A Stephanie Allin Dress + Bridesmaids in Needle & Thread for a Botanical, Boho Barn Wedding in Norfolk

This relaxed, boho beauty of a wedding is going to blow you away with its gorgeous styling and aesthetic, and its lovely and welcoming Norfolk barn venue.

More than that, though, when I looked through this collection of images for the first time, I was immediately struck by just how much joy radiates from every face, so I do hope you enjoy this as much as I have, too. This is the wedding of Amie, who works in food and drinks marketing, and Steven, who works in sales for Google. They were married on the 26 May at the eighteenth century Sussex Barn, near to the pretty Norfolk village of Burnham Market.

Images by Megan Duffield Photography

“Steven is from Norwich, and we absolutely love the North Norfolk coast, as do both of our families. We wanted to share this beautiful patch of the world with our friends and family, and to provide a chance for our London dwelling friends to escape to the country for the Bank Holiday weekend! We didn’t hire an event planner; we did it all ourselves. For me, that was part of the fun of wedding planning. I’m familiar with running events as part of my job, so it was the dream challenge!”Talented designer and illustrator friend Victoria Hemphill designed an exquisite suite of watercolour stationery, complete with monstera leaves and bright blue flowers, and the order of the day was hand written and illustrated with white pen onto a sheet of perspex decorated with palm leaves, and set onto a wooden easel.

“Our wedding had a laid back, boho vibe, and included little touches of our London life in the Norfolk setting. Some of our flowers were from Columbia Road, and our photobooth was made by my stepdad with House of Hackney wallpaper.”

Amie, her bridesmaids and family enjoyed their time spent getting ready on the morning of the wedding, with expert support from Emma Jane Walsh and Elle Martin. In her hair, Amie wore an exquisite antique gold, floral circlet crown, handmade by Mignonne, and just one other accessory – a silver bracelet borrowed from her Maid of Honour.

“The house very much felt like a hair salon on the morning of our wedding, with two talented ladies from EJW working through the locks of six bridesmaids, my mum and mother-in-law, Steven’s nan and myself! There was a lot to do, but the girls made sure to take time until everyone was looking perfect! I’d had a trial with Elle a few weeks before, so I knew I was in very safe hands. She’s a lovely girl and a total whizz at boho braiding.”

Amie chose her ethereally beautiful dress, with softly draped sleeves, and embellished with delicate bugle beads, from British bridal designer Stephanie Allin.

“I chose my dress from her gorgeous boutique on Chiltern Street in London. Stephanie is a totally lovely British designer, and the boutique location is ideal for popping to Chiltern Firehouse after fittings!”

“I went to quite a lot of shops before finding my dress, and so many times I thought I found the one, but for some reason hesitated. As soon as I tried on my dress, I knew it was right.”

“It had a gorgeous shape skirt, and delicate lace on the top, with little petal-like sleeves. It just felt like it was made for me.” 

Amie’s shoes were a pair of ‘Emily 85’ sandals by Jimmy Choo in glittery ballet pink. She also wore a satin trimmed elbow length veil from Stephanie Allin, and her perfume was Fleur de Peau, by Diptyque.

The bridesmaids wore a magical array of floral embroidered and embellished tulle Needle & Thread dresses, in shades of blush, taupe, sage green and blue.

“I had six bridesmaids, and I wanted them to wear (a) something they loved, and (b) something that felt individual to each of them. I absolutely love Needle & Thread, and I was excited to try and find six dresses that were all different but with a similar theme. I actually managed to bag them in a sample sale – they remain my best bargain ever!”

“I went for a shorter veil to show off the back of the skirt, and because it felt more fun. It was also a fab match for the dress.”

“We met in our first week at Loughborough University. It was certainly lust at first sight but we were a classic ‘will they, won’t they’ for most of our uni experience. We finally got together in our final year, and fell deeply in love.”

“Six years later on a sunny evening at the end of August, Steven set up a treasure hunt around our little flat in Shoreditch. When I arrived home, I could hear a beautiful piece of classical music playing (a Ludovico Einaudi song that we both love) and found a set of instructions on the door.”

“As I walked in, I was greeted by tealights, rose petals and Polaroid pictures of us covering every inch of the flat! He had planted little ‘Drink me’ and ‘Eat me’ notes next to a bottle of champagne, and my favourite dress and heels.”

“Finally, there was a note to open the living room door. It actually said to knock first, but by this time I was shaking and crying, so I stumbled in and caught him off guard! He then started a speech about how much he loved me (which neither of us really remember through the tears!) and got down on one knee.”

“The next day we were off on holiday to Bali, where we enjoyed our newly engaged bliss. Everyone wants to start talking weddings as soon as it happens, so it was really lovely to indulge in what we now refer to as our engagement-moon. We planned our wedding for 18 months later.”

From the Historic and Classic Car Hirers Guild, Amie rented a racing green and cream 1963 Austin-Healey to whizz her over to Sussex Barn – what a beauty!

Amie and Steven held their ceremony in front of a lovely floor-to-ceiling window, and beautiful arbour of white flowers (hydrangeas, lisianthus and astilbe, to name just a few) and shiny monstera leaves, ferns and trailing foliage, by Swaffham and Fakenham Florist. Even the chandelier in the ceremony space was adorned with beautiful greenery.

Steven wore a fantastic navy blue suit, with a grey Prince of Wales checked waistcoat, made by Harris and Zei, pairing it with a white shirt from T.M. Lewin, and a navy blue knitted silk tie by Reiss, with the dads and groomsmen wearing matching outfits.

“He wore cufflinks from Mulberry, and a white pocket square from Kingsman + Drakes at Mr Porter (both presents from me on the day). His shoes were double monk straps in black leather from Church’s, and his socks were from the London Sock Company.”

Pianist and singer Shona Crossan played Ludovico Einaudi’s beautiful piece, Nuvole Bianche as Amie, her dad and stepdad made their way towards Steven, and the music was chosen for its very special significance – it was playing at the moment Stevn proposed to Amie.

“I was accompanied down the aisle by both my dad and stepdad. It was such a special moment to have them both there beside me, and also very handy to have one either side, as I was so nervous about tripping on one of our antique rugs along the aisle!”

“One of our friends said the ceremony felt as though it could have been our living room because it matched our style so well, which is exactly what we wanted!”

The couple’s ceremony was conducted by two lovely and calming registrars from Kings Lynn Council, and as Amie and Steven spoke their vows to each other, they gave each other wedding bands, which they had chosen at jewellers Samara James.

“Steven went to Samara James in Kent to choose my engagement ring. He was really impressed with the team there, so we made a day trip to Shepperton to pick our wedding bands, and had a celebratory pub lunch by the Thames afterwards.”

Amie’s Maid of Honour read the anonymously written poem, On Your Wedding Day, and during the signing of the register, Steven’s sister sang the beautiful and emotional Elvis Presley song, Can’t Help Falling in Love.

“Before the wedding, we were both most nervous about the ceremony and the speeches. Ironically, these were our two favourite moments of the day. The ceremony felt really intimate, and I can’t really remember anyone else being there apart from Steven. We both laughed and cried throughout the entire thing.”

The couple made their way back up the aisle together, walking beneath another incredible floral garland by Swaffham and Fakenham Florist, which tied in beautifully with Amie’s breathtaking bouquet, and included pink peonies, scabiosa, lisianthus, astilbe and architectural greenery.

“Swaffham Florist is run by super creative sisters who were able to make my floral dreams come true! They created several beautiful statement arrangements, and matched the colours in my bouquet to the bridesmaid dresses. They even used the remaining dress fabric (after alterations) to hand-tie our bouquets, which was a really whimsical, romantic touch.”

“Our venue was a blank canvas, which was perfect for us, as it meant we could really put our own stamp on the look and feel for the day. We worked with Penny at The Little Lending Company to style our day.”

“Her ‘Lend a Hand’ service was an absolute godsend the day before our wedding. Penny prepared everything beautifully, and even made spontaneous suggestions that totally elevated the set-up.”

Wonderful venue styling came courtesy of Penny from The Little Lending Company, who brought along a treasure trove of items to dress the barn, including antique rugs and vintage chairs.

Long, rustic dining tables were hired from Dottie Events & Hire, decorated with swathes of white chiffon as runners, and pops of blue from the glassware and place settings.

“Our drinks reception and wedding breakfast was accompanied by Shona Crossan playing the piano, and singing an eclectic set including everything from Elton John to Frank Ocean.”

“The awesome lads at North Norfolk Catering Co. were in charge of the food. Adam and Jack are mega passionate about food, and they made sure that every dish both looked and tasted amazing.”

Debbie, from Dust With Cocoa, made a wonderful three-tiered cake, which was decorated with fresh flowers and leaves, and a cake topper from Hey Bubbah.

Capturing all the boho whimsy and laid back beauty of the day was photographer Megan Duffield, whose gorgeous work we’re featuring on our pages for the first time today.

“We love Megan Duffield’s candid, honest photography and natural, romantic style. She’s an incredibly talented photographer who became our friend throughout the wedding planning process. Megan was actually recommended to me via another photographer who I had been in contact with, and I’m honestly so thankful for that introduction.”

“The first time we met Megan was in London for a little pre-wedding shoot. Steven wasn’t overly keen on the idea of bimbling around our local haunts, stopping at every corner for cringey cuddles in front of the camera, but his mood changed almost as soon as Megan arrived. She totally put us at ease and we had so much fun.”

“On our wedding day, we were keen to include a second photographer who could be with Steven and the boys in the morning. Megan suggested Eloise Layla Nurse, who perfectly echoed Megan’s style. Together, they wonderfully captured the feeling of our day and we are so happy with the pictures.”

“My dad made a lovely toast, then both Steven and I did speeches that were heartfelt and very emotional (we are quite soppy people). Steven’s Best Man made his speech after us, and it had the entire room in fits. He was utterly brilliant and it set the tone for the party to get started.”

Indeed, the party did get started, and began with a first dance for Amie and Steven, to John Legend’s Stay With Me, before more music from DJs Wedding Smashers.

“The Photobooth Guys managed our photobooth, which went down a storm (and resulted in some curious semi-nudity from a family friend, much to his wife’s dismay!).”

Words of Wedded Wisdom

“If you’re not hiring an event planner, then I’d highly recommend allocating a few of your wedding party as points of contact for suppliers and vendors on the day. A friend recommended sending the close wedding party (parents, bridesmaids and groomsmen) a breakdown of the day and a list of contacts and numbers.”

“It’s a bit boring and admin-y, but it meant that I didn’t have to worry about all the other stuff in the morning before the ceremony, as the whole gang was fully equipped to deal with any last-minute bits and pieces.”

Amie and Steven, what a treat this has been, so thank you to you both! Many thanks to Megan Duffield for her brilliant images, too. If Amie’s enchanting Stephanie Allin dress has you wanting to see more by the designer, then do take a look at other real weddings and articles, right here.

With love,

Laura