{"id":274480,"date":"2020-03-16T07:00:33","date_gmt":"2020-03-16T07:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/whimsicalwonderlandweddings.com\/?p=274480"},"modified":"2024-11-21T12:15:38","modified_gmt":"2024-11-21T12:15:38","slug":"fun-barn-wedding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wedissimo.com\/blog\/fun-barn-wedding\/","title":{"rendered":"Fun & Rustic Barn Wedding with Smoke Bombs & Balloons"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Fun<\/p>\n

All the happy vibes with Alison and Alix’s wedding today, who were married on the 11th October 2019 at Donington Park Farmhouse<\/a> in Leicestershire<\/a>. Their wedding was perfectly rustic, very fun and with a totally relaxed atmosphere to boot.<\/p>\n

They had their hearts set on a barn wedding<\/a> and they fell for their venue as soon as they visited. As the barns were so magical, they didn’t need to add much to the d\u00e9cor. Instead they added simple and rustic touches, think signs, blooms and wooden details. So gorgeous!<\/p>\n

I love all the outfits too, Alison wore a beautiful lace gown, Alix and the groomsmen donned tweed suits, bow ties and flat caps and the bridesmaids rocked pretty multi-way dresses. Oh my.<\/p>\n

Thanks ever so much to Kazooieloki Photography<\/a> for sharing with us these fantastic shots, do look out for the smoke bombs and the balloon drop. Just epic.<\/p>\n

\"Welcome<\/p>\n\n

\"Bouquet \"Hangover<\/p>\n\n

\"Hashtag<\/p>\n

The Proposal<\/h3>\n

We had been together just over 5 years when we decided to take a little holiday to Venice \u2013 somewhere we’d always wanted to visit! It was the 28th<\/sup> February 2017 when Alix proposed whilst on a gondola ride in Venice!<\/p>\n

He had planned the whole thing with the man on the gonolda, who gave Alix his ‘cue’ to ask the question when he was taking a picture of us both! Alix got on one knee, and asked me to marry him with his grandmas ring \u2013 I was blown away!<\/p>\n

Although I had thought what a perfect place it would be for him to ask me, I was still completely surprised! Of course I said yes, as soon as I could gather myself!<\/p>\n

He’d even managed to ask my dad before we went away \u2013 and I\u2019m still shocked my dad didn’t let it slip!<\/p>\n

\"Personalised \"Wooden<\/p>\n

The Vision<\/h3>\n

We just wanted it to be one big party really, and definitely nothing too formal. We wanted to try to do things a little bit differently and just have a really relaxed, fun vibe.<\/p>\n

We decided really early on in our wedding planning that we would love to get married in a barn, and having a band was a must!<\/p>\n

\"Bride \"Bride<\/p>\n

The Planning Process<\/h3>\n

At first, we were looking at getting married in 2018 but after thinking about it properly, we realised we would need longer to save and I really didn’t want to put too much pressure on ourselves planning it quickly.<\/p>\n

After doing a big of research online, we visited a couple of local venues with all with a barn-theme. We visited Donington Park Farmhouse in the June and completely fell in love with the place. We decided there and then that we wouldn’t look at any more venues, as we knew we wouldn’t find anywhere nicer!<\/p>\n

Once this was all booked in and we’d decided on a date, we then began to look for the main suppliers. We found our photographer (Kazooieloki), videographer (LJB films), the band (Kaleid\u00f8) and the florist (Margaret’s florist).<\/p>\n

Having all these things in place meant we could relax a bit, and doing the smaller things bit-by-bit as we went along including booking other suppliers, such as a doughnut wall (Doughnotts). My sister helped me loads \u2013 we made little bits like personalised matchboxes for the sparklers and she painted two amazing pallets which she made into our ‘order of the day’. I also bought some second hand ladders which we sanded down to eventually make my seating plan.<\/p>\n

My favourite part of the planning process was making each others wedding rings at Nottinghamshire’s Wedding Ring Workshop.<\/p>\n

The last few months flew by, which was filled with hen party\u2019s, stag do’s and tying up all the loose ends!<\/p>\n

\"Groom \"Fun<\/p>\n

Budget<\/h3>\n

\u00a315 \u2013 20K<\/p>\n

\"Groom \"Fun<\/p>\n

Your Outfits & Accessories<\/h3>\n

Bride \u2013 Dress was from Wed4less, a wedding dress outlet based in Burton-on-Trent. I went there for some inspiration and just a browse really and was so lucky that I fell in love with a dress and they had it in my size. Wedding dress shopping actually was pretty easy, but I think I was just lucky!<\/p>\n

Groom \u2013 suits were from Humphrey & Tilly, an independent tailors in Thirsk, a small town in Yorkshire. We came across this shop on a weekend away with Alix’s parent’s and saw the perfect suits in the window. Alix really wanted to go for tweed suits, bow ties and matching flat caps as we thought it suited his style, the venue and the theme of the wedding perfectly.<\/p>\n

\"Dress \"Fun \"Fun<\/p>\n

The Venue<\/h3>\n

Donington Park Farmhouse Hotel, Castle Donington.<\/p>\n

We knew as soon as we visited this venue that this was the one for us!<\/p>\n

There are so many different parts to the venue, not to mention its gorgeous countryside setting. I loved the quirky vibe that it had, including the ‘Pig Sties’ where we had the wedding breakfast (literally old pig sties, made to look beautiful!) and the main barn blew us away with its rustic feel and old wooden beams \u2013 it was exactly what we were looking for.<\/p>\n

The venue was so beautiful that it didn’t really need much decoration \u2013 it was perfect just as it is!<\/p>\n

\"Groom \"Fun<\/p>\n

The Readings & Music<\/h3>\n

Our ceremony was in a smaller room of the venue called ‘The Hitching Room’. Me and my dad walked down the aisle to ‘Love You ‘Till The End’ \u2013 a song by The Pogues from ‘P.S. I Love You’, one of mine and Alix’s favourite films.<\/p>\n

During the ceremony Alix’s mum did an amazing reading which is such a lovely memory of the day. We wrote our own vows to each other which made it feel much more personal.<\/p>\n

We signed the register to piano versions of some of our favourite songs including Champagne Supernova by Oasis and Ho Hey by The Lumineers.<\/p>\n

After the ceremony, Kaleid\u00f8 played an acoustic set which was amazing.<\/p>\n

Our first dance was to Lover of the Light by Mumford and Songs. We had a balloon drop during our first dance, and then everyone joined us on the dance floor.<\/p>\n

Kaleid\u00f8 then took centre stage and absolutely smashed it!<\/p>\n

\"Fun \"Fun \"Confetti<\/p>\n

Beauty & Grooming<\/h3>\n

Makeup by Alex from LS Beauty.<\/p>\n

Hair by Sam from Bobbypin.<\/p>\n

Grooming, beard included, was all self done.<\/p>\n

\"Wooden \"Fun<\/p>\n

The Flowers<\/h3>\n

The flowers were honestly one of the highlights of the day for me \u2013 they were just perfect in every way. They were from Margaret’s Florist, a local florist in Ripley and Julie couldn’t be more helpful.<\/p>\n

I had explained that I wanted quite a rustic look for my bouquet, nothing too ‘perfect’ looking and I wanted to include thistles for Alix’s grandma who was Scottish. Julie did all this and more \u2013 they were beautiful.<\/p>\n

Margaret’s Florist also supplied the wooden letter post-box too.<\/p>\n

\"Fun \"Fun<\/p>\n

Bridesmaids<\/h3>\n

Laura \u2013 Main of Honour and sister<\/p>\n

Lucy, Jess, Ellie and Ruby \u2013 bridesmaids<\/p>\n

Dresses were multi-way dresses from Marks & Spencer.<\/p>\n

\"Fun<\/p>\n

Your Photographer<\/h3>\n

I think for us the photography was the most important thing, so I spent loads of time researching online. We’d decided that we wanted a really relaxed style photographer, particularly as we weren’t very comfortable posing for photos!<\/p>\n

We found Kazooieloki online and we were blown away with their work. They seemed to tick all the boxed for us and we thought their style of photography would go really with our wedding style. We also absolutely loved the fact that their photos were different to the traditional style of photos, even including smoke grenades!<\/p>\n

Richard was amazing on the day and despite the rain on our wedding day, we still managed to get amazing photos outside! He even managed to find the perfect opportunity for us to play with smoke grenades outside next to a barn which made for some incredible photos \u2013 and a whole load of fun! Kazooieloki definitely delivered, capturing our day better than we could have imagined.<\/p>\n

\"Fun \"Laser<\/p>\n

The Details & D\u00e9cor<\/h3>\n

We borrowed Alix’s cousins handmade wooden ‘LOVE’ letter lights which when perfectly in the barn.<\/p>\n

I had collected a lot of d\u00e9cor during the wedding planning, including signs, bunting, jam jars, gin bottles for the centerpieces etc.<\/p>\n

‘We Style a Venue’ helped to set everything up on the day and supplied more bunting, lots of fairy lights, lanterns for the aisle amongst other things. Jo was fabulous on the day and helped to take the pressure off on the morning of the wedding.<\/p>\n

\"Mini \"Fun \"Table<\/p>\n

Your Filmmaker<\/h3>\n

We found LJB Films by recommendation from a couple of our friends who had them film their weddings. Lee was so friendly on the day, and we honestly forgot he was even there filming which made us feel really relaxed.<\/p>\n

He sent us a highlight trailer video really soon after the wedding which was so exciting to watch. This was followed by our full length video not long after which is such a great memory of the day and it’s great to hear the speeches over again!<\/p>\n

\"Fun \"Fun<\/p>\n

Groomsmen<\/h3>\n

Eddie \u2013 Best Man<\/p>\n

Joe Mc \u2013 Groomsmen and brother<\/p>\n

Anton \u2013 Groomsmen and brother-in-law<\/p>\n

Joe – Groomsmen<\/p>\n

James – Groomsmen<\/p>\n

George \u2013 Groomsmen and nephew<\/p>\n

Suits were the same as Alix’s and were also from Humphrey and Tilly.<\/p>\n

\"Groom \"Fun<\/p>\n

The Honeymoon<\/h3>\n

Two nights in Dubai exploring the desert and then onto Bali for two weeks, staying in Seminyak for the first half and Ubud for the second.<\/p>\n

\"Fun \"Sparklers<\/p>\n

The Cake<\/h3>\n

We’re not really massively into cake, so we fancied going for something different and a bit less traditional. We had a cheese cake, as in a savoury ‘cheese’ cake! We are big cheese lovers so to us this just seemed like the perfect idea. It was supplied from the venue and was made up of wheels of different types of cheese – it was a cheese lovers dream! They served it with crackers and chutney after we had cut it which went down a treat. One of my favourite things about the cake was our personalised knife, which was engraved with ‘Meant To Brie \u2013 11.10.19’ – we love a good pun!<\/p>\n

\"Cheese \"First \"First<\/p>\n

Memorable Moments<\/h3>\n

For me my most memorable moment has to be my Grandama and Grandad on skype during the whole ceremony (Joe the groomsman held the phone), as unfortunately they couldn’t make it to the wedding. Alix had set up the whole thing without me knowing, and it was just the most special thing to me and meant so much!<\/p>\n

Another huge highlight has to be the speeches. My Dad surprised all of us by giving an amazing speech \u2013 which he had always said he wouldn’t be able to do as speeches just aren’t his thing. Clearly he was wrong! This was followed by emotional and hilarious speeches from Alix, Ian (Alix’s dad), Joe (Alix’s brother) and of course Eddie with his truly memorable best man’s speech.<\/p>\n

\"Fun<\/p>\n

Advice For Other Couples<\/h3>\n

I think it is easy to get caught up in the planning and all the excitement – I would say to always remember why you are getting married because that’s really all that does matter!<\/p>\n

Just remember to enjoy the planning and do what is the right thing for you and your partner \u2013 try not to worry about others! It’s your day and you should do things how you want.<\/p>\n

Credit Where Credit Is Due<\/h5>\n
\n
\n

Photographer
\nKazooieloki Photography<\/a><\/p>\n

Venue
\nDonington Park Farmhouse<\/a><\/p>\n

Videographer
\nLJB Films<\/p>\n

Dress
\nWed4less Burton-on-trent<\/a><\/p>\n

Suits
\nHumphrey & Tilly<\/a><\/p>\n

Florist
\nMargaret’s Florist<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Makeup
\nLS Beauty<\/p>\n

Hair
\nWedding Hair by Sammie<\/a><\/p>\n

Band
\nKaleid\u00f8<\/a><\/p>\n

Decor
\nWe Style a Venue<\/p>\n

Doughnut Wall
\nDoughnotts<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Oh so brilliant.<\/p>\n

Alison and Alix, thank you so very much for sharing your special wedding story with us xo Lou<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

All the happy vibes with Alison and Alix’s wedding today, who were married on the 11th October 2019 at Donington Park Farmhouse in Leicestershire. Their wedding was perfectly rustic, very fun and with a totally relaxed atmosphere to boot. They had their hearts set on a barn wedding and they fell for their venue as […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":274523,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,48],"tags":[5910,234,1779,1473,3599],"class_list":["post-274480","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-real-weddings","category-rustic-wedding","tag-autumn-wedding","tag-barn-wedding","tag-donington-park-farmhouse-hotel","tag-leicestershire-wedding","tag-smoke-bomb-wedding"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"mv":{"thumbnail_id":274523,"thumbnail_uri":"https:\/\/whimsical-cdn.wedissimo.com\/2020\/02\/Fun-Barn-Wedding-Kazooieloki-Photography-34-300x201.jpg"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wedissimo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/274480","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wedissimo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wedissimo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wedissimo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wedissimo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=274480"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wedissimo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/274480\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wedissimo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/274523"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wedissimo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=274480"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wedissimo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=274480"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wedissimo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=274480"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}