{"id":182831,"date":"2016-11-11T07:00:39","date_gmt":"2016-11-11T07:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/whimsicalwonderlandweddings.com\/?p=182831"},"modified":"2024-09-27T12:51:19","modified_gmt":"2024-09-27T11:51:19","slug":"beautiful-rustic-coral-barn-wedding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wedissimo.com\/blog\/beautiful-rustic-coral-barn-wedding\/","title":{"rendered":"Beautiful Rustic Coral Barn Wedding"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Rustic<\/p>\n

Charlotte and Wayne really kicked it out of the park with their rustic barn wedding. I mean the coral palette, the personal touches and the delightful florals all really blew me away.<\/p>\n

They chose to get hitched on the 3rd<\/sup> June 2016 at The Great Barn<\/a> in Oxfordshire. They envisioned a relaxed party with a late bar, sounds pretty perfect right? Let’s start with those blooms. I adore the coral peonies, roses and foliage used perfectly in the barn, especially tied to all of the chairs, it made great impact. The tall naked cake in the most scrumptious of flavours really stole the show and there wasn’t a single piece left over.<\/p>\n

The bridal party looked really very gorgeous in their chosen attire. The bridesmaids wore long coral dresses from Monsoon, the gents chose blue suits and Charlotte wore a mermaid gown with a sensational illusion lace back. WOW.<\/p>\n

Jason Williams Photography<\/a>, thanks so much for sharing these amazing photographs with us.<\/p>\n

\"Naked \"Sheer \"Chair\"Rustic \"Rustic \"Rustic \"Rustic \"Rustic \"Rustic\"Rustic \"Rustic\"Rustic \"Sweetheart \"Rustic\"Lace \"Kraft \"Rustic \"Rustic \"Flower \"Chalk \"Rose \"Rustic \"Candles \"Rustic \"Rustic \"Rustic \"Rustic \"Rustic \"Rustic \"Rustic \"Rustic \"Rustic \"Rustic \"Rustic \"Rustic \"Long \"Rustic \"Rustic \"Illusion \"Peony \"Naked \"Luggage \"Chair \"Log\"Rustic \"Chairs \"Rustic \"Hessian \"Rustic \"Card \"Rustic \"Rustic \"Rustic<\/p>\n

THE PROPOSAL | July 2014<\/p>\n

We were away on holiday with our friends in Portugal and one morning, the boys suggested we go on a boat trip for the day. I had images of a busy, packed boat full of other tourists. I was therefore slightly surprised when we arrived at the harbour to see that in actual fact, Wayne had booked our own private yacht with our own crew!! It was our friends one year wedding anniversary so, to be honest, I thought it had been organised by her husband as an anniversary present! We spent the morning sailing around the Algarve, listening to music and drinking champagne. We stopped at an idyllic cave, which was utterly stunning, and Wayne made a toast to our friends wishing them many further years of happiness in their marriage and with that, he started to say he hoped we would be as happy in marriage as they are and slipped the ring box out of his pocket and proposed. I was so surprised as had not expected it at all and actually couldn\u2019t get the words out to say \u2018Yes\u2019 hum- I think that is the only time I have been short of words. A truly wonderful surprise.<\/p>\n

THE VISION | In all honesty, neither of us had any idea where to start in terms of planning a wedding or knowing what type of wedding we wanted. We continued to celebrate the engagement for some time with lots of different friends and family. Eventually, when we started to talk about what we wanted, the only thing we were certain about was that we wanted a Humanist ceremony and we didn\u2019t want it to follow anything too formal and rigid, we wanted guests to feel at ease and just enjoy themselves with a huge celebration and party. I knew that I was keen on a barn wedding and Wayne was certain he wanted the bar to be open late! That was the criteria we worked to.<\/p>\n

THE PLANNING PROCESS | Having no idea how to plan a wedding and absolutely no clue on where to start, I did actually feel very overwhelmed. I spent some time on the internet googling \u2018planning a wedding\u2019 just to get an idea of what I needed to do and what order I should do things in. It became obvious that the first thing to do was to start to think about the venue. I then started to make a spreadsheet (I became to LOVE spreadsheets!) with a list of all the things we would need to organise over the next 18 months. I copied this straight from one of the wedding magazines and then added to it each time I thought of something extra. It did become an ever growing list.<\/p>\n

BUDGET | Approximately \u00a325k<\/p>\n

THE VENUE | Choosing the venue was not too difficult and it didn\u2019t take us too long. It was relatively easy because we knew we would like a barn and there were not many barns that also offered a late bar. We organised visits to a couple of different barns that offered a late bar and we did also see a country house which surprisingly threw us slightly. We took plenty of photos and then took a couple of weeks just to reflect on the venues and think about it. We decided to book a second visit back to the barn and that finalised it. We both got very excited when we were there the second time and decided it felt more \u2018us\u2019 than the country house – it had a more relaxed feel about it and we loved the fact there were only two rooms so it would keep guests celebrating together in one space rather than losing the celebration across many different rooms.<\/p>\n

THE DRESS & ACCESSORIES | I did have a good idea of the type of dress that I thought I would want but was very open to trying a range of styles on to be certain. I wanted the dress shopping to be a memorable experience and a special occasion with my mum. Mum came with me each time I went dress shopping and for all the fittings too and my bridesmaids also took it in turns to come. I think we went dress shopping on three or four occasions in total and each time, we all shared a lovely day together having lunch and bubbly. Looking back, these were just such lovely moments to spend with mum and best friends, very special times!<\/p>\n

FINDING THE DRESS | I had narrowed my search down so was pretty certain I was looking for a lace mermaid style dress with a low back. A friend recommended I take a trip to Anya\u2019s Bridal in Wickham. This place was absolutely incredible, magical! It is a converted barn decorated with rustic wedding plaques and signs and the ladies that work there ensure you receive the most perfect experience and customer service. On arrival, there is a heart blackboard welcoming you by name and you and your guests are served with drinks from a tray scattered with heart confetti and \u2018congratulations\u2019 confetti. You are then given a small wire heart basket with heart pegs and let loose around the dresses. The idea is you peg the dresses you like the look of and those are the ones you try on initially. The whole experience at Anya\u2019s is memorable and unique and it stands out a million miles above the other dress shops I went to in terms of customer service and overall experience to the extent that you really \u2018want\u2019 to find your dress at Anya\u2019s.<\/p>\n

After trying a few on, I tried a lace mermaid dress with a lace see through back. I knew I really liked it but when I then put heels on and walked up and down the aisle in the shop, it was then that I fell in love with it. I also tried a veil on and did feel emotional looking in the mirror at my reflection as it was the first time I felt like I was going to be a bride!!<\/p>\n

GROOM\u2019S ATTIRE | This was left entirely to the groom and the groomsmen. Needless to say, it was not organised until very close to the day. Wayne confirmed to me it would be blue or grey and that was all I was told. A few weeks before the wedding, Wayne decided to try it all on together to ensure it looked and fit how he had imagined. He had chosen a blue suit (brighter than navy blue), with a white shirt and blue fabric tie, with a white napkin and navy polka dots. It did look really smart all worn together and I was pleased with his choice. He had initially chosen a grey waistcoat to wear underneath but decided this looked wrong and didn\u2019t wear a waistcoat in the end at all. The men all looked smart on the day and I loved the coral rose buttonholes they wore as thought the coral and blue went very well together.<\/p>\n

THE READINGS & MUSIC | As the ceremony was a Humanist ceremony we had \u2018contributions\u2019 as opposed to readings. We chose my brother and Wayne\u2019s brother to speak during the service as wanted to include them in the ceremony as we didn\u2019t have ushers. We decided rather than a reading, we would ask them to write a brief piece based on their experience of us as a couple as felt this would make the ceremony more unique and personal to us as a couple. They both did an incredible job and it really did personalise the service. It also added a fun nature to the service because I think they were competing with each other as to whose would be funnier or who would make more guests cry etc.<\/p>\n

I walked down the aisle to \u2018Thinking out Loud\u2019 by Ed Sheeran. There isn\u2019t a huge story behind this song except I absolutely love the song and love the lyrics. I was listening to it on repeat for months before getting engaged and continued to listen to it during our engagement and therefore it made sense to have that song. We exited the wedding ceremony to Pharrell \u2018Happy\u2019 – cheesy but it made us both smile and we thought it set the mood for the party and atmosphere we wanted to follow.<\/p>\n

BEAUTIFUL BRIDESMAIDS | This was the hardest part of the whole wedding planning. I wanted all my bridesmaids to be happy in their dress and this in itself is a pretty impossible task when you have three bridesmaids with completely different complexions and body shapes. I immediately chose coral was the colour as that is my favourite colour and I liked the look of it with the blue that I hoped Wayne chose for the suits. We went bridesmaid dress shopping numerous times and to be honest it was nearly always disastrous with the girls feeling miserable in how the dresses looked and we would end up drinking cocktails in a bar instead – again lots of great memories of afternoons and evenings out but no success with the dresses! We eventually chose long coral dresses from Monsoon. On the day, once their hair and make-up had been done, they all looked beautiful and they were pleased with the overall look.<\/p>\n

THE FLOWERS | I am not a florist and I definitely do not know my flowers well at all, this was a completely new learning process for me!! I decided I wanted neutral colours with a splash of coral. I then started to collect images of what I liked from wedding magazines, pinterest and other people\u2019s weddings on Facebook. I met a couple of florists and knew the moment I met the lady that she was the person to do our wedding. She ran her own business with another friend and she was so unbelievably passionate about what she did. She showed us some of her previous work and it was so creative and really beautiful, a very talented lady. As soon as I showed her the images I had collected, she knew immediately my vision and started coming up with ideas of the flowers we could use. She gave me complete assurance that she would have it all under control and she assured me she understood the \u2018look\u2019 I was aiming for. We had hand tied posies of coral roses, coral peonies, white freesia, gypsophila, astrantia, ivory spray roses, seasonal rustic foliage and a few blush pink flowers.<\/p>\n

THE CAKE | Neither Wayne or I are keen on icing so we liked the idea of a \u2018naked\u2019 wedding cake. We contacted a number of bakeries in the local area to the venue and one offered to send us tasters of their cakes. I returned from work to a box of bite size pieces of lots of different cakes to try. Wayne and I then had the best evening ever. We ate cake and each rated our favourites. From that we chose our four favourites and that was the four tiers to our cake; Victoria sponge, lemon drizzle, chocolate baileys and carrot cake. We were completely blown away when we saw the cake on the day, it looked incredible. We served the cake as dessert to our meal with jugs of fresh cream and strawberries and I absolutely loved the cake – it was delicious. I was so disappointed the following day when we returned the the venue as there was no cake left and I had hoped for another taster.<\/p>\n

YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER | The photographer was one of the first suppliers I booked and I was cost conscious and trying to keep everything as low as possible to ensure we kept to our overall budget. I therefore went with a guy who photographed a colleagues wedding. His photos looked fine but it was the price that made me book him. As soon as I had booked him, I knew it didn\u2019t feel right and it played on my mind for the following 9 months. He was just \u2018fine\u2019 and not perfect. I noticed on Facebook that Jason, a guy I grew up with, was now in the industry and on looking at some of his work, it looked incredible and more the style I was looking for. I contacted him and we had a chat and I knew immediately I made an error booking the other photographer and it was Jason that I wanted to photograph our wedding day. Jason was absolutely incredible on the day. He was so natural to have around and he didn\u2019t make me feel awkward being photographed at all, it was very easy and natural. His style at the venue was perfect; he focused on capturing the moment as opposed to staged formal pictures and I could not have been happier with his work. The guests loved him as he got involved and got to know people. Jason\u2019s service continued to be perfect after the wedding too. He sent us a taster of three photographs the day after the wedding which assured us what was coming was going to be pretty awesome. He then did lots of other wonderful personal touches\u2026. not sure how much he will want me to comment as it is such a nice surprise for the bride and groom after the wedding. Essentially everything is perfectly personal down to all the finishing touches. I have already recommended Jason to anyone that I know is due to get married. He is undoubtedly the best photographer – his work, his attitude, his customer service, attention to detail\u2026. an all-round legendary bloke. Genuinely couldn\u2019t be happier with the final pictures, he has captured the day perfectly.<\/p>\n

THE DETAILS & D\u00c9COR | Upon choosing a barn for the venue, we chose very rustic decorations. We had lanterns decorating either side of the aisle and some ivory flower petals. We had lots of photographs around the venue of grandparents on their wedding day and pictures of Wayne and I throughout our relationship as felt this added to the personal touch of the wedding. We used kraft paper a lot in the theme of the wedding; this was what our invites were made from. We continued this theme on the wedding day and had kraft confetti cones personalised with \u2018Charlotte and Wayne\u2019s wedding day, we also had kraft beer mats with a photograph of Wayne and I. Lots of tea light holders and candles across the venue and letters in fair lights on the wall \u2018C & W\u2019. A wicker basket for the wedding cards and gorgeous bunting handmade by my friends mum which read \u2018Mr and Mrs Cockerill.\u2019<\/p>\n

THE HONEYMOON | This was easy. We had talked for some time about the dream of driving Route 66 in America. We decided this would be a perfect honeymoon trip. We both preferred the idea of experiencing something and adding memories to the wedding period as opposed to a relaxation Honeymoon. Wayne planned the whole honeymoon and I was very grateful for this as it did take a lot of organising and planning. We hired a convertible mustang and enjoyed each day as its own experience something new and incredible was presented to us each day. A once in lifetime experience which neither of us will ever forget.<\/p>\n

MEMORABLE MOMENTS | Dress shopping, bridesmaid dress shopping, the wedding fair with my bridesmaids, proposal (obviously), wedding ring shopping, the morning getting ready for the wedding, Dad seeing me for the first time, Wayne seeing me for the first time\u2026.. the whole experience!!! The whole experience from getting engaged through to after the honeymoon is the most surreal experience ever. You receive an unbelievable amount of love from your friends and family, it is completely out of this world how kind, thoughtful and loving everyone is. A truly once in a lifetime experience.<\/p>\n

ADVICE FOR OTHER COUPLES | It is really easy to become overwhelmed with the planning and the amount there is to organise but try to enjoy every moment of it because it is hopefully the only time in your lives you will do this. It is also very easy to go off track and start going \u2018bigger\u2019 with lots of added extras. Try to keep in mind the type of wedding you have envisaged and keep in line with that, that should keep you going off track.<\/p>\n

My other piece of advice which is so important is choose your photographer and videographer (if you have one!) carefully because once the day is over you only have your memories and their material to remember and look back on. It helps if there work is awesome as you will always have those images to reminisce.<\/p>\n

CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE |<\/p>\n

Wedding Photographer | Jason Williams Photography<\/a><\/p>\n

Venue | The Great Barn<\/a><\/p>\n

Wedding dress | Anya Bridal<\/a><\/p>\n

Florist | La Balle Floral Designs<\/p>\n

Wedding Cake | Cakes For All UK<\/p>\n

Ahhh so lovely.<\/p>\n

Many thanks to Charlotte and Wayne for sharing their wonderful wedding story here at WWW xo Lou<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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