Whimsical & Pretty Summer Barn Wedding at Cripps Barn

Summer dreaming courtesy of WWW readers Olivia and Adam today who were wed on the 5th August 2019 at Cripps Barn in Gloucestershire. There is so much to love about their wedding, from their fantastic advice (well worth a read!) to their whimsical wedding day style. Oh yes!

Their day was a happy, breezy and pretty affair. Think fresh flowers, stylish outfits, sparklers and doughnuts to name just a few. They were married in an outdoor ceremony surrounded by butterflies and dragonflies, before celebrating in the magical barn. It was all so gorgeous.

Lyra and Moth I cannot thank you enough for sharing these dreamy images with us. Wow.

Whimsical Summer Wedding

The Proposal

I was really busy/distracted with an exciting job towards the end of 2017/start of 2018, so Adam thought it would be nice to plan a holiday for when the job came to an end in January when it also happened to be our 6 year anniversary. He planned where we went, hotels, flights etc so I could focus on my job and have it to look forward to. I’d be lying if I say it wasn’t on my mind that he might propose because the set-up seemed pretty perfect haha! Thankfully I didn’t say that to my best friend as she knew it was going to happen.

We were in Iceland, and it was our first day of exploring by ourselves in a little car finding natural spots of beauty. We were walking through nature, completely alone trying to find an Icelandic cave called Glymur and it was snowing. We were taking in how beautiful Iceland is, surrounded by mountains in the snow by a stream. Adam gave me his camera to take photos with, and a couple of seconds later said my name very casually… and when I turned he was down on one knee. I was in such shock, I managed to take 1050 photos of a bush whilst he proposed! And we were just giggling together. It was a gorgeous moment.

The Vision

When we initially chatted about the sort of things we’d like, like the style of venue and the general feel, we luckily discovered we were on completely the same track. We both were thinking of a barn, sometime in early/mid-summer as we both have relatives who are school-age. Something whimsical, relaxed, rustic and fun.

The Planning Process

Our style of planning was to get the big things out of the way early on – venue, photographer, registrar, wedding insurance and then organise the rest much later on.

We established very quickly we both wanted a barn and agreed we’d marry in/around Cheltenham where Adam is from. I had Pinterest boards so we could bookmark things we liked along the way. Our venue was booked by February for the following August! And I already had an idea of the photographer who had taken an old friend’s wedding photos. I knew I wanted to DIY some decorations not just to save money but because I’m quite creative and wanted to add a touch of our personality to the day.

The Venue

We first came across Cripps Barn sat in a little cafe in Iceland eating Happy Marriage cake – yep, that’s a thing! It seemed too perfect not to get when you’re newly engaged, and in hindsight, it must have been a good omen! Cripps & Co have a couple of barns close to Cheltenham – both rustic and beautiful but also with a sort of modern-industrial feel, which felt very our style. When back in the UK and visiting the area, I suggested we book a viewing for one of their venues just to get the ball rolling, not intending to book anything yet. Cripps & Co themselves suggested we also check out Cripps Barn which was only 5 minutes down the road, and thank God we listened because we both fell in love with it and knew we couldn’t imagine marrying anywhere else after seeing it.

The venue has a lovely flow to it. Big open doorways and archways and a feeling of history to the building. We loved its metal roof and the big metal barn on the premises, a beautiful outdoor area which we felt was important, and we loved that it had fire pits outside for the evening. There was even an area outside to get married should we wish. I always loved the idea of an outdoor wedding but never thought it was realistic because of British weather, but the venue is so beautiful inside and out, and so well organised that if the weather wasn’t good enough on the day, they were more than equipped to do the service inside.

The outdoor area has this beautiful leafy archway and this was Adam and I’s ‘goosebumps moment’ of knowing we were in the right place.

Cripps Barn was one of the best choices we made. They are so organised as a venue in the lead-up and on the day itself. We really felt they took care of us. And the food was great too! The whole experience with them was a joy.

The Readings & Music

I love live music and knew it was important to me to have it at our wedding. To make it more personal, I asked my talented friends Dom and Agnés if they could play before the service, going up the aisle and whilst we signed the registrar. I loved that it was another personal touch to the day. Everyone loved Dom playing the guitar beautifully and once we knew the song I’d walk down the aisle too, I knew from living with Agnés she knew it off by heart! It was special.

The readings were something we chose quite late on. We love dogs and Adam has his own pet services business, so when I found a poem called ‘How Falling in Love is Like Owning a Dog’ it was a complete no-brainer. The other reading took longer to choose and there were a few contenders such as other poets and Shakespeare (as we’re thespians) but it’s such a fun memory as part of the wedding planning process. It was an early summer’s evening, and we’d been planning all day and read hundreds of readings and were quite tired, and I came across an extract of Winnie the Pooh… and we both were just sobbing and laughing. Partly because we were tired, partly because it was perfect. It wasn’t the sort of thing we were planning to choose, but after that moment, we couldn’t not.

“If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day so I never have to live without you.” (cue crying)

Be sure to check out these wedding readings ideas and first dance wedding song inspiration too!

Your Outfits & Accessories

THE GROOM

Adam knew he didn’t want a morning suit, but something more tweed-like and tailored and appropriate for summer. He was either imagining a dark grey or lighter blue suit – two very different looks! He found this incredible suit shop in Westfield called SuitSupply which we checked out. I’ve never had so much fun in a men’s clothes shop! After speaking to a brilliant sales assistant about the sort of suit he imagined and the time of year it’d be for, we picked out a couple of suits that caught Adam’s eye and he fetched several suits of several different styles, with waistcoats and ties to try with them. He was able to guess Adam’s sizes 100% accurately, and also pin the trousers/jacket so he could see what it’d look like tailored.

This is where we first saw the blue suit Adam eventually chose. I was definitely leaning toward the grey idea before being in that shop, but when I saw him in the blue suit, I got “the feels”. It was also really nice to see Adam get pampered a little bit and given really helpful information by a sales assistant. He didn’t get it that day, but having looked at a couple more places, this was always the suit and experience that stood out in Adam’s mind. He wore it on the day with shoes and a shirt by M&S, and a mechanical pocket watch I got him for his 21st birthday.

THE BRIDE

I had several ideas of styles I liked – I was never a ballgown girl. I was more into the relaxed, bohemian style. From looking at websites and in some stores, I discovered I still loved this style, but it was expensive! After looking at several in London, Mum had a new independent dress shop open down the road from her in Bristol called The White Collection and thought it’d worth a visit. The whole shopping experience I just did with my Mum, which was really lovely. We have completely different styles but she listened to my ideas and knew what I was after.

When we visited The White Collection, my maid of honour also came along which was exciting to have a best friend along for the first time too. The experience was beautiful – everyone in both of their shops is incredibly lovely and super helpful. We spent the morning in their Portishead boutique and the afternoon in the Clevedon boutique. During my visit in the morning which was lovely but we didn’t quite find the one, Sarah the owner and a sales assistant told me three specific dresses they thought I needed to find and try on in their other shop. We found two of them and at the last minute I found the third hanging by itself – and this was the one that ended up being ‘the dress’. And we almost didn’t see it! Talk about fate.

It was very different to anything I’d tried on. I loved the colour, but the style wasn’t exactly what I had pictured for me, so I was trying it on more for fun. But it was the only dress I had a quiet ‘oh wow’ moment with when I tried it on. When I headed back to the dressing room, Mum and Maid of Honour both asked for more champagne as they knew that was ‘the dress’ before I did. I was nervous to say the yes because it was so unlike what I thought I’d go for, but I’m glad I went for something a bit different that I’d never wear anywhere else. I couldn’t wait to try it on again! I also liked that the colour was called Titanium, as that was what Adam’s wedding ring would be.

I kept accessories very simple but sentimental. I felt it was important to borrow something from all three of my sisters, and these ended up being my nail varnish, the diamond tennis bracelet and my sister’s own bridal shoes.

Your Photographer

Sarah at Lyra and Moth was also a no-brainer for us, and it seemed like it was meant to be that when we first enquired with her, Cripps Barn was a venue she’d always wanted to photograph!

There was never a doubt in our mind that Sarah and her second photographer (Hannah of All of My Days Photography) would do a fantastic job. What we loved about Sarah’s style is that it was candid which is what we were after. She also adapted to whatever the feel of the wedding was, so she focused on the lovely details like the greenery, flowers and trees.

The Details & Décor

We could have easily spent SO much money here and I had so many ideas, but it’s such an easy place to save money on. What we had to remember was just how naturally beautiful the venue was and that it didn’t need too much done to it. Therefore, a lot of the decor was from bargain shopping or DIY.

I managed to get floral bunting very cheap from eBay and the ‘Just Married’ bunting from a recently married friend. All the table names and table plan were hand-drawn and painted by myself – famous couples and teams in Film and TV – it was a big time commitment but fun! All the table settings for each person were handmade by my Mother-in-Law, complete with sprigs of lavender. Table flowers were displayed in old tins we’d recycled and covered in hessian string – our flat was covered in tins for months! The old fashioned suitcase for our wedding cards was from a vintage fair, and all the signage and jars around it were DIY of my own. It’s about prioritising what you think you’ll remember on the day.

Have a look at these table name ideas and wedding favour ideas too!

Beauty

For hairstyling, I was always going to go with Hannah Hair UK. Hannah is one of my oldest friends from primary/secondary school where she always used to play with my hair. She’s now a talented stylist including doing weddings so there was only ever one choice for me. We had a fun trial day trying out several styles, eventually settling on one beautiful do. Quite close to the wedding, I got a bit insecure as the top of the dress showed more skin than I was planning and I thought it could be more flattering for my body shape with that neckline if my hair was more down, so Hannah and I talked about it over FaceTime a couple of times and she created a new style on the morning that was perfect.

It was very Queen of the North meets Titania from Midsummer Nights Dream. And Midsummer Nights Dream ended up being what I was going for! One of the only things I always imagined about my wedding was that I would have flowers in my hair, so we had several wired flowers that Hannah applied as the final finishing touches.

Hannah also did each of the bridesmaid’s hair, adapting it a little to each of the girls so they felt comfortable and put gypsophila in their hair. Each girl was beaming when we were finished with them.

I’m a bit funny when it comes to makeup. I don’t normally wear a lot and I don’t think my face suits a lot without beginning to look a little costumey, so I did my own. I got tips from a couple of people about new products to invest in and my cousin helped me apply it on the day.

The Flowers

Beth at Go Wild Flowers came highly recommended by Cripps Barn. She’d worked at the venue countless times so she knew it like the back of her hand, which was important as we only had the morning of the wedding to decorate. She was quick to return my emails and answer any question, and the main reason we quickly chose Beth was because we were obsessed with the Iron Greenery Wheel in the barn!

The Cake

We decided to go a different way about the cake as a way to save money. We knew there’d be a lot of food during the meal and everyone would be stuffed, and it’s a shame that sometimes wedding cakes are not eaten. So when we discovered doughnut walls on Pinterest, it seemed to tick all the boxes because it was quirky, looked lovely and people would instantly want to help themselves. We had hundreds of doughnuts, and there was not a single doughnut left by the end of the wedding. We got the wall from Etsy and spray-painted it ourselves.

Groomsmen

With the groomsmen, we kept it simple and a little quirky. Adam has always loved waistcoats and braces but we knew he’d wear a waistcoat himself on the day. So it was braces for the groomsmen! And we thought bow ties finished off the look and matched the aesthetic of the barn and surroundings. Each wore the same trousers from M&S.

Bridesmaids

I had a few different ideas when it came to colours and style for the bridesmaids. As there ended up being five bridesmaids, I wanted to keep the cost relatively low. I knew I didn’t want them all to be wearing the same thing – whether that be different colours or different dresses. Oasis had a lovely range online and the neckline was something that all the girls felt comfortable with. The blue went well with the blues of the grooms/groomsmen and the grey went well with my dress! Bam.

The Honeymoon

For our honeymoon, we took inspiration from my older siblings who had planned their honeymoons with Kuoni. It was super easy to do in-store and we asked for donations towards the trip as our only form of wedding gift. As Adam and I have lived together for several years, we’d already accumulated ‘stuff’ together, so what Kuoni offer was perfect! Also if guests gift more money than your trip costs, they send a cheque worth the remaining amount, which is super handy.

Memorable Moments

The moment our ceremony was confirmed to be outside. It had rained on/off a lot that week and was raining early in the morning on the day, so we had accepted it was going to be inside. But as I was getting my hair done, my Mum text us that it was happening and all the bridesmaids cheered!

During the ceremony, everyone was obsessed that we were surrounded by dragonflies and butterflies! Adam has zero memory of this haha.

I’ve always loved hearing the speeches at weddings. Hearing Adam talk to all our friends and family was beautiful, and making my own was surreal and unforgettable.

The sparklers at night were a lot of fun – it was a moment of everyone running around and inner children being released! And the photos are beautiful.

And finally, sitting by a big fire pit away from the barn at night and looking at the stars. It was a moment of calm as a new married couple, with the music in the barn still playing away and the sounds of laughter. It was bliss.

Advice For Other Couples

Spend money on the things you as a couple will remember the most.
If you intend to do any DIY, start ASAP. Sooner than you think you need to!
For the brides – I love shopping for others but get stressed shopping for myself. Keep your group small, the smaller the better, and take people who you know will listen to what you are looking for.
I would encourage brides to make speeches – I am SO glad I did this.
It can feel like everyone is constantly telling you two things: weddings are very expensive and very political (and by this I mean whose invited/where they sit etc). We decided it wasn’t ‘political’ to us and to disregard this all together – that’s just unnecessary stress. As long as you log everything in a spreadsheet you’re spending, you can watch where the money is going.
Get two marriage certificates! No one talks about this!