Creative Aeroplane Travel Theme Village Hall Wedding

WWW readers Tom and Abby held their gorgeous Spring wedding outdoors at The Garden Station; an old railway station, followed by a village hall reception in Northumberland. Their day was so very crafty with oodles of touches and a super fun travel aeroplane theme. Abby is the Creative Stylist behind YOUFOLK Style Studio, so there is no surprise that the theme worked amazingly and the details were stunning.

The hall was transformed into a departure lounge with paper aeroplanes nestled every where, including hanging from the ceiling, festoon lights, luggage tag stationery and blooms in cans. The effect was really striking and I imagine the atmosphere must have been electric.

Abby chose to wear Danbury by Blue By Enzoani, which was customised especially for her. She teamed her dress with Kate Spade heels and a chic pony tail. Tom and the boys wore dapper blue suits and fly-fishing feather buttonholes. Awesome!

Enjoy every image folks, there are so many ideas here this afternoon.

THE PROPOSAL | The proposal is as memorable and special to Abby as the wedding day itself.

Abby had been away in Sheffield for the week with work. As she was staying with mutual friends, Tom came to join her on her last night to spend an evening and the following day altogether. There was a noticeable spring in Tom’s step and glint in his eye but Abby assumed he was just high on life.

On the way home, Tom asked if Abby wanted to pull into Bretton Hall, where the couple had met and gone to university together. Being one for reminiscing, Abby said yes and the couple drove around the now-abandoned grounds at dusk sharing memories.

When they pulled up outside their flat some two hours later, Tom told Abby she had to close here eyes and was not allowed to open them until he said so. The couple were mid-renovating a Victorian property so Abby thought Tom might have done some work to the flat while she was away. With eyes firmly closed, Tom led Abby from the car, through the front door and up the stairs, directing her to stick tightly to one side. Abby at this point assumed he had painted the stairs. At the top of the stairs, Tom led Abby into what she could tell was her studio. Now, with the smell of paint in the air, Abby thought the surprise was that Tom had decorated her studio for her.

Still with eyes closed, Tom turned on some dim lights that Abby could detect through her closed eyelids and began to play some music. Tom took hold of Abby and started to dance with her in the room. (That first song became our first dance song.)

Tom then said Abby could open her eyes and she immediately burst into tears.

Abby is a memory collector; she has a shoebox for each year they have been together and each box is filled with keepsakes from throughout that year. Tom had duly decorated the room with paint but he’d also decorated with a beautiful installation of all the contents of Abby’s memory boxes.

An overwhelming expression of love, Abby still had no idea a proposal was seconds away. Together they looked through the receipts and menus and feathers and concert stubs until Tom directed Abby’s gaze to a tiny black box.

As Tom got down on both (!) knees, Abby tried desperately to cling onto him, saying “no, no, no” over and over again. Tom said to her: “Will you be my best friend, will you let me love you, will you marry me”. Abby couldn’t stop shaking and crying. Needing confirmation for his yet to be answered question, he had to ask; “Is that a yes” at which point a shaky girl said to an equally shaky boy, yes and a ring was placed on her finger. (Tom had had a bespoke ring made of yellow gold with a white sapphire. He had also had made a bespoke neon lightbox with the words ‘Me & You’, which illuminated the room).

THE VISION | The couple’s vision was for a handcrafted, personalised day that honestly and simply reflected them as a couple; in it’s making, aesthetic and most importantly it’s feel. Abby and Tom wanted their big day to be as much about them as the room full of people they love.

Having chosen venues which felt most ‘them’, and one happening to be an old railway station, Tom and Abby decided on a travel theme for the wedding, seeing it as the start of their great adventure together.

Everything from the large-scale paper plane installation to the miniature hessian sandbags were envisioned and created by the pair (and some wonderful helpers). They wanted a day created by them and their loved ones for them and their loved ones to enjoy together.

THE PLANNING PROCESS | Abby is a meticulous planner and has a very keen eye for detail. There were spreadsheets galore, all colour coded and synchronised. There was a colour coded running order of the day and lists upon lists upon lists! After the wedding Abby added fragments from the day and turned her rather full planning notebook into record of their journey together from engagement to married life.

THE VENUE | The ceremony venue was outside at The Garden Station, Langley Northumberland. A beautiful old railway station lovingly turned into a stunning garden and café. We had the ceremony outside with the old railway tracks serving as the aisle and the two old platforms for our guests to congregate. The Bride’s Dad – a keen model railway enthusiast – even wore a train conductor’s hat, train tie-pin and blew a train whistle to announce the start of the ceremony.

The reception took place at the equally beautiful Allendale Village Hall, Allendale, Northumberland. A stunning hall full of original features, which Tom and Abby (with help the day before from amazing friends and family) transformed with all of their handcrafted décor and styling.

THE DRESS & ACCESSORIES | The dress was a customised Danbury, Blue By Enzoani. Originally strapless, the amazingly talented and wonderful Gayle at Accent Original, Newcastle handmade a custom keyhole back out of layers of lace, each individually placed.

Abby then had her late Mum’s engagement ring sewn onto the top of the keyhole back so she could carry her Mum with her. (Much like her own engagement ring, her Mum’s is yellow gold with a blue sapphire so it also became Abby’s old, borrowed and blue).

Abby’s shoes were Kate Spade open-toed, bow detail sling back kitten heels, shipped up from London.

Her only other accessory was simple gold and pale pink stud earrings. Oh and the cheeky garter from her sisters.

FINDING THE DRESS | Abby had been dead set on a long, floaty, bohemian-inspired backless dress. She had found a number online and on eBay and was close to buying one until she went dress shopping… Abby tried on loads of different styles and dresses but none fitted or felt right. Drawn to an ‘off-piste’ calf-length 50’s inspired dress, Abby knew it was ‘the one’ when she couldn’t stop smiling and dancing around the shop in it. Ever cautionary, Abby had her bridesmaids come try on a few more dresses her just to make sure. She took the opportunity to try on an enormous, jewel encrusted, strapless, meringue dress, which much to Abby’s surprise, she loved! But, once back in her 50’s dress she knew that was the one.

GROOM’S ATTIRE | A stunning, tailored three-piece azure blue suit from Reiss with a hint of 70’s pilot style. Given an extra nod to this with a vintage, gold aeroplane tie pin. Tom teamed this with a white and green polka dot Reiss shirt.

He had his tie, and the ties for his best men, bespoke made with each of their names sewn on the inside. Tom’s tie was oatmeal noile with a hand-dyed, dip-dye effect, mustard tip and the best men had the reverse.

Tom and his best men all enjoy fishing together so the buttonholes were handcrafted using fly-fishing feathers. Their matching pocket squares bore the words ‘Pioneers, Oh Pioneers’ and they all wore matching mustard socks. These guys got style!

THE READINGS & MUSIC | Bride’s entrance music (a surprise to the groom): Noah & the Whale Love Of An Orchestra.

Pronounced husband and wife and balloon release music: Barry Louis Polisar Me and You.

Ceremony exit music: Barry Louis Polisar All I Want Is You.

First dance music: Micah P Hinson I Keep Havin’ These Dreams.

Surprise Groom & Stags song: (reworded version of) Rob Heron & the Teapad Orchestra He’s A Rich Man Now.

BEAUTIFUL BRIDESMAIDS | Out of three bridesmaids only one lives near to Abby. One bridesmaid lives in London and was pregnant at the time of planning and breastfeeding by the time of the wedding (super momma!) and one bridesmaid, one of Abby’s sisters, lives in Australia. Added to which they are all different shapes and sizes and with different tastes. So, we ended up going for Infinity Dresses from Coralie Beatrix, which meant they could wear them in a way that best suited them and they felt comfortable with. Abby was really keen for them to decide on what they wore and the colour and style so they felt happy and they in turn wanted Abby to decide so she was happy. Via email and colour swatches the decision was made altogether to go for full length infinity dresses in coral, Abby’s favourite colour and befitting for a bright, Spring wedding.

Abby was also accompanied down the aisle by her two beautiful nieces. Abby chose playful outfits for the girls with one dressed as a Spring lamb and the other as a fox. They both carried small wicker baskets of flowers to later be used on the Easter egg hunt.

THE FLOWERS | Abby wanted to keep things simple. Both her own bouquet and her bridesmaid’s bouquets were fresh daffodils picked from the ceremony venue garden.

Set in a beautiful garden, the ceremony required no additional floristry but for the reception venue the couple had a combination of gypsophila, spring flowers grown especially by the groom’s dad and wild flowers from the garden of a close family friend. All arranged in a ‘wild’ style in decorated glass jars, tin cans and reclaimed troughs and buckets.

THE CAKE | We had a four ‘tiered’ cake. I say ‘tiered’ because it was deconstructed and each layer was made by a different friend or family member. All different flavours and all individually and creatively iced. It was a real feast for the eyes and mouth!

YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER | Family friends kindly took our photographs.

THE DETAILS & DÉCOR | For Abby and Tom it was the details and the décor that made the day unmistakably theirs. Not only did it reflect their style and them as a couple but everything was designed and handcrafted by them (with a little help from friends and family).

With a very keen eye for detail everything was considered and thought about from hand printed, treasure trail, chevron napkins to the 250 paper plane hanging installation. Given the timing of this Easter weekend wedding, an Easter egg hunt was set up around the grounds of the ceremony venue and hot cross buns welcomed guests as they arrived at the reception venue. There were vintage map place mats; designed and screen printed by the couple. They made miniature sandbags for the helium balloons and hand painted signs on reclaimed wood for both venues. Glass jars and tin cans were collected and customised. Vintage suitcases were transformed into the cake tables. Handmade seed bombs in bee-printed packaging were coupled with miniature jars of honey from the father of the Groom’s bee hives as wedding favours – a chance to eat honey and give something back to the bees. A seating plan was made as a miniature version of the actual seating arrangement, including miniature replicas of the place settings and airport inspired signage. The itinerary reflected the railway and the reception room was wrapped in brown paper as a nod to parcel packaging befitting of the RSVP tags.

As Charles Hermes said: “The details are not the details. They make the design.”

THE HONEYMOON | Paid for by the generosity of their guests, Abby and Tom had a genuine holiday of a lifetime. Abby and Tom agree that it was the best time of their lives. Staying in Airbnb flats, the couple stayed for five nights in the creative Mile End in Montreal. It is hands down their favourite place in the world and one where they’d love to live. Following that they travelled to New York and stayed 8 nights in Brooklyn. Ones for finding adventure off the beaten track, Abby and Tom did no ‘tourist’ trips but instead found second hand furniture shops, bars in old warehouses, a niche bakery and hired bikes with a picnic from the local market. Simply amazing!

MEMORABLE MOMENTS | For Abby, there are two memorable moments that stand out from the day and one even more so than the other. The first is also Tom’s most memorable moment.

The first and most memorable was a fleeting but vividly unforgettable moment with a white butterfly. There is a belief that if, in it’s rarity, a butterfly lands on you, that it is a loved one who you’ve lost coming to see you. While the couple were having a photo taken by one of her bridesmaid’s Dad, Abby’s bridesmaid noticed something in the layers of her dress. Looking down, and with the help of her new husband lifting the layers of tulle, Abby saw a beautiful white butterfly. It paused for a millisecond then took to the skies. Abby and her bridesmaid both burst into tears at the overwhelming significance of the moment. Abby’s mum came to visit her on her wedding day, dressed in white too, She lay waiting in the layers of Abby’s dress (which her Mum’s money paid for) and made her love and presence known. Abby will cherish that moment forever.

Abby’s second memorable moment was another surprise, this time in the form of a song. Tom came to get Abby and led her through to the dance floor. Seconds later, kazoos appeared, guitars were readied and with song sheets in hand Tom’s best men and stags promptly burst into song. The lyrics were all about Tom. Abby looked to Tom in delighted amazement, sharing the joy of the surprise with Tom. But a minute or so in, Tom started moving onto the dance floor and picked up a microphone. Abby felt a tad embarrassed that her new hubby was gatecrashing his friends surprise for him. Little did Abby know… Tom too burst into song and sang the chorus solo. The song went on with him and a group of his dearest friends all smiling and excitedly belting out the most amazing rendition of Rich Man Now that Abby had ever heard.

For Tom, his other most memorable moments are the speeches; four very different but equally hilarious speeches from his best men, but in particular, the speech his wife made. He also lists Abby walking down the aisle, their first dance, stopping to put Abby’s shoes on as the couple walked to the venue with one of his best men and the rapturous applause and raucous whooping he and Abby walked into when they entered the reception venue as husband and wife.

ADVICE FOR OTHER COUPLES | Keep things simple. Enjoy each other. Let the day unfold of it’s own accord. And hire a stylist! (Don’t stay up decorating until 8pm the night before, hire YOUFOLK to do it for you.)

CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE |

Bride’s Dress | Accent Bridal, Newcastle

Bride’s Shoes | Kate Spade

Grooms’ Suit | Reiss

Groom’s shoes | Zign

Rings | Erin Cox

Flower girls dress | Wild Things Dresses

Bridesmaid dresses | CoralieBeatrix (Etsy Seller)

Styling & Décor | YOUFOLK Style Studio

Lighting | Festoon Lighting

Photobooth | LOOKLOOK

Catering | The Carts Bog Inn, Langley

Balloons | Magical Touch by Kerry

Ceremony Venue | The Garden Station, Langley

Reception Venue | Allendale Village Hall, Allendale

How magical.

Huge thanks to Tom and Abby for sharing their inspiring nuptials with us here at WWW xo Lou