A Hermione de Paula Dress with Personalised Embroidery for a Lovely + Relaxed, Rustic Barn Wedding on a Working Farm

Are you in the midst of wedding planning? Are you post-wedding and in search of beauty, or just happily browsing here? Whichever of those is true, you’re going to love the celebration we have to share with you today.

This is a super relaxed and intimate rustic wedding, with a reception on a working farm, and a couple keen to create a lovely, inclusive atmosphere, with lots of great food and music in a beautifully styled open plan space. Meet Mr and Mrs Castledine – Mel, Design Manager for Nutmeg Clothing at Morrisons, and Dan, Sales Manager for a recycling company. They were married on the 16 September at Bridgford Hall, West Bridgford, Nottingham, before heading over to farm venue Grove Barn in Kinoulton for their reception.

Film by Ginger Alice.

“We found very quickly that we didn’t want a dictated wedding; we wanted to choose specific details. Grove Barn is a working farm, and has lots of space, which we could decorate as we wished. There were no constraints on vendors, so we could manage and book whoever we wanted. Our day was all about an intimate ceremony with close friends and family, and the reception planned around three key points: Amazing food, live music and no children.”

Images by The Georges

Mel wore an incredible bespoke embroidered and embellished gown by Hermione de Paula, with an intricate floral design and shimmering beads in ivory and blush pink.

“The hem of the dress had the lyrics from our first dance on it, and the cuff had the date of our wedding. The personal touches made it bespoke.”

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We have Louise and Tim, AKA The Georges, to thank for these beautiful, elegant and emotive images. The Georges are also valued members of our fantastic directory of talented suppliers, Little Book.

“Tim and Lou were amazing suppliers to our day! Their skilled work and professionalism wowed us, and we’ve had amazing comments from all who have seen our pictures.”

“To have their work on our walls to remember and relive our day is incredible; like fine art!”

“Furthermore, my grandparents couldn’t attend the reception, so when I revealed our album to them, they couldn’t hold back tears of joy, as they mentioned how well our photographers caught our day.”

Iconic Valentino Rock Stud heels in powder beige, a family heirloom aquamarine ring, and a spritz of Jo Malone’s perfume, Mimosa and Cardamom, completed Mel’s look – perfect contemporary bridal elegance.

Have you booked a professional wedding makeup artist ladies? I know that for many of you, doing your makeup yourselves is something you feel quite comfortable with, but I can also genuinely say from experience what a god send it is having someone there on the day to make you look and feel your most beautiful, applying makeup that will last and make you shine.

Beautiful make-up was by Josephine Way, and Mel’s long hair was styled in lovely, loose curls by Wain from Code Hair and Beauty.

I love the look that groom Dan put together – a navy jacket and chinos from Reiss, together with a Paul Smith shirt and grey waistcoat, a patterned tie from T.M. Lewin, and brogues from Paul Smith.

The bridesmaids looked fantastic in blush chiffon wrap jumpsuits from Zara, which they each wore with a long pendant necklace.

The wonderful bouquet Mel carried was created for her by a family friend (no further details provided), with bright greenery, succulents, and creamy lemon yellow dahlias, together with gypsophila and candy pink lisianthus.

Mel and her party made their way over to Bridgford Hall to begin the wedding ceremony, and she walked down the aisle with her dad to Kodaline’s song, The One.

“I (Dan) met Mel in a clothing shop 15 years ago, and we went on a date, but for one reason or another we didn’t carry on, however we were always in touch.”

“A few / 11 years had gone by when I bumped into Mel in Nottingham, and we both happened to be single.”

“We had a coffee and sparks flew. We were dating for two years, enjoying holidays and then living together, which made me feel like making plans to marry her. I booked us a holiday, and asked her to marry me on the beach watching a lovely sunrise in Cape Verde.”

The couple wrote their own vows to say to one another, also exchanging rings, which were bespoke creations by Nottingham based Temprell.

“Our ceremony reading was How Falling In Love Is Like Owning A Pet Dog, by Taylor Mali. It felt like it was written for us!”

“When the registrar announced us as Mr and Mrs Castledine, and the room erupted – nothing will beat that feeling!”

After the ceremony, Mel and Dan headed off for a drive in a vintage convertible Mercedes, which has a funny tale attached to it!

“We had struggled finding a vintage car for Dan to drive, however we said we would hold out and see what developed. Dan was out running, and a beautiful 1960’s soft top Mercedes drove by, so Dan being Mr Cheeky asked the driver if we could use it for the wedding. After ten minutes, the very generous man agreed to supply his lovely car!”

They drove over to Grove Farm to enjoy drinks, canapes and live acoustic music (unfortunately, no details provided about this) with the rest of their loved ones, already gathered there.

I love the different ways in which canapes were served – an array of unusual trays and baskets, adorned with bright flowers, herbs and greenery.

The table plan was amazing – a copper pipe frame, with a sheet of perspex suspended from the top, with the plan handwritten onto it, paired with a brilliant pink neon sign (sadly, no further details about this).

“Goose On The Loose provided absolutely amazing food; steak cooked pink and macadamia crusted black cod. The bar service was provided by Gorilla Events. My brother’s partner made the cake; a semi-naked cake, which went very well with our rustic theme.”

Inside the barn, festoon lights were strung across the ceiling, whilst gorgeous garlands of fresh flowers and greenery were suspended from copper piping.

“We didn’t want to lose any atmosphere, so we designed the venue to keep most people together eating and drinking!”

Mel and Dan made brilliant and creative use of the space, with breakout areas for relaxation, and incorporated elements of the working farm, such as tractors and work benches, into their rustic styling.

Later in the evening, following speeches, it was time to dance, with live music from Chromatic, who Mel and Dan describe as, “truly incredible entertainment.”

“Our first dance was to The Chainsmokers featuring Chris Martin, Something Just Like This. It’s by far my favourite song, and really did make me feel I wanted something just like this.”

Words of Wedded Wisdom

“Stick to your values and speak openly with your partner about what you really want to achieve that day.”

“For us, it was about separating the ceremony, as that was the important bit, and realising the reception is all about showing your appreciation to your guests for their support in getting you to this point in your life.”

Mr and Mrs Castledine, thank you so, so much for sharing your beautifully intimate and laid back day with us. Huge thanks also go to The Georges, for their stunning images, and to Ginger Alice for her lovely film.

If the magical embroidery and embellishment of Mel’s exquisite Hermione de Paula dress has you wanting more, do take a look at more weddings and features, here.

Until next time.

With love,

Laura