Kirsty & Vern

Apologies in advance if you have flower envy whilst viewing this Deswell Court rustic barn wedding, as they are utterly immense. Kirsty wears a stunning flower crown and holds the most beautiful bouquet. I LOVE, love, love the pictures captured by Phillippa James Photography of her in her elegant Elizabeth Stuart bridal gown with those colour popping blooms. Then there's her radiant smile which is so infectious and will have you beaming through these inspirational pictures. They may also have you getting a huge lump in your throat when you see the image of Groom Vern waiting at the altar for his bride to enter. Talk about off the chart adorable. Say hello to the green eyed monster for me when you eventually clock the bridesmaids in their gold sequin Sorella Vita gowns. He's been rearing his ugly head the whole time I've been putting this together for you lovely lot. I'm mean, come on, how fabulous are those frocks? And how beautiful does everybody look? With glamour, sparkles, lots of romance, it's hard not to LOVE this wedding. Did I mention the beautiful blooms...? Enjoy!

The Wedding

Kirsty the Bride: When we started planning our wedding we really didn’t want a theme. However, we soon realised that every decision we made was based around three key principles relaxing, partying and (to Vern’s frustration) pineapples! We hope through these pillars we were able to create a whole weekend which was as enjoyable for our family and friends as it was for us. Dewsall Court provided the perfect backdrop for this; the place oozes period charm and was the exact right setting for a party we will never forget. We spend three days relaxing and having a general good times together, from the first dinner on Friday evening, through the big day itself, Sunday lunch 50 hungover wedding guests and a huge Chinese takeaway to farewell brunch on Monday. Oh, and there were plenty of pineapples (invites, stationery, cake, bouquet, balloon weights, table decorations and more).

Transport

Although we were getting married at the house my dad surprised me with a vintage Austin 7 tourer also affectionately known as Brum. We went for a drive before the ceremony which meant so much to have that time together before the day kicked off. Vern and I also went on a short journey post ceremony to get some alone time together.

Invites/Stationery

Our friend Katy Smith is a crazy talented graphic designer and she created our beautiful and individual invites, we then sealed them with a gold pineapple wax stamp. The same format was followed for the order of service and favours to link the day together. Each invite and name tag was stamped with our initials and date of the wedding. Vern also created a wedding website for guests to be able to RSVP online & access details on accommodation and travel www.virstywedding.co.uk we also had a #virstygothitched which was used to share images.

Flowers

We met Emma at a wedding fair in Islington, we warmed to her personality immediately and loved working with her to achieve the overall look of the wedding. She even sources mini pink pineapples for each table and one in my bouquet again as a surprise which was amazing! We didn’t want anything too structured or formal so we had a mix of peonies, sunflowers, daisies, veronicas, roses and you’ve guessed it pink pineapples decorating the tables, chains and hanging from the walls. The beams were decorated with foliage and a flower hoop. When we started planning the wedding the only things I was sure of was wearing flowers in my hair; my mum wore a flower grown on her wedding day so it must be in the genes! The button holes were made up of thistles and roses

The Dress

I have to admit I didn’t really enjoyed the dress process so after 9 shops and over 40 dresses my mum found The Bridal Boutique in Warwickshire and we met Maddie, she convinced me to try on dresses I would never have thought of and had a selection of designers that really suited my style. I then took my bridesmaids Kate & Nina and with their approval the deal was done. Maddie completely put me at ease and understood what I wanted from my day and in turn the dress. I selected a dress by Elizabeth Stuart ‘clara’ in antique white jersey silk which was a softer tone, I lowered the back to show more of the lace detail, it had 3⁄4 sleeves and buttons down the back and finished in a puddle train. The shape and fitting of the dress allowed me to feel confident and had a slight sexy feel with the back details, I was able to be comfortable and dance the night away! I didn’t think I’d wear a veil but once it was on I felt the look was complete, Maddie was right (again)! During our appointment, Kate my MOH spotted floor length sequin gowns by Sorella Vita and fell in love immediately, they were just fabulous in effortlessly glamorous way.

Shoes

I work in the Buying department for Kurt Geiger so shoes were always going to be important! I had 2 pairs; cornflower blue suede points for the ceremony as my something blue and strappy gold embossed leather for the evening along with a match pouch.

Jewellery

I wore my Nan’s gold watch as my something old, a piece I have loved since a child. V jewellery is a brand I love and it goes perfectly with my art deco engagement ring, I wore ear cuffs and then my bridesmaid’s gifted me a beautiful bracelet on the morning to finish my look. On the evening I wanted to change my look so I swopped my flower crown for a jewelled head piece from Debbie Carlisle and changed into gold heels with red lipstick!

Groom

Vern wore a blue textured made to measure suit and grey waistcoat with two tone brown brogues from Barker. He also accessorised with my Father’s vintage gold cufflinks, a gold rotary pocket watch and a rose gold tie clip (a wedding gift from me) from Deakin and Francis.

Décor/styling

We didn’t want the day to be too formal so it was important the venue and décor was casual and allowed people to relax. We also worked hard to ensure it was personal to us, tea cups used as candle holders were borrowed from our grandparents, decanters and vintage bottles were also borrowed and collected by family members. We also collected lots of corks and my auntie and maid of honour made a large sign of our initials. Our friends Danielle & Sarah painstakingly pulled the petals from 200 roses for our confetti and to decorate the aisle. Confetti cones were made from colourful wrapping paper from paper chase & stamped with our initials and the date. In addition to the flowers the Wain house was decorated with 150 tea light holders I sprayed gold, large balloons held down by gold sprayed pineapple (we forgot the weights when arriving at the venue) and Jo Malone peony and blush scented candles. We tried to add some further personal touches with a figure print tree (designed by Lucy Evans), baby pictures on the toilet doors, hand painted chalk boards and by using huge mirror for the table plan. We decorated outside with more balloon, hung candles from the trees and had fire lanterns lining the path to the main house. We had a black and white photo booth for the evening which was great fun!

Photographer

Philippa is AMAZING, we first met her at a family wedding and warmed to her immediately, she understands what's important & captured priceless memories in her own style. We could not recommend her enough, added bonus her emails will definitely cheer you up on a bad day!

Videographer

Aaron and Andrea total dream team then captures “the feels” (their words) of our day and we couldn’t of wished for anything more.

Favours

Our favours were miniature bottles of homemade elder gin, we designed and printed personalised labels matching the wedding stationary which outlined the history of our relationship.

Cake

Vern’s talented Auntie Jayne made our wedding cake with love – a three tier white and gold work of art, with pineapple texture embossed onto the white tiers and gold leaf on the other. The cake was presented on a hand painted stand with gold detail.

Entertainment

We asked guests to suggest a song and made a playlist for during the meal which resulted in dancing on the chairs before dessert was served! We had a live band and then they acted as DJ playing the remaining of guests requests. It was safe to say they really got the party going! Vern & I had our first dance to ‘ho hey’ by the lumineers and spent the evening dancing the night away with all of our favourite people. We had a dance off and spent several songs dancing on the ushers shoulders... we couldn’t have asked for anything more from the amazing band!

The Day

On the wedding day I leisurely got ready with my bridesmaids and mum in the Dewsall suite while the boys enjoyed playing snooker in the impressive Billard room. Our friend Jennifer Foster is a professional makeup artist and kindly did my make up on the day. She is amazingly talented, she really made me feel beautiful I wish I could have her every day! Hair dresser Kerry Edwards has been doing my hair for 10 years, she ensured the morning went completely stress free for all of the bridal party, and our hair stayed in place all day! The ceremony took place in the Wainhouse and I walked down the aisle to an acoustic version of the wedding march played by our Usher Phil. This was a nod to tradition but still ensuring the casual vibe was maintained. Family members read “he’s not perfect” by Bob Marley and “These things I can promise” Mark Twain. It was important that our loved ones were involved in the ceremony, Vern & I met at the age of 15 and 17 these people have helped shape us into the adults and couple we are today. After the ceremony we walked out to our guests singing ‘Here comes the sun’ before having a drinks and canape reception back in the main house where guests enjoyed the gardens. We then moved back to the Wain house for the reception. Our families and friends really helped us create a personal weekend with all the finishing touches and added detail, we couldn’t have done it without their love and support.