Hannah & Caitlan: A Sustainable Midsummer Wedding at Homme House

Caitlan: Homme House is a breathtaking venue that ticked every box for us. We both appreciated that it is a family home run by two people—Charlie and Sarah—who clearly love its history and work tirelessly (alongside Homme’s wider team) to preserve it.

It is a Grade II-listed property and comes pre-equipped with boundless character, romance, and charm. We liked the idea of a little going a long way and only needing a few personal decorative flourishes to tie everything together. The Hall, Panelled Room, Dining Room, Library, Summerhouse, and lawns are already so pristine and inviting – effectively their own decorations! We deliberately kept our wedding on the smaller side and appreciated that all our guests could stay on-site. Everybody had a gorgeous room and all the necessary amenities to relax and enjoy themselves. There was no need to stress about late-night taxis or hotels—a big bonus!

Homme House is quite unlike the other venues we considered. Instead of being run as a commercial enterprise, Homme’s custodians only look to bring in enough revenue to manage the property’s maintenance and conservation. We warmly welcomed this, and it was reflected in everything, from the venue hire cost (we honestly thought there was a mistake on the website when we first saw how reasonable it was) to our leisurely exit the following day. From first thing on Friday morning to leaving on Sunday, Homme was entirely ours, and we wouldn’t have traded that for anything.

These things aside, ultimately, the most important reason to choose Homme House is Charlie and Sarah. Somehow, they combined a light touch and hands-off approach while also ironing out dozens of potential logistical issues in the build-up, safeguarding our morale as nerves crept up on us, and effortlessly managed the big and small details on the big day. With our team behind us, it felt like floating effortlessly with a cocktail in hand. Why would you want to get married anywhere else?

Caitlan: I wanted to wear something that would make Hannah smile. That meant embracing bright colours that complemented the wildflowers around us, and perhaps just a slight departure from the traditional masculine dress code. I opted for a silk suit in light pink, a textured tie with a subtle colourful fleck, and a simple pair of brown loafers. While the mere thought of a pink groom’s suit certainly raised a few eyebrows in the days leading up to the wedding, I sincerely believe it paid off – and our guests and vendors are all far too polite to tell me otherwise.

Hannah: I, too, wanted to wear something that would make Caitlan smile. Going into the dress shopping process, I had no clear idea what his preferences were – he was very clear that the decision was mine to make. Therefore, I knew that whatever I chose (within reason), as long as I felt confident, comfortable, and like my most beautiful self, it would be right. As it happened, I looked the part too… My wedding dress turned out to be my wildcard choice! It’s funny how much time we spend daydreaming about what our wedding dress might look like, only to choose the one we hesitantly try on at the suggestion of our Matron of Honour, just to “rule it out” (thank you, Sahra!).

I’d always envisioned something whimsical, boho, maybe even colourful. I imagined lace, but what I found was smooth as silk. Sleeves evolved into a soft, off-shoulder sweetheart bodice with pleated band straps, and the A-line silhouette I had thought I wanted transformed into a sleek sheath with a subtle flare. Madi Lane’s ‘James’ dress hugged my hourglass figure in a way that the other dresses had hidden. I think that made it “the one” – when I felt like my body was being celebrated, I felt my most confident, and confidence is the most beautiful thing to wear!

My advice: try on your wildcards!

Caitlan: We lived by four principles – natural, local, colourful, and ample. From the outset, we both wanted a wedding theme that would gently introduce itself to you throughout the day, like a good perfume. We didn’t want it to be too loud, on the nose, or a product of a particular time in our lives and the ebbs and flows of what happened to be à la mode that season. We also wanted to complement Homme, and for everything to feel cohesive without it being immediately apparent why.

Flowers played the leading role in that. Big shout out to Louise and Maggie (see below) for the most beautiful flower staircase garland I have ever seen, and for translating our indecipherable hodgepodge of Pinterest pins, colours, textures, and feelings into an inventory list of flowers that were all in bloom, spoke from the same hymn sheet, and felt bespoke to us. There was a point early on the wedding day where I thought maybe we’d ordered too many flowers but, every time I saw a little bud vase or delicate arrangement that I’d (no doubt unceremoniously) found a home for, it all just felt perfect – exactly what was needed, exactly where it was required, at that exact time. Good flowers – and lots of them – are a foolproof choice for wedding décor.

Hannah: Our flowers were arranged by Louise and Maggie at The Herefordshire Flower Studio, and they brought our vision to life flawlessly. We wanted to showcase seasonal blooms and, rather than choosing a single colour theme or focal flower, we opted for an abundant mix of pinks, blues, peaches, and whites. Our brief was simple: big, blousy, and overflowing with texture – and my goodness, did Louise and Maggie deliver!

We chose a half-crescent arch for the ceremony, which we later repurposed for the evening’s indoor celebrations. Instead of large floral centrepieces, we scattered delicate bud vases everywhere. The showstopper was the spiral staircase garland, which later became a backdrop for my special ‘first look’ moment with my dad.

Flowers were our only added decoration, from table settings to biodegradable petal confetti. Even our wedding favours were flower seeds! We designed everything with sustainability in mind, avoiding unnecessary consumption and plastic waste.

At the end of the wedding weekend, we were delighted that guests could take home bouquets gathered from our floral arrangements. We were especially pleased that the remaining blooms were repurposed for local causes, such as nursing homes, ensuring their beauty lived on beyond our special day.

Hannah: Luminary Bakery provided our wedding cake and a stunning selection of two-tiered cupcakes. This social enterprise empowers women who have faced social and economic disadvantage by offering training, employment opportunities, and community support through baking. Beyond supporting a cause close to our hearts, Luminary provided an entirely plant-based wedding cake and flourless options, ensuring inclusivity for all our guests.

We chose a modest yet elegant Victoria sponge for the ceremonial cutting, finished with nude buttercream, dried petals, and fruit. Alongside it, we served a feast of two-layer cupcakes in flavours like lemon & blueberry and mixed berry. Not only delicious but also beautiful when plated!
Since Luminary is based in London, where we live, we were able to collect the cakes ourselves the morning of our journey to Homme House. This meant we could avoid the need for a separate, energy-intensive cooled van delivery—a bonus in keeping with our sustainable wedding ethos.

A key priority in our wedding planning was to ensure the celebrations had as minimal an impact on the planet as possible. That meant choosing showstopping, plant-based catering, and Vegan Magda was the perfect choice for us. From the start, Magda understood our vision. Our only brief was (probably rather unhelpfully) ‘abundant,’ and she took it from there. We were invited to a complimentary tasting session where she designed a bespoke menu tailored to our tastes. Everything was so delicious that we opted for a sharing-style feast instead of a formal three-course meal, allowing our guests to try some of everything.

What drew us to Magda was her belief that plant-based food should never be an afterthought. Her passion for crafting food experiences that reflect the day’s spirit was evident in every dish.

Hannah: Camera Hannah’s portfolio immediately drew us in – we loved her colourful, documentary-style photography and her talent for capturing those small, authentic moments between people. As a couple who consider ourselves a little camera-shy (and admittedly a bit awkward), the idea of not dedicating large chunks of the day to formal photos was a huge plus. Instead, we wanted someone who could immortalise all the little, characterful moments we might have missed in the whirlwind of the day – and (Camera) Hannah did exactly that.

As a neurodivergent bride, I was also mindful that while the day would be exciting and full of joy, it would almost certainly be emotionally overwhelming. We planned intentional moments of calm into the schedule. Camera Hannah was incredibly understanding, even offering to “whisk me away for photos” as a subtle way to give me breathing space when needed. Knowing she was attuned to this dynamic added great comfort to the day.

Caitlan: In the words of the great David Byrne, ‘you may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful wife, and you may ask yourself, “well … how did I get here?“’ About an hour and a half after the wedding ceremony, our wonderful photographer – Camera Hannah (she is the best!) – whisked us away under the pretence of another round of photos. In reality, it was a breather, albeit a sneaky, pre-planned one. (My) Hannah and I had what I expect was about five minutes – but felt like hours – to chat quietly amongst ourselves and to briefly spectate our wedding day without the accompanying fanfare. 

The weather was impeccable. Our guests all looked coordinated and beautiful, despite their only dress code prompt being “colour”. We saw old friends reunite and laugh, and new friendships form before us. People were playing with the lawn games we’d put out – we stressed whether we’d need to cajole people a little. Our cellist, Samantha Drees, sounded impeccable and even played some requests, which we weren’t expecting! It all just felt right.

Caitlan: Don’t forget to have fun! Yes, I know this is a cliché. We spoke to a lot of our friends and family about weddings in the build-up – about their weddings, weddings they’d been to, weddings they loved, weddings they hated. We were consistently told that our day would fly by in a heartbeat, that it would all be a blur, and that we’d be lucky to have a slice of our wedding cake.
That last bit proved true, but we recall almost every key moment of the day. I think that’s because a shared commitment to silliness and merriment at our core binds Hannah and me. Somehow, we cultivated a space where our guests felt comfortable having a little fun, bringing a lot of colour to what can otherwise be a pretty formal day. I now have cherished memories of my wife playing rounders in her wedding dress, my childhood best friend improvising a speech despite being terrified of public speaking, my now mother-in-law corralling my university pal-turned big shot corporate lawyer into doing the ‘prawn dance’ (don’t ask!), and Hannah’s uncle conspiring with another of our friends to stockpile red wine for reasons that are truly beyond us. Have fun, it’s only a day!