It was great to be back at Winters Barns again for Sarah & James' wedding. A little bit of rain in the morning meant their ceremony was moved inside, but with such a beautiful inside option at Winters Barns, it wasn't a bad thing. Then as the day moved on, the clouds thinned out and the sun shone through giving them a beautiful evening.
There were a few C19 restrictions still in place at this time, and no dancing was allowed inside, so their band (the highly recommended 'The Redfords') played an acoustic set outside. They enjoyed their first dance in the fresh air with the last of the sun's rays shining down on them - perfect. I'm a big fan of these outside first dances and sincerely hope couples opt for this going forward, regardless of whether there are restrictions or not.
A special mention has to go to Cobi and Coco for their spectacular wedding cake. The sugar flowers were amazing, but I especially loved the cracked open tier design, displayed sugary gem-stones inside. It's not often you see something new, and this was definitely a first for me.
Now, here is more about the lovely couple and their wedding in their own words:
How did you meet, & how did you become engaged?
"We met in 2008 when we were both 18, having been friends for a few years before getting together. We became engaged in Venice in 2018, James proposed in a very busy St Mark's Square. "
How long did you take to plan your wedding?
"We got married in 2021 so was 3 years planning for the big day."
What made you choose your wedding venues and how did you decorate them?
"We always liked the idea of a barn wedding and Winters Barns really caught our eye, and didn’t need much decoration as its beautiful as it is. We decorated the tables with gin bottles, and our flowers were a mix of pale pink and white roses which were used throughout the barn. The dresser at the entrance was decorated with pictures of our grandparents who were no longer with us."
What inspired you to style your day the way you did?
"Our style was very rustic but also trying to keep a modern feel to it"
How did you decide on your dress and accessories?
"I wanted my dress to be modern, with a mermaid silhouette. I liked the idea of a lacy dress, minimal diamonds with a low back. I liked the fact my dress was a off white pinkish colour which I think complimented my skin tone better. I added a long train veil to give it a more statement look."
How did you decide on the outfits for the groom and groomsmen?
"We went for a dark blue suit with a grey tweed waistcoat, the colours complimented my dress and flowers well."
Who gave you away / walked you down the aisle? And did you walk down the aisle to a particular song?
"My dad gave me away and walked down the aisle to Songbird by Eva Cassidy"
Please describe your wedding breakfast and the reasons behind it?
"We chose to give our guests a choice for their wedding breakfast, which was a little stressful due to allergies, but we got there in the end. Starters – Prawn or Chicken, Main, Salmon or Chicken and Dessert – Chocolate Fondant or Cheesecake. We chose to do it this way as we chose the food which we liked the most and chose alternate options so we could swap on the day. Our suppliers were also given the same meal as us too."
Did you provide wedding favours? If so, please provide details or what and where you sourced them
"Our wedding favours were agate coasters which were personalized with each guests names. We sourced these from Etsy and came all the way from Australia."
Please describe your cake and why you chose it?
"We had a 3 tiered cake which had a geode top tier, and geometric gold lines, and edible sugar flowers matching our colour scheme, We chose this after searching pinterest for wedding cakes and combined all our favourite elements to the final design. Cobi and Coco cakes was the first supplier we knew we loved before we had booked our wedding."
What was your first dance track and what did it mean to you?
"'Alone' by Jessie Ware."
What was your favourite part of the day and why?
"Our favourite part of the day was the ceremony and seeing each other for the first time in our wedding dress and suit."
What led you to choose Nick from Parkershots as your photographer and please can you comment on the results?
"We first saw Parkershots when visiting the Nettlestead wedding venue and loved how the photos were displayed in the photo album on display. The style of the photography was really what we were looking for and we especially liked the more natural photos of the guests which were captured beautifully. On the day, we felt very relaxed and felt that the amount of time spent on taking pictures was just right."
The Suppliers:
- Bride’s gown (Designer and boutique): Mori Lee – Confetti and Lace
- Jewellery (Designer & Boutique): Bezant, London
- Shoes: Kate Spade
- Veil / Headpiece: Confetti and Lace / Etsy (LottieDaDesigns)
- Perfume: Jo Malone – Myrhh and Tonka
- Hair Stylist: Kent Hair by Karlie
- Make-up Artist: LaurenElle
- Florist: Flower art
- Rings: Bezant London
- Venue: Winters Barns
- Cake Maker: Cobi and Coco
- Caterer: Scott anderson
- Bridesmaids: Dresses asos
- Groom / Groomsmen suits: moss bros
- Stationery: Wedding Graphics, Starboard Press, EtchTwentyEight, A Touch of Sparkle, Styled Box, The LIttleClayGifts
- Entertainment: The Redfords
- Photographer: Parkershots
- Honeymoon: Turquoise holidays - mauritius
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