Intimate Outdoor Autumn Garden Wedding with Pretty Florals

What a splendid celebration I have to share with you today folks! You are going to love the outdoor ceremony and garden reception, the stylish attire and the gorgeous blooms from this pretty Autumn wedding.

Sophie and Josue were celebrated their marriage on the 7th September 2019 following a civil ceremony the day before. They were then able to host their wedding day in the beautiful gardens at Broadfield Court, Herefordshire in wonderful intimate style. They had a statement arch as a backdrop and for the reception they placed tables in a U shape, which is a really lovely way of ensuring an intimate, small wedding brings all of your guests together.

Sophie had two dresses, the first a chic top and skirt and for the main wedding day a classic and dramatic gown with long veil. She looked amazing. Josue was suited and booted in a blue suit with a yellow bow tie on the main wedding day, very cool indeed. The bridesmaids wore mismatched jewel tone frocks teamed with the loveliest seasonal bouquets. Swoon. I defy you not to want to pin everything below!

Marta May Photography, thank you so very much for sharing your wonderful images with us, what a treat.

The Proposal

Josh and I were away on a much-needed break over Easter in 2019. We were just getting ourselves ready for our first day on the slopes, I was checking my boots were on securely, and Josh said he needed to secure his snowboard. I was admiring the view of the French Alps and was about to chastise Josh for taking too long to get ready. As I turned around (to tell him off), I noticed that he wasn’t adjusting his boots, but he was down on one knee.

I was completely caught off guard and was speechless. I of course accepted, we shared a kiss, then we stashed the ring for later, so I didn’t accidentally drop it in the snow! We shared a drink later that day and kept it our secret for the remainder of the holiday.

The Vision

The most important thing for us was for everyone to have a fabulous time and to feel relaxed and at home. Josh is from Argentina and so we wanted to bring parts of our two cultures together. We both love being outdoors, so a venue with stunning scenery was a must. We were also having 5 of Josh’s family over from Argentina who would not be able to speak English or navigate the country well, so it was important to us that everyone could stay on site. We found Broadfield Court and were instantly in love. It was the first venue we saw, and Josh was telling me to keep my cool, but I just couldn’t stop telling Frances how amazing everything was and from squealing with delight every time we saw something new.

The Planning Process

The planning process was very quick for us. We were engaged in April and married at the start of September the same year. This meant that some things were not possible due to time constraints. We knew we wanted to do a lot of the work ourselves with regards decorations. We also wanted to we married legally the day before the party as I had always wanted to get married with just family, whereas Josh had always imagined something bigger. We tried to meet in the middle. We booked Broadfield for an entire weekend, arriving on Thursday to begin setup. I was very much the leader of the planning, and delegated a few tasks to Josh (at the time I was enjoying the summer off as I work as a teacher) so it made more sense for me to take on the wedding planning. Frances was amazing with communication and we felt so supported by her and the team at Broadfield.

Budget

Originally £9,000 but our parents added £8,000 to allow us some extra luxuries.

We were approaching the budget having booked the venue, food (for Friday and Saturday) and entertainment plus the flights for Josh’s family. We still had suits, dresses, flowers and all the other things you don’t think of to cover, so our parents offered to help to make things even more special for us.

Your Outfits & Accessories

I wore a Nicola Anne “Caring” dress in Champagne for the main event. Originally, I hadn’t budgeted much for a dress, but it’s one of those things that my mom insisted on helping out with. I went into Brides Of Winchester (my first appointment) and saw this immediately. Being “champagne”, it looked orange in the shop and I joked that Josh would hate it and I should try it on. It ended up being the one after trying it on for a joke at the end of the appointment!

On Friday for our civil ceremony with just the family, I wore a midi skirt and corset top by Stephanie Allin. Something simple and more fitting for the more casual nature of the day.

On Saturday, Josh wore a royal blue Hugo Boss suit with a mustard bow tie, pocket square and socks!

Friday he wore a more casual sky blue suit from Moss Bros. Both of these were found after a hard day of shopping, once he tried the Hugo Boss suit on, nothing else compared! The light blue of the outfit for Friday was chosen as a contrast and for a more casual feel.

Beauty

Jens Dressing Table did hair makeup and hair for everyone. They were really smashing and were happy to come and do a trial the day before as we live in Hampshire and it was a really long way for a trial. She was really smashing with communication.

I went with very natural, light looking makeup and a loose curl with hair swept back off the face on both days.

The Venue

Broadfield Court – Just a gem hidden in the Herefordshire countryside.

The Readings & Music

Music was provided a cello player called Isabella Dembinska – I walked down the aisle to Bach – one of our favourite pieces Cello Suite 1 in G.

Reading: My sister, Oh The Places You’ll Go – De Seuss.

Ceilidh – the Ceilidh Tree.

The Details & Décor

This was all arranged by us with help from the staff at Broadfield. Flowers and runners on tables, bunting and fairy lights.

The Flowers

Provided in buckets by Twisted Sisters and arranged by me.

The Cake

A chocolate Nutella cheesecake made by my mom!

Your Photographer

MartaMay / TheMaysProject – Artur May

Bridesmaids

Outfits were a mix – two were from Sass and Grace in Winchester, and one we got from Warehouse and had alterations made! I was happy for the girls to choose their own styles and colours within an “autumn” palette.

The Honeymoon

TBC !

Memorable Moments

• Stumbling down the aisle – typical
• Falling into a hole during photos being taken on Friday
• Ceilidh dancing
• The treasure hunt after dinner

Advice For Other Couples

Have a plan before you arrive at your venue of tasks that need to be achieved if you are planning to be involved in the set up. The time goes too quickly in the lead up and you forget to do really small things that you will look back on and kick yourself over!

Credit Where Credit Is Due

So romantic! For intimate wedding inspiration we have lots of gorgeous weddings in our archives as well as small weddings and micro weddings too for those of you looking to hold a smaller affair, especially given the current circumstances.

Sophie and Josue thank you so very much for sharing your really pretty garden wedding with us xo Lou