A Colourful and Flower Filled Rustic Barn Wedding

Are you ready, lovely readers, for a little beauty of a wedding that’s filled to the brim with loads of colourful flowers that match the maid’s gowns, pretty handmade decor, and a short, lacy dress for the bride; all amongst a rustic barn setting? Laura is a print designer for George at Asda and Jake works as a store planner for Lloyds Pharmacy. The gorgeous couple married on Friday 19^th June 2015 at the beautiful barn venue The Ashes in Staffordshire. Let’s begin with a sweet video that perfectly captures their emotional, fun-filled day.

A previous feature on this beautiful blog, Edwardian Lace and Pretty Flowers in her Hair, helped spark the design and style of their day, which is just what we love to hear!

“As soon as we got engaged, my obsession with Love my Dress was no longer a secret! I loved this post from a few years ago and how the invite had been designed around the print from the bridesmaid dresses.  Being a print designer myself I thought this was quite apt, especially with neither of us wanting a rigid colour scheme. Alongside this, we wanted to be sympathetic to the design of the barn and with it being so pretty we just wanted a few details to make it really special.”

The bride’s divine Forget Me Not Designs gown, found via Agape Bridal Boutique, was love at first try-on for the happy bride.

“I knew I wanted a short dress and had given up on them after trying on some terrible ones in some terrible shops that weren’t me. But as soon as I put this design on I didn’t want to take it off. I swirled around so much and it felt heavy and bridal enough, but still fun!”

Tulipa Flowers put together the stunningly colourful florals in various shades of pinks and purples and expertly achieved the brief. I love the little floral arch and how the bouquets totally complement the maid’s gorgeous gowns.

“I attended a friend’s wedding last year and walked away saying ‘there were so many flowers!’ I wanted the same response. Two separate friends recommended florist Sioned to me and we met up with her with a year to go to the wedding.”

The couple met at university and Jake proposed in a very romantic setting, after a few wee hiccups.

“I remember moving into halls and Jake was coming downstairs and waited at the top of the stairs for us to pass. I remember thinking “I am going to like living here!” A month into term and after a very big night out and lots of flirting later, Jake asked me out on MSN, despite living in the flat below! From that moment I pretty much lived in his flat; we then got a student house with friends through university and then finally got a place together. We joke that we have never not lived together.

Eight years after that first MSN conversation, we flew to New York. I remember a conversation we had had in which Jake had said he would propose in NYC. These were the days we dreamed of moving to New York for a year or two (it’s not happened yet). After a few false starts with changing locations (little did I know Jake had been picking out the perfect spot for months on Google Earth and I kept changing my mind and said I was cold at one of them!), he marched us up and down Times Square, trying to find the perfect spot. I could tell this was it, as his hand was shaking. Then at the bottom of the ruby steps, and with a lovely speech about how thankful he was to be with me, he got down on one knee with the most stunning ring.

I said yes and suggested a drink back at the hotel, but that morning Jake had packed all of our things into suitcases and had them couriered to The Standard downtown where we had a corner suite with a bed that looked out onto the Empire State Building. It was incredible!”

Laura added a pair of glamorous t-bar sandals with beaded jewel embellishment, a Miranda Templeton headband, a birdcage veil from Agape Bridal Boutique, earrings from Topshop, bracelet from Vintage Diehls on Etsy and finished her look with a spritz of Miss Dior. Make up and hair for the bride and her maids was by Sarah Russell.

“Sarah specialises in vintage hair and make-up as well as everything “not 80’s wedding” as she said to me – so I knew I had to book her!”

All five bridesmaids wore monogram bracelets from Minnie Grace on Etsy, plus fresh flowers in their hair, and the sweet flower girl’s Next gown looks lovely with her pretty floral crown. The maid’s floral gowns are simply stunning and central to the overall prettiness of the day, and their bright pink heels from BHS provided brilliant pops of colour.

“We found the bridesmaids’ dresses in Warehouse and they became known as the ‘disco space floral’ dress. They looked fantastic all together – so much colour!”

“Our florist Sioned was unbelievably lovely and wanted to know all the details and took her time gathering a picture of the day to make it special for us. She gave us loads of ideas as well as being inspired by our countless mood boards too. I cannot recommend her enough, she was so creative and I wouldn’t have had anyone else!”

Laura and Jake organised a range of entertainment for their guests, including egg-and-spoon races (my favourite!) and giant Jenga, plus a string trio and a vintage wedding band. The also hired the amazing ‘The Dotted Crochets‘, who are are thrilled to say are a recommended supplier in our wedding directory, Little Book For Brides.

“We found The Dotted Crochets at the Manchester Wedding Fair. I am so thankful Jake came with me, because if I had said “I have found a string trio that play Beyoncé”, I think it would have been a straight off no, but he suggested them!”

The groom and his groomsmen all sported funky bow-ties from Mrs Bowtie and make a very stylish ensemble.

The bride took a ride to the venue in ‘Belle the Bedford Van’, sourced via Sarah at The Sugared Rose and I just love all of Belle’s pretty decorations inside and out. Rings were via JM Jewellery Ltd from the Jewellery Quarter and Laura’s dad Ian accompanied his daughter down the aisle to ‘Here Comes the Bride’, played by string trio The Dotted Crochets. 

“As it started to play I got suddenly really nervous – I was about to be a bride!”

“After not seeing Jake for almost a day it was amazing to walk out as man and wife and have a few moments to go “Ahhhhh, what did we do?!” We grabbed a drink then our guests all poured out of the ceremony barn and it was a lovely moment to finally see everyone friends and family. I remember looking around thinking these people will never all be in the same place together again and soaking it all up.”

“My sister’s reading was very emotional; she wrote it herself and our favourite passage was as follows…”

Jake, Laura is my only sister and I love her to her core,
As we add you to our family of four,
I trust you will protect her until old you’ve both grown,
As love means the happiness of another is essential to your own.

Jake’s groomsmen Joe also wrote his own reading, which was really special…

I’ve only every known Jake and Laura as one. When I was given the honour of performing a reading at this wedding I sat down and decided the first thing I would do is look up some terms I would use to describe Jake and Laura. But after the first couple of words or phrases, I realised that I would use the term “like Jake and Laura” to describe what I would mean. To give you an example, when I would say people are meant to be with each other I would always end with “like Jake and Laura” and people who know them would nod in agreement.

Mark Williamson from Silver & Light captured all the lovely moments between the couple and I just love his relaxed style. The picturesque countryside shots are my personal favourites.

“Mark was such a relief to have on the day as he blended in perfectly with the guests; I don’t really remember seeing him at all. He knew when to come and grab us for a quick photo in the light and when to leave us alone. When talking to him he was so relaxed and really put you at ease. It was clear he had done this countless times, but was professional and open to new ideas too.”

Sarah Ball from The Sugared Rose made Laura and Jake’s absolutely divine cake and it was part of a whole table of tasty ‘Great Wedding Bake-off’ treats to tempt everyone’s sweet tooth.

“Sarah is one of my best friends, so we had to ask her to make our cake. We were there pre-cake baking when Sarah was just starting out and using us as her test subjects. We were there for her infamous chocolate cake, which had gone wrong because the chocolate hadn’t melted, resulting in god forbid, chocolate chunks in the cake – yum! She has come so far from there and treated us like a proper couple with proper consultations and preparing us a tasting box which took us three days to eat – delicious! She is so talented and nothing was too much trouble.”

All stationery was a labour of love made by the very creative Laura. And bride and groom and their very helpful friends and family cleverly crafted all of the styling and decor. The bunting, matching the bridesmaid’s frocks, looked particularly fantastic hung up around the venue.

“I wrote brief packs for all our friends and family with detailed instructions for different decorations. My parents were in charge of making the frame and triangles for the backdrop. My bridesmaid Jenni made the confetti and another made all the sparkly word bunting – despite being creatively challenged (her words, not mine!). The big day was made more special because of the little details and everyone who helped make them.”

“Our first dance song was George Ezra’s ‘Budapest’, sung by the band Victoriana. We chose it as it was faster than a normal wedding song and had been the soundtrack to our planning, coming on after our first venue appointment – it was a sign! The band didn’t disappoint – they had everyone on their feet all night long and travelled six hours to be with us.

My favourite part of the day was standing in front of the band in the middle of the dance floor late into the evening, looking out and seeing all of our friends and family all dancing and enjoying themselves and all wishing the best for us both.”

Words of Wedded Wisdom

“Write down what you both want before you start researching. We said we wanted a Mumford and Sons-esque band, but once researching I found a ukulele band and really wanted to book them! It was good to have the original list to look back on the think “no, we wanted this, not that.” Some things did change, but it was fun to look back on it as a starting point. I was also really exciting to sit down initially together and find out what we had always wanted from the day. But also stop looking on Pinterest once you have an idea – it has a world of beautiful weddings and you could plan about twelve different weddings, each beautiful and each special. But the time comes when you need to draw a line and stop looking and get doing.

I also think that weddings can be a very girly occasion which they are, however don’t forget your groom! Jake was brilliant and wanted to be involved all along the way, which is how it should be as it was ‘our’ day. Just remember when you are picking a big pink cake covered in flowers if it really represents the two of you. Even when selecting flowers Jake was involved, bringing fun ideas to the table, suggesting we use herbs in the bouquets and button holes because of our love of food and his of cooking.”

“Don’t be afraid to ask for back up. So many people will want to be a part of your day, so let them and delegate! We gave all our friends and family ‘brief packs’ with tasks for them all. On the day they could see how they were involved and we caught a few pointing out to guests what they had done. It was also a brilliant way of getting all the decorations and little touches you want without having to do it all yourself. We even had a bridesmaid weekend where we constructed the finishing touches together; it was lovely to spend time together before the big day.

And finally, consider getting a video. We always watch my Mum and Dad’s video and it’s a fantastic way to see the moment captured in time. The photos are special but seeing the day moving, hearing voices of friends and family, it really brings the day to life! You can also listen back to all the speeches, which is lovely as in the moment there may be some ad-libbing.”

Such wonderful words of advice and I totally agree with Laura about including the groom in activities – the day is for both of you and the wedding will be extra special with totally personal touches. I’d like to send a huge thank you to Silver & Light for sharing these lovely images of Laura and Jake and their fun-filled day and wishing the couple all the very best for the future and a possible move to New York? 🙂

I hope you’ve enjoyed this beautiful wedding lovelies and be sure to click here for more inspiration if you’re thinking of a barn setting for your upcoming nuptials.

Right, I’m off to hire a little campervan for a weekend trip away, just like the delightful mint-green Belle!

Wishing everyone a jolly rest of week.

Love Jo -x-

Videographer – Clark and Palmer Wedding Films
Venue + Catering – The Ashes, Staffordshire
Dress – Forget Me Not Designs via Agape Bridal Boutique
Hair accessory – Miranda Templeton
Shoes – Dune
Jewellery – Earrings from Topshop + bracelet from Vintage Diehls on Etsy
Perfume – Miss Dior
Bridesmaid’s Dresses – Warehouse
Bridesmaid’s Shoes – BHS
Bridesmaid’s Jewellery – Bracelets from Minnie Grace on Etsy
Flower girl – Next
Groom – Next suit + bow tie from Mrs Bowtie
Florist – Tulipa Flowers
Transport – Belle the Bedford Van via Sarah at The Sugared Rose
Entertainment – The Dotted Crochets + Victoriana + photo booth from That Photo Booth Company
Rings – JM Jewellery Ltd
Cake – The Sugared Rose
Stationery – By the bride
Makeup + Hair – Sarah Russell