Hello, I hope you have all had a good start to the week, maybe you got engaged over the weekend? If so, welcome! We have some lovely midweek inspiration for you all. Daisy, a teacher and Tom, a software engineer were school sweethearts and tied the knot on the 25th of July last year at St John the Baptist Church, which dates back to 975, in Little Missenden, Buckinghamshire where Daisy herself was christened. In laid back country style, they had their reception in a tipi in the field next to Daisy’s mum’s house in the Chiltern Hills.
“We both wanted a laid back, outdoorsy summer wedding (British weather allowing!) We had visions of guests sitting on hay bales in the sunshine, sipping cider and soaking up the atmosphere. We organised everything ourselves with lots of support and helping hands from our family and friends. It really was ‘all hands on deck!’ It was a lot of work organising everything from scratch but so worth it!”
Photography by Faye Cornhill Photography
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Daisy loves the 1920s style so looked for dresses that had a bit of a vintage/boho feel. She chose a stunning dress by Stella York from Pure Couture in Beaconsfield and paired it with a very light single tier veil and Miranda Templeton headband.
Daisy accessorised with gorgeous mint green Rachel Simpson shoes and pearl earrings which were a 21st birthday gift.
“My sister, Betsy had her work cut out on the morning of the wedding doing everyone’s hair and make up. She did a fantastic job!”
“The dress was a bit of a spontaneous decision! I’d always thought that I wanted a lace dress but none felt right, they were all a bit formal and fancy. I wasn’t a particularly ‘bridal’ sort of bride so wanted something simple that I would feel comfortable in and that would suit the style of the day. I happened to see a really simple chiffon Stella York dress and decided to try it on. It was laid back but still elegant and just felt right (plus I could still dance in it!) The amazing ladies at Pure Couture added lace cap sleeves to give it a bit more of a vintage style. It was just perfect!”
“My bridesmaids wore lace, cornflower blue dresses by Kaliko with an ivory sash to tie into my dress and gypsophila tucked into their hair. We gave them silver knot earrings by WUE as a thank you present.”
How lucky that Tom’s Mum Kay is a florist (Marie Helene Flowers), she offered to do all the flowers for the wedding.
“Kay set up shop in my Mum’s barn and did an absolutely amazing job of turning my very poor flower knowledge, a pile of pictures and my vague ramblings into the most stunning, rustic style bouquets and arrangements. They really were perfect!”
“Tom and I met in Year 8 and briefly went out but our relationship promptly ended when 12 year old Tom appeared to prefer skateboarding over anything else in the world (a feature of his speech, much to the delight of the guests)! We then spent 4 years as very good friends (despite both secretly wanting to be more) and finally got together when we were 16. We got engaged 9 years later, in Prague. Tom had secretly upgraded our cheap and cheerful hostel to a gorgeous 5 star hotel, I had absolutely no idea! He proposed as soon as we got to the hotel and then had an amazing few days celebrating by exploring the beautiful city of Prague.”
Tom wore a grey, three piece suit from Slaters with a white shirt, brown brogues , navy tie and spotted pocket square. The best man and groomsmen all wore the same.
Daisy and Tom designed all of the beautiful stationery using brown paper and hearts cut from old atlases, which were also used for the garlands strung around the tipi.
“We also made good use of our talented, artistic sisters! Tom’s sister drew and painted a beautiful oak tree to use as a thumb print picture and she also recreated the same tree on our guest book. My sister painted some wooden signs.”
“My Dad, Andy walked me down the aisle to ‘The Feather Theme’ from the opening of Forrest Gump and we left the church to ‘On Top of The World’ by Imagine Dragons.”
“My Mum read an extract form Winnie the Pooh which is about always being together no matter what (below) and our good friend Nicola read part 1 Corinthians 13.”
If ever there is tomorrow when we’re not together… there is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we’re apart… I’ll always be with you.
Daisy’s ring is a white gold wishbone ring from Mappin and Webb which fits around her engagement ring. Tom’s titanium ring from Ernest Jones was chosen for its durability.
“My uncle provided us with an absolutely incredible 1920’s Model T Ford. Driving with the roof down was a real highlight for both of us!”
Daisy and Tom chose Faye Cornhill Photography to capture their beautiful day. The images are so lovely and natural I think you’ll agree.
“Faye was just amazing! She made us both feel so relaxed and special. Her photos perfectly captured the atmosphere of the day and her relaxed, informal style was perfect.”
“As clichéd as it may sound, the day really was just perfect! We both just loved it all! Some of the many highlights were leaving the church to a barrage of cheers and rose petals,the speeches, the amazing fiery red sunset across the fields, everyone joining us on the dance floor at the end of the first dance and having everyone we love and care for celebrating with us and seeming so genuinely happy to be there!
It really was everything we had hoped for and more.”
“My mum (with some help from my brother Henry) made us an 8 tier, vanilla ‘naked cake’, piled up with butter cream and berries. It looked incredible and tasted just as good! It suited the style of the wedding and we wanted something that people would actually want to eat!”
Words of Wedded Wisdom
“Two weeks before the wedding, my mum had a really nasty accident and ended up in intensive care for a week with a severe head injury. It was an absolutely horrible experience to go through and for a while it was touch and go whether she would be able to make the wedding but thankfully she made a speedy recovery in the week before. Despite the pain she must have been in, she was an absolute superstar on the day and I am so proud of her. As awful as the situation was, it really put the wedding into perspective and made us remember why were were getting married in the first place.
My advice to other brides, would be not to forget that you are celebrating your love for each other and your future with the people you love and care for most of all.”
Thank you very much Daisy and Tom for allowing us to share your beautiful wedding. Thanks also to Faye Cornhill for the gorgeous images. We featured another wedding shot by Faye on the blog last year which you can see here.
Love Caoimhe xx
Photographer – Faye Cornhill Photography
Venue – St John the Baptist Church, Little Missenden + Stunning Tents
Wedding Dress – Stella York
Headpiece – Miranda Templeton
Shoes – Rachel Simpson
Groom – Slaters + Jones Bootmakers + Next
Bridesmaids – Kaliko + Not On The High Street Earrings
Florist – Marie Helene Flowers
Cake – Made by Daisy’s Mum
Transport – Model T Fords
Entertainment – Disco Shed
Rings – Mappin and Webb + Ernest Jones
Catering – Every Eventuality
Hair Stylist + Makeup Artist – The Bride’s Sister Betsey
Toastmaster – Paul Deacon
Caoimhe Anderson View all Caoimhe's articles
Caoimhe will never tire of beautiful wedding dress and a blooming flower crown. When she's not lusting after a gorgeous wedding she will be trying new vegetarian recipes, knitting very slowly or capturing a pink sunset from behind a camera lens.
The flowers are absolutely beautiful! Just so pretty – what a clever mum the groom has 🙂 And I love the idea of using old atlases to make the decor. Thank you for sharing and giving me loads of inspo! xxx