A Made With Love Gown for a Black Tie + Scandi Inspired Barn Wedding

Today’s lovely couple describe their day as a ‘fairytale’, and I couldn’t agree more.

It takes place in the early summer sunshine of the English countryside at a beautiful barn, and is filled with luscious pastel peonies and roses, accents of gold and lots of softly flickering candles. The couple also took their inspiration from the bride’s Scandinavian heritage, weaving it thoughtfully and elegantly through the day. Helene and Tom were married on the 15 June 2018 at Southend Barns, Chicester, set in beautiful landscaped gardens.

Images by Hollie Carlin Photography

“We planned everything ourselves. I have a great passion for interior and styling, so we knew exactly how we wanted it, but also the team at the venue were fantastic. Also my mum Gunn was helping me through the whole process and together we were the best team. She was always on the other side of the phone when I needed her for advice.”

Helene wore a pair of embellished sandals from Anthropologie in a lovely shade of burnished gold (I love the bows, too!), and for jewellery a pair of rose gold drop earrings from Etsy (seller details not provided) as well as a bracelet gifted to her by her Maid of Honour.

Elysia Wylie of Wylie Wedding Hair styled Helene’s hair into relaxed and elegant waves with braids, and decorated with rose gold and crystal comb from Etsy, and I love the romantic make-up look created for Helene by Taz of Taz’s Beauty Boutique.

All that remained was the addition of a wedding day perfume, and Helene chose Lolita Lempicka.

Helene’s showstopping fishtail gown with intricate lace was chosen from Australian label Made With Love Bridal.

“The lace, the fit, the long train, it was perfectly elegant and flattering.”

Helene also chose the matching veil by Made With Love Bridal, which she collected in person from Lovely Bride in New York.

Helene carried an exquisite bouquet by Kimberley Shaw Flowers; a seasonal array of huge peonies and garden roses in fresh shades of lemon yellow, white and pale pink with lots of lovely eucalyptus.

“We viewed around six venues across the south of the UK but always loved being by the sea, especially West Wittering. As Helene is from Norway we had many guests travelling to be with us so location was key, but we also needed that wow factor!”

“As soon as we stepped foot inside Southend Barns we just looked at each other and knew this was where we were going to get married.. We just loved the feel and how everything flowed so well and was in one place. Best decision we ever made!”

Tom chose to wear classic, smart black tie, with a suit from Selected via ASOS with a crisp white pocket square, as well as a rose gold watch and personalised gold cufflinks – both gifts from Helene. The Best Man and groomsmen wore complimentary black suits and ties, each with a personalised gold clip.

Helene had been travelling for 4 months with her mum (who Tom says is the coolest!) when she first met Tom in Thailand where he lived and worked at the time.

“Tom had been working with Norwegian people and funnily enough used some Norwegian pickup lines to chat me up! We had our first date on the beach then travelled back and forwards for a year between Norway and England to see each other, and the rest is history.”

“Tom is very romantic and planned the most magical proposal which took him months. For my 25th birthday he planned a secret trip. He took me to Dorset and booked us in to a beautiful cottage (like something from my favourite film, The Holiday). He had created a video…of all my friends and family in Norway wishing me a happy birthday – it was quite overwhelming and a complete surprise.”

“He then added a story of our journey so far into the video, showing all our amazing memories. The video ended with Tom saying how excited he is that our journey is only just beginning… Next thing I know I turn round, he’s on one knee and asks me to marry him!”

Helene’s bridesmaids walked down the aisle first, wearing pretty blush pink maxi dresses from Jane Norman with their own footwear and rose gold earrings – gifts from Helene and Tom for the wedding day.

Helene was accompanied down the aisle by her father, Stig, and chose a stripped back version of the song Wings by Birdy as her entrance music.

“We didn’t tailor our vows. But we can reassure there were lots of tears and joy at the ceremony. A lot of the guests said it was their favourite part of the day, as it was so personal. Tom’s middle name is the same as Tom’s dad’s name, which the registrar got wrong, and asked if I would married David instead of Tom. I also got mixed up my words…Which all in all made everyone laugh! Our registrars were just fantastic! They did a fantastic job.”

Helene’s grandfather Oddmund read a Norwegian reading about love, Mitt hjerte er ditt by Alf Prøysen and Tom’s sisters Lucy and Natalie read A Wedding Message by Amanda Bradley.

“This poem is all about supporting, encouraging and love…I wanted to also have some Norwegian as everything was in English, so the Norwegian poem meant a lot to me and it got really emotional when my grandad did the reading. Natalie and Lucy are like sisters to us both, so it meant a lot that they had a special part of the day too.”

The couple exchanged their vows, rings and signed the register in front of a stunning floral display on a wooden frame decorated with softly billowing white curtains, created for them by florist Kimberley Walsh.

“Kim Shaw made a beautiful floral installation, which we had at the top of the aisle. Lovely whites, blush pink and lots of grey green eucalyptus. We had lots of flowers everywhere, which was a must for me!”

Tom had Helene’s engagement ring designed and made in Hatton Garden in London and went back to the same place for wedding rings for them both (sadly no further details supplied). Helene chose a rose gold and diamond band and Tom opted for a plain gold band.

“The entire day was a perfect blend of emotion and laughter. All of our guests helped make it the best day imaginable. The ceremony was very moving and will live with us forever.”

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Inside the beautiful barn, guests found their seats courtesy of a table plan from JR Lettering (no further details available), as well as beautiful place settings with delicate gold calligraphy.

“We had gold candle holders and gold frames on the table as table names of our favourite countries we have travelled to and a photo of us from each trip, which made it really personal.”

Field and Fork provided a wonderful wedding feast for everyone, and Helene and Tom are full of praise for their work.

“The food was utterly amazing! Rob was in charge and couldn’t have done a better job.”

Following the ceremony there were fun and games out in the sunshine, and Helene and Tom cut their wedding cake, too. Danni at Beaut Bakes made an incredible four tier creation of carrot cake with chocolate and caramel layers decorated with white icing and hand painted gold detailing.

“The speeches, games and traditions during dinner were just brilliant too. In Norway, if the guests tap their glasses the bride and groom have to climb on their chairs and kiss, and if the guests stomp their feet they have to go under the table and kiss. Needless to say we were up and down quite a lot! We wouldn’t have changed a thing.”

As evening fell on a magical summer day, Helene and Tom made their way to the dance floor for their first dance. They chose a Meghan Trainor and John Legend song, Like I’m Gonna Lose You, played by the reception band, Mowgli, who the couple booked through Gigz Management.

Words of Wedded Wisdom

“We tried to stick to budget but when you have guests travelling from 7 countries around the world like we did you want to make sure that everyone is well looked after. We were very lucky to have two sets of very supportive parents who also helped a lot with the cost.”

“Don’t get too caught up on small details, no one really notices them and it causes more stress than is needed. Enjoy the process, we had a great time planning and worked as a team to delegate different jobs and share the load.”

“Maintain eye contact with each other during the ceremony. I know it sounds obvious, but all too often brides (or grooms) stare at the registrar/priest during the service. We looked into each other’s eyes and meant every word.”

“Break traditions. We had beer pong in the garden after the ceremony…and did it our way. We also had an open mic session whereby people could say a few words if they wanted. We ended up having about 10 speeches and they were one of the highlights!”

How wonderful! Thanks so much Helene and Tom, what an absolutely delightful day, and it’s great that you took all the things significant and meaningful to you to shape your day. Thanks also go to photographer Hollie Carlin, and you can see more of her work on Love My Dress right here.

Until next time!

With love,

Laura