Rustic DIY Wedding at Eco-Friendly Wedding Venue in Wales
Photography by Grace Elizabeth PhotographyComplete with rustic and vintage decor, Charlie & Paddy married at the eco-friendly Coed Weddings in Wales. From the personal touches that showed off the couple’s personality, to the packed dance floor with guests wearing flip-flops and ties on their heads, this day was all about celebrating the couple and their story so far. Charlie & Paddy have been together for over a decade and have formed an incredible bond, not only with each other but with their friends and family too. Because of this, the whole day really felt like one big get-together with so much palpable love and joy that you can feel in every picture captured by the incredible Recommended Supplier, Grace Elizabeth Photography.
Rustic wedding at Coed Hills in Wales with DIY decor and details
We’re famous in our friendship group for our house parties. We were the first in our friendship group to move out so we were always the hosts and have stayed that way! We have annual parties for our birthdays, New Year’s and summer BBQs, so we wanted our wedding to feel like one of our house parties. One of our groomsmen said in his speech, “I like to see their house as a no judgement zone where everyone is welcome. They’re the couple you can go to for anything and they will do anything for their loved ones.” That’s how we wanted the day to feel. A welcome, fun, joyful safe space for our favourite people.
Charlie & Paddy
Rustic Coed Hills Wedding
Charlie & Paddy consider themselves a bit alternative and describe their main loves as “tattoos, skateboarding and taxidermy”, so the classic country house venue wasn’t very them. They also love Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings and when they saw Coed, it reminded the couple of the Shire and the Burrow! It was perfect! The venue is also eco-friendly - it’s all solar powered, most food is grown on-site, the toilets flush with rain water, and it’s zero waste as all waste is composted or recycled. The venue even has a Facebook group for past and future couples to share planning advice and exchange decor.
For Charlie & Paddy, they wanted decor that was reflective of their interests. They had a skateboard seating plan and guest book, Newcastle football badges for favours (Paddy’s team), and ethically sourced deer skulls as centrepieces. In terms of styling, the couple wanted a rustic, personal, colourful vibe. Charlie did all the flowers herself using a colour palette of peach, orange, and blush pink. Charlie & Paddy’s shared love of music and gigs meant they had bunting, festival flags and a guitar and vinyl records as a DIY moment for their order of the day signage.
To commemorate the losses they’ve experienced in their life together, Charlie & Paddy had photos of absent friends and wedding photos of their parents and grandparents. The couple also had ‘in memory of’ favour with a whiskey shot to toast to absent loved ones.
Advice, Planning Tips & More
“You are not going to please everyone, so focus on pleasing yourselves! And honestly, on the day, no one will care that you didn’t invite that cousin or have a starter! Stay true to your vision and your budget.
"I’d also say to choose a couple of non-negotiables. Our budget couldn’t stretch to everything we wanted so we chose what meant the most to us and compromised on the rest. It was vital to us that we had an exclusive weekend venue and a photographer and videographer. But this meant that we couldn’t afford a florist, so we DIY’d, and had to cut back on catering, so we had no starter and got our wedding cake from a supermarket.
“Also, don’t stress too much about things. The day will unfold organically so don’t stress too much about being too strict with the timings and if you don’t have a coordinator put a member of the wedding party in charge of timings. You don’t want to spend the day checking the time! The little touches are nice but don’t make yourself sick trying to do everything on your Pinterest board!
“There is nothing that will ruin your day so go with the flow! Paddy’s wedding ring got lost in the post so we borrowed one for the ceremony, it rained when we did confetti and lots of other things didn’t go to plan, but I wouldn’t have changed a thing!
“One thing I did that I would recommend to other couples is I used Canva to make a poster with our suppliers that had a QR code to their Instagram pages. The feedback I had from our suppliers was that they loved this and it meant more than a thank you card. Our suppliers went above and beyond for us so it was nice to acknowledge them.”
You’ll love your wedding more for all those things that don’t go to plan and make your day unique
Honestly, we were both surprised by how much we loved the ceremony. We both saw the legal ceremony as a bit of a box to tick but standing there looking at each other, saying our vows, and seeing our friends and family so genuinely happy for both of us is a moment we will treasure. We’re so blessed that both of our friends and family get on and love our choice of partner. It was so special to be at the altar and have everyone be so happy for us. We also took a moment in the evening to go for a walk around the beautiful venue grounds just the two of us. It was so nice to have a moment to reflect on the day so far and soak it all in. I’d recommend this to all future couples as the day is such a blur and this moment was so special.
The dance floor was also a highlight. The band were INSANE! The dance floor was packed all night! Looking around and seeing everyone dancing, singing, ties on heads, flip flops on, glow sticks in the air and drinks splashing about was the perfect party feel we dreamed of. Seeing different groups of friends dancing together, our families dancing together and the bride's parents (who have been separated for 13 years) dancing together with their new partners was so amazing.
Charlie & Paddy
Charlie & Paddy have given some great tips and tricks on how they managed their wedding planning and how they took things that went wrong in their stride. Take a look at our guide to managing wedding planning stress for some more insight. If it’s the DIY and low-waste aspect of this wedding you’re appreciating, have you heard of Recycle My Wedding? It’s our buy-and-sell platform for all things wedding! From wedding dresses to decor, you can buy pre-loved items and do good for the planet!
