Classic & Rustic Pink Country Barn Wedding

Did you ever see a more beautiful pair? And they look so very in love too, ahhh.

WWW readers Cara and Maurice were married on the 19^th July 2015 at Supplier Love faves Shustoke Barn in Warwickshire. The countryside location was perfect for their classic meets laid back nuptials. The sweet pale pink colours used throughout worked a treat, with the boys in candy coloured ties, the bridesmaids in lace and the florals in soft hues. Gorgeous!

Cara looked oh so stunning in Dakota by Enzoani; a figure hugging lace number which flattered her perfectly. Oh and her long wavy hair looked amazing teamed with a classic veil, not to mention how much I heart those Jimmy Choos.

Thanks so much to Lisa Carpenter for sharing these remarkable shots with us today.

THE PROPOSAL | Moss organised a surprise trip to the Lake District, he had booked the time off work with my manager and arranged for a three night stay in a beautiful little boutique B&B.

We spent our time there walking in the hills and around lakes before venturing out on a rowing boat across lake Windermere. After a while we came to a secluded spot behind a small island where moss got down on one knee and proposed with the ring.

THE VISION | From the initial discussions it was clear that we both wanted something rustic but classic, laid back and most of all fun!

THE PLANNING PROCESS | The planning was taken on by myself and my mum as we were having our house renovated at the same time (we like a challenge) after finding ‘the’ venue in October 2014, we were all systems go for July.

My maid of honour also gave me a wedding organiser as a gift which was really helpful to make sure nothing was overlooked – which was my biggest fear during the planning.

THE VENUE | We had researched a lot of venues and wanting to get married in the church my parents were married in (Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church, Sutton Coldfield) we wanted the venue to be reasonably local.

We had ideas of a barn or country house and were struggling to find something that felt right. It was my mum who came across Shustoke Farm Barns in Coleshill, when we went to view it we knew it was the one.

The staff were friendly yet professional, the cathedral style ceiling in the main barn and flagstone flooring added character to the venue, while the copper bar and glass wall into the kitchen gave a stylish polished overall feel.

THE DRESS & ACCESSORIES | I spend two full days going from dress shop to dress shop with my mum and maid of honour in tow, I was getting more worried with each dress I tried.

At the final dress shop (The Bridal Room), we had success, I tried a variety of shapes and styles thinking that I wanted something with an A-line skirt, after being persuaded by my mum and maid of honour I tried a lace Enzoani Dakota dress, it was fitted, strapless, fishtail with a slightly Spanish feel.

I had a cathedral length veil and splashed out on a pair of Jimmy Choos to walk down the aisle. Other than that I kept the accessories simple wearing the diamond earrings that Moss had gave me that morning as a wedding gift and my ring.

I also wore a crystal trinket on my shoe that my late grandmother had given me, from certain angles it looked blue so I thought it was perfect.

GROOM’S ATTIRE | Moss had wanted to wear blue to the wedding so set about looking for a suit, he eventually found a beautiful two-piece suit from Hugo Boss and teamed it with brown brogues, braces and pocket handkerchief. He wore a pale pink tie to match the bridesmaid’s dresses and secured it with my late grandfather’s pearl tie pin.

On the morning of the wedding I sent him a gift of an engraved pocket watch.

THE READINGS & MUSIC | A family friend is an Irish piper and piped our guests into the church ahead of the ceremony, we had a great string quartet called Enigma who played Desiree, Kissing You as I walked down the aisle, they played Ave Maria as we signed our marriage certificate, and Here Comes The Sun as we left the church.

We danced our first dance as husband and wife to Millionaire by Scouting for Girls, we loved this song and it had the upbeat laid back vibe we were looking for.

BEAUTIFUL BRIDESMAIDS | I had two of my oldest friends as bridesmaids, we have known each other since we were in nursery and I count them as the siblings I never had, they know me as well as I know myself and helped me with every part of the planning, the stressful moments, exciting moments and the hilarious ones.

They were also incredibly on the ball on the day, handing out tissues, lifting the dress, straightening the veil, hair, make up, perfume, they managed it all and I couldn’t be more grateful for them.

THE FLOWERS | Again with the flowers I wanted them to be classic but not too formal, I wanted a mix of pinks and white with a little yellow and tied in a way that was not too structured, like the rest of the day I wanted an elegant but relaxed feel. The florist knew exactly what I was looking for and helped make suggestions to keep the budget from going out of control while still having the wow factor – which can be difficult on the tables in a venue with so much height!

THE CAKE | I had a vision of something that had similarities with my dress, I didn’t want anything too fussy, I knew I wanted three tiers in a traditional style and loved the lace effect icing, small touches of white lace icing on an ivory cake, when I saw it come to life I was thrilled with it.

YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER | Looking for a photographer was something we took seriously, knowing that we will be looking at the photos for years to come we knew we had to get the photographer right.

We looked around on the internet and found everything from very traditional photography styles to super arty shots. It soon became a bit overwhelming and I asked the advice of the owner of the wedding dress shop, she was so passionate about her brides and their big days I knew that a referral from her would be something special. This is when I found out about Lisa Carpenter, I took a look at her website and it was great to get an instant feel about the person rather than just the photos they have taken. Lisa seemed like the ideal photographer so we confirmed the date as soon as we could, we had an engagement shoot with our package and it was a great way to meet Lisa and work on becoming relaxed in front of the camera.

THE DETAILS & DÉCOR | We kept the décor simple, mostly large wicker hearts dotted around the venue, the table flowers in tall sprays from lily vases and photo frames for the table numbers.

To collect cards from guests we had a large birdcage that looked perfectly in place in the barn. I handmade all of our invitations with brown card and ivory lace to continue the rustic theme. We had fire pits in the courtyard and marshmallows on sticks as well as sparklers to keep guests busy.

THE HONEYMOON | With our main honeymoon to Borneo booked for more than a month after the wedding we took a ‘mini-moon’ to the Cotswolds staying in a waterpark for three nights. We had some money for a wedding gift off my aunt, uncle and cousin and were instructed to spend the money on ‘fun’, we didn’t take much convincing and decided to take our first wakeboarding lessons and rally driving. We had a great couple of days and it was great to get away following months of wedding prep.

We booked our honeymoon to Borneo where we went on a twin centre, first stopping in remote Borneo, experiencing jungle treks, seeing monkeys in the wild, kayaking through the rainforest, sharing lunch with tribes and visiting orangutan, it was a magical first few days and we felt so lucky to experience what we did.

The second part of our honeymoon was on Gaya Island, a beautiful island location full of rainforest, monkeys and white beaches where we relaxed, saw komodo dragons, wild boar and watched a rescued sea turtle be released back into the wild.

MEMORABLE MOMENTS | The memories that have really stuck with me from the wedding are –

Waking up in the morning and having breakfast with one of my best friends, unable to believe it was actually the wedding day.

My mum looking at me in my dress before leaving the house.

The drive to the church with my dad, holding my hand and driving the long way to the church to ‘show them what we’ve got’.

My maid of honour and bridesmaid calming me down right before stepping into the church.

The look on Moss’s face when I reached him at the alter.

ADVICE FOR OTHER COUPLES | If you are debating getting a videographer – get one! When you are the bride there are so many little things you miss out on seeing / noticing or appreciating on the day, the video is an amazing way of seeing it from a different perspective and is something you can put on and feel like your right back there on the day. I was sure I didn’t want one but got convinced into it and I’m so glad!

CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE |

Photography | Lisa Carpenter

Venue | Shustoke Barn *WWW wedding directory member*

Cake | Celebration Cakes

String Quartet | Enigma Quartet

Dress | The Bridal Rooms

How very dreamy.

Thanks so much to Cara and Maurice for sharing their wonderful wedding story with us xo Lou