Daisy & Karl

There is always a special place in our hearts for Shustoke Farm Barns in Birmingham, the architecture is absolutely spectacular and the team always come with such glowing reports. It's why they are long standing members of our recommended supplier directory The List. Bride Daisy looks heavenly in a fitted Martina Liana gown from Coco & Kate bridal boutique (also a member of our directory), and have you seen the image of her veil and floral up do yet? I am definitely pinning that one. SO pretty. I also defy anybody not to get a lump in their throat when see the image of Daisy getting emotional at the altar with groom Karl holding her hand. All the feels. As well as tones of emotion, Alex Tenters Photography has captured angles of Shustoke Farm Barns I never even knew existed, and the warm September light is. Just. Amazing. Not to mention the complimentary rustic green and white florals and decor. You simply have to stop what you're doing and see this rustic wedding in all its glory, you won't regret it.

Our Story

Daisy the Bride: Karl and I met back in senior school (in science class, not the most romantic of places) but as we grew up together, it felt as if we just grew closer. We’ve been through so many different times, through school, times of long distance during University and working in different cities we always made time to make it work. After 11 happy years together and a year of building our first home together, when Karl asked me to marry him there was only one answer – I think I’d known for years he was the one. I feel so lucky that I ended up marrying my best friend.

The Dress

Although like most girls I grew up dreaming of weddings, I never loved the idea of wedding dresses, I had the idea that they were big and restricting and I didn’t see that suiting me. After a few really fun days out with my bridal party, trying on all different shapes and sizes, I have to say Coco & Kate was the most beautiful and welcoming bridal boutique. That’s were I found my Martina Liana Dress, it was really simple but a beautiful cut and quality.

Grooms Attire

Karl the Groom: I always wanted a suit that was personal to me. Reiss Personal Tailoring allowed me to have a hand in its design, from picking the fabric to choosing the shape of the lapels. I decided on a deep navy brushed wool with a single button. I matched this with a silver tie and burgundy pocket square (also from Reiss) and the outfit was finished with a pair of burgundy monkstrap shoes from Kurt Geiger. It was tailored to fit perfectly, and I was even able to have our wedding date stitched into the suit lining.

The Venue

Daisy the Bride: What I thought would be the toughest decision of the whole wedding, was actually the easiest. It was possibly only the third venue we saw, but as soon as we set foot in Shustoke’s stunning barn, we were pretty much ready to book our day. Shustoke has such a natural beauty, and with neither of us being particularly religious it offered that church like setting without being one. It was just a perfect fit and size for us. The building itself is impressive with its high ceilings, wooden beams and brickwork patterns. These were complimented beautifully with a modern twist of the floor to ceiling glass front. It barely needed any decoration. We could see why they get so booked up so quickly. The staff are such pros, they made the planning process effortless and guided us through every decision in great detail. They understand what works and adapted to our tastes perfectly. The day seemed to take care of itself, it ran seamlessly from start to finish, although we know that this was down to the staff’s tireless effort on the day. We can’t thank them enough.

Flowers

We knew we wanted the flowers to be neutral, rustic and have a natural wildness to suit the venue, but I honestly didn’t think they were going to be as perfect as they were. We chose Lily White Florist in Sutton through a recommendation, but you really don’t know if they will look how you hoped until the day. Katie Burke, the owner was so understanding of what we wanted and I have to say, it was all exactly how I imagined! As soon as the flowers arrived at the hotel in the morning I knew she had understood our taste and got the feel of the day spot on. She has such attention to detail and it just added to the beauty of the venue. I absolutely loved my floral headpiece.

Ceremony

Karl the Groom: As we are not particularly religious we opted for a simple ceremony. It was important to us to have both our families involved at some point. With Daisy Dad walking her down the isle and the mothers being our witnesses we asked my Dad and Daisy’s brother to do a reading for us each. My dad read an extract from Captain Corelli’s Mandolin and Daisy’s brother recited the lyrics from Jack Johnson’s Better Together. These were both so touching and really made the ceremony extra special. There were definitely a fair few tears in the room after these. We could barely look them in the eye.

Entertainment

Daisy the Bride: We really hit the jackpot with entertainment for our day. For the daytime, we had Lewis Sings, an acoustic singer who plays the guitar. He sang while guests arrived and then his version of God only Knows while I walked down the aisle. Karl loves the Beach Boys so it was the perfect song for us. When I first arrived and was feeling nervous, the first thing I noticed was the music playing and I was so relieved at how great he was! Lewis then sang again after the ceremony while guests relaxed in the courtyard, he created such a great ambience and at one point serenaded us with Better Together by Jack Johnson – which my brother had just done his reading of. Now, both of those songs are forever favourites. For our evening band, we hired Soulfire, a 5-piece band from Leicester. They did a great mix of new and old soul songs, which got everyone up dancing from the moment they came on! They worked the crowd fantastically and got the vibe of the evening just right. One of our highlights was their rendition of Senorita by Justin Timberlake. The dance floor split down the middle, boys v girls with each group singing their parts. This ended with a dance off we’ll never forget.

Food

Oh my god! The food! This was one of the things we loved most about the venue. Cripps Barn’s are known for serving such tasty food. We always thought wedding food was just so – so, but as we are such foodies at home, this was quite important to us. We were not disappointed… Starter - Pork country pate, chutney toast Main - Rotisserie chicken with cream & tarragon sauce served with green beans with olive oil and black pepper and roast sweet potatoes Dessert - Fruit crumble and pouring cream or custard Evening Food - Roasted 4-day marinated pork roll & applesauce

Cake

We were really lucky on this detail as our Groomsman, Tom’s mother kindly offered to make our cake as a wedding present. We had such fun taste testing the different flavours. It was funny because Karl and I are famously indecisive but we chose the flavours within minutes. Carin at Elite Cake Designs had flavours we had never even thought of – not to be biased but it was the best cake we’d tasted! We’re just so happy we pinched some of the bottom layer to keep for a later date! The design was a rustic textured icing, which we loved because it was classic and understated. Top Tier – Jack Daniels and Fudge Middle Tier – Strawberries and Champagne Bottom Tier – Chocolate and Salted Caramel

Photographer

The photographer was a massive decision for us. After searching for ages, we finally came across Alex’s website. His relaxed, documentary style was exactly what we were looking for. We met with him in London and after talking to him about our plans; we knew he was the right choice for us. He did an incredible job and made an impression on all our guests! He made everyone feel at ease, and the photos really show it. Even for the most camera shy bride first thing in the morning. Rather than leaving after the first dance, he went to back his car and got more equipment so he could capture the rest of the night. As a testament to his dedication, the very last photo he took of us was at nearly 00:30am. He then thanked us for a fantastic day and slipped away. We now have the most amazing photos to look back on. We can’t thank him enough.

Bridal Party and Groomsmen

Daisy the Bride: Well, I was surrounded by the most beautiful blonde bridesmaids there ever was! My Maid of Honour is one of my oldest friends, Laura, who Karl and I have been friends with ever since school where it all began! Along with my two sisters in Law Hannah and Karen, they all made the most beautiful and supportive bridal party – the dresses were from ASOS. They were multiway dresses, all in the same grey but all worn / tied slightly differently. Karl the Groom: I was very lucky to be supported throughout the wedding by three awesome guys. My best man Tom, is my oldest childhood friend, and along with my two groomsmen, Dave and Tom, these are three of my oldest and closest friends. We kitted them out in matching suits from Next and they all matched me with ties from Riess.