Bethany & Mackenzie’s Bury Court Barn Wedding

Rustic backdrops, a warm seasonal colour palette and oodles of gorgeous DIY wedding details. Bury Court Barn was the perfect backdrop for Bethany and Mackenzie who tied the knot at this beautiful and versatile Hampshire wedding venue in October last year.

Captured beautifully by Katherine and her Camera, we think you’re going to love this autumnal celebration.

Bethany says…

We were delighted to find Bury Court Barn after experiencing some problems with our initial venue. Bury Court Barn is genuinely beautiful just as it is, we didn’t end up organising much additional decor because it was so gorgeous. The owners were absolutely amazing as well, so kind and funny and we got on with them so well. We honestly fell in love with it as soon as we stepped foot on the grounds.

I wore a dress called Marley by Phoenix Gowns from The Bridal Mill in Botley, but because of its style we kept calling it Audrey – it wasn’t a dress I thought I’d choose, I only picked it up because I wanted to try something different to my ‘vision’ – it was the first and last dress I tried on and it was made even better when I was told I could add pockets!! Because I still craved some lace detail but didn’t want to risk a veil I chose an ornately detailed lace and pearl cape which I found on Etsy.

I always said I’d wear trainers to my wedding but then got jealous when I bought my bridesmaids’ shoes so ended up going for some simple heels just for the ceremony and then changed into my trainers – also bought on Etsy – which had ‘Mrs Gordon-Smith’ written on them in rose gold glitter.

My something old and something borrowed were some pearl earrings my great grandma gave to my mum which inspired the ‘pearly’ theme. I also made my bridesmaids pearl necklaces with charms I bought on Etsy.

For my hair I wanted it down with a bit of wave/curl to it, with the right side pushed back with a pearl hair slide and the left side left loose. I let my bridesmaids choose their own hairstyle, and simply added a faux flower crown. I don’t know a huge amount about makeup so it was really special to have this done for me, I went for a rose gold smokey eye and having never had my eyebrows done before, I thought they looked amazing!

Mackenzie wanted his suit to stand out a little from his groomsmen and we ended up finding the perfect suit in Next, alongside a simple charcoal grey puppytooth suit for the groomsmen. Their shoes were dark brown brogues but Mackenzie’s shoes were extra special. His dad had a pair exactly the same and Mackenzie loved them; burgundy brogue Mod Shoes. Mackenzie’s dad passed away unexpectedly in the January before we got married and we found the brand new pair, in Mackenzie’s size, in his wardrobe when we were sorting his things.

We went for a rustic vintage feel which Bury Court was already perfectly decorated for, it’s a beautiful converted barn with the added extra of vintage furniture. Our centrepieces involved giant log slices and we beautified some wooden pallets to use as a Polaroid station, and for our seating plan.

We actually did all of our flowers ourselves. I found all the flowers on a website that sells faux flowers and a few pre-made bouquets. I ordered mine pre-made and it featured burgundy peonies, with pale pink and white roses, and mixed greenery. The flower girls had pale pink bundles of hydrangeas, and the bridesmaids had small bunches with white dahlias, burgundy roses, pink chrysanthemums, gypsophila and greenery. The table centerpiece flowers were similar but with large burgundy peonies – my sister also made several flower garlands which we used as decor throughout.

My cousin actually made our cake as our wedding gift! It was a three-tiered semi naked cake with one of my sister’s garlands and other faux flowers decorating it. The bottom tier was strawberry milkshake flavour, the middle tier was lemon and the top tier was salted caramel. We found the catering through Bury Court. We were sold on the fact that it was a family run catering company with options that meant we really could do it the way we want to. The owner’s son has incorporated this company into his own and they are now known as Bark ‘n’ Render and they honestly make the best brisket I’ve ever tasted. The canapés were also crazy good!

Our photographer Katherine and her Camera was amazing. She was so accommodating in the lead up to the big day! And on the day, I didn’t even have to worry about when she was going to arrive, she was just there! She was so kind and patient – even when the speeches over ran and she ended up running around with me and Mackenzie trying to get some couples shots before all of our evening guests arrived. And not to mention the photos she’s produced! So so beautiful and so many candids which is exactly what we were hoping for with our photos.

Best part of the day

Seeing Mackenzie stood at the end of the aisle, hearing our music play and seeing all of our family and friends in one room, on my way to marry my best friend (not to mention everyone tell me how amazing I looked!). I also loved that everyone kept saying they were nervous and asking me if I was, and I honestly wasn’t.

From one couple to another…

Give whoever is doing a speech a strict time limit but also leave a little more time than you think you need following the speeches. I didn’t, and my dad took way too much time up having not written anything down!

Also, take a little moment alone in the morning before everything starts happening. I woke up before my alarm and ended up sitting in the Courtyard of Bury Court (we stayed the night before) with a coffee, on my own just taking it all in and I’m so happy I had that moment.