Laura & Jake

When you have a couple as fun and full of personality as Laura & Jake you need a venue to match. The pub wedding venue, The Bell in Ticehurst certainly fits the bill with its famous neon sign 'I will always love you my friend', Edison bulbs and tuba urinals. Having such a character filled location meant very few decorations were needed, so the couple opted for green and white wild blooms and an alternative doughnut tower wedding cake. One thing that also radiates the page is bride Laura's smile, she literally kept saying to photographer Emma of Epic Love Story "I’m having so much fun!' Luckily Emma captured that feeling of pure joy in her amazing pictures so we and, our gorgeous couple can relieve the happiness again and again. If you've fallen for the eccentricity of The Bell in Ticehurst too, be sure to view these contemporary weddings there as well.

Charlie Brear Delancey Wedding Dress

Laura the Bride: Finding my dress was actually the easiest decision of the process! It was a Charlie Brear number called ‘Delancey’ from local boutique ‘Frou Frou’ in Tunbridge Wells. Exactly one year before our wedding I happened to have a day off work so I strolled down to the boutique to just take a look. The Charlie Brear Delancey dress was the first I tried on and that was it! I bought it there and then. I couldn't believe how lucky I was. Personally, I relished the freedom of trying it on without having to worry about anybody else's opinion. I then tried on my dress again with my Grandmother there, so I could share that moment with her. There were lots of tears and special memories I will cherish. My bridal shoes were plain strappy sandals for the day & Converse sparkly trainers for the evening. My hairpiece and belt were handmade by Charlotte 'My Fayre Favourite', a recommendation by my dress shop. The pieces were stunning, and I loved the rustic but elegant feel.

Hugo Boss Grooms Suit

The groom’s outfit was a little trickier to find! We wanted his outfit to reflect the chilled vibe to the day; no ties, mismatch jacket, shirt and trouser. I think secretly Jake enjoyed the role-reversal opportunity of dragging me around stores whilst I waited patiently outside! He settled on a Hugo Boss jacket, Calvin Klein shirt, Chinos and Barbour boots. He wore a Nixon Rotolog watch and an Auteur ‘Momento’ wooden pocket watch, a gift I surprised him with on the morning of.

Pub Wedding Venue - The Bell in Ticehurst

We got married at The Bell in Ticehurst, East Sussex, a beautiful 15th century pub complete with an old stable reception room and a cute little snug room, perfect for the oldies to hang out in! We loved that the venue is full of quirks, including a tree in every room, a taxidermy squirrel in a rocking chair, and tubas for urinals in the gents...seriously! Our 'love nest' lodge room featured a nest complete with egg chairs on the roof. The venue was wonderfully relaxing and we felt chilled in it, the staff were attentive and brilliant on the day, plus the food is genuinely amazing. What was also great was all our friends could stay on site and enjoy a communal breakfast the following day.

Colour Scheme/Décor

Luckily the venue was already beautifully decorated and brimming with character, but we added some personal touches too. The tables and fireplaces were styled with jars of flowers, vintage books (courtesy of mum-in-law Cali) and candlesticks. We hung fairy lights and strung photo’s up, and fortunately the venue allowed for open candles, so we had pillar candles for the aisle and up the stairs. The main colour in the ceremony room was gold, so we spray painted jars with gold to match and the florist made stunning features with these. One thing that made us laugh was that we spent hours and hours stencilling song lyrics onto long hessian table runners… I’m not sure anyone really noticed them!

White & Green Bohemian Meadow Flowers

You know when you meet someone and they just get it? This was the feeling when meeting Caroline from Wild Rubus. I just mentioned white, boho and meadow garden vibe, and what Caroline delivered was perfect. She used a mix of summer white meadow flowers, combined with seedheads and grasses with a hint of metallic gold and copper. In the stable area she decorated iron railings with wild foliage and eucalyptus. I had upmost confidence in our florist and she was an angel on the day, even helping the venue to place the arrangements.

Metallic Bridesmaid Skirts and Tops

I wanted my bridesmaids to feel comfortable, confident and didn’t necessarily want them all to match. I was given some fantastic advice by my seamstress: invite them round, open some bubbles, and let them try on lots of different styles in the comfort of your home. We had a brilliant time and being at home took away the stress of hitting the shops! The girls outfits were a mix of metallic pleated skirts (Oliver Bonas and Coast) and ivory sequin tops (Coast). They wore their hair in various styles to suit their natural style.

Page Boys

My two nephews wore grey jackets by Uniqlo, white cotton shirts from Zara and Grey chinos from H&M kids. They rocked it!

Wedding Ceremony

The ceremony was by far my favourite moment of the day. I walked in with my Dad and Uncle Andy to ‘You’ve Got the Love’. I thought I’d be a blubbering mess, but I needn’t worry, as soon as I saw Jake’s face I felt pretty relaxed. My brother wrote a personal reading which meant a lot. We also wrote personal vows and the last line "til death or zombies do us part" raised a few laughs! There were a few moments that made me giggle throughout the day. Watching our family and friends spontaneously catwalk down our table (which had been red carpeted earlier in the day for our reception) was hilarious.

Funk, Soul, Pop & Blues Wedding Entertainment

We had 2 acoustic singers throughout the day: Martin Morris and Sennen Timcke. The evening band was Funk the Revolution and they raised the roof! It was a mix of funk, soul, pop and blues – I literally didn’t leave the dancefloor all night.

Canapes & Wedding Breakfast

We had canapes of Yorkshire puddings, roast beef, horseradish whipped goat’s cheese & red onion, and spiced sausage rolls. Starter: Mushroom Arancini balls, mains: Confit duck leg, garlic potatoes & cabbage with bacon And dessert: Sticky toffee pudding, vanilla ice cream & butterscotch sauce

Krispy Kreme Doughnut Tower Wedding Cake

The cake was a Krispy Kreme donut tower with giant Dum Dum donut on the top!

Epic Love Story Wedding Photography

Our photographer was the gorgeous rock'n'roll Emma from Epic Love Story photography. I knew Emma from when I worked in a hair salon and she was a client. I used to love talking weddings with her leading up to our day. She is amazingly talented and got stuck in; she even shared a tequila shot with us during the party bit! She totally smashed ur expectations, it was a perfect mix of happy funny and emotional! Our photo’s were delivered to us in a thoughtfully designed box with extra special touches. I won’t give away the surprise for future couples, but it was a lovely unexpected gesture that brought back all the excitement and happy emotions!