Awesome Rustic Country Festival Norfolk Barn Wedding

Laura and Josh’s Norfolk barn wedding was nothing short of epic! Just wait and see, from the rustic country festival theme to the earthy jewel tones, smoke bombs and divine flowers. All so gorgeous! Set at Happy Valley Norfolk their day was in the woodland, with a barn reception and woodland portraits.

Look out for their gorgeous outfits, fun glitter makeup, cowboy boots and a very special first dance story indeed!

WWW fave and wedding supplier member, Thyme Lane Photography captured their day in all its glory. SO good.

Barn in Norfolk Wedding

The Proposal

Christmas 2021 after a lovely meal out, we decided to go for a walk through York city centre which, dressed in all its beautifully festive lights, is truly one of the most romantic places to be. Walking around for about 10 minutes or so, Laura began to notice that they were walking circles around the York Minster and, although it was indeed romantic, it began to feel as though Josh was lost.

Questioning Josh’s movements, Laura asks why they are walking in circles, to which Josh admits he is looking for something specific on the Minster itself… a Heart-Shaped window. Continuing to walk around in circles, now a joint effort in looking for the heart and after a further 5 minutes or so we find the heart beautifully immersed into the stained glass of the west window….

Reciting a known legend, Josh went on to say that “...all couples that kiss under the heart-shaped window will ‘stay together forever“. Blown away by the romantic gesture and turning back from looking at the window, Laura saw Josh drop to one knee with the most beautiful ring in his hand and said… ‘we will stay together forever if you say you’ll marry me?’

She of course said yes…

The Vision

Free-flowing love and laughter is what we always had in mind for our wedding. Outside of family, the storytelling beauty of country music is a love we both share and having that be a large part of wedding was non-negotiable.

Getting married outdoors amongst a day of live music, outdoor games and ‘el Familia’ style dining to bring everyone together with laughter and a little bit of glitter to sparkle into the night was quite simply a dream!

We didn’t want people to leave just thinking how lovely to see us get married, we wanted everyone to leave a heart full of joy after a tough few years having made new friends and welcomed new family members.

The Venue

Happy Valley Norfolk. Norfolk Wildlife Trust site, Happy Valley is nestled in nine acres of whimsical woodland and open space.

‘Happy Valley’ is what owners Katy & Scott’s grandfather called this part of the farm, he felt the magic when he lived here, just like we did when we first visited. Happy Valley is a place where love flows freely, where laughter is encouraged a perfect home for our special day.

Your Outfits

Blue Marc Darcey Tweed Suit for Josh, that fitted perfectly the rustic feel for our wedding and was the perfect accompaniment to the braces Josh loves so much!

Laura’s beautiful boho lace by Adriana Alier from Bridal Rogue Gallery, York – Laura’s home city and only a stone’s throw from where Josh proposed.

The favourite accessory for us both was our fantastic Ariat cowboy boots, we were adamant that we wanted to be comfortable enough to dance the night away and stay true to ourselves (Laura is not a heels kind of girl 😊).

The Ceremony & Music

Country duo Tennessee twin welcomed guests as they arrived in to the courtyard of Happy Valley. Once the bridal party was ready guests were shown to the island that sat under a beautiful willow tree, Family sat on hay bales as friends gathered by the bridge awaiting the arrival of the bride.

Arriving in a pickup truck Laura started to walk down the aisle of vintage rugs to the song, Pretty Flowers by Steve Martin and Dolly Parton (a favourite of Josh’s late dad) arriving at the top of the island next to Josh.

The registrar performed the ceremony complete with a reading from Luke Combs ‘Better Together’ (One that made everyone chuckle as she read the lyrics to the modern country hit) after the I dos the couple then walked over to great friends to First day of our live, Bright Eyes!

Your Photographer & Filmmaker

After getting engaged we immediately started our pinning obsession as we scowled the internet creating our wedding Pinterest board. A few months later, at a Wedding Fair we were about to leave when we saw a stand that had pretty much 80% of our photo’s that we pinned on display.

Rushing over we met the amazing Thyme Lane Photography the visual authors of our dream wedding, we knew right away that Thyme Lane were a fit for us! Their style the, colour, energy and love captured in all their images we’re what we wanted to mirror on our special day.

For us it was important to find a photographer that when looking at the photos transports you right back to that exact moment and if you weren’t there you can feel the love, laughter and emotions of the people in the shot.

Now 7months after being married we still look at our photos every single day and get that exact same feeling we had on the most special day of our lives. We will always be eternally grateful to Noemi and Pal for the gift they have given us!

The Styling & Decor

Rustic country festival theme ‘Winward Festival’ with a natural earthy colour palette our overall goal, having to adapt a little due to our lovely friend covid we did have to pivot away from all guests camping but it was still important for us to ensure guests felt as though they were at a festival full of fun and laughter.

The venue from the moment we saw it we knew was perfect and meant that most of the heavy décor lifting was done, an idyllic rustic barn with a courtyard perfect for outdoor music all we have to do is provide a few finishing touches and themed outdoor furniture to help seat all guest but also keep the look and feel of the stunning venue.

In the barn for dinner our table names were all titles of our favourite country songs about friends, family and love. Lara’s personal fav Family table by Zac Brown Band with lyrics on one side and a one-off wedding logo that Josh had created with the help from Laura’s big sister who painted watercolour wildflowers that could be digitally arranged to create the perfect festival logo.

The flowers were the show stopper for Laura, capturing the earthy tones of the wedding colour palette Thatch and Roses did the perfect job and even brought her to tears when presented with the bouquets and flower crown so perfectly dilactate for Laura’s niece.

The Honeymoon

Restricted by Covid we took the pick up truck that took Laura to the ceremony and drove it all the way round the North Coast 500 in Scotland. Complete with acoustic guitar and camping stove (although we did not camp) we travelled around the stunning coast of Scotland, listening to music and reminiscing about the magical wedding we had been blessed to have had.

Memorable Moments

Other than the obvious ‘I dos’, Josh was the creator of what can only be described as the most romantic gesture of all time!

When Laura and Josh met Josh was into alternative music with Laura being a country fan from a child. The first band Laura took Josh to see was guitar sensations String Matches (songwriters for the well-known country music show Nashville).

Loving the band immediately Laura and Josh saw Striking Matches perform multiple times over their 6 year relationship with the plan to always have ‘When the right one comes along’ as their first dance.

Having returned to the courtyard from a ‘bride only’ shoot in the forest Laura was welcomed by Josh, mic in hand, announcing the first dance… with a twist. On a home-made projector screen, the talented duo Striking Matches appear on ‘screen’ congratulating us both on wedding day and proceed to sing our first dance song, live and we dance in front of all our friends and family.

Advice For Other Couples

Enjoy planning your wedding with your partner and do what makes you happy.

Your wedding is the start of the rest of your life together so start it your way! For us it was about family, fun and being together so we went for informal sharing platters, glitter artists, music and lots of (outdoors) dancing! Enjoy every moment and have fun!!