Laura & Oliver

There's pretty, incredibly pretty, and then there's Laura & Olivier's at-home marquee wedding which has left me swooning with delight. You are going to absolutely love all the details. From the DIY signs, to the antique key escorts cards, and not forgetting the truly stunning cake and pastel flowers. Then there's Laura's Jesús Peiró wedding dress. It is so delicate, with the most beautiful keyhole open back detail and cap sleeves. The bridesmaids Ghost dresses also have fabulous details. Coming in a gorgeous powder blue shade, and sporting a stunning twisted neckline. I haven't even mentioned the romantic proposal story yet. It'll literally make your heart ache it's so sweet. All the pretty has been captured beautifully by Rachel Rose Photography. Enjoy every minute lovelies. This is definitely a treat.

Proposal

Laura the Bride: Oliver and I met in the first week of university. Although we had been together for many years and had always talked about marriage, the engagement was a complete surprise. I have always said that my favourite place on earth is my family home that my parents bought ten years ago. A beautiful farm in the Leicestershire countryside. Which is where Oliver chose to propose. It was perfect. Low key and yet so thought out. My Dad was in on the secret and led me out into one of the fields as the sun was setting, where there was a trail of lilies leading to Oliver who was waiting for me. After Dad left us, Oliver proposed with my Mum’s engagement ring. My Mum sadly passed away when I was 20, and so the fact that he included her in such a special moment was such a lovely touch.

The Venue

Oliver and I had pretty much decided where we wanted to have the wedding reception even before we got engaged. The farm was the obvious choice, and proved to be the perfect location. Not only is it such a special place for me, but Oliver has spent a lot of time there over the last nine years. I loved the idea of having an at-home wedding as I knew it would make everyone feel at ease and relaxed. We used Fews Marquees, who provided us with a stunning marquee in the back garden. We got married in the village church. Perfectly quaint and intimate, and then we were driven up to the reception in a Beauford Tourer.

The Theme

Naturally the location helped dictate the theme. We were really keen not to have a specific colour running through the whole wedding, but instead we decided on an English Country Garden theme. We wanted to create a day that felt super relaxed – I wanted guests to feel like they could take off their heels and roll up their sleeves and just enjoy the summer day. The day felt quintessentially English. Our guests enjoyed games of croquet on the lawn while our string quartet played in the background. We served Prosecco and Pimm’s, and guests nibbled on delicious canapés. We wanted the flowers (both on the tables and in the bouquets) to feel natural and somewhat overgrown. We went for neutral tones of white, cream and the lightest blush, made up of peonies, o’hara roses, lisianthus, and finished off with plenty of foliage. Our florist Carolann from CK Flowers was fabulous. Her enthusiasm for flowers is contagious and we were so happy with the final product.

Photographer & Videographer

The day was captured so stylishly by our photographer, Rachel Rose, and we also hired Mark from The Big Day Productions to film the day. We are over the moon with both the photographs and the film as they encapsulate the day so beautifully.

DIY Wedding

Both Oliver and I are very particular, and we know what we like! We both have a creative streak, and pretty early on we had decided that we wanted to make as much as we could ourselves. We created all of the artwork ourselves - save the dates, invitations, menus, order of services and place settings. We were thrilled with how they turned out – and definitely worth the time spent. We wanted to make the day as personal as possible, and because we had the wedding reception at the farm, it meant that we were able to personalise a lot of the space ourselves. We made a ‘Welcome’ sign using the shelf from an old wardrobe. Oliver drew on the font, and we hired an easel and bought some cheap flowers to finish off the look. It created so much buzz, and yet was so simple to make. Another talking point was the signpost that we made using some old pieces of wood. We included signs about the garden games etc, but also personal touches like ‘Where We Met’ and ‘The Proposal’.

Dress

Dress shopping proved to be far more frustrating than I ever imagined. I visited around a dozen dress shops, and tried on over forty dresses. It’s true what they say – you end up with something completely different from what you originally thought. I bought my dress – a Jesús Peiró design - from Morgan Davies Bridal in London. The store was fantastic, and the ladies really understood my vision. I wanted the dress to compliment the venue. I wanted it to be relaxed and ethereal. I always opt for comfort over anything, and so it was only right that I stuck to those rules on the biggest day of my life. I was keen for it to be a timeless, conservative piece and something that I could look back on in twenty years and not cringe. I accessorised the dress with some dainty earrings from Liberty in Love, and a diamond bracelet kindly lent to me by Oliver’s mum. The veil was also from Morgan Davies – a three metre single tier cathedral veil. As the dress was simple, I knew I wanted a dramatic veil. As a shoe lover, naturally I treated myself to a new pair. I chose a pair of nude Valentino Rockstuds with a lower heel – again always choosing comfort over anything. I was really keen to choose a pair that I could wear again and again and not just for one day. I loved the juxtaposition between the ethereal dress and the studded shoes. I danced in them all evening and escaped without a single blister! In the evening, the veil came off and I changed it for a sweet little embellished headband to add some evening glitz.

Grooms Attire

Oliver chose navy suits that we hired. He was keen to wear tails, and navy just felt a little more modern. He wore an ivory tie, and his groomsmen and our Dad’s wore a very subtle blush tie. We struggled to find blush ties that weren’t too pink. Swagger & Swoon was a website I came across after and I was so thrilled when they arrived, and they were the perfect shade of blush. We finished off the look with silver tie clips, and a pocket watch for Oliver.

Bridesmaids

My sister Charlotte was my maid of honour, and I had three of my closest friends as bridesmaids. I researched for so long for bridesmaid dresses. Turns out, it is quite the challenge to dress four girls with different body shapes, heights, skin tone and hair colour! I knew I wanted the style of their dress to compliment my dress. I originally thought about dressing the girls in blush, but couldn’t find a dress that wasn’t too cutesy and frilly. I’d always loved the idea of Ghost dresses as bridesmaid dresses, but simply couldn’t justify the price tag. When I spotted these dresses online in the House of Fraser sale, I knew I’d struck gold and bought them then and there. I absolutely love the colour, and the neck detailing provided the right amount of detail while remaining conservative enough. They photographed so beautifully – I was thrilled. I bought the girls pearl embellished clutch bags, along with dainty pearl earrings and a bracelet to finish the look.

Food

Oliver and I are real foodies, and so naturally we wanted this to be reflected in the food that was served. We love Italian food and so created a menu together with our caterers - The Dimblebee Catering Company- that personified the both of us. We didn’t want the food to be pretentious and over thought, and so as a starter had sharing boards for each table full of fresh breads, with an array of Italian meats and flavours. The main course was chicken – as a self-confessed fussy meat eater it didn’t make sense to serve a dish that Oliver and I wouldn’t enjoy- and dessert was a trio of chocolate. We both have terribly sweet tooth’s and so created a sweet table that our guests were able to help themselves to throughout the evening. Our cake designer made delicious cake pops, chocolate brownies and marcarons to accompany the pick and mix that we had ordered online. There was a cheese table for our guests that preferred a savoury option – full of local Leicestershire cheeses. In the evening, the caterers served up fresh pizzas and homemade chips – something that went down very well with all of our guests!

Cake

Our cake designer was such a brilliant find. Natalie from Yummy Little Cakes completely understood our vision from the moment we met with her at her studio. We were after a nearly naked cake with fresh flowers and foliage – very relaxed but delicious of course! We chose a four tier cake – each layer a different flavour - lemon drizzle, white chocolate and raspberry, and classic Victoria sponge. We ordered the cake topper from Not on the High Street to add a fun twist to the cake.