A Mori Lee Dress for a Pretty Pastel and ‘Vintage Glam’ Barn Wedding

Good Afternoon All! I’m so enjoying the #ShareTheHonestLove Instagram images today – have you read our post of this morning that introduces you to our special new blog series? I adore a pastel colour scheme don’t you? Throw in a gorgeous stone barn, loads of DIY including a hay bale sofa and you’ve got one very cool wedding. Mortgage advisor Peter and Trainee Solicitor Hollie tied the knot on the 28th of June 2014 in Whiston, South Yorkshire. This is a beautifully crafted wedding with the bride undertaking an array of DIY projects, from the flower girl’s dress to the cake and lots in between. Photographed by Shelley of Diamonds and Doodles, there’s no way you won’t love this wedding.

“I loved the idea of rustic village fête with a touch of pastel vintage glam with an informal, DIY, personal feel to the day. I collected lots of pictures and an overall feel for the day just came together. I gathered glass jars, burlap, lace and doilies straightaway but Pete had to stop me from going overboard!”

Photography Copyright (c) 2014, Diamonds and Doodles

We went to a wedding fare at Whiston Manorial Barn and the minute I walked in I feel in love with the 13^th Century stone barn.  It had so much character, the chunky wooden beams and stone floors were stunning. We can’t praise Karen and Clare who run the weddings at the barn enough, they helped so much to bring our plans together.”

“Shelley Richmond from Diamonds and Doodles was awesome. I stumbled across her website, just as I was about to give up. I loved the name and knew straightaway that Shelley’s style was perfect for us. We met for a coffee and I was blown away, she is so talented and a true artist. On the day Shelley was a pleasure to have around. Relaxed, warm and friendly, I felt immediately at ease in her company and forget about the camera. We actually ended up really enjoying ourselves even though we are both a bit camera shy.”

“Our florist helped us to choose seasonal flowers. The bouquets included closed ivory peonies, peach and pale pink roses and green thistles with eucalyptus and bound with twine and a cameo embellishment.”

“I must have tried over 50 scents and couldn’t find anything I loved. NYC by Sarah Jessica Parker is the first perfume Peter bought me and is now discontinued but I came across a small bottle just before the wedding so decided it must be fate.

My earrings were a present from Peter’s grandma Moyra, who sadly passed away a few months before the wedding. She had worn them to a ball many years before and I’m sure would have been very pleased to know I wore them on our wedding day.”

I’m a massive fan of Hollie’s bold lip look courtesy of GSK Hair Lounge. Hollie’s vintage inspired look was not at all how she pictured it beforehand but she shows that it’s worth trying different styles while adding a belt gave the dress the wow factor she was looking for.

“I had my mind set on a lace dress but couldn’t find one that felt right. On a whim we popped into Bridal Direct and Bev knew her stuff. I had tried every lace dress in the shop when she pulled out the dress. I was dead against a corset back and I thought it looked awful on the hanger! I agreed to try it on as Bev wanted to show me the difference style, material and corset back make. The minute I put it on I wanted it!  The fit was great and I thought it looked very simple and elegant.”

“Peter and I met on my first day at Swansea University in 2004 and officially become an item after I jokingly told Pete on Christmas Day that if he made it up to Sheffield from Penzance by teatime on Boxing Day I’d be his girlfriend. When he showed up on my doorstep I knew he was a keeper.”

“I walked down the aisle with my Dad to Pachelbel’s Canon in D, played on the church organ and accompanied by Peter’s sister Emily on violin.

My 5 year old niece Katie read an extract from the Song of Solomon (2 verses 10-13):

My beloved speaks and says to me:
‘Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away;
For now the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth;
The time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtle-dove is heard in our land. The fig tree puts forth its figs, and the vines are in blossom;
They give forth fragrance. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.

Our second reading was ‘I carry your heart’ by E E Cummings.”

“My niece was adamant that she wanted a pink dress to match the older bridesmaids but I couldn’t find anything suitable so bought an adult’s lace dress and a child’s petticoat and altered the dress to fit. Adding pleats and a big fabric flower finished off the dress and she was really happy!”

“The suit we chose for Pete and his Groomsmen came in slim, tailored or medium fit so we were able to get one to fit everyone well.”

“We wanted the boys to be comfortable so we picked up shirts with braces and chinos for them. I made their bow ties and the buttonholes had brooch pins so they could run around.”

“I made the table runners out of hessian with a pale pink lace trim stitched to the ends to add colour. The tissue pom poms were made using an online tutorial and we got paper lanterns to decorate the barn. Pete’s mum spent hours at her sewing machine making the bunting, it made the whole look of the barn just come together perfectly.”

“I collected childhood photos from the bridal party and made them look like old Polaroid prints to hang in a vintage suitcase for the table plan.”

“We got bales of straw from a local farmer to make an outdoor seating area with Mr & Mrs cushions made out of the hessian and floral fabric.”

Hollie decided to make the cake herself, after a disaster her second cake turned out beautifully and looked professionally made. I would never have guessed it was a homemade creation.

“I bought some books on cake decorating and scoured the internet for inspiration. I baked the fruit cakes in advance and fed them with amaretto regularly.  A few weeks before the wedding, it broke after being iced… there were nearly tears as I started over!”

Words of Wedded Wisdom

“Google, Google, Google before you buy, buy buy”. Create a mood board adding to it every time you see something nice. You’ll soon get an overall idea of the look you are going for. You’ll also find that your ideas change over time so hold back and let it all come together before you start spending.”

Massive Congratulations to Hollie and Peter! Great advice about finding your style before you spend up your budget too. You can see more of Sheffield based Shelley’s gorgeous work here.

Love Caoimhe xx

 

 

Photographer – Diamonds and Doodles
Venue – Whiston Manorial Barn, Whiston, Rotherham.
Dress 5108 + Belt + Veil by Mori Lee from Bridal Direct, Barnsley
Shoes – Dorothy Perkins + Cuff via Accessorize
Bridesmaid’s Dresses – New Look
Flower Girl’s Dress USC + H&M – Made by Bride
Hair and Makeup Cari-Ann + Debbie GSK Hair Lounge, Swallownest
Groom and Groomsmen’s Suits – Next
Young Groomsmen Shirt, Braces H&M + Chinos, Shoes via Primark
Transport Austin Princess –  Legends Wedding Services
Florist – Monica F Hewitt