Autumn Literary Feel Hand Made Wedding

With a budget of £7000 Eleanor and Daniel created a beautiful autumnal wedding celebration to be proud of. They were married on the 24^th October 2015 at their local village church followed by a reception in a converted Methodist chapel.

They crafted up a storm, with Eleanor’s sister making all of the gorgeous dresses, Eleanor baked the delicious buttercream cake and they even dried their own confetti petals. Feathers and wheat were used in the flower arrangements and there were reams of bunting and festoon lights too. Guests danced the night away to the Ceilidh while firefighter Dan arrived in a vintage fire engine and they had a Guard of Honour after their ceremony. So very lovely.

Thanks so much to James & Lianne Photography for sharing these utterly wonderful images.

THE PROPOSAL | We were on our way to the Yorkshire Dales for a week’s holiday, and on the way stopped off at Fountain’s Abbey. Visiting National Trust properties had long been one of our favourite pastimes, so there was nothing unusual about our plans, apart from the fact that Dan insisted on being in charge of the puddings for our picnic. Being a dessert-obsessive, I was excited about the treats he had purchased, but had no idea that one of the packets actually contained the ring! We went for a long walk through the countryside surrounding the property and selected a secluded wheat field for our picnic. When we’d finished devouring the savoury side of the meal, he suddenly turned (on his knees) with the most elegant ring, proceeded with a very personal speech (which I cried all the way through at!) and eventually asked me to be his wife. I even (inadvertently) quoted Austen in my response – quite appropriate for an English teacher!

THE VISION | We both love autumn, and we wanted the natural beauty of the season to be reflected in every decision we made. We wanted it to be very personal, too, so a lot of the décor was made by either ourselves or friends and family. Dan is a firefighter, so parts of the day were influenced by that, and our love for literature could be seen in the table names, favours etc.

THE PLANNING PROCESS | A two year engagement enabled the planning process to go fairly smoothly. We booked the church and photographer quite far in advance, but lots of things were left until the final 6-8 months so that we could feel excited.

BUDGET | Our original budget was about £5,000 but we ended up spending more on our photographer and music, and in the end spent about £7,000. Our extra spending was worth every penny, though!

THE VENUE | We got married in our local village church. Our reception was a short walk away at a converted Methodist chapel owned by friends – they very generously offered the double-height space just as its renovation neared completion. It was a squeeze to fit 90 guests in, and it was a rush to get the space ready (painting the day before!) but the light and feel of the place was perfect.

THE DRESS & ACCESSORIES | My sister’s company, Wold Couture, was the only choice for my dress. She designs and makes the dresses, so I knew that I would be able to get something really special and unique – I love the idea that no one will ever have a wedding dress quite like mine! The look I wanted to go for was classic, romantic and relaxed, and she more than delivered. I wore my grandma’s brooch as my something old and something blue, but everything else was kept quite simple, including the veil (which my sister also made).

FINDING THE DRESS | Despite knowing that my sister (Jessica) would be making my dress, I still went to a couple of bridal stores to try on different styles and get some ideas. It really just reaffirmed my plans for a lace, corseted dress with short sleeves and a buttoned back. The design process was very exciting – Jessica did a first draft, then I asked for a couple of changes, and it ran very smoothly after that!

GROOM’S ATTIRE | Dan actually bought his suit less than a week after we got engaged! We were browsing the shops in Leyburn and a tweed suit shop was closing down in the marketplace – we went in to just have a look, saw the perfect suit (heavily discounted!) and the decision was made. Dan also made a quick change after the ceremony into his firefighter uniform so we could get a few photos (something he’d always wanted).

THE READINGS & MUSIC | No readings! We had three hymns: All Things Bright and Beautiful, We Plough the Fields and Scatter, and Jerusalem. Our music was a jazz singer and guitar for drinks, folk band to kick off the evening and a ceilidh band to finish off. Most of the guests were on their feet dancing for the whole night!

BEAUTIFUL BRIDESMAIDS | Six! My sister was the Maid of Honour, and then I had my two cousins and three friends from school that I’ve known for years. My sister made dresses for them all, as well as for the mother of the bride!

THE FLOWERS | We were tempted to do them all ourselves, but decided to get a florist for the bouquets and buttonholes. We had ivory roses (our favourite flower) and lots of greenery, plus feathers, wheat (because of the wheat field where we got engaged!) and berries. It was very natural, very autumnal, and quite relaxed.

THE CAKE | I made the three layers myself – we had chocolate, coffee and lemon sponges covered with buttercream and topped with sugar-paste flowers and berries made by a family friend. We covered the messy sides with leftover lace!

YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER | Very early on in the planning stages, we had wanted to book James & Lianne – their images are so relaxed and natural that they were the obvious choice – but we decided we couldn’t really afford an official photographer. A few months later we decided that photographs were so important to us and that we’d regret it if they were awful, so we booked them and were so glad we did. They captured all the tiny moments that we didn’t see, and so many of the guests commented that they hardly knew they were there. Having 2 photographers was also fantastic, because nothing was missed.

THE DETAILS & DECOR | Our loose literary theme was evident in the favours (vintage Penguin books) and the table names (our favourite authors). Everything else was very much based on nature: we dried our own confetti from rose petals, decorated the venue with sheaves of wheat and hung our seating plan on a wooden ladder. Our welcome drink was a cider Bellini and we ate seasonal food, something else that was very important to us.

THE HONEYMOON | We only had a week, so decided to spend it in the Scottish Highlands before spending a couple of nights in Edinburgh on the way back. In the highlands we stayed on the edge of a loch and it was utterly magical.

MEMORABLE MOMENTS | Ceilidh dancing all evening and only missing 1 dance!

Dan arriving at the church in a vintage fire engine, and then both of us leaving the church after the ceremony to a Guard of Honour.

ADVICE FOR OTHER COUPLES | Decide on what’s important and prioritise your budget accordingly. Make sure you delegate (my sister, for example, was in charge of handing out payments to the bands, and my bridesmaids were in charge of a moving photo booth!).

CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE |

Photographers | James & Lianne

Dress | Wold Couture

Florist | All Occasions (Louth – no website!)

Music | The Little Band and Merlin’s Keep

Such a perfect day.

Eleanor and Daniel, many thanks to you both for sharing your wedding with us here at WWW xo Lou