We have a lovely wedding with a countryside / farm twist and tons of personal touches for you today. Liv and Taylor were married at Chew Valley and chose Bristol wedding photographer Martin Dabek to capture the story of their day. Friends and family chipped in to help with the styling, and Olivia made the wedding cake, arranged the flowers with help from her mum and grandmother, and the couple collected old photos to make a game to entertain their guests!
Taylor’s dad loves American cars and has owned several during his lifetime and it was important to Taylor that we bring a little bit of everyone into the wedding so him and his groomsmen arrived to the church in the fancy cars. Whereas I had spent my childhood around farmyards and building sites so naturally I wanted to arrive on a tractor. I have wanted to drive a tractor to my wedding for as long as I can remember. However the long dress meant I definitely wasn’t going to be the one driving it- but we got a trailer with hay bales and blankets and Dad drove us down to the church. It’s a journey I will never forget.
Wedding photographer’s website
How did you choose your photographer?
Martin was recommended to us by our venue. He had shot there before and we were able to look at his style of photography.
Were you pleased with your wedding photographer? Do tell… we love a brilliant review!
We loved Martin! He really blended in with the party, and he really understood what we wanted. We didn’t want to be dragged away from our guests for hours of intimate photos. We wanted to party with our guests and he really captured that.
Do check out Chew Valley wedding photographer Martin Dabek! We think he’s amazing.
What’s your fondest memory of your wedding?
Our fondest memory was walking out of the church surrounded by our family- we actually left the church and then ran around to the side entrance and waited for everyone to leave the church before walking back into the church so our photographer could organise everyone into 2 lines either side of the path to throw confetti (which me and my mum had dried in the oven ourselves). Walking through our newly joined families as Mr and Mrs Sweet for the first time is really special.
Tell us about your venue – what made this place special for you?
Chew Valley Weddings was spectacular. The view of the lake was really what sold it to us. The lake has been a big part of our lives, it was even where Taylor proposed. We knew we wanted to marry close to home and the tipis with the lake is such a beautiful background.
Did you love wearing your outfits? How was your shopping experience, was it fun to find your wedding gear?
I found my wedding dress in the first shop I went in to. I knew the type of style that I liked the look of and I did my research. But due to COVID bridal shops were only allowing 1 or 2 guests maximum. So I went to a total of 5 bridal shops with different people and ended up buying ‘the one’ in Lace and Grace in Keynsham during a trunk show with 10% off. Madi Lane- Halani.
Taylor on the other hand had no idea what he wanted and just went into Bath one day and bought his suit from Suave Owl. And then we went out for lunch together.
Did you hire a florist? Tell us about any floral amazingness 🙂
I really wanted to do the flowers myself and make a real occasion out of arranging the flowers with my family and friends. We collected flowers from hedgerows and family members gardens. My mum and my grandmother grew wildflowers especially for me. We made our centre pieces in gravy boats Taylor’s grandmother collected, it was lovely to do something in her memory. However, for my bridal bouquet and the buttonholes we got them done professionally by Banksia in Chew Magna, a local florist. They were beautiful.
As cake lovers here at English Wedding we’d LOVE to know who made your cake, and how delicious it was?
I made our wedding cake! It was 3 tiers of lemon sponge with lemon curd filling and buttercream icing. I had to do lots of trial cakes which my colleagues gratefully tasted and gave me some notes. I made the sponges 3 days before the big day and iced in 2 days before. I then transported it to my grandmothers house (the most nerve wracking journey of my life) and it was taken to the venue with the topper (from Etsy), ready for me to assemble when we arrived from the church.
I did however forget to bring the fruit with me from the fridge on the morning of the wedding so we had to decorate the cake with flowers from the bridesmaids bouquets and from (non poisonous) shrubbery. By the end of the night it was almost all gone! I did also make gluten free cupcakes for my gluten intolerant guests.
Tell us about any special personal touches, or creative projects you made yourselves (we love that stuff!)
We wanted our wedding to be really personal to us. So one project we started was collecting old wedding photos from both sides of our families and putting them in frames (mismatched and from charity shops) to display- it became a really talking point, and people were trying to guess who was who in photos from 50+ years ago.
We also collected decorative wine bottles and put lights in them for table decorations, as well as using corks for name place holders and table numbers.
Another idea I loved was having photos of me and Taylor as children, and it was amazing how many of them were so similar in nature (sat in paddling pools/ holding Christmas presents/wearing our dads work boots). We made a game out of it the day before the wedding- match the photos. I separated them into Taylor and Olivia piles and our wedding party had to try and match them up. Then we put them on the tables back to back so people could see how far we have both come.
Outdoor party games for adults as well as children. Flamingo hoopla, welly wanging, coconut shy. Great fun! Although we did lose a welly- we looked for it forever before giving up.
Did you have any wedding readings? What were they?
We had a traditional church wedding and the reading was given by our reverend.
What was your first dance song? Why did you choose it?
Our first dance song was How long will I love you- sung by Ben Coleman, Jon Boden, and Sam Sweeney (from About Time). We spent a long time trying to decide which song to choose but this one always made us want to dance together in the living room.
Other favourite wedding suppliers
My hair was done by my family friend Rebecca Dix- she helped me find a style I really liked. I didn’t really know what I wanted but when I told her about the rest of the wedding and my dress she had a few suggestions for me and we tried out a few. Even on the morning of the wedding she was making sure I stayed hydrated and stopped so I could eat some breakfast.
My makeup artist was recommended by my hairdresser. I know nothing about makeup- it has never really interested me. I wanted a really natural, light makeup look and Jade helped me achieve that. She was great!
We decided on a DJ for our wedding reception as we have quite an eclectic mix of musical styles- we hired Offbeat Entertainment. Sebastian was great- he asked us for a list of about 20 songs which we love and even asked us if there were songs which were absolutely not allowed to be played. We hired him to play some background music for the start of the reception as well.
I feel utterly spoilt for weddings this week! Today we’re sharing a gorgeous farm wedding with the loveliest couple – and photos of the day which make me so happy! The personal touches are also sustainable: Emily grew wildflowers around the house for their arrangements, which look lovely. The cupcakes were made by a friend, the food for the reception was locally sourced and even made by Emily and her mother in law!
In a nutshell, this farm / home wedding wins all the prizes for sustainable weddings. It’s glorious, happy and a breath of fresh air! Watch out for the little handprinted signage… and the kenoa…!!! The gorgeous photos are by Hannah Timm Photography.
Wedding photographer’s website
https://www.hannahtimmphotography.co.uk/
How did you choose your photographer?
We looked through several portfolios on a wedding planning website and Hannah’s jumped out at us.
Were you pleased with your wedding photographer? Do tell… we love a brilliant review!
Yes, she was so wonderful. Her work captured the feel of the day so beautifully and she made my husband and I feel so comfortable.
What’s your fondest memory of your wedding?
Walking down the lane to the reception together. It was a lovely moment of quiet between ceremony and party.
Tell us about your venue – what made this place special for you?
We were married at Bodmin registry and had the reception on my husband’s farm— the place that has become such a wonderful home to me. There was something so special about being able to welcome our guests to the place we live and work.
Did you love wearing your outfits? How was your shopping experience, was it fun to find your wedding gear?
I had bought the dress for my high school graduation, knowing then that I would want to some day be married in it. I was very relieved it still fit! Buying the suits was great fun and so nice to see him all cleaned up.
Did you hire a florist? Tell us about any floral amazingness 🙂
We did not hire a florist. I grew wildflowers around the house and my sister in law surprised me with the bouquet. Due to covid my family were unable to travel from Canada for the wedding. My sister in law asked everyone in my immediate family to choose a flower to represent them and she had a bouquet made. It was lovely.
As cake lovers here at English Wedding we’d LOVE to know who made your cake, and how delicious it was?
We had a friend of a friend with a knack for baking make us a ton of cupcakes. We had three flavours: chocolate & coffee, carrot cake, and olive oil & lemon. They were simple and went with our style perfectly.
Tell us about any special personal touches, or creative projects you made yourselves (we love that stuff!)
My mother in law and I did all the cooking which was a fantastic and chaotic experience. The meat was all sourced from our farm and felt like a proper feast. We spent months making batches of elderflower champagne from the garden. We chose our invitations from a local artist and pressed wild flowers from the lane to include. We kept it very down to earth with bales and blankets for seating. A lot of work from the whole family went into the day and it was wonderful to see it reflected back.
We mowed a football pitch into the field behind the house. Once all the official photos were taken, an intense game kept most occupied for the rest of the evening.
Favourite wedding suppliers
We used Brogan Starr Designs for our invitations. Hannah Timm was our only supplier other than the cupcakes which was a favour through a friend. The rest we did ourselves.
An epic Yorkshire wedding with fabulous styling, colourful smoke and a magical, festival atmosphere. This glorious wedding brings back all the summer vibes and we LOVE it!
Wedding photographer’s website
https://www.johnhopephotography.com
The venue:
Skipbridge is a relaxed wedding venue full of unique charm. It’s an incredible place with quirky onsite accommodation and animals (llamas, donkeys, peacocks and more) on site, and makes a lovely Yorkshire wedding venue.
Alicia and Phil’s ceremony was held under the willow tree, such a wonderfully romantic little spot to say ‘I do’
Outfits
Alicia looks amazing in a white, full length boho style dress with blush under skirt from Yorkshire’s favourite – The Harrogate wedding Lounge
Phil’s classy suit was a full 3 piece, blue checked with a burgundy tie, teamed with Hugo Boss shoes and belt, from Moss.
Bridesmaids wore medium grey dresses from Milly Bridal, with wildflowers in their hair.
Floral amazingness
Summery bouquets with delicate pinks, blue green eucalyptus stems and delicately trailing ferns make for such a romantic summer wedding look. The willow bower has stunning arrangements framing the ceremony space, and all of the displays are breathtaking and perfect for a summer celebration.
The wedding cake
3 tiers of deliciousness by The Barn Bakery with gold leaf flakes, delicate florals and fern leaf fronds styled around a rustic log slice
Special personal touches
We love all the whimsical, festival themed flowers in home made rustic boxes
Alicia & Phil’s sloe gin wedding favour boxes were made by the couple
Skipbridge has a grain silo for partying with a fire pit and whisky bar.
Lawn games and Matt Stephens musician went down a treat!
Alicia & Phil’s favourite Skipbridge wedding suppliers
Venue https://www.skipbridgecountryweddings.co.uk
Wedding photographer https://www.johnhopephotography.com/
Dress from https://theharrogateweddinglounge.com/
Hair by http://www.lottiehaigh.com
Make up artist https://www.louiselunn.co.uk/
Bridesmaids outfits from http://www.millybridal.org/
Suits from https://www.moss.co.uk/suits
Wedding cake https://www.thebarnbakery.co.uk/
Flowers https://www.roseandspade.co.uk/
Stationery by https://www.rosepress.co.uk/
Musician https://matthewstephens.net/
Catering https://www.homegrownhospitality.co.uk
