Green Wedding Shoes and a Back Necklace for a Marquee Wedding on the Banks Of The Thames

Can I interest you in a wedding party on the banks of the river Thames, full of natural, botanical touches, hundreds of origami cranes and elegant Scandi style?

I am delighted to whisk you away to Wiltshire today for the wedding of Julia and Matt, whose relaxed nuptials saw their friends and family sharing their talents for a fun, personal day. Let’s meet Julia, a paediatric nurse and Matt, who is a vehicle technician, who married on 8 September 2018 at St Leonard’s Church, Blunsdon, Wiltshire.

Having said their vows in the village where Julia grew up, they hosted a wedding party on the lawn of The New Inn, Lechlade, Gloucestershire, on the banks of the river Thames.

Photography Siobhan Beales Photography

A marquee reception gave them the creative freedom to plan a relaxed, informal and totally personal day, as well as hosting it on the banks of the river for lots of fun and games. An overarching ‘natural’ theme inspired by pared-back Scandi style, simple and pretty daisies, origami and touches of green and yellow gave the couple a framework to work with.Julia and her mum, Hilary, hand-made the signs dotted here and there, whilst the couple’s friend, graphic designer Kate Straughan, designed the invitations and order of service. To keep the day informal, there was no seating plan, meaning that guests could chat and mingle at their own leisure.

A gorgeous pop of vivid colour came from these beautiful emerald green heels from Marks & Spencer, chosen to match the bridesmaids dresses.

Julia and Matt first met at school and have fond memories of the area from when they were growing up. They planned the wedding themselves with help and advice from their parents. I love that they asked their friends and family to share their talents, with a florist, hair and makeup artist, cake maker and caterer sharing their skills.

“Matt and I met at secondary school and were firm friends throughout our teenage years. We became boyfriend and girlfriend once we had finished school and I moved away for sixth form – which meant that Matt did a lot of to-ing and fro-ing visiting me on the weekends!”

“We were together for around seven and a half years before we got engaged when we took our campervan to Dorset for the weekend to celebrate my birthday.”

“The proposal took place atop a hill on the edge of the cliffs at sunset when there was nobody around. Matt proposed with a ring belonging to his mother and then we designed an engagement ring together using an old-cut diamond ring inherited from my paternal grandmother.”

I absolutely adore the choice of outfit for the bridesmaids’; pleated halter-neck jumpsuits with culotte-style legs  in a pale mint green from True Decadence via ASOS.

“I liked the jumpsuits so much that I actually bought one for myself (to wear in a few years time when everyone has forgotten what they looked like!)”

“The bridesmaids wore their own necklace and bracelets but were each gifted a pair of origami crane earrings to match the theme. These were from Nova Divine.”

Julia chose for her and her bridesmaids to wear individual flowers in their hair, styled by Flower Barn Devon. I adore the Scandi feel created by Julia’s elegant coronet of plaits, which was created by Lisa Ellis Hair. Her make-up was light and pretty, perfect for a relaxed day.

“The bridesmaids’ and mother of the bride’s make-up and hair was very kindly done by family and friends Charlotte Best and Emily Hughes.”

The bride selected a pure white, ethereally delicate gown from White Rose Bridal. Its open back, dainty bodice and gossamer sleeves look so wonderful for the countryside wedding, and I love how it flows into the dramatic full skirt. Julia found it at White Orchid Bridal in Swansea and had it altered by Fairytale Occasions to fit her perfectly.

“I had seen the dress and decided that was the style I preferred. I saw one advertised as ex-display in a Swansea store in a size two sizes too large (but for an excellent price!).”

“Without viewing it I purchased the dress and took it to a local seamstress who made the necessary adjustments including taking it in and shortening the sleeves to ¾ length.”

“I had always imagined myself in something classic and timeless and particularly liked the idea of having sleeves. I fell in love with this particular dress because of the low back. You could call it ‘business in the front, party in the back!’. I also felt it suited my personal style and body type.”

It’s time to talk about groom Matt’s outfit. He chose a soft grey three-piece suit from Jeff Banks, worn with a quirky Bowtie and Cotton bow tie and shoes from Topman. His pocket watch was a 1959 Ingersoll piece, gifted by Julia on the day.

Whilst the groomsmen and fathers of the bride and groom all wore the same Jeff Banks suits, matching green socks and brown brogues, they were differentiated by their bow ties. The best men sported a mustard and white geometric pattern whilst the ushers and fathers of the groom had plain mustard bow ties.

The pair entered the church to the sound of The Beatles’ ‘Here Comes the Sun’ played on the classical guitar. The bride’s godfather was waiting to perform the service.

“The church service took place in St Leonard’s Church, Blunsdon. My mum has played the organ every Sunday for many years there and my dad rings the church bells so it felt right to be married in a place that felt personal to me and my family. Matt grew up in the nearby town of Highworth and we met at secondary school there.  Having my godfather – Reverend Trevor Sharp – perform the ceremony was very important and really made it feel personal.”

“For the religious reading we chose Corinthians 13. The particular extract that we liked was; ‘If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.'”

For the secular reading we chose an excerpt from Sarah and Peter Kay’s ‘An Origin Story’ which is a poem about friendship and how valuable it is. Our favourite extract from this is: 

‘But I have seen the best of you, and the worst of you, and I choose both. I want to share every single one of your sunshines and save some for later.”

“I will tuck them into my pockets so I can give them back to you when the rains fall hard. Friend - I want to be the mirror that reminds you to love yourself. I want to be air in your lungs that reminds you to breathe easy. When the walls come down, when the thunder rumbles, when nobody else is home, hold my hand, and I promise I won’t let go.'”

“We chose this particular reading because Matt and I spent many years as good friends before being in a relationship. It means a lot to us because in the years we have been together we have been through some hardships but also have celebrated lots of happy occasions,  and have always had one another to share those experiences with.”

Although Julia had originally planned to wear an heirloom veil, its lace didn’t match her gown so she chose a diaphanous, cathedral-length design from Lace & Favour.

“I wanted a veil that was more modern and unusual and that would add some embellishment to my train.”

Pretty buttonholes of white blooms and green leaves, created by family friend Nicky Strange at Flower Barn Devon, completed their look.

“I knew that I wanted daisies and other flowers in greens, whites and yellows to complement them. However as I admittedly knew very little about floristry I left it in Nicky’s capable hands so knew very little about what they would look like on the day! As Nicky knew me well she kept my personal style in mind and went with something very natural and understated.”

A back necklace was the perfect way to add an unusual touch to the bridal outfit, and the bride found this dainty Swarovski piece on Fleurs d’un Noveau Monde’s Etsy store. Matt gifted her a simple pair of Links of London ‘Bella’ earrings on the morning of the wedding, which she chose to wear straight away.

Outside the church, the newly-weds had some precious moments with their guests.

“My favourite part of the day was just after the wedding ceremony when we snuck away behind the church to have a moment alone.”

 

“We were both so giddy and happy that the ceremony had gone smoothly and we spent a few minutes chatting about who was there and admiring one another’s outfits!”

Back at the marquee, Julia, Matt and their families had worked so hard to style it into a Sandi paradise. I love its airy, spacious interior which had been decorated with fresh foliage and hundreds of origami cranes.

“The origami was made by me and my parents, taking several months!. My father was very talented at making origami as a child and quickly got the whole family involved. The origami was hung on the trees inside the marquee. Matt and I with the help of our parents, strapped the trees to the Queen Poles and decorated them ourselves. The terrarium lanterns on the tables were purchased from Matalan Home.”

“We felt that it was most important for our wedding day to be relaxed and informal. We decided to refer to the reception as a ‘party’ and try to achieve a festival feel. This meant that we chose to bin the seating plan, organise some good music and outdoor activities for the guests, ensure that food was available for most of the afternoon and to (most importantly) provide a free bar.” 

“The wedding party took place on the lawn of The New Inn in Lechlade, next to the river Thames. We both had spent many an afternoon with family walking along the river bank as children or visiting relatives nearby.  The marquee was hired from SpaceIntense and we selected it because of its unusual circular shape and the ability to seat guests around the edge of the marquee.”

It sounds as if the bride and groom made full use of their contacts. The director of The Outside Inn Company, who provided the feast of street food, is a relative of the groom and the creator of the tiered, semi-naked cake is a friend of the bride.

“There were two wedding cakes. One was made of cheese to be enjoyed later in the evening which was assembled by The Outside Inn Company.”

“The more ‘traditional’ wedding cake was made by a friend of mine, Shannon Holmes, who I met at university. Shannon works as a paediatric nurse and makes cakes as a hobby. Neither I nor Matt had tasted or seen any of Shannon’s cakes in person but trusted that she would make something beautiful, which she absolutely did! The bottom layer was lemon, the middle chocolate and the top a classic Victoria sponge.”

A love of Scandinavian style and informal celebrations meant that the beautiful circular marquee was the perfect space for the wedding party.

“We both have a passion for old music, particularly from the 60s and this has influenced our personal style and the way we decorate our home.”

“This was combined with a love of Scandinavian style, featuring natural wood, geometric patterns, botanical themes. Although we didn’t want to stick to a colour ‘theme’, we decided that the wedding flowers would incorporate daisies so there was a vague colour palette of whites and grey with yellow and greens accents.”

 

These wonderful photographs were captured by photographer Siobhan Beales, whose style perfectly encapsulates the relaxed, pared-back feel of the day. I love her use of muted colours and focus on individual details. I’m also impressed that she took to the river for some boating with the newly-weds, too.

“Siobhan has been wonderful from start to finish. Matt and I met with her for coffee when we first got in touch and she came across as very warm and friendly; we knew straight away that we wanted her to capture our wedding. During the pre-wedding shoot she helped us to feel comfortable in front of the camera and this meant that there was no awkwardness on the wedding day.”

“She went above and beyond to get the perfect shot (including braving a very high and wobbly ladder) and all our guests were amazed by her professionalism and attention to detail. During the ceremony she was discreet (as our vicar had requested), but during the party had a good rapport with guests; to us, she just felt like one of the party! We are absolutely stunned by her photos and can not thank her enough for capturing our day so beautifully.”

As well as enjoying the fine weather with garden games like giant Jenga, the guests also headed out on pedalos. Later in the evening, live music came from 247 Live.

“They were incredible- playing for three and a half hours non-stop and keeping the dance-floor full. They took our personal music preferences into account and even accompanied us for our ‘first song’ rather than a first dance!”

 

“Matt and I are absolutely appalling dancers so we chose to perform a ‘first song’ instead! We chose to sing ‘All I Have To Do Is Dream’ by the Everly Brothers. We chose it because of its lyrics and ready-made harmonies and we both really like that era of music. As we live in a terraced house we didn’t want to irritate our neighbours so the only times we ever rehearsed were on long car journeys!”

Words of Wedded Wisdom

“Let other people do jobs for you. When you are trying to plan your perfect wedding day, it’s difficult to delegate tasks because of the fear of losing control and not having things the way you want them. However, I found that our family and friends were delighted to help with DIY projects or organising fine details of the day, which made the end result even more rewarding. Plus, it takes a little bit of pressure off you, which helps!”

“The night before the wedding, delegate somebody to deal with last-minute wedding disasters. Free yourself up, stick a movie on and switch your phone off. I found that this helped to ward off the wedding jitters and I slept better than I likely would’ve had I spent the evening thinking about the wedding day.”

“Don’t forget to put something for you to drink in the wedding car for after the ceremony. Matt and I were absolutely parched by the time we got to our venue.”

 

I’m always astounded by the talent and skill of couples to pull together simply beautiful days, and this wedding celebration has really taken my breath away. Julia and Matt, it’s been wonderful to share your day here so thank you so much.

Many thanks too to Siobhan Beales for your gorgeously atmospheric work; I really hope we can publish your photography here again soon.

Ele xx