My top tip for your wedding is to let your daughter wear her rainbow roller-skates, and skate down the aisle!! Lovelies, this is one of my favourite weddings of the year – gorgeous Katherine and Nick made pretty much everything themselves, and planned a relaxed, informal celebration at Whitemoor Farm with a really individual and unique style. It’s just FABULOUS – you’re going to love all of this! Images are by lovely Devon wedding photographer and English Wedding team member Anthony from Special Day Wedding Photos.

“I absolutely loved Katherine and Nick’s wedding at Whitemoor Farm in North Devon. The couple had moved down from the Midlands to the countryside of North Devon for a ‘good life’, and have a small-holding. They were really chilled out and relaxed which reflected in the way they decorated the venue. The styling was fabulous with an emphasis on the retro. Katherine runs art classes which was telling in the styling of the wedding. The couple were very keen to keep the day as relaxed as possible so didn’t want to spend too much time with family group-shots and couple shots, which is great.  I can really loose myself in the photography at these types of weddings. I love to capture the day as it naturally happens as it gives the images authenticity.

I think the venue choice was spot on, not just because it was 30 minutes from my home but because it gave the couple a blank canvas, which enabled them to style the venue to their taste. There were so many nice touches, such as releasing native butterflies and the wedding present of a duck from Nick to his new wife. They have since told me they have introduced a goat into the family!” ~ Anthony, Special Day Wedding Photos (Devon)

Wedding photographer’s website:

https://www.specialdayweddingphotos.co.uk

We looked at various local photographers’ websites, took cost into consideration, as we were on a tight budget, then made contact with a few. Anthony came straight back to me, and we immediately set up a meeting. We loved his portfolio and his manner so we went ahead and booked him.

We were really pleased with Anthony. He was low key all day, but EVERYWHERE, and captured so much! It was clear to see he worked really hard all day, and the photos we have got back reflect that. We love his style and his ability to capture natural moments, as well as all the little details of the wedding.

We were excited to get Anthony’s email saying the photos went in the post the previous day – our post box is half a mile away so Nick hopped in the car and rushed to get them. They were on a memory stick so we quickly loaded them up and began looking through them! There were a lot, so it took a while, but we loved every minute of it!

Contact & Bookings: Special Day Wedding Photos, Devon

www.specialdayweddingphotos.co.uk
Instagram: @specialday.weddingphotos
Twitter: @Ant21Lyons
Facebook: @sdwphotos99
Pinterest: @sdwphotos

Wedding venue:

Whitemoor Farm, Bishops Tawton

Wedding month:

July

Can you describe your wedding in fewer than 10 words?

Natural, simple, vintage, emotional, unique, memorable, full of love

Your wedding style or theme:

Vintage, rustic love stories

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

We found our venue online. We did everything else ourselves – anything bought came from Ebay and charity shops!

What’s your top tip for saving money?

Shop around, think about what you really need, and what you can do yourselves.

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

The venue, including food, and the photographer were our only big expenses – they were both great.

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

I am a designer, so I did it myself

Did you fall in love with your wedding dress?

I did not like my dress originally – I had it altered by a local seamstress; she took the top off and turned it into a skirt. I then found a different top, which ended up being navy, to go with the ivory skirt, and I loved that combination.

Wedding dress designer and bridal boutique:

Ebay!

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

I was barefoot and had some “cheap” jewellery from some questionable websites!! It looked lovely though, and it doesn’t matter that it wasn’t expensive!

And what did the groom wear?

Nick wore trousers, a shirt and a lovely waistcoat. It was too hot and informal for a jacket. He looked amazing.

Beautiful bridesmaids: what did your best girls wear?

My 6 bridesmaids (one of whom was a man) wore different dresses that I felt suited them. They were in pale pink, dusky purple, gold, sage green and silvery-blue. A pastel rainbow. All the dresses were different with either lace, satin or sequin detail, and Jamie (man) had a stunning suit. They all looked fantastic!! The 3 flower girls wore rainbow sparkly tutus with white camis, one in sparkly converse, one in sandals, and my daughter wore rainbow roller skates to go down the aisle!!

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

One of my very good friends is a professional hair stylist, so we hired her to do mine and the bridal party’s hair. She was AMAZING!

Describe your wedding flowers. Who arranged them for you? (florist details would be lovely please)

We were going to use wildflowers, but due to the heatwave nothing much had grown or stayed alive, so my maid of honour kindly bought white flowers from a shop, and we arranged them ourselves into bouquets and into jars for the tables. We had gypsophila, roses, lisianthks, ox-eye daisies and dahlias – all white.

General styling – did your venue need much decoration?

The venue was already decorated with fairy lights, light bulbs, hessian drapes, straw bales and mixed bunting, which we loved. We added white flowers, old books, board games and tea cups to the tables, and a few wooden and slate signs. We also had some lace tablecloths for some displays.

Crafts and makes – tell us about any homemade elements of your wedding… did you enjoy them?

We made many things for our wedding. We made the arch under which we got married: Nick built it from big branches and I decorated it with fabric scraps and ivy. Nick also built 4 benches from reclaimed wood for the children to sit on. I made the cake, and decorated the cheese round. I made all the signs and quotes we had around the venue. I also made the table name signs and table plan display.

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

We wanted something simple and a bit rustic, but not too “pinteresty”! I made a 4 layer chocolate and blackberry cake with elderflower champagne infused icing, and chocolate ganache. It was decorated with white flowers and blackberries. We also had an alternative cake, as it was also both our birthdays – a white iced fruit cake, with mixed berries on top. We cut and served the cake right after the hand-fasting ceremony as our take on a traditional cake and ale celebration. Later on in the evening, we had a cheese round, which we got from Tesco, and I decorated with ivy, grapes and fresh figs.

Entertainment: any musical recommendations, surprises or treats?

We made our own playlists for the whole day, which we played through our neighbour’s disco. We gave away a soundtrack of our wedding on CD, and a packet of bee friendly seeds.
The kids had a bubble machine, ribbon wands, their own bubbles, masks, balloons and a huge lawn to play on.

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

Have fun, and don’t let the wedding stress you out. Life and your marriage is so much more important!

What’s the best thing about being married?

Being married makes no difference to our relationship: we still love each other and are totally committed to each other, but it’s lovely to call each other husband and wife, and we plan to for the rest of our days.

Favourite supplier web links for other brides and grooms:

https://www.specialdayweddingphotos.co.uk – Anthony at Special Day Wedding Photos