Emily & Rob

Emily and Rob are off the chart adorable. Rob welling up as Emily made her grand entrance is one of the sweetest pictures I've seen and what every bride secretly hopes her groom will do. Jacob and Pauline Photography have made sure there is no short supply of emotional images to swoon over, they've also captured Emily & Rob's fabulous fashion sense and eye for detail. Emily looks divine in her Maggie Sottero Abigail gown and Jenny Packham Wonderland II headdress and Rob not to be outdone sports a fabulous piece of head gear himself. Tissues at the ready folks.... and enjoy this love filled rustic wedding at Clock Barn in Hampshire.

The Dress

Emily The Bride: I wanted a fairly simple, timeless dress to fit the relaxed atmosphere of a countryside wedding. While at Miss Bush, my cousin and mum picked out a strapless mermaid-style dress for me to try on, and I loved it! The lace was absolutely beautiful, and the champagne underlay (along with my gold brogues underneath!) was a unique way of honouring the my maiden name (Goldie). I wanted something special in my hair for when I removed my veil before dinner, and the Jenny Packham piece with beads and little flowers added just enough ‘garden glamour’, without overpowering the dress. The earrings I wore were an anniversary present from Rob, from the previous year. My hair and make up was done by Carolanne Armstrong who I would recommend to anyone. We clicked from the day we met, and I really appreciated her honesty and opinions. I can be very indecisive, I needed someone to guide me rather than tell me what I wanted to hear. She tamed my wild hair just enough that it looked elegant, but kept enough of my frizzy curls so that I didn’t need to worry if a hair strayed out of place one we hit the dance floor! My make up was flawless, but not too “done up”. It fit our relaxed theme, and I felt so beautiful.

The Grooms Fashion

Rob chose a Blue Kensington Suit and white shirt from the quirky men’s designer Paul Smith. Never being one to like expensive clothes, he matched it with a fun, flowery tie from Primark! For the ceremony he wore Oak cufflinks, which paid homage to his Latvian roots. It was equally fitting that our wedding was around the time of Midsummer – which is widely celebrated in Latvia and other European countries.

The Venue

We knew we wanted a barn wedding from the start. It was just a case of searching through the internet for a venue we both liked! The girls at Clock Barn were brilliant throughout the planning process and really helped me feel relaxed on the day. They work extremely hard to make every wedding run as smoothly as possible.

Colour Scheme/Decor

Nearly half of our 140 guests flew over from Australia to be there for our wedding. Surrounded by our closest friends and family, we wanted the atmosphere to feel relaxed, and so people felt like they could let their hair down and have a party. The barn has lovely wooden beams, fairy lights and a large brick fireplace, so there wasn’t much we needed to add! The décor was therefore kept natural and simple, with most of it supplied by our florist. There were occasional touches of gold as another tribute to the bride’s maiden name (Goldie). The sun set late on our countryside wedding, and by the time the band started playing the barn was glowing by candlelight.

Florist

I wanted eucalyptus leaves in the bouquets as a sign of my mum’s Australian background, and it is also where Rob and I met. I also wanted a mixture of blooms in white, creams and peaches, inkeeping with the natural, countryside theme. For the ceremony, Gayle (our florist) had supplied two giant vases containing the most beautiful floral displays I have ever seen! These were placed on old oak wine barrels, either side of the ‘altar’. Each of the 14 round dinner tables had an ivory pillar candle in the centre, surrounded by tealights and small pots of single flowers and herbs. Our florist captured our vision brilliantly and the flowers were a real highlight for me! The table numbers were 3D-MDF numbers from a local craft shop, which we spray painted gold.

The Wedding Party Fashion

The bridesmaids were asked to wear a dress that was knee length, ‘somewhere between green and blue’. We had worried that some of the dresses were too similar, or that they would clash, but my girls looked absolutely beautiful. It was an honour to have them standing with me on the day. The groomsmen wore their own blue suits (one wore a kilt), and they all looked so handsome!

Ceremony

I walked down the aisle to “Here comes the sun” by the Beatles. My dad used to play it to me on his guitar when I was little, but he hasn’t been able to play since he had a crippling stroke 3 years ago. When I stepped into the room with my brothers on either side, I suddenly felt so relaxed, but Rob was still too nervous to look at me! The registrar whispered to him “I think you’d better turn around now” and when he did, he just burst into tears. Thankfully they were happy tears, but he set all of our guests off! My dad was waiting by the registrar to give me away, and I am so glad he was able to be a part of our wedding. Once the proceedings got underway, there was some heckling between our cheeky guests and the groom, and it immediately put everyone at ease. My cousin did a reading, as did Rob’s two sisters. One of them got teary and the other pulled a tissue out of her cleavage! I was in stitches. There was a big cheer as we kissed, and I remember feeling so relieved that the formal part was over!

Entertainment

During the cocktail hour and photos, our friend Will serenaded our guests in the garden with his guitar. Later in the evening, we hit the dancefloor to the music by The Daily Specials. We had loads of fun, but it was difficult peeling some guests away from the bar!

Food

We had a roaming canapes starter, Roast Lamb for main and a vanilla parfait with macadamia nut biscuit for dessert, followed by cheese, whisky and wedding cake later on. We wanted to choose food that we hoped most people would like!

Photographer

We chose Jacob and Pauline partly because they work as a duo, but also because we love their style of photography. Nothing was too posed, and I hardly remember seeing them at all! We have just received our wedding album and we couldn’t be happier with the photos. They were worth every penny, and they even stayed later than they were contracted, just to capture a few special moments.

Advice

I would recommend trying to keep everything simple. This means there is less to worry about, less of a timetable to stick to, so if anything does get delayed, it really doesn’t matter. It is an incredibly busy, whirlwind day, and the less you have to think –the better. Definitely sneak in a cheeky glass of Pimms before the ceremony to calm the butterflies! One of the most special moments of our wedding was during dinner; I looked around the room and said to Rob “We are having dinner surrounded by so many people we love. This might never happen again!” We drank it all in, and I am so grateful for every second of it.