Abbi & Ash

When Abbi from Save The Date magazine sent over her wedding, I literally let out a squeal of joy - it's THAT good. The level of detail is just unreal, the flowers are incredible, the styling is spot on and the dresses, well let's just say you're totally spoiled on the fashion front too. Abbi and Ash have created the most incredible day, full of surprises and delights for guests and I have a feeling you're going to LOVE it. It's brining all of those cool Aussie vibes we love to lust over and this lucky pair were fortunate with the weather too! They chose the incredible pairing of Matt Horan and This Modern Revelry to capture their day. I've included a LOT of images in this feature as I think you need to see it all, from every angle ;) and make sure you watch the fun film from This Modern Revelry too as it put a huge smile on my face. This is one hell of a wedding guys, so buckle up - you're in for a ride!

{Watch The Film}

Our Wedding

Abbi the Bride: I married Ash on 1st September 2017 in a field full of my family and friends. Being in the wedding industry for the last 9 years and being one half of Save the Date Magazine, some would say I was in a fortunate position to plan my dream wedding. However, being inundated with a constant stream of inspiring wedding pretty on a daily basis, it became a challenge to stay focused and true to our style. I had always imagined a relaxed boho styed wedding, complete with tipis, glamping and festival fun so that’s what we set out to achieve. Luckily, I have a family member who kindly offered their field for the weekend and then it was our job to turn this into a fun event for all.

Festival Vibes

Along with a dream team of wedding suppliers, myself & Ash worked tirelessly to create a Boho Luxe festival inspired wedding with tipis, an outdoor ceremony, hay bales, a glamping village for our camping guests, food trucks, Prosecco vans, flower crowns and a constant flow of entertainment. When planning our wedding, the most important elements were live entertainment (I didn’t want that wedding lull!) good food, styling true to us and a great atmosphere. Try and remember these core things when planning and don’t get side tracked when faced with lots of decisions and wedding pretty!

The Music

From start to finish we had a great line up of live music which goes hand in hand with a festival atmosphere. We had an amazing string quartet, The Dotted Crochets, to set the scene as guests arrived for the ceremony, after the speeches we had a flash mob in the form of a Brass Band – Twisted Tubes, followed by Agent Smith who got everyone up and dancing, a saxophonist and for people wanting to party late into the evening a silent disco by Silent Noize Events. This kept the wedding going to the early hours but didn’t upset any neighbours! The next day we had DJ sets from three of their friends, an acoustic performance and a duo in the evening who again, filled the dancefloor.

The Ceremony

When thinking back to our day, the ceremony was probably my favourite part. The suspense of seeing everyone waiting there, the day you’ve planned for sooooo long to every little, teeny weeeeny detail. The day you have envisaged so many times in your head, it had actually arrived! The sun was shining, and I could see everyone waiting in the distance. I had a long walk up the field with all of my bridesmaids, 13 in tow! I could hear the string quartet playing (my entrance song was Florence and the Machine, Dog Days) and literally at this point it felt so surreal. It almost feels like a dream now when I think back! Ali from Cariad Personal Ceremonies was our celebrant for the day and she was great. We’d met with her a couple of times before to plan our ceremony which felt very personal, fun and memorable. Myself and Ash aren’t a soppy or lovey couple and are not one of those couples to show our emotion, especially in public or even around our friends and family. Hand holding is as far as it goes! However, writing my own vows seemed one of the most important and straightforward factors to me when planning our wedding. When I mentioned it to Ash he was surprisingly up for it too! The ceremony was styled with fabulous florals by Michele Gledhill and hired items from the talented Penny at The Little Lending Company – she has soooo many cool props and makes everything look stylish! We had a large banner personalised by Penny hanging from the large oak tree with the wording ‘Best Day Ever ‘which provided a great back drop and lots of photo opportunities for our guests.

The Reception

With the wedding taking place in the field, we took it upon ourselves to carry out lots of work and DIY details with lots of help from family and friends. Without their help it would have been even harder to organise! We had numerous bars made from pallets and let’s face it, a festival wedding wouldn’t be complete without a ‘Flower Crown Bar’. This really got our guests into the festival spirit. We had a ‘jam jar bar’ and a collection of ridiculous hats pegged on a washing line for guests to wear on the dancefloor! For months on end prior to the big day, myself and Ash would trawl charity shops looking for the most outrageous and quirky hats. We had over 80 in the end and they went down a storm! Instead of an ‘order of the day’ we commissioned Made by Wood & Wood to create a bespoke newspaper designed in a quirky fashion letting all the guests know what to expect with a few funny tales about myself and Ash thrown in too! This was such a nice keepsake and I have one hanging on our wall as a memory. This was great for people to refer too throughout the weekend, so they could see what was happening!

The Fashion

I really did struggle to find ‘The Dress’ and that’s why I ended up with two (which have since been sold to lovely brides). I wore a dress by Margaux Taridts from The Mews of Notting Hill for the ceremony; its feminine and romantic look was in perfect keeping with the personal ceremony under the skies. Channelling my inner Florence (and the machine) I then changed into a bohemian, ethereal style dress by Grace loves Lace, wearing a flower crown by Number 27 Floral Design. My 13, (yes, I know!) bridesmaids wore white dresses by Mango and carried foliage bouquets (by Michele Gledhill) completing the look with their eucalyptus flower crowns (by Number 27 Floral Designs) and hanging silk ribbons by Little Acorn Silks. Ash and his groomsmen wore suits by Reiss and bow ties by LV Made in England.

The Food

Guests were treated to food by The Black Peppermint Food Company with amazing canapes and sharing platters to the table. Heidi the food truck served up the food in the evening and the next day too. We also had the Boho Bar (who have the nicest looking bar) join us on day 2 and amazing waffles by The Bournville Waffle Company!

The Styling

With a blank canvas, my imagination could run wild and I had always thought of creating a wedding festival village, taking inspiration from my trips to Glastonbury which I have loved over the years. So with the army of suppliers we set to work transforming the field. Peaktipis provided their incredible structures as the focal point and they really are a showstopper when they are in place and they went above and beyond to ensure everything was perfect for the weekend. With festoon lighting by Fabric Theatre which really added to the festival feel and beautiful blooms every way you turned courtesy of the talented Michele Gledhill, the field began to take shape. From The Little Lending Company we hired lots of vintage props, furniture, signs and seating and also creating an outdoor dance floor with Moroccan rugs. I really wanted our first dance to be outside on a sea of rugs with festoon lights, stars and sparklers! Luckily the weather held out and it was such a nice memory having our first dance outside. For our wedding favours, I wanted something that was true to our style and something that would be personable and memorable. I love collecting vintage glass bottles, so I set about collecting these for the ladies favours. Ash being an avid fan of Kraft beers, it made total sense for the men to have glass tankards, complete with a beer token to sample Ash’s real ale at the bar. So, the favours could act as place setting too, Kayleigh Tarrant had the task of hand writing everyone’s names (along with an endless list of signage writing I had already tasked her with!) they looked fab and I love seeing these in people’s homes.

The Photography & Film

Our photographer Matt Horan was a legend from start to finish. His relaxed approach made us feel at ease throughout the day and our wedding guests absolutely loved him. They still chat about him now! He runs around tirelessly making sure every shot and moment of the day is captured and we absolutely love our pictures. I also love wedding films and the memories they capture throughout the day. When I came across This Modern Revelry and contacted them, I just knew they would get our style and knew exactly what we wanted. Both Laura and Alan were amazing throughout the wedding day/night and we love the moments they have captured on film.

The Happy Ending

Make sure the day is about you, your likes and passions as a couple. Get inspiration from Pinterest, blogs and other weddings but stay true to yourselves so that in years to come you’ll still love the style and theme. My favourite parts of the day are ideas that me & Ash thought of after spending hours, days, weeks, months planning our big day. Above all it’s the most amazing opportunity to spend a fabulous day (or weekend in our case) with all of your nearest and dearest, so enjoy it!