Intimate Glasshouse Wedding with Bridal Two-Piece and Hand Painted Jacket

They got married in early April at The Buttery & Glasshouse, a quintessentially English inn that oozes charm and is located in a Kentish area of outstanding natural beauty, at the foot of the North Downs. They stayed true to themselves from day one, incorporating a twist on tradition to the proceedings. This included a stylish bridal two-piece, hand-painted jacket and bespoke Converse trainers for Kirsty, a preference for dried flowers over fresh, and they opted for a delicious, informal hot buffet over the traditional three-course meal.

This pair of love birds are quite clearly head over heels for each other which shines through every single image in their wedding gallery, captured beautifully by Nicola Dawson Photography.

Kirsty says…

We are local to the wedding venue and popped by for a drink one sunny afternoon to see the refurbishments since The Buttery & Glasshouse was completed. Sat in the garden, sipping on a cold beer, we instantly felt relaxed and both commented on the beautiful mixture of old and new between the Buttery and the Glasshouse. Before we knew it, we got another drink, had a wedding pack in hand and had booked an appointment with the wedding planner.

The wedding planner was warm, funny and totally got us from the initial chat. Nothing felt too difficult and she completely understood our preferences from the beginning.

We fell in love with the Buttery with its rustic charm and beautiful bare stone walls and of course the amazing Glasshouse which catered for all eventualities – heaters if it was a bit chilly and amazing retractable roof if the sun made an appearance. It was a no-brainer, there wasn’t anything we were unsure about – it just felt right.

Neither of us are your typical fashionistas but we were determined to dress and accessorize exactly how we would like, traditional or not. I chose a stunning two piece gown by Catherine Deane that was bridal enough to make me feel special but original enough to make me feel me. I was definitely going for comfort and had bridal Converse trainers made so I could dance the night away without blisters! And of course a hand-painted jacket for the chilly afternoon/early evening out on the terrace – unique and personalised, it was perfect.

To match my new jacket, I had a hint of pink put through my hair which was put up with a gorgeous braid to show off the colour by the amazingly talented Lisa at Perfect Wedding Hair. I am not somebody who wears a lot of makeup but knew I wanted a bright lip so I was amazed at what my makeup artist Makeup by EVi managed to do and it lasted the whole day without any problems.

Tony chose a grey checked suit with brown shoes, something comfortable but also suited the rustic nature of the venue. We wanted the men to all be comfortable so they chose their own suits that they could wear again – a dark blue check to complement the groom.

We didn’t really have a wedding theme but knew we wanted it to be relaxed, rustic and not too ‘pretty’. The brilliant Locate to Create helped with our styling and picked out some amazing pieces such as wicker lanterns, candles, brass candlesticks, wooden boxes and even an old fashioned bike to hold our confetti. We didn’t have a colour theme either but actually, after choosing all the pieces we liked, there was a lot of natural textures and colours.

Our florist was the talented Ruth from Coco and Bloom. Neither of us are particularly fussed about flowers so mentioned this when we had the conversation with Ruth. We explained we didn’t want anything too pretty and not too many traditional flowers but more grasses and dried flowers. From the initial 30 minute conversation with Ruth, we received a pack which included prices, pictures and options of what she had put together. Words can’t explain how stunning the designs were and how Ruth understood our requirements straight away. We went for mainly dried flowers and grasses with a few ivory roses thrown in the mix. We had stunning tall standing table decorations and also small milk bottle vases for the outside tables and along ledges to add a little something. When the flowers arrived on the day, we were stunned and I was overwhelmed – the first person to actually make me like flowers!

The cake was my own design and creation – I made a two-tier naked cake with vanilla sponge. I crafted various edible flowers to add decoration and a friend made some little wooden peg dolls of us to go on top. The rest of the catering was part of our package at the Glasshouse and was exactly what we had hoped for. We didn’t go for the traditional sit down meal, we wanted our guests to choose what they wanted and where they wanted to sit. Our starters were served as canapés whilst we were having drinks on the terrace. We then had a hot buffet which included pulled pork, BBQ chicken, potatoes, slaw and macaroni cheese. It was just delicious and worked for all different tastes. We also had options for vegetarians and vegans.

We chose Nicola Dawson Photography as our photographer – easy choice! We met up at the wedding venue for our first chat and instantly felt like we’d made a friend for life! Nicola became part of the wedding and not just the photographer. Her warm persona and relaxed vibe made for some beautiful photos and a great atmosphere. Nicola was helpful right from the beginning, guiding us on what we may or may not want and giving us tips for the day. She has an amazing talent and the final wedding photos were stunning – she really has a way of making everybody feel relaxed, she gets the natural shots and has a talent for using the light to give the best pictures. Genuinely an amazing photographer!

Best part of the day

We couldn’t possibly pick one part of the day – from beginning to end it was the perfect day and one we will never forget. But a special moment was definitely seeing each other for the first time down the aisle – the warmth, comfort and excitement is a feeling we will never forget.

From one couple to another…

• Relax – your day will be special no matter what
• Don’t fret about the small things and remember why you’re actually there
• Just be you – remember to stay true to yourselves throughout
• Be traditional if you want to and if you don’t, then don’t
• Overall – remember to enjoy it – the day goes quickly