This week’s real wedding has a first for Confetti.co.uk, Morris dancers! That’s not the only reason why we love Lauren and David’s country themed wedding, from the bang on trend boho wedding decor, to Lauren’s amazing floral crown wreath, to the out door wedding ceremony, this week’s real wedding is the perfect inspiration for your summer wedding.
The Proposal
David and I were on holiday last year on the beautiful Greek island of Tilos when we got engaged. Tilos is a place very close to David’s heart as it is somewhere his mother had visited regularly and eventually was living before she sadly passed away 15 years ago. It was nice that she could a part of our happy engagement.
Our Bridesmaids
My beautiful bridesmaids were such a wonderful support throughout the whole planning of the wedding. It was also a lovely chance to spend some time with my best friends especially now we all live in different towns and cities. I had 3 lovely bridesmaids, my twin sister Kelly and 2 of my dearest friends Katherine and Lisa, who all looked beautiful in dove grey Ghost dresses.
The Dress and Accessories
I found my dress at a wedding fair in Chiswick. It was by pure chance when I walked in that I immediately saw my dress hanging on the wall. I tried it on and took it away there and then. The dress was the Lace Willow by Belle & Bunty in ivory. I complimented my lovely dress with a full floral crown, made to perfection by our florist, and the Victoria shoes, in blush suede, by Rachel Simpson. My hair and makeup was all done by Heidi Vince, who I discovered at the Kingscote Barn open day. She was able to perfectly deliver the natural ‘me but on a very good day’ look that I was after!
The Photographer
Our photographer Paola was found by chance a wedding fair in Battersea. Her unique photo-journalistic style really stood out to us and was truly delivered on our wedding day. We are so thrilled at how Paola captured the story of our day and have the most beautiful pictures to reminisce with.
The Theme
We always knew that we wanted a relaxed and fun day where we could be ourselves with our nearest and dearest. Once we finally decided to have our day in the Cotswolds and decided that Kingscote Barn would be the perfect venue a country fayre theme naturally developed and the rest of the pieces started to effortlessly fall into place.
The Ceremony
Our wedding ceremony was held at the beautiful outdoor arbour at Kingscote Barn in Tetbury. We had a light hearted civil ceremony in the September sunshine with 2 readings from our close friends. We wanted the ceremony to have a sense of fun and have some humour so the readings we chose were A Lovely Love Story by Edward Monkton and He’s not Perfect by Bob Marley. I walked down the aisle to Blue Moon by Conal Fowkes which was a subtle tribute to David’s football team Manchester City! We walked back up to You & Me by The Wannadies. Seeing each other at the altar was a truly special moment as was being serenaded by our group of morris dancers at our reception! It was also really nice when our photographer took us off for a walk and a few photographs. It was a great chance to reflect on what we had just done and view our wedding and guests from a far.
The Reception
Our reception was also held at Kingscote Barn and having both parts of the day at the same venue made for a really relaxing and stress free day. The setting of the barn, in amongst rolling Cotswold hills, was perfect for our relaxed, country fayre wedding where we had morris dancers and outdoor games to entertain our guests. These elements really helped to ensure there was lots going on that people could get involved in. The entire day passed by in a blur but a few moments really stand out. After the actual ‘getting married’ I really loved seeing all our closest friends and family mingling with one another especially as many had never met before. We also enjoyed the first dance more than I could have imagined. Our band played ‘I Always Knew’ by The Vaccines for us which was an unconventional choice but felt really relevant and special to us.
Our Advice
Savour every moment as the day absolutely flies by! If you can, get a few minutes with your new bride/groom and remind yourself what the day is about… you! It’s so easy to get caught up with friends, family and the goings on and not see much of your new spouse! When planning use your friends and family as much as possible. We had lots of talented friends whose skills we gratefully utilised; it’s amazing how much everyone wants to help make your day everything you want it to be.
Suppliers
Bridal Dress: Belle and Bunty | Wedding Shoes: Rachel | Grooms Attire: M&S |Bridesmaids Attire: Ghost | Groomsmen’s Attire: Moss Bros | Flowers and Bouquets: Chris Berry Florist | Photographer: Paola De Paola Photography. | Wedding Make-up & Hair: Heidi Vince | Reception Venue: Kingscote Barn, Tetbury, GLOS