Jake & Abi’s Upton Barn Summer Wedding

The couple fell in love with the rustic and contemporary barn, the secret walled garden and the breath-taking views over the Blackdown Hills.

Dip in for relaxed vibes, thoughtful touches and the dreamiest golden-hour portrait session I’ve seen in a while, all thanks to Nova Wedding Photography.

Abi says…

We initially chose to view Upton Barn as we loved the rustic style of it. When we imagined our wedding day, we wanted it to be relaxed and a celebration of the West Country. When we went for the viewing we completely fell in love with the beautiful grounds and the barn. The team were so lovely and were really flexible and understood our vision for our day. It just felt magical!

I found my dress in the first boutique that I visited. It was simple but intricate and comfy, which was important to me as I knew I wanted to be able to eat, drink and dance! I wore a cathedral length veil lined with pearls, which matched the intricate details of the body of my dress. I didn’t want traditional bridal shoes so bought a pair from Topshop that were comfy but glam!

As soon as I found The Updo Girl on Instagram I knew I wanted her to do my hair as it was different and although intricate, had a rustic feel which fitted well with the look I was going for. I wanted glowy and natural make up that wouldn’t need any topping up throughout the day, and Laura Le Page was just fab at understanding what I wanted and giving advice.

Jake wanted a country style suit so went with tweed, despite it being summer! I wanted the bridesmaids to be comfortable so went with multi-way dresses so they could wear them however they liked. I chose a neutral colour to match the colour palette of the wedding and venue and they chose their own shoes.

We loved how Upton Barn looked without much decor so we didn’t want to add too much. We went for a neutral theme and kept the centrepieces simple with eucalyptus and candles. We got engaged whilst travelling so we made our table plan out of an old map.

My very talented mum made the bouquets out of flowers from The Flower Monger. I sent photos to them and they sent us loads of flowers based on what would be available in the summer. My mum made big, bustling rustic bouquets out of roses, lisianthus, thistle, Veronica, alstroemerias, olive, eucalyptus and pittosporum. To fit the theme, we stuck to white, pale pink and lots of greenery.

We were keen for something different for our wedding cake so we made a brownie tower and provided paper bags for guests to take them home so we didn’t have too much waste. The food was really important to us so we wanted to be involved in the menu. We went for a ‘posh picnic’ served in big wicker baskets filled with things like quails egg scotch eggs, crayfish salad, local cheeses and sausage rolls. For dessert we had mini scones with jam and cream and mini lemon posset. It was so delicious and we had lots of compliments!

We came across Nova at a supplier event at Upton Barn and knew straight away we wanted them to photograph our day. They had a lovely, soft documentary style which we felt would suit us and our wedding. After meeting with Katherine and Steve we felt confident that they understood what we wanted and were happy to guide us as neither of us felt too comfortable being photographed! Having two photographers was amazing as they didn’t miss a single thing and we were able to see lovely moments whilst we were off having our photos done. Katherine and Steve were efficient which meant that we didn’t end up spending too much time away from our guests. We were completely blown away by the photos.

Best part of the day

It’s so hard to choose as the whole day was amazing, but we both absolutely loved the ceremony. It’s the bit we had imagined the most in our heads and we felt so blessed to get married in such a beautiful setting amongst our loved ones, with such perfect weather!

From one couple to another…

Be present throughout the whole day if you can and take in every moment. We were able to just enjoy what was happening at that point rather than thinking ahead to what was coming next, so didn’t feel as if the day was over in a flash. We also took a moment during the evening to catch up as a couple and look at all the things we’d spent so long planning.

Venue Upton Barn & Walled Garden

Photography Nova Wedding Photography

Hair The Updo Girl 

Makeup Laura Le Page

Dress Lazaro from Ellie Rose Bridal

Bridesmaids Thedaintyard

Groom’s & Groomsmen’s Outfits Marc Darcy

Flowers Supplied by The Flower Monger

Transport Exec Cars Exeter

DJ & Magician Gary Dadds

Harpist Golden Harp