Whimsical Romantic Barn Wedding

Today’s wedding is ever so appropriate as the inspiration is none other than whimsical! Think romantic shades, soft materials and lots of simple but effective touches.

WWW readers Devina and Jon wed at the Barns Hotel, Bedfordshire on the 20th August 2017. Devina painstakingly created all the handmade details for the day and boy did it pay off! From the mirror table plan, to the brilliant wooden signs and hand painted leather jacket; a heck of a lot of love went into all the décor. I’m also loving the smoke bomb photos, just brilliant.

Devina’s long sleeved Maggie Sottero gown strikes the perfect balance between stylish and dance-appropriate, especially when she donned her trusty Dr Martins later in the evening! The bridesmaids are in two complementary styles tailored just for them and I think they look fabulous. There’s also some serious groom style inspiration right here with Jon and his groomsmen’s brown tweed three pieces, courtesy of Skopes Brolin at House of Fraser.

Kirsty Mackenzie Photography has provided us with the magnificent images of today’s wedding. Thank you so much for sharing Kirsty.

WHAT WORDS WOULD YOU USE TO DESCRIBE YOUR WEDDING?

Describing our wedding is hard. I don’t think it falls into one fixed particular category, there are some rustic themes, pastels, modern (MOB outfit) but I would say it represents a v overly happy couple with big smiles.

THE PROPOSAL | 1/10/2015

What dreams are made of. Cringe. Jon whisked me off to Budapest for my birthday I didn’t smell a rat at all and just thought what an a amazing birthday treat. After a day of sightseeing and segwaying, we enjoyed a romantic dinner and then went to Buda Castle. It looked magical gently light up with warm lighting overlooking the Danube River. We climbed the winding staircases and it had such a feeling of grandeur. Once at the top, I took the perfect opportunity for a few cheeky selfies and after finding the perfect angles I looked round to grab a few couply shots and there he was on one knee. I can honestly say after that point I don’t remember but he said a lot of nice things and was very smiley and we know what happened next. I said yes!

THE VISION | Given the WWW name you probably won’t believe it but it was a vision of Whimsical. At the time I didn’t really know what that meant but I thought of my own romantic fairytale.

THE PLANNING PROCESS | We started planning after a month of being engaged and started our search for a venue.

THE VENUE | Barns Hotel, Bedford. The ceremony was in the Tithe Barn.

THE DRESS & ACCESSORIES | Maggie Sottero – Roberta
Veil – Heading Up!
Shoes – Miss KG and trusty Doc Martens (dancing shoes)

FINDING THE DRESS | Serendipity Brides, Weedon

GROOM’S ATTIRE | Skopes Brolin from House of Fraser
Ties – Slades
Bow tie customised from the tie @ Sew, Barnet.
Shoes – ASOS

THE READINGS & MUSIC | We had one reading, a poem which I had wrote for Jon. I knew emotions would get the better of me on the day and thought it was nice to include my friends Sam & Alesha in the wedding. I asked them to kindly read it for me which they did and nailed it.

String quartet -Titanium Strings

Pachabel – Canon in D Minor for the walk down the aisle

Bruno Mars – Marry you to walk out

Evening DJ – Squires Events

BEAUTIFUL BRIDESMAIDS | I thought finding one dress that five ladies would love would be hard so picked two and gave my bridesmaid the option as to preference and combined the two in the Wedding. To help all the ladies feel comfortable I had each dress altered to them for a perfect fit.

Elise Ryan – Cap sleeve V neck & Sleeveless lace cutout from Houser of Fraser

Shoes – Bridesmaids’ individual pick

MOTHER OF THE BRIDE | Fenn Wright Mansion Lichtenstein jacket, Athens trousers both in ivory.

I wanted to break those unwritten MOB rules not only have my mum choice an outfit she felt the most comfortable so a suit as opposed to a traditional dress but by wearing white. She looked unreal and I wanted her to feel just as awesome, as it wasn’t just mine and Jon’s special day.

THE FLOWERS | The Flower Story, Lizzy Jones

THE CAKE | We were extremely lucky that Jon’s brother in law Joe is a trained chef and kindly offered to make our cake, which was amazing as not only was it tasty but it was a special touch. I did hear he used around 40 eggs!

YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER | Kirsty Mackenzie Photography

THE DETAILS & DÉCOR | There are so many aspects to planning a wedding but I feel that it’s all in the little details. I wanted simplistic touches that would complete our day and tie in the venue with our attire and flowers.

Confetti was made from using heart stamp cutouts of Jons old sheet music to reflect his musical background. I sourced materials to complete my vision, I handpicked mixed cotton and materials to create Handmade Bunting strands and sourced wood and colour matched paint to create personalised festival style signage.

One of my biggest challenges was the mirror table plan. I picked up a gorgeous ornate mirror and used glass paint but it was the devil in the detail that was tricky. Measuring out sizing of letters, centering text and positioning the text but the end result was amazing.

My personal favourite detail was my leather jacket. I found it randomly on New Look and loved the floral embroidery. I then wanted a keepsake that I could look back on similar to a high school letterman jacket to relive my youth and used acrylic leather paint and personalised the back in handwritten calligraphy.

I loved every minute of making and creating, it wasn’t a chore and became a real love that Bonnè Bride was born, my very own business in wedding styling and decor.

THE HONEYMOON | We were a little greedy and wanted to enjoy our wedding experience for as long as possible so had a mini moon to Venice where we stayed at JW Marriott Resort located on the Isola Delle Rose for three days straight after the wedding. We then went to Bali a few weeks after and stayed at The Amala, Seminyak. A perfect retreat in a private villa with pool.

MEMORABLE MOMENTS | Slipping off from celebrations and getting a few moments to take it all in. After our photos we stood alongside the river and just had a nice cuddle.

ADVICE FOR OTHER COUPLES | There is no right or wrong way to planning a wedding just your way.

CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE |

Photography | Kirsty Mackenzie Photography

Venue | Barns Hotel, Bedford

Dress | Serendipity Brides

Music | Titanium Strings and Squire Events

Flowers | The Flower Story

Styling | Bonnè Bride

Thank you ever so much for sharing your gorgeous day with us Devina and Jon, what a personal wedding you created. Rachel x