Pastel Pretty Summer Picnic Wedding

WWW readers Ben and Amy tied the knot on the 30th July 2016 at Elveden Village Hall in Suffolk. Their outdoor ceremony was just so sweet, with it’s petal lined aisle and arch backdrop. It really set the tone for their relaxed country celebrations. The white washed hall looked so striking festooned with long tables, blooms in jars, bunting and fairy lights. Guests dined outdoors with picnics on blankets and the little ones were free to roam.

The outfits however are my fave element here this morning. Amy donned an ethereal flowing gown, which showed off her amazing tattoos perfectly. Ben chose a sharp grey suit and bow tie teamed with stag lapel pin. The bridesmaids looked amazing in mismatched pastel dresses, while the groomsmen changed into bow ties and braces post ceremony. So much style.

Thanks so much to Love Luella Photography for sharing these wonderful photographs here today.

THE PROPOSAL | We got engaged in Florida!! Ben took me on a helicopter which flew us over Disney world and that’s when he popped the question! I was also lucky enough to have my family waiting on the ground for hugs and happy tears! Something I will never forget!

THE VISION | We wanted a relaxed wedding, we wanted the day to be country rustic with a touch of elegance to suit the both of us.

THE PLANNING PROCESS | I was lucky because Ben pretty much had the same vision as me of making and doing everything ourselves or from close family, we are very creative and both put time into the details.

THE VENUE | Elveden Village Hall, Thetford.

THE DRESS & ACCESSORIES | I knew the dress I chose was the one when I saw the look on my mums, sister in law and best friends faces. I chose something subtle and boho feeling. I loved that it complimented my height and showcased the butterflies on my back. On the day I was given a charm bracelet that once belonged to my Nan who sadly passed away a few weeks before the wedding. It meant so much to me that I could have a part of her with me on my big day. Ben carried a set of cuff links with him that once belonged to his grandad who also couldn’t be with us.

My parents had given me some beautiful jewellery on the day that matched my bridesmaids and I had one of my brothers who was also a groomsman deliver a parcel to Ben that included a watch I had engraved as a wedding present for him to keep as a memory.

FINDING THE DRESS | I went in with an open mind and after trying on 10 dresses I knew this was the one because the shop lady said I looked like a pixie.

GROOM’S ATTIRE | Ben had grey suit jackets and trousers for a more formal ceremony and then braces and bow ties for the reception, which tied in very well with our theme.

THE READINGS & MUSIC | My dad read me a poem in the ceremony that he’d written for me, it was really emotional and everyone cried throughout. I was really surprised as he also read another in the speeches and made us a song! Our music was all of our guests and our favourite songs over the sound system, it was perfect.

BEAUTIFUL BRIDESMAIDS | We went for the mixed colours of our theme for the bridesmaids with blue, pink and yellow, they all wore the same dress and it was universally flattering for each of them. They looked stunning. My maid of honour was my best friend Beckie and my bridesmaids were my brothers partners/my friends and Ben’s step sister.

THE FLOWERS | The bouquets were all made by the mother of the groom, they consisted of pink roses, gypsophila and chrysanthemums (my favourite).

THE CAKE | The cake was three giant French fancies made by one of mums work colleagues – Kerry.

YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER | Tash at Love Luella Photography went above and beyond for us and was happy to travel to Suffolk for our special day. Tash took the time to get to know us over Skype even though we were miles apart. We only met 2 days before the wedding but she made us feel so comfortable and I couldn’t thank her enough for all the effort and hard work she has put into such an important time for us. What an incredible lady! I will add that our guests absolutely loved her and we had people commenting about how lovely and funny Tash was on the day and that she took the time to talk to people as well as capturing memories of the day.

THE DETAILS & DÉCOR | We went for pastel colours – pink, yellow and blue. We chose these colours because we thought they went well with the country rustic theme, it made it easy to make the venue look pretty. My mum sat in the evenings making pastel bunting for months to drape all over the venue, this was a key part in the decorations and set the whole thing off!

The flowers for the reception were the same as the flowers in our bouquets. We placed them in home decorated jars and tried to keep it minimal but still affective. We also had lanterns and candles in jars which made it simple but affective. Our favours were hershey’s hugs and kisses in small gift bags.

We chose to have a picnic on the day because that’s something we love to do, so we laid out picnic baskets and we all sat on our blankets in the beautiful weather. I felt very blessed.

THE HONEYMOON | Having only just had a break abroad the month before the wedding we decided to have a UK based honeymoon. We hired a VW camper van and travelled all around Cornwall and the coast, stopping by different places throughout the week. This suited us down to the ground as we are both very outdoor people who love picnics and camping and it was great to have a break after all that wedding planning!

MEMORABLE MOMENTS | The whole day was more then we could both have wished for, from having my uncle perform the ceremony to the first dance in the evening.

We both enjoyed the speeches as we make sure we are quite open with how we feel about one another and tell each other daily how much the other is loved and to hear family members say lovely things about both of us was just very heart warming and made us feel blessed!

I also personally enjoyed our couples shoot as this gave me and Ben some time to enjoy each other’s company in all of the madness, whilst Tash captured some amazing images!

ADVICE FOR OTHER COUPLES | Absolutely embrace the day! Take it all in and make time for you and your partner to have a moment in all the madness that is your wedding day. It goes so so fast and it is over before you know it. Relax, absorb every second and remember all the hard work it took to get where you are!

CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE |

Photography | Love Luella Photography

Everything was home made, labour of love and DIY with a LOT of hard work apart from the venue and our photographer, Tash.

We would like to thank our parents and families for all their efforts, everyone put in so much effort it was an amazing turn out from our team work.

Of course Tash who exceeded our every expectation and gave us the most beautiful fairytale images. We found her on Instagram (and are so pleased we took time to look!)

Huge thanks to Ben and Amy for sharing their super pretty day with us here xo Lou