Join me today for gorgeous Sarah & Rob’s wedding in Hertfordshire, with tons of creative details and special personal touches, and with a fabulous bunch of recommended wedding suppliers who helped bring together this stunning Micklefield Hall wedding. Our bride and groom celebrated in The Great Barn at Micklefield Hall, and chose Buckinghamshire wedding photographer Damion Mower to capture their day. I’m proud to say Damion is an English Wedding sponsor and was voted as the 2019 Wedding Photographer of the Year, South Central region, at The Wedding Industry Awards!

Rob and Sarah were wed in March, choosing Micklefield Hall for its impressive Great Barn which really lent itself to their country casual wedding style. The flowers brought a softness and colour to the room, including the venue’s own flower screen which is part of the venue for couples who use the barn for their ceremony. For the marquee, which was perfect for the drinks reception, Sarah & Rob added more decoration to make sure it was dressed for the occasion – outdoor and table signs, photo displays and cute touches with a bicycle theme (as Rob is a keen cyclist). I love it – I really hope you do too!

“There were lots of areas where I had decided on something I wanted to have at the wedding and where making it made sense. This included a sign post for guests arriving – we bought the wood and made the structure and then used blackboard arrows for the different signs. The table plan was constructed using one of the wheels from Rob’s bike. The table signs were pictures from our safari in Botswana and we had two photo boards of pictures of us as children and a couple. On the tables we made all the menu designs and then had them printed. Taking time to make these elements and then see them come together on the day was definitely worth it. Rob also made cufflinks for all the wedding party out of old bike chain links, so the bike theme was very present. Our bunting in the marquee and outdoor area was made for us by one of the guests and matched the colour scheme on the day.

Wedding photographer’s website:

https://damionmowerphotography.co.uk/

We wanted a photographer to capture the special moments of the day and also that we would feel comfortable with for the more intimate couple shots. We started off getting recommendations for friends who had got married in the area and also looking online at who would cover the right geography for our venue. We found a few people who looked like their style would match what we were looking for. We then took the time to have skype calls with the photographers and get a chance to see examples of their portfolios. This really helped to get a sense of what it would be like to have them with us on the day and what we might expect in terms of our own wedding album.

We were really pleased with Damion. Ahead of the wedding his experience and professionalism were evident in the thoughtful questions he asked us, as well as his advice. On the day he arrived early and spent time looking over the venue again to work out where to get the best pictures for the conditions. He got on well with all the wedding party and guests, tolerated that things did not always run to schedule and managed to capture so much of our special day. The early pictures arrived within days of the wedding which was a lovely surprise and everyone we show them to comments on how great some of the images are.

Damion prepared the sneak peek pictures of our wedding after only a few days. It was brilliant to be able to re-live the day and also to see the moments that you inevitably miss. We were able to look through them together on the sofa that evening. In the Sneak Peak gallery there is a brilliant shot of one of the bridesmaids which had us both laughing out loud.

Contact & Bookings:

Micklefield Hall wedding photographer Damion Mower Photography

www.damionmowerphotography.co.uk
Instagram: @damionmowerphotography
Facebook: @damionmowerphotography

 

 

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

We used some of the venue recommendations to provide some suggestions, Facebook was a great source for finding smaller local suppliers and recommendations.

What’s your top tip for saving money?

Focus the budget on what is really important to you about the day, you can spend lots of money on things that on the day you and the guests would not miss if it was not there. Small local suppliers were also a great way to know that you were getting good value.

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

The biggest part of the budget went on the food and drink. On the day the food was all delicious (courtesy of Kalm Kitchen https://kalmkitchen.co.uk/ the venues supplier) everyone commented on the quality of all the different options we had and we had lots of positive compliments from guests about the free flowing drinks!
The flowers were another area where we made sure not to cut back on the budget and the impact on the day really set off the venue and all the arrangements look great in the pictures.

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

The basic design came from zazzle.com and it was then embellished with finishing touches at home, which was time consuming enough!

Did you fall in love with your wedding dress?

The dress was absolutely perfect, I loved wearing it and felt great. I wish I could do it all again.

Wedding dress designer and bridal boutique:

The dress was Emma by Maggie Sottero from Elizabeth McQueen Bridal in Iver http://www.elizabethmcqueen.co.uk/
Charlie and the team at Elizabeth McQueen were so welcoming and helpful on all the visits to find the dress, choose accessories and the fittings.

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

I choose a tiara to add even more sparkle, Elizabeth McQueen Bridal had a huge range I could choose from and by choosing my dress on my first visit I had a voucher to go towards this. The shoes were from Rainbow with a fairly wide heel to cope with the grass and strap to keep me secure for the dancing. I then wore the jewellery that Rob had previously bought for me and went perfectly with the dress and was a nice surprise for him. My veil was my something borrowed from my cousin and bridesmaid.

And what did the groom wear?

Rob had a bespoke suit tailored to fit him perfectly and allow him to choose all the design, style, fabrics and finishing details. He opted for a three piece suit in grey with a burgundy waist coat and merlot DocMartins. The suit was made by Simon Dowling Bespoke http://simondowlingbespoke.com/

Beautiful bridesmaids: what did your best girls wear?

The bridesmaids were in dresses from Dorothy Perkins believe it or not! They came from their evening wear range and were set off with a ribbon belt sourced on amazon. I had two in silver grey and one in pale pink. They choose their own shoes and two of them reused their own wedding shoes.

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

The hair and make up was a brilliant find. We had a team of three Maria, Neli and Rachel from Walk Out Ready, they arrived bright and early and we all looked gorgeous. In just three and a half hours they did hair and make up for the bride, three adult bridesmaids, plus make up for mother of the bride, mother of the groom and grooms sister and hair for the two flower girls. I cant recommend them enough. https://www.walkoutready.co.uk/

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

The flowers were prepared by Andrew Fleming. The flowers were lots of pale pinks, creams, white and green to give a really natural look to the day. Then the bridesmaids and button holes had extra burgundy flowers. The tables each had a beautiful arrangement with the central tables having a raised display to add height to overall display given the size of the barn. We also opted for four large hoops dressed with silk flowers to go on the walls of the barn for the ceremony and meal. We were able to use lots of the displays in the ceremony and then again in a different way for the meal which helped to keep costs down and really enjoy the flowers. The bouquet was still looking beautiful 2 weeks later https://www.andrewflemingflorist.net/default.aspx

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

The cake was one of the best parts of the planning. We wanted a cake that would stand out and also reflect our personalities. We created a design based on Rob’s love of cycling and mine of skiing – by having a mountain cake with the snowy peaks at the top and grassy lower slopes we were able to achieve this. Also as 4 tiers we got to choose four different flavours of sponge. Our vision was brought to life by Sue at Croxley Cakes and the toppers – Rob on his bike and me of skis were created by Gemma at Totally Toppers https://www.facebook.com/croxleycakes and https://www.totallytoppers.com/

Entertainment: any musical recommendations, surprises or treats?

We wanted to get everyone up dancing so opted for a Ceilidh and it didn’t disappoint and the pictures of the dancing show just how many people gave it a go. Then we had a disco for the end of the night. Ceilidh Tree do a package to provide you with both and then we only needed one supplier. http://www.ceilidhtree.co.uk/

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

Make sure you choose what you want, not what you think you should do or have for your wedding. Enjoy all of the planning and the day because it was pass in a flash.

What’s the best thing about being married?

Getting to introduce the other person as ‘my wife’ or ‘my husband’ its making us smile each time we do this at the moment.

Favourite supplier web links for other brides and grooms:

Buckinghamshire wedding photographer Damion Mower
Micklefield Hall
https://kalmkitchen.co.uk/
http://www.elizabethmcqueen.co.uk/
http://simondowlingbespoke.com/
https://www.walkoutready.co.uk/
https://www.andrewflemingflorist.net/default.aspx
https://www.facebook.com/croxleycakes and https://www.totallytoppers.com/
http://www.ceilidhtree.co.uk/