Laura & Mike

This beautifully executed, elegant pink & white wedding was all down to the planning skills of Lindy Dowling, but with a venue like Notley Abbey, mesmerising flowers by Wild Orchid and an adorable couple such as Laura and Mike it was no wonder Natalie J Weddings was able to capture such magic. The fashion was also heavenly. Bride Laura wore an exquisite Pronovias gown with full skirt and delicate lace bodice, and groom Mike keeps things traditional in a morning suit from Moss Bros. Everything looks, relaxed, incredibly beautiful and super fun to boot. Who wouldn't want a fairytale wedding like this...

Ceremony

Laura & Mike the Bride & Groom: Outdoor garden ceremony - two readings, one from Charles Dickens - Great Expectations, and Sonnet 116, William Shakespeare. Lindy the Wedding Planner: It’s a moment I will never forget. As Laura approached their white carpet, leading to Mike, the sun came out and there it stayed for the remainder of the day. A sign, I think, that this was something very special.

Venue

Laura & Mike the Bride & Groom: Notley Abbey in Buckinghamshire. We had an outdoor ceremony, a drinks reception in front of the house on the lawn, and the meal and evening event in the barn and cloisters. Lindy the Wedding Planner: When I met with Laura and Mike to discuss their initial brief, I knew straight away that Notley Abbey would be a strong contender for their wedding. Notley is a beautiful venue, located in the Buckinghamshire countryside. It has a very classy, modern element to it, as well as feeling quite rustic and full of charm. They specifically wanted an outdoor ceremony, so Notley seemed pretty perfect. Laura and Mike visited Notley the very next day and fell in love…it’s hard not to. We all loved the fact Notley has accommodation on site too, so the bridal party could continue the celebrations into the early hours.

Colour Scheme & Décor

Laura & Mike the Bride & Groom: Neutral colours. The bridesmaid dresses were Taupe, the flowers were neutrals with green foliage and the wedding stationery was rose gold. We also had fairy lights along the ceiling in the barn handing from the wooden beams. Lindy the Wedding Planner: Laura and Mike had a neutral colour scheme in mind, which we complimented with soft pinks in the flowers and the beautiful bridesmaid’s dresses in taupe, by Dessy. We also used light grey stationery to tie in with the men’s suits, with rose gold writing to bring warmth in which looked amazing in the barn. Laura’s friend supplied their personalized scented candles (Beanmade Candles) which smelt absolutely divine.

Brides Fashion, Accessories and Make up

Laura & Mike the Bride & Groom: My dress was Pronovias. The shop (Marshmallow Bride in St Alban’s) made a detachable top part to the dress, which I wore for the ceremony and the reception and then removed for the evening event. My shoes were Jimmy Choo. Lindy the Wedding Planner: Laura and Mike had a very short time scale between booking myself (Lindy) to plan their wedding and their big day. With the four-month time scale in mind, we had to find a gorgeous dress for Laura and fast. Laura wanted to visit a store close to her Sister’s home, to make her dress-shopping event special. The ladies at Marshmallow Bride were fantastic and ensured Laura received her dress in good time. Laura looked absolutely stunning on her special day.

Grooms Fashion

Lindy the Wedding Planner: Mike and his Groomsmen chose modern suits from Moss Bros, which were very fitting with the season. The men looked really smart, modern and fashionable too!

Bridesmaids Fashion

Laura & Mike the Bride & Groom: Bridesmaids wore dresses from Dessy Group, in Taupe. The flower girl wore a gold, glittery dress.

Flowers

Laura & Mike the Bride & Groom: Our flowers were done by Wild Orchid. We had large urns with flowers either side of the archway at the end of the aisle, and small decorative flowers on every other chair either side of the aisle. The centre pieces were a mixture of raised on gold stands, and low down. We also had a suspended flower arrangement with Ivy draping down behind Table 1, suspended above the cake/piano. Lindy the Wedding Planner: The fabulous Lorraine and her team from Wild Orchid supplied the flowers, as well as providing some amazing inspiration. Lorraine suggested the suspended arrangement, which was situated behind the top table. This really complimented the barn perfectly. Lorraine had designed and customized her own gold centre piece stands, to match their colour scheme. It was quite special to have a unique design, something I’ve not seen before at any event. The tables were mixed with a combination of tall and low arrangements, to add variety and contrast to the barn. I must say, the flowers looked and smelt amazing!

Food & Drink

Lindy the Wedding Planner: Their cake was a three-tier naked sponge cake by Jessica Lauren. This was dressed with seasonal berries and gorgeous blooms by Wild Orchid.

Starter

Red onion tart, spinach & saffron shallot, mascarpone, red currant & balsamic Roast butternut soup with root vegetable crisps (v) Main Slow braised sticky Hampshire beef with creamed parsnip mash, Root vegetable crisps and Olivette carrots Falafel cakes, bulgar wheat tabouleh, sweet tomato dressing (v)

Dessert

Chocolate pot with a melting middle, Jack Daniels ice cream and chocolate crumbs Fresh fruit platter with Charantaise melon, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries and kiwi (v)

Photography

Laura & Mike the Bride & Groom: Our wedding planner Lindy Dowling recommended Natalie J Weddings. We decided not to have a videographer. Lindy the Wedding Planner: Obviously you were knock out amazing.

Entertainment

Laura & Mike the Bride & Groom: We had a magician during the reception / at the meal, a live band in the evening. Bride’s cousin sang the first dance and uncle played the accompanying piano. Lindy the Wedding Planner: Laura and Mike had Apollo Strings play during their ceremony and reception. They played beautifully, with a combination of classical/romantic pieces, followed by movie soundtrack pieces for the reception. Joe Morrell quite literally worked his magic on the guests during the drinks reception, which was a hit with everyone. Laura’s Cousin and Uncle performed their first dance song, which was really emotional to watch. Their band (Soul Moods) kicked the evening off wonderfully and kept the guests dancing from beginning to end.