Stefi & James’ Bruisyard Hall Wedding

Stefi and James’ wedding is a gorgeous blend of stylish touches and classic, homemade elements. Oh, and not only is bride Stefi a professional makeup artist who did her own AND her bridesmaids’ makeup on the wedding morning, she even looked after all of their wedding flowers too!

Keep scrolling for joy-filled moments and some heartfelt, honest advice…

Stefi says…

We really wanted a barn wedding and found Bruisyard Hall, a great location nestled in the beautiful Suffolk countryside, which had the added bonus of being able to use the estate country home for three nights for all of our important guests and family.

Everything for this wedding was coordinated by Katie. She was extremely patient; she assisted us greatly with things like scheduling and organising things we had no idea how to do. We were extremely fortunate to have her.

I wore pearls from Etsy and Yves Saint Laurent’s Black Opium perfume, which my husband purchased for me because it’s one of my favourite smells and one that I want my spouse to remember. My hairstylist, Hair by Mella, did my hair. As a professional makeup artist, I did the makeup (Bridal by Stefania). I also did my bridesmaid’s and Anita Cheeta did the nails.

My main dress was by Zimmerman via Matches and my evening dress was Piccione Piccione via Yoox. Because I am petite I needed something that would fit me without requiring extensive alterations so these both worked perfectly for me, and I will be able to wear them again. My shoes were purchased from N21 and ASOS. My outfit was both comfy and stylish, and my second dress was ideal for the dance floor.

We wanted a carefree summer atmosphere for our wedding because it was in June. We didn’t want a formal wedding with formal bridesmaid gowns, so we opted with a flowy floral/pastel vibe for the bridesmaids and guests. We also included pastel and bright hues throughout the arrangement with peonies, roses, and dahlias, as well as pampas grass and dried flowers to highlight the barn’s rustic vibe. It looked fantastic!

We kept the decor simple, only putting fairy lights in the barn. For the outside space, James made a large Polaroid stand with our names and the date of the wedding for people to use as a photo frame whilst Signwriting by Hannah created our table plan and signage.

I was enjoying creating body lotion and soaps during the lockdown, so I decided to make my own little soaps as a favour for our guests. We failed to tell our visitors that these weren’t desserts, which meant that some of them took a nice bite out of them!!

We didn’t have a florist because it was one of the things we wanted to cut back on, so I looked for solutions. Because we had to reschedule several times during the lockdown, I began watching a lot of tutorials and learning how to make my own arrangements at home. So, with the help of our family and friends, I did all of the tables at my wedding, as well as my bridal bouquet and buttonholes for the groom and my stepdad.

I’m not going to lie; making our own wedding flowers was one of the most stressful aspects of the day because we arrived at the site later than anticipated and I didn’t have enough time to finish the flowers the way I wanted. But by the end, I was overjoyed and proud of myself.

I like peonies, especially coral peonies, so we knew we had to have them. The theme was flowery and pastel with some bold colours, so the flowers I chose were a combination of coral, peach, white, and blue with eucalyptus, pampas, and rabbit tales for a more rustic touch.

Bart from Miracle Moments was our photographer. He was really relaxed and easygoing, and he performed an outstanding job. We hired him for a half-day shoot and he produced stunning results. He offered us a few photographs to post on social media the same day so we could share them with friends and family after the wedding. He was extremely friendly and we felt we know him for years straight from the beginning. We cannot recommend him highly enough.

Best part of the day

The whole day was special, preparing with my friends and mum. The ceremony, our first kiss, funny photos with everyone and our first dance as a husband and wife. The wedding day as a whole is the best part. After so much time spent on preparing and organising, it was truly amazing to experience this as a whole.

From one couple to another…

Embrace every moment since it goes by so quickly. Remember that people are coming to celebrate with you; they won’t care about the minor details you overlooked or the extra work you put forth, since they are coming for you.

We strongly advise you to remain someplace for a few more days if possible. It was incredible to be able to share the experience with friends and family.

Regrets? I wish we had considered the pregnant guests more and provided non-alcoholic beverages for the evening. We ignored this due to all of the alterations to our initial plans.

I would be less bothered about little matters the day before and would appreciate the day’s preparations more.