Amy was initially a little worried about sharing their photographs with friends and family, especially those who had to postpone their big day. But we hope these stories will encourage and inspire those of you just taking your first steps into the incredible world of planning a wedding.
As bride Amy says, weddings may be on hold, but love, family and friendships are not.
Amy says…
Fortunately, we got married before the lockdown and returned home a day before the flights stopped returning from our honeymoon!
At the start, I was afraid to share it, to post pictures and videos of our special day. I was worried that it might upset others when, to us, it was a day full of love and happiness that I hoped would bring a smile in times of unknown and sadness. I have so many friends and guests at our wedding who are due to get married towards the end of the year, and I know of others who have had to postpone. It breaks my heart that all their planning and hard work was turned upside down, but I believe their day will be even more significant when it arrives.
Weddings may be on hold, but love, family and friendships are not.
Working by day as a greeting card designer, I loved the chance to design my wedding invitations and any on-the-day stationery. I even braved some of the signage but asked one of my lovely bridesmaids (who I also work with) to help with her beautiful calligraphy skills.
I searched through Pinterest day and night to decide on a style. I knew I wanted some delicate hand lettering. After visiting my florist to discuss lots of green foliage, I went down this route for the overall stationery look. I loved the results and had lots of fun thinking of ways to display things on the day; seeing my hard work come together on the morning of the Wedding was lovely. Our photographer also managed to get some great shots of it all, too!
One part of the day I wanted to get creative with was the ‘Order of the Day’. I pinned lots of inspiration for this, and one of them was writing it up on a glass-panelled door, similarly done on table plans. This was probably my last option; trying to source a large door was another thing to consider. However, when I walked past a neighbour’s house to spot a white door they were throwing out, I took this as a sign to do my sign! I use hand lettering styles at work but could still do it with some practice, so I was a little nervous before starting. I had already asked my bridesmaid Rosie to help with the day’s place names and welcome signs, so I got stuck in myself with the door.
One cold afternoon in January, I sat outside and got some white Posca pens. After many breaks (my hands had gone a little numb!), it all came together, and I was pleased with the final look, adding in some twinkly fairy lights, too! Of course, doing many of these bits myself helped us stick within our budget, and I felt like ‘a bit of me’ was there visually on the day.
We wanted a relaxed vibe at our wedding. Dodmoor House seemed the perfect place – the barns used for bridal prep, the ceremony, wedding breakfast, and evening celebrations sat in a beautiful courtyard. Hence, it had a cosy, intimate feel for our guests. After looking through many places online, we knew we wanted a rustic theme, and if our budget allowed, a barn would be our dream choice!
Our flowers were mainly white with a heavy mix of foliage and subtle hints of blue using eryngium thistles. Dodmoor House is excellent, without the need for lots of decoration. I kept to its rustic roots but gave it a minor update with gold geometrics, brass frames and grey tapered candles.
Instagram was a MASSIVE influence for me when deciding on the décor/style I wanted. I started to follow numerous wedding suppliers/blogs and photographers for any inspo. I live on Pinterest primarily for my job, but even more so when searching for ideas. I bought a wedding planner, jotted down many ideas, and stuck in many reference points.
Dodmoor House has quite a helpful list of recommended suppliers, so I went through them all and met with my favourites. My florist, Anna, at Julie-Anna Flowers was terrific. The flowers significantly impacted the day, and she helped me create something beautiful within our budget.
The White Emporium meant I could hire the right props to create the finished look on the day. Gemma’s Instagram is gorgeous! When I found it, it got hold of me, and I just had to enquire.
My friend, OHEY_SAMMI, baked our wedding cakes. I’m lucky I work with lots of creative people! I found a stunning arrangement on Pinterest with a main-tiered cake and two small ones alongside it. We let Sammi know flavours and colour schemes…, and then voila! The results were terrific, and the flavours were incredible!
Aaron Collett Photography was our fantastic photographer – our photographs show all the emotions throughout the day! He got some super photos of our whippet Freddie, too! We wanted our dog, Freddie, to be dressed for the occasion. An independent seller on Etsy, Tuna & Bear, provided a brilliant service to measure custom orders in many different colours. He fit in with the groomsmen perfectly, and we love looking back at his photos – he looks so handsome!
Jake Flint Videography, our videographer, created a different vibe to our photographs. Our video is much softer and full of natural lighting, and we were lucky the sun appeared. Jake gave us a remarkable memory of our day, beautifully captured from start to finish.
Venue Dodmoor House
Photography Aaron Collett Photography
Florist Julie-Anna Flowers
Prop Hire The White Emporium
Cakes OHEY_SAMMI
Based on a weekend wedding in January.