Welcome to the first weekend of autumn! I’m hoping for a crisp sunny afternoon with hints of bronzed leaves and for cosy snuggles with my man and my favourite jumper. How about you? … Oh, but you’re here for wedding ideas so I’ve got a little treat up my (woolly!) sleeve for you this morning, with a gorgeous wedding from The Plough At Leigh. The stunning couple are Nikki and James, and their photographer is our newest sponsor, lovely Terence Joseph Photography.

Wedding photographer’s website:

https://terencejosephphotography.co.uk

We met Terence at an open day at The Plough, he was so friendly and knew the venue very well so it was an easy decision to make.

We couldn’t have been happier with Terence, he was very professional and had us and our guests feeling very relaxed and at ease. He even managed to photograph some family members that were set against having their photo taken. He was interested in what ideas and visions we had. I felt we clicked and it was such a pleasure to work with Terence, he was very thoughtful and couldn’t do enough for us from the beginning right through to when I met him to receive our beautiful album and canvas. I would highly recommend him to anyone looking for a professional photographer, he did an amazing job.

We were blown away the first time we saw our photos and they were even more beautiful than our expectations. Terence captured our day perfectly. I was proud to show them off to our friends and family and I love looking back through our album.

Can you describe your wedding in fewer than 10 words?

A beautiful classic spring barn wedding.

Your wedding style or theme:

We tried to go with a classic vintage theme. We wanted a typical white wedding with a rustic spring feel to it.

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

I found most of my suppliers online but I did use www.amanda-jane.co.uk for our chair hire and also decorations for the barn as she had lots that went with our theme. I also followed #springweddings #barnweddings #rusticweddings #classicvintageweddings on instagram which gave us lots of great ideas that we could make our own.
I would highly recommend www.magical-times.co.uk who supplied our photobooth, it went down a treat with all of our guests and we were given an album at the end of the night.

What’s your top tip for saving money?

Shop around. There are so many different places doing the same thing for different prices, I made sure I did my research before buying anything.
It can be easier to buy a package but it often works out cheaper and more personal if you shop around and piece things together yourself.

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

We spent more on the things that would make our day memorable such as the classic Rolls Royce, the photobooth for our tipsy guests to enjoy in the evening and my beautiful wedding dress that I still love to this day.

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

I purchased our wedding stationery from Tree of Hearts, they have some lovely invitations. I also purchased some bits from Etsy. It’s a really lovely website with lots of individual sellers bringing lots of different ideas into one place.

Did you fall in love with your wedding dress?

I fell completely in love with my wedding dress, my sister picked it out for me but the moment I tried it on and saw myself in the mirror, I knew it was the one even though it wasn’t what I had imagined myself wearing.

Wedding dress designer and bridal boutique:

I purchased my dress from Felicity Cooper in Knutsford, Cheshire (now closed).

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

My shoes were from Charlotte Mills, they were blush with a little rose gold and so beautiful and comfortable. Comfort was so important to me knowing that I would be wearing them for a long time, I didn’t take them off until late into the evening which is saying something as I’m not really one for heels. They come with a sixpence inside of one shoe, so there’s your something old.
My fiance bought me my earrings which were silver love knots. My sister bought me my something blue which was a silver bracelet with a blue stone. My something borrowed was my diamante hair pins and I had a very simple silver necklace with a tiny heart bought by one of my bridesmaids Fiona.
My hair piece was made up of silver leaves and tiny pearls. Again, I wanted to keep my look simple and classic and I think I achieved that.

And what did the groom wear?

James kept it simple, he wore a navy blue three piece suit with brown shoes, a crisp white shirt finished off with a yellow tie, his suit matched our ushers, page boys and our little boy Jacob.

Beautiful bridesmaids: what did your best girls wear?

My girls were dressed in navy. My two bridesmaid were in knee length dresses and my sister who was my maid of honor was in a floor length dress. They all had their hair in loose curls with a small clip of gypsophila, they also had a bouquet of gypsophila which really stood out against their navy dresses.

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

I couldn’t have been happier with my hair and make-up. I’m very fortunate that my friend Eve is a make up artist and did a beautiful job of my make-up, she knows me really well so kept my look simple and classic, I didn’t want to be too made up.
My hair was just perfect. My hairdresser Tracey did an amazing job, I had a braided up style and received so many lovely comments throughout the day. I still love looking back at photos of my hair.

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

Denise Thompson Designer florist in Otford, Sevenoaks.
We had lots of lovely wild spring flowers, the colours were mainly pinks and purples and really stood out in the barn.
My bouquet was made up of cala lillies and gypsophila. The bridesmaids and flowers girls had bouquets of gypsophila and the flower girls also had adorable little flower crowns. Denise did an amazing job helping us choose our flowers and my mum was an absolute star for arranging them in the lantern jars the day before the wedding along with a helping hand from one of my bridesmaids. We took them to the barn the day before and they looked so beautiful and exactly how I had imagined them, thanks mum.

General styling – did your venue need much decoration?

We didn’t want to take away the beauty of the barn by covering it in decorations, it’s so beautiful with the dried hops and fairy lights, we just added a few personal touches.
I remember the barn looked so beautiful as I walked down the aisle.

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

We had lots photos of myself and James printed and scattered around the barn from all of the years we’ve been together. It was really nice looking back over our memories. My mum made some navy and gold pom poms for the garden, which were a lovely touch. I can’t even explain how much my mum helped with everything leading up to the wedding, she was amazing.

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

Our beautiful wedding cake was made by a lovely lady called Alli Dockree at Glitter n Ice. It was three tiers and each tier was decorated in a way that told a story of different stages of our lives together. It was so unique and personal to us and tasted amazing.

Entertainment: any musical recommendations, surprises or treats?

We had a DJ who came highly recommended by the barn, we thought it was best to use someone who had played at the venue before. Gary did a brilliant job and certainly got everyone moving.

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

Your big day is over before you know it so take a moment to stand back, look around and take it all in. You’ll be glad you did.

What’s the best thing about being married?

The best thing about being married is enjoying each day and making memories as a proper little family. James, myself and our gorgeous little boy Jacob.

Favourite supplier web links for other brides and grooms:

terencejosephphotography.co.uk
www.amanda-jane.co.uk
https://www.facebook.com/pg/GlitternIce/posts/
http://www.dtflorist.co.uk
https://www.theploughatleigh.com
treeofhearts.co.uk