationery – or was making it a labour of love?

I designed our wedding invitations myself and then got them printed at Printed.com.. again If you like doing that kind of thing, do it! I absolutely loved it. I also made all the one the day stationary myself such as the name cards and the table plan.

Did you fall in love with your wedding dress?

Yes! It was totally me.

Wedding dress designer and bridal boutique:

Monsoon

Tell us about your accessories: jewellery, shoes and anything else!

Most of my accessorises were from next and some Jewellery from notonthehighstreet.

And what did the groom wear?

A bright blue suit from Next and a lovely blue and dusty pink tie from ASOS.

Beautiful bridesmaids: what did your best girls wear?

They had dresses from Dorothy Perkins! I saw them online and instantly fell in love. It was also meant to be because there were only two left in stock and they were my bridesmaids sizes!

Hair and make-up – did you DIY or hire a professional?

My sister in law did my makeup as she is amazing at it! I was so grateful for all the trial sessions we had! Toms auntie was our hairdresser, again she was amazing and after many trial sessions we had the perfect look! I felt amazing on the day.

 

The wedding cake: what kind of cake did you choose and why?

Toms nanny made our cake, she Is a professional! 3 layer white cake, two layers of fruit and one layer of Victoria sandwich! Topped with beautifully hand crafted sugar flowers and thistles with foliage, draping down the side.

Entertainment: any musical recommendations, surprises or treats?

We had a band for live entertainment in the evening who are actually good friends of ours. They did an acoustic set whilst we were eating and then a full dancing set in the evening!
We treated our guests to Crepes and waffles that came from The Food Dude and their amazing converted horse box!

Words of wisdom: share your best piece of advice for other couples:

Don’t think you have to get yourself in debt to plan a wedding! Yes it costs money but there are so many things ways to keep it reasonable. After all, it is just one day, the first day of the rest of your lives as husband and wife!

What’s the best thing about being married?

Sharing life with my best friend and laughing together each and every day.

Favourite supplier web links for other brides and grooms:

Photographer:

http://www.the-food-dude.co.uk
http://norfolkthai.co.uk
https://m.facebook.com/reephamweddingflorists
Dress- Monsoon
Shoes- Deichmann
Bridesmaids dresses- Dorothy perkins
Accessories- Next and not on the high street
Groom and groomsmen suit- Next and Debenhams
Chair hire- Grice and Foster
Rings- The Jewellery Cottage