Real Fun-filled Farm-style Wedding

Brace yourselves for a wedding inspiration overload from this gorgeous vintage-themed countryside wedding. Fabulous couple, Julia and Mark planned a beautiful rural wedding with wild flowers, tractors, green gingham tablecloths, and a huge cheese cake. They decorated their barn reception with pretty DIY wedding details, including candle holders tied with lace and twine, a wooden place settings board with luggage label tags hanging off different door handles, and lovely bundles of herbs on each plate. Guests had a great time flying kites {such a fun idea, the daylight equivalent of sky lanterns}, dressing up in silly wigs, and later in the evening lighting sparklers. Fabulous pictures by the lovely Artis Studios.

Real Peaches & Cream English Wedding with a South African Theme

Some of us blushing brides really get into the whole wedding 'thang'. For some, it's just the special day when they married their gorgeous man, but for others, it becomes something of an obsession, and then a hobby, and then even a career. That's exactly what my wedding became for me, as I started this wedding blog a couple of months before I got engaged {it's a long story involving a very long-suffering boyfriend who eventually got the hint!}. Gorgeous bride, Clare, had a very similar experience. She enjoyed planning her wedding so much, that she started her own company, The Beautiful Wedding Company, which ingeniously combines planning with bridal beauty. You can see her work in the fabulous details in her own peaches and cream wedding. From her exquisite wedding gown, to her gorgeous colour-popping bridesmaids' dresses, every detail is perfectly matched, right down to the ushers' ties. I'm also loving the countryside chic of the barn venue - one of my closest friends celebrated her wedding at Loseley Park, and it's a gorgeous venue. Huge thanks to PR Photography for these beautiful pictures.

We celebrated our wedding at Loseley Park, Guildford on June 18th. The venue is breathtaking, a stunning old manor, surrounded by rolling English countryside, a rose garden, tithe barn and even a Tudor hall. We wanted a venue that was magnificent, English and yet intimate. Loseley Park is also in-between our parents' homes, making it ideal for both bride and groom’s parties!

My dress was aptly called 'Summer' by Maggie Sottero. I tried on tonnes of dresses as I had no idea what I wanted to wear or what would suit me. The wonderful sales assistants at Miss Bush Bridalwear, in Ripley, made sure I tried on everything from the big 'Grace Kelly' style dresses, Grecian styles, full laced dresses…..every style going! 

DIY Rustic Barn Wedding with Bright & White Details - The Reception

There's nothing I like more than seeing the results of a wedding planned with the help of Before the Big Day. So it gives me great pleasure to feature Kate and Graham's stunning wedding pictures by Victoria Phipps Photography. Kate found Victoria thanks to a blog post on Before the Big Day - and I'm tickled pink that it all worked out so well. Kate and Graham celebrated their wedding at Cogges Manor Farm, with a bright and white theme in two separate barns. The whole affair was a massive DIY project from start to finish. Cogges is a dry venue - which means you only get the building, and have to add all your own decorations {including tables, lighting & heating!} and choose your own suppliers. We had exactly the same thing for our wedding, and although it means lots of work, you really do get your wedding your way. You'll love the ribbon decorations in the bright 'party barn' - the swags from the rafters are such an effective way of adding colour to a room, and the theme is also reflected in the DIY table plan and table cloth details. Have a good read of Kate's answers to the Before the Big Day Bride's Questionnaire for more ideas, and if you love her Stella York wedding dress as much as I do, you'll be interested to know it's for sale on Preloved for only £560!

We celebrated our wedding in June 2013 at Cogges Manor Farm, Whitney, Oxfordshire. Our main requirements for our wedding venue were to find a truly rustic barn, and somewhere we'd have the freedom to choose our own suppliers and decorate ourselves.

Our whole wedding was a massive DIY project! We decorated both barns ourselves, organised everything, right down to designing our own wedding stationery, cooking home-made piccalilli to serve with the hog roast, creating the ribbon table plan, and I made my own hairpiece!

DIY Rustic Barn Wedding with Bright & White Details

When it comes to your wedding planning, your venue is key. It'll set the mood for your big day, and many of your other details and theming will emerge from its location and style. Kate and Graham found Cogges Manor Farm on a cold November day, and despite the weather, they fell in love. They wanted a truly rustic barn, that they could decorate themselves, and Cogges was perfect. They even took a gamble that the Farm might not have received their wedding licence in time, but luckily everything worked out perfectly. I think Cogges might be one of my favourite venues ever! The colour of the stone, and the combination of rustic and luxe, is just gorgeous! As Kate and Graham were using two of the barns, they were able to have two separate themes - white for the ceremony barn, and brights for the celebratory reception barn. There are so many wedding details, it's hard to choose my favourites, but the rustic signpost, pretty self-designed wedding stationery and goat {!!!} come high on my list! Enjoy these gorgeous pictures by Victoria Phipps Photography - Kate found her thanks to Before the Big Day! P.S. Kate is selling her Stella York wedding dress on Preloved for only £560.

We celebrated our wedding in June 2013 at Cogges Manor Farm, Whitney, Oxfordshire. Our main requirements for our wedding venue were to find a truly rustic barn, and somewhere we'd have the freedom to choose our own suppliers and decorate ourselves.

We visited several of barns but few that were really rustic, and very few that didn't already have preferred suppliers. We visited on a cold November day but our visit confirmed that Cogges was perfect for us . It was beautiful and you hired the barns, but then were free to organise everything yourself {everything, down to tables and chairs, cutlery!}.

A Late Summer Wedding with Cornflower Blue Bridesmaids - The Reception

Cath Kidson and Joules have to be among my favourite UK designers, and I'm thrilled to see prints from their collections in this gorgeous barn wedding. Lorraine chose a mixture of Joules and Alexon dresses for her bridesmaids, and I love the bold mix of print and plain. With DIY table flowers, and a wedding cake handmade by a family friend, there's tonnes of wedding inspiration for a budget bride wanting to create her own details. I love the outside barn venue - its bunting and hydrangea filled jam-jars, plus the 'Borrow a Blanket' basket for chilly guests {buy blankets for a £3 each at Ikea}. Other stealworthy ideas include the blackboard table-plan and menu, the Cath Kidson round table runners and the matching tops to the honey wedding favours. Last but definitely not least, take a look at those pavlova puddings....yummy!! Thank you to Victoria Phipps Photography for capturing every perfect detail - Victoria's one of my favourite wedding photographers!

A Late Summer Wedding with Cornflower Blue Bridesmaids

I've always loved cornflowers - the wild pop of bright blue against a golden field of corn, and their untamed, messy stalks. One day I'd love to see a bride carrying a bouquet of just cornflowers, but in the meantime I'll more than make do with Lorraine and Evan's gorgeous wedding flowers! Astonishingly their bouquets and buttonholes were bought wholesale from Nottingham Flower Market and arranged by a friend {Imogen}, and Evan's sister Lucy. I've never seen such professional DIY bouquets - and I love how they pick up on the bunchy trend I flagged up early this year, where blooms are placed next to each other, rather than carefully placed apart. The 'something blue' theme is carried through to the bridesmaids' gowns and the Evan's tie, and even to the ribbon binding the Orders of Service. I love the baby's breath church flowers {simple and easy to recreate}, Lorraine's stunning Enzoani wedding gown with its elegant train, and More from Lorraine and Evan's Townfield Barn wedding reception later today. Huge thanks to Victoria Phipps Photography for her gorgeous wedding pictures.

A Beautiful Barn Wedding with Pink & Sage Green Details

I've got some pretty perfect wedding details to show off to you in this afternoon's beautiful barn wedding. Keri and Kiran chose pastel colours as their wedding palette, and I love the simplicity of the white on white table linens, and the occasional pop of pink roses. Stealworthy ideas include the wire heart table-plan {such an easy but elegant design}, the delicate rose petal table decorations, and the twisted three-tier, square wedding cake. Stunning wedding pictures published with thanks to the lovely Kayleigh Pope Photography.

We got married in Dodford Manor in the Northamptonshire countryside, on 30th July 2013. 

Our photographer was Kayleigh Pope. We chose her through a recommendation, and as she lived so close by, many of our friends knew her personally. After seeing some of her work it was a very easy decision.

A Beautiful Barn Wedding with Pink & Sage Green Details

Sage green, pink and cream have to be my favourite wedding colours. My own wedding was themed around those soft shades, along with a touch of dove grey, and I reckon they're just the right combination of feminine and masculine. You don't want to go too pink, or your husband can look slightly out of place! Keri and Kiran chose Dodford Manor in the Northamptonshire countryside for their summer wedding, and I've fallen for its rustic charms. I'm a big believer in the barn wedding venue - they're intimate and cosy, and just the right side of vintage. Keri looks stunning in her wedding gown - her whole outfit was a present from her mum {just like at my wedding!}. There's something particularly special about your mum buying your dress - it makes you feel like they're supporting you throughout the day. I've also fallen for Keri's pretty in pink bridesmaids - Grecian gowns are so elegant, and they really do suit every figure. Huge thanks to Kayleigh Pope for sending through this fab wedding. Kayleigh's portrait shots are the best! More to come in Part 2, along with all the pretty pastel reception details.

We got married in Dodford Manor in the Northamptonshire countryside, on 30th July 2013. We looked round a hotel venue before we found Dodford Manor, and we quickly realised that it was everything we didn't want. We wanted a place which we could hire exclusively for our wedding and our guests, and somewhere that would take beautiful pictures and really impress our guests.

Real Pearl-Themed Glamorous Barn Wedding: The Reception Details

There's a deliciously warm feeling to this big day. I reckon it's partly down to the lovely cream and gold colour palette, and partly down to the lovely barn reception. I've always loved rustic wedding venues, and barns can be dressed down for a straw bales and bunting-style wedding, or up for a glamorous wedding like this one! Emma and Alistair chose Lains Barn in Oxfordshire for their summer wedding, and used delicate birdcages, vintage pictures frames and orchids in their wedding decorations. You'll want to fill your Pinterest boards with shots of Emma's amazing Justin Alexander wedding gown, her pretty flower girls, their DIY pearl-detail place markers and their hand-stamped sweetie bags. Huge thanks to Kate Gray for her beautiful wedding pictures. I first discovered Kate's creative children's portraits for my baby blog, Before the Baby, so I'm thrilled to now publish her wedding work!

We celebrated our wedding at Lains Barn in Wantage, Oxfordshire on 21st June 2013.

My wedding dress and veil were made by Justin Alexander, my shoes by Karen Millen and my accessories were from Swarovski. 

Real Pearl-Themed Glamorous Barn Wedding: Emma & Alistair

There's something glamorous about a cream and gold palette at a wedding. Add a Justin Alexander wedding dress, hundreds of orchid blooms and pretty pearl detailing, and you've got a truly stunning big day. Emma and Alistair chose Lains Barn in Oxfordshire as their wedding venue, and I love the warm intimacy of space, and the romantic drapes and fairy lights. My other loves include Alistair's fantastic modern suit and waistcoat combo from Jack Bunneys, Emma's side ponytail hair-style and Kate Gray's, lovely wedding photography! Plus, I'll let you into Emma's money-saving secret - all the orchids were silk flowers from Silk Blooms rather than fresh blooms. No one could tell, and it means her wedding bouquet will last forever! Stay tuned for Emma and Alistair's wedding reception details, you won't want to miss the pretty birdcage details.

My wedding dress and veil were made by Justin Alexander, my shoes by Karen Millen and my accessories were from Swarovski. 

My decision over my wedding dress and veil were based on wanting something elegant, with great attention to small details, but without being over the top.

Real Boho Barn Wedding Video: Vicky & Richard

It's been a weekend of strong emotions here at the Before the Big Day studios. First there was the excitement of being featured in Wedding magazine, and then this wedding video trailer by White Dress Films had me in tears! Vicky and Richard celebrated their big day with a traditional church ceremony, followed by a gorgeous reception at South Farm in Cambridgeshire. There's tonnes of gorgeous reception details {pom-poms - yippee!}, but it's the Vicky's wedding outfit that's really got me excited. Her gorgeous fishtail gown has stunning lace straps, and she teamed it with a lovely cosy fur shrug - the perfect accessory for any spring bride. I also love her pageboys' outfits - their cute matching waistcoats and converse trainers. With pretty blue and red flowers arranged in lace jam-jars {the easiest and most effective DIY project ever}, stunning patterned wedding stationery {spot the programme at the start}, and even white peacocks, it's a treat from start to finish. Enjoy it with your morning coffee!

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Real Barn & Burlap Wedding: KT & Chad

Brides planning a barn wedding are going to L-O-V-E this incredible big day, photographed by the fabulous Jose Villa. It's a shabby-chic wedding explosion, with tonnes of dreamy vintage, burlap and wooden details. Throw in a couple of romance swings, tonnes of ribbons, succulents and the best wedding dress I've seen in a long while, and I'm in wedding heaven. Drink in the wedding details, ladies, and keep an eye out for the mossy monograms and the stitched, cotton wedding invitations. Paper stationery is so passé! P.S. Have you spotted KT's giant bridal bouquet? This season's bouquets are all about size, and bigger is definitely better.

 ♥ Want to see more burlap wedding ideas? ♥ Or how about real weddings? ♥

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Real Glamorous Barn Wedding Video: Hilary & Trevor

How many weddings are you going to this year? I've got two this summer and I'm exceedingly excited about both. One is going to be at Cripps Barn in Gloucestershire, and after watching this emotional wedding video trailer for Hilary and Trevor's wedding, I couldn't be more thrilled. It looks like a truly fabulous wedding venue - a lovely mixture of modern and rustic, with stunning views across the countryside. Hilary and Trevor chose rich purple and soft cream for their wedding colour palette, and I love how it ties together all their wedding details. Hilary's rocking a Great Gatsby 1920's look for her wedding, with Art Deco-style earrings, and a glamorous taffeta wedding gown teamed with a stunning glittery sash - a great way to personalise any wedding dress. Other wedding-details-to-love include the rustic luggage tag place-markers, the pretty mini-bunting cake topper, and the beautiful spring wedding flower arrangements. Huge thans to White Dress Films for their fantastic wedding video trailer. It might be the new baby hormones, but I sobbed all the way through this one!

More posts like this one:

✽ Real Purple Themed Picnic Wedding

✽ Purple Romantic Wedding Inspiration

♥ Want to see wedding videos? ♥ Or how about more barn wedding ideas? ♥

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Real Lavender Barn Wedding: Alex & Paul - Reception Pictures

Before the Big Day brides are always super-creative and imaginative, when it comes to planning their weddings, so I'm thrilled to be featuring Alex and Paul's detail-filled wedding day! Alex read Before the Big Day while planning her wedding, so you'll spot lots of ideas from the blog - hello tissue pom-poms! I love how Alex planned her wedding around a central theme of lace and lavender, and a colour palette of soft grey. All the wedding details reflected the theme, creating a very put-together effect that you normally only get with a professional wedding planner. With DIY'd favours, wedding flowers, guest book thumb-print tree, candle votives wrapped with lace, confetti cones, and a blackboard table plan, Alex saved a fortune and added her own personalised touch to her big day - seriously inspirational stuff! Huge thanks to Dean Govier for his stunning wedding pictures of the day, and don't miss the video highlights from the day, in the wedding video by Family Creative. And thanks to Alex for getting in touch, and telling the story of her big day!

Paul and I actually went to university in Liverpool together, but got to know each other until we met at a party of a mutual friend in Putney nearly 7 years ago. We got engaged in Berlin in 2011, a week before my birthday; Paul had spent ages trying to find a place to propose and I thwarted every attempt,  so it was a hasty 'down-on-one-knee' on the train ride back to the airport! He'd already asked my Dad’s permission, so he didn’t want me going home 'empty-handed' so-to-speak!

Paul first gave me an Argos ring for me to wear until the real deal came along. He knew I’d want to pick my own ring as I’m very fussy! My actual engagement ring was bought a few weeks later from the oldest jeweller in Hatton Garden in London and is antique. I love that it has a story before it got to me - long may it continue!

Our photographer was Dean Govier and was beyond amazing. He was recommended to us through one of my bridesmaids who had been at a wedding he had photographed in the same area. When I saw his photos I knew he was our guy. We loved his natural style and he was such a pleasure to have around on the day and just seamlessly blended into the background. I cannot recommend him enough.

We got married on Saturday 28th July 2012 in St Mary’s Church in Whitchurch-on-Thames, which is the village I grew up in in South Oxfordshire. Our reception was nearby at Ufton Court in Berkshire. 

We looked at a few places, but it was Ufton Court which stood out. Paul was sold on Ufton straight away, but I took a little longer to come round, and to this day I’m still not sure why! The staff there were incredibly supportive and helpful. We had our reception drinks on the back terrace over-looking the walled garden and then had food, drinking and dancing in the Tithe Barn. The back terrace is my favourite part of the venue as it felt so private, and that was something we were insistent upon; we didn't want to be at a venue where other people could be wandering around having a nosey! 



The barn itself is beautiful and there are fairy lights already in situ around the beams, so all it took were some tissue pom-poms, and other bits to put our stamp on it! The giant light up letters were one of my favourite things – I loved them so much! We also added a canopy marquee onto the courtyard of the barn so that we had extra space even if it rained. Our marquee company, Magnifitents, decorated it with fairy lights and tissue pom-poms for us, and we loved it!

The general theme was centred on lavender and lace, with accents of grey. The smell of lavender reminds me of my grandmother, plus I love the colour. I also had lace on my dress and wanted to reflect that in our wedding decorations. Paul also wanted to make sure he had a 'stamp' on the day and so we incorporated his love of Tottenham FC wherever we could without it being too tacky!

For our wedding favours, we had lavender tea for the ladies, to tie in with our wedding theme, and pin badges for the boys. Paul is a HUGE Tottenham fan and wanted his personality to show throughout the day and the badges were one of them! I had the badges printed by Awesome Merchandise with the Tottenham cockerel and the words 'today I support Spurs'. Paul was amazed by how many of the guys wore them considering the rivalry between teams!



All the favours were put in pillow boxes, tied with ribbon with a tag saying either ‘brew me’ for the ladies or ‘wear me’ for the boys. All these were put together with the help of my very patient mother and my eldest niece!



We had loads of DIY projects! Tissue pom-poms {lovingly crafted by my mum!}, the favours, stationery, table plan {I painted the blackboards on our kitchen table – not advised!}, guest book thumbprint tree, candle votives wrapped with lace, confetti cones… the list is quite long! These were the parts of the planning that I equally loved, and that stressed me out! I couldn’t bear the thought of spending three times the amount on paying for someone else to do things I could do, and actually take enjoyment from doing. 



I didn't want to spend much on a wedding cake, as for me it wasn't a huge part of the day that I had imagined. So I decided to order it from M&S. However, I left it too late and had my mum frantically ringing round cake makers in the local area about two weeks before the wedding! And it actually worked out for the best as we ended up with the most amazing cake we have ever tasted! It was a rustic Victoria sponge and was just superb. Rebecca at Streatley Village Cakes did a beautiful job and set it up on the day in the barn, with fresh fruit and flowers. There were many compliments on it! One of my bridesmaids and I were shoving it in our faces at about 11pm to refuel for the dance floor!

On the whole, I loved planning my wedding, however there were elements that stressed me out! I enjoyed ensuring all the details tied together, although probably no one noticed them apart from me! All the time I spent planning, and feeling daunted, came good in the end. 

My advice for brides? The old 'take a moment to take it all in on the day' cannot be stressed enough and also to remember why you’re doing it. My favourite moment of the whole day, amongst all the little touches we had made, was actually saying my vows and meeting Paul at the altar. I would also advise brides to delegate! My sister was A-mazing throughout the whole process and on the day her and my brother-in-law were up at the venue at 7.30am making sure everything was sorted for me, and I cannot thank her enough. Also, it’s easy to say in hindsight, but try to relax in the final few weeks; I didn’t and my back went two weeks before the wedding, and I was laid up in bed for the whole week. It was my body's way of telling me enough was enough and actually helped me to let go!

We also chose to have a videographer and found a company, Family Creative, who were just starting out in the business. We were delighted with the final version, and I think I must have watched the DVD about a million times! Getting a wedding video definitely brings your day to life, and having the footage to look back on adds another dimension.




More posts like this one:

✽ Amazing Rustic Barn Wedding

✽ Luxury Barn Wedding

♥ Want to see more summer weddings? ♥ Or how about grey-themed wedding ideas? ♥

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