Happy Monday, lovelies! How was your weekend? Did you see our FOUR features on English Wedding this weekend? Huge thanks to Jordanna Marston Photography for sharing her best 10 London wedding venues with us on Saturday – that was fab! And we LOVED the sustainable wedding inspiration shoot on Saturday morning. Lovely Charlene‘s wedding videos (Love Gets Sweeter) made the blog look so lovely on Sunday. Meanwhile, we have been sofa shopping and then walking in the mountains… a weekend of two halves! I’m pooped – but happy to be at my desk again and ready to share some wedding loveliness with you today!

Jenn and Jon were married in September at Barley Wood in Somerset, and chose lovely English Wedding member Howell Jones Photography to capture their day. Jenn told us the venue is owned by the YMCA and all the proceeds go back into the charity. They train apprentices on site who look after the grounds and the venue – they have a really relaxed, laid back attitude, but give great constructive advice and support.

The theme for the day was minimalist and rustic – “We wanted an outdoor space to create a relaxed atmosphere that encourages mixing, mingling, and having a good time. We were banking on good weather and despite it raining in the morning we lucked out. We incorporated wreaths throughout the whole wedding, starting with the invites, then decoration, table plan and also on the cake.

Barley Wood comes as a blank canvas, so one great thing about them is that they let you have free rein and decorate however you please, but are also on hand to give feedback and recommendations, they know their venue better than anyone.

Wedding photographer’s website:

https://howelljonesphotography.co.uk

We initially browsed online for photographers. Howell Jones Photography came highly recommended by another photographer who wasn’t able to do our date. We took one look at his website and loved the feel of his photos straight away.

We loved the website and the style of photos he previously had done. After a Skype chat we met up in the pub for a couple of pints, and got on really well, he has the best travelling stories. He puts you at ease straight away. Everything was laid back and he got what we wanted from our day.

When we were on our honeymoon Warren sent us a photo teaser. A picture of me catching an American football. We loved it and couldn’t wait to see the rest of them. We were impressed by the turn around and had the photos sent to us two weeks from the wedding day. We planned to sit down with a bottle of bubbly on a Friday night but I ended up home later than planned after work and so we woke up Saturday morning with a cup of coffee and Breaky in bed looking through all the photos and reliving the memories. The photos really do tell a great story and you relive the emotions you experience throughout your special day.

Contact & Bookings – Barley Wood wedding photographer Howell Jones Photography

Website https://howelljonesphotography.co.uk
Insta @howelljonesphotography
Facebook @HowellJonesPhotography

 

Can you describe your wedding in fewer than 10 words?

Perfectly captured our personalities.
Picturesque, emotional service.
Afternoon of antics.

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

Barley Wood – found them through searching trusty google.

Kate’s Kitchen – We were recommended by our venue which was useful as it meant they knew the set up, kitchen, equipment etc. and they were able to support us in our decision making on how the day will flow.

Iscreamtacos – We first came across ‘I Screm Tacos‘ at a mates Charity event and we loved it so much back then, that when we started our wedding planning we were instantly keen to have Mark do our evening food.

What’s your top tip for saving money?

DIY and Pinterest is your friend!!

We also had a busy year of weddings prior to ours and they all ‘Payed It Forward’ with certain items, which was a fabulous way to re use wedding decorations.

We used wild flowers collected from friends gardens and foraged for foliage to decorate the wedding breakfast hall.
We also grew our own ivy for the centre pieces and our families collected bottles and jars for further decoration.

I also created all the wreaths (12 of them) using Artificial Flowers which were hung up in the summer house and the wedding breakfast hall. We then managed to sell these on Gumtree after.

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

The wedding venue

We had it from Friday morning to Sunday evening and had all the immediate family on site. We thoroughly enjoyed the family weekend away feel to the wedding. Prepping and decorating on Friday, wedding antics on Saturday and recovery session on Sunday. A lot of laughing and story telling throughout.

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

I sketched our save the dates and painted our wedding invites, using Printed.com to print them all. This saves you lots of pennies.

Our family are also creative, so utilised their skills.

My older sister created a pebble art piece which we used instead of a guest book. Everyone signed the mount and it is now beautifully framed and hung up in our Home.

My younger sister created the Time Line using a black board and chalk paint and I also found some old roof slates which I used to create signs to signpost our guests.

We also made the table plan by hand using a wooden frame found in a charity shop, incorporating hand made miniature wreaths matching the ones used to decorate the breakfast hall.

I wrote all the individual table names by hand after attending a calligraphy course.

Did you fall in love with your wedding dress?

I tried on about 15 dresses in one bridal shop and only one stuck out in my mind and it was a moment like ‘Say yes to the dress’ when my sisters were crying and I felt pretty special.

Wedding dress designer and bridal boutique:

Allison Jayne Bridal.
Maggie Sottero Designer.
Evangelina Gown.

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

My Grandma following her passing left the grandchildren her jewellery – it was really special for myself and my sisters who were the bridesmaids to pick a piece to wear on the wedding day. Very sentimental and a lovely way to incorporate loved ones who have passed. I had chosen a pair of earrings.

Shoes – I tried on so many designer shoes but at the end of the day it’s all about comfort and ‘Rainbow Bridal’ shoes are designed for brides and comfort. I can’t stress enough how comfortable they were to wear. They pillow your toes!! And you can also dye them a different colour after if you want to.
I wore ‘Carly’ Court shoe.

I also got a pair of Sandals from Dune (keep your eye out in the sales) 😉
They had ‘True Love’ embellished on with gems, which were a bit of fun and great to wear during the garden party antics. Heels on grass are not a great mix!

I borrowed the veil from my best friend, who I was privileged to be maid of honour for at her wedding. It was a perfect touch to the dress during the service.

I also borrowed a hair accessory/headdress from my sister in law friend. I admired Hermione Harbutt accessories but didn’t have enough in my budget to buy one, and so I was lucky enough to be able to borrow the very beautiful headdress ‘Fiori’.

And what did the groom wear?

A Navy three piece suit, with a floral tie which really complemented the bridesmaids dress colour.

My god he was handsome ?

Beautiful bridesmaids: what did your best girls wear?

Bridesmaid dresses from ASOS. So many great options. We were looking for same matching colour but a variety of styles.
ASOS have a wide range of bridesmaid dresses all at reasonable prices and they looked stunning.

We chose Lilly Green –
TFNC cold shoulder wrap maxi and
TFNC sleeveless maxi for the maid of honour

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

Makeup – one of my sisters best friend Imogen Fretwell came and did my makeup and the bridesmaids and mother of the bride.

Hair – was completed by Bobbi (Sarah Bobker) and I found her on my local Facebook advertisement.

They both did a beautiful job.

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

Flowers were made by another very good friend of ours; Pippa Tout who works for Sarah Styles Florist. She did the most beautiful bouquet’s and button holes and complemented all the colours of the bridesmaids and the flowers used in the wreaths.

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

Cake was made by one of my best friends mum who requested a donation to charity for our cake.

Lemon Madeira with Lemon Curd, Lemon buttercream and some Raspberry Jam.

There was a Wreath decoration made with sugar flowers: peach/ blush flowers, Ivy, rose leaf, eucalyptus leaf all hand made.

The cake had a gluten free, vegan and dairy free layers. Different options for all our guests to enjoy throughout the garden party.

We also chose to have a two course meal during our wedding breakfast and we had our wedding cake for dessert. This is also another great way to save you some money.

Entertainment: any musical recommendations, surprises or treats?

We had approx 80 guests for the service and wedding breakfast and from 15.30 we wanted an afternoon event and not just evening – So we invited a further 75 guest to join us for the afternoon with a welcome speech, cake cutting and garden party. There was Giant Jenga, Hula Hoops, Croquet, Bowls and a Game of American Football. We also provided garden party feast which was all lovingly home made abs prepared by our family.
We then went into the evening with a band and DJ.

GoGoGadetLegs – Jon’s cousin had this band at her wedding day, we knew they were great, so got in contact to book them having already danced our sock’s off.
We also requested for them to sing our first dance song, which they had to learn especially, and it wasn’t an easy song request but they smashed it.

Jon’s friend then jumped on the decks to see the party through until midnight.

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

Throughout the planning process you will experience disagreements, family requests, stress, various wedding politics getting in the way, money concerns – BUT you must always remember together why you are getting married in the first place and don’t let the little dramas over shadow those reasons.

What’s the best thing about being married?

It doesn’t feel much different, but the promises in our vows that we made to each other means so much to us both and we continue to look forward and enjoy our adventure together.

Favourite supplier web links for other brides and grooms:

Venue – Barley Wood House Bristol – https://www.barleywood.org/
Caterers – Kate’s kitchen – https://www.kateskitchenbristol.co.uk/
Late night food – I Scream Tacos – https://www.i-scream-tacos.co.uk/
Sarah Styles – https://www.sarahstylesflorist.com/
Howell Jones Photography – https://howelljonesphotography.co.uk/
Bobbi – https://www.bobbimobilehair.com/
GoGoGadgetlegs – http://www.gogogadgetlegs.com/
Allison Jayne – http://www.allisonjayne.com/
Maggie Sottero – https://www.maggiesottero.com