{"id":281459,"date":"2020-08-26T07:00:42","date_gmt":"2020-08-26T06:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/whimsicalwonderlandweddings.com\/?p=281459"},"modified":"2024-10-25T14:23:37","modified_gmt":"2024-10-25T13:23:37","slug":"ashes-barns-wedding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wedissimo.com\/blog\/ashes-barns-wedding\/","title":{"rendered":"Dramatic & Gorgeous Winter Wedding in Burgundy Tones with Harry Potter Decor"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Ashes<\/p>\n

The Ashes Barns Wedding<\/h2>\n

Rustic, personal, filled with music, family, friends and laughter!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Maggie and Martyn<\/p>\n

\n

What a dream<\/em> you guys! I am so happy to be sharing the The Ashes Barns<\/a> wedding of WWW readers Maggie and Martyn today. They were married on the 9th<\/sup> February 2020 in the beautiful Staffordshire<\/a> countryside during storm Ciara. There really isn’t much not to love about their day, first up I have to mention the references to Outlander and Harry Potter<\/a>. Maggie walked down the aisle to the \u2018Skye Boat Song\u2019 from Outlander season 1, it’s the most beautiful song! Secondly beautiful nods to Harry Potter were used throughout, from their reading to the Daily Prophet style sign, deer cake topper and table names, WHOA!<\/p>\n

Next up, the outfits, Maggie looked so stunning in her tulle gown by Stella York which she teamed with a tartan cape, while Martyn looked very smart in his Master Debonair attire; a navy tweed check suit. I must also rave about the dramatic burgundy<\/a> flowers, especially Maggie’s bouquet, oh so striking.<\/p>\n

It’s fab to hear that they found their wonderful photographer Belle Art Photography<\/a> on WWW and I have to say these images are just incredible, thanks so much to Becy for sharing them with us today.<\/p>\n

\"Ashes<\/p>\n\n

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

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

The Proposal<\/h3>\n

We met at the beginning of our first year at Lancaster University \u2013 we were both in Pendle College although studying different degrees \u2013 that was back in September 2013! We were together ever since, Martyn moved up to Scotland with me when I got a scholarship to do my Masters in Glasgow.<\/p>\n

We talked about getting married and how we imagined our Big Day would look like when we were still students\u2026 One day when I was looking for something in Martyn\u2019s wardrobe (Martyn says I was \u2018snooping\u2019), a box fell on my head. I should\u2019ve put it back where it belonged but I\u2019m not great with surprises and I just HAD to open it\u2026 I saw the ring, thought \u2018he did really well!\u2019, put it back and didn\u2019t mention it to him. That was March 2018. We were going to Italy at the beginning of May so I just assumed he\u2019s going to propose when we\u2019re there.<\/p>\n

I have a bucket list of Scottish castles and a lot of our weekends involve trips and days out. On Sunday, 22nd<\/sup> of April 2018 we went to Castle Campbell in Dollar. It\u2019s not anywhere near as popular as it should be \u2013 it\u2019s an amazing ruined castle in the most perfect location! It was just us going round and Martyn was starting to really get on my nerves, saying \u2018let\u2019s go up to the top before other people turn up\u2019. I like to do sightseeing floor by floor, reading any information cards\/boards as I do it \u2013 I don\u2019t like to be rushed! When we finally got to the top of the castle\u2019s tower, I leant out to look at the fields and the sheep. I have this thing for sheep \u2013 which is absolutely ridiculous \u2013 that I keep wondering how can they keep their balance when they\u2019re on steep hills. I said something like \u2018if I could ask sheep a question, I\u2019d ask them how they stay on the hill\u2026\u2019 (I know, don\u2019t judge haha!). Martyn was behind me and replied saying: \u2018and I have a question for you\u2026\u2019. I turned round and there he was on one knee with a ring. I don\u2019t fully remember what he said next but I got really emotional and screamed \u2018YES!\u2019 when he asked me to marry him. We came back to Glasgow with me having difficulty focusing on the road as I tried to admire the ring, called our families and celebrated with a dinner at our favourite Italian restaurant, Fratelli Sarti. It was the perfect, intimate engagement and I don\u2019t think it could\u2019ve gone any better if he tried!<\/p>\n

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

The Vision<\/h3>\n

I was an avid WWW reader way before we got engaged. Because we talked about getting married for a while, we already knew what we wanted. Rustic venue with bright, deep colours (I hate pastels), great music and food, filled with family, friends and laughter! We didn\u2019t want to adhere to any \u2018norms\u2019 or stick with traditions that we weren\u2019t keen on. We wanted to make it our Best Day.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m Polish and had a day or two of pondering if I wanted to get married in my home country (which my mum really wanted). Martyn has a very big family (his mum is one of nine) and we\u2019re close with all of his uncles, aunties, and cousins\u2026 They took up the majority of our guest list and we decided that it would be a logistical nightmare trying to get everyone to Poland. I\u2019ve also realised that I\u2019m not a fan of traditional Polish weddings and that I\u2019d much rather plan everything the way we\u2019d like it to be (a lot of personal touches would not be possible in Poland, i.e. during the ceremony).<\/p>\n

We live in Glasgow but despite being completely in love with Scotland (I like to say it\u2019s my adopted home country), we wanted to get married somewhere near Manchester. Martyn\u2019s a proud Mancunian and a lot of his family live in the area.<\/p>\n

\"Bottle \"Sign<\/p>\n

The Planning Process<\/h3>\n

I started browsing Pinterest and taking a lot of screenshots for inspiration very early on. We knew we needed time to save so we thought of late 2019\/early 2020 as a date. I liked the fact that we had so much time; it meant we didn\u2019t have to rush through any of the decisions and we could really enjoy the process. I heard a lot of stories from stressed brides who\u2019d be like \u2018I had an awful day at work but I HAD to do this and that for the wedding\u2026<\/em>\u2019. I didn\u2019t want to be one of them. We made a deal that we wouldn\u2019t spend all of our time planning the wedding and when we do, we\u2019ll enjoy it.<\/p>\n

We started with the band, venue, registrar, stationery (as we sent out \u2018save the dates\u2019) and went from there.<\/p>\n

\"Dream \"Bottle<\/p>\n

Budget<\/h3>\n

We did have one of these at one point\u2026 We did go over a bit but in general we spent as much as we planned\/thought.<\/p>\n

\"Ashes \"Log<\/p>\n

The Venue<\/h3>\n

We wanted to get married in a rustic venue, ideally a charming barn that could accommodate both the ceremony and the reception. We didn\u2019t want the hassle of having people driving from one place to another, and we didn\u2019t want to spend time doing it ourselves!<\/p>\n

There was one venue that we had eyed up ages ago \u2013 The Ashes Barns Wedding Venue in Endon, Staffordshire. That was the first place we looked at when we started planning, it was also the first (and the last!) one that we viewed. Martyn was really set on it but I tried to look at brochures of other barns\/venues to make sure we were making the right choice\u2026 We went to see The Ashes as soon as we came back from Italy and instantly knew that was THE venue.<\/p>\n

The Ashes Barns is a complex of two rustic stone barns \u2013 the ceremony barn and the reception barn. I could go on all day about everything that we loved about it \u2013 it was exclusive use (which was very important for us), it had a fantastic dressing room, there was a great pink cottage for our wedding night accommodation, there was a XV century renovated country house to accommodate our closest family members on the wedding night… The venue was no corkage, their food supplier (Jenkinsons) was highly recommended\u2026 We did try to find something we didn\u2019t like about it but failed to do so; we booked it not long after.<\/p>\n

The Ashes invite their couples (with guests) to an \u2018Experience Event\u2019 before the wedding. We were really looking forward to sampling some of the food before confirming our final choices with the caterer; we went with Martyn\u2019s mum and one of his brothers. The food was so nice and it was great to see the venue all \u2018dressed up\u2019. It really made us excited for the final stages of the wedding planning! I was also able to convince Martyn to add a sorbet course to our wedding breakfast \u2013 he tried a blackcurrant one and said \u2018this is amazing, we\u2019ve got to have it at our wedding!\u2019.<\/p>\n

The Ashes also assign an Event Manager to every wedding and ours was the loveliest lady who couldn\u2019t be more helpful if she tried (she even attached Martyn\u2019s buttonhole on the day as he had no idea how to do it!). The entire team was just amazing to plan the wedding with and they were always on hand to answer any queries we had \u2013 even if they were really silly!<\/p>\n

\"Groom \"Ashes \"Ashes \"Ashes \"Ashes \"Dress<\/p>\n

Your Outfits & Accessories<\/h3>\n

I don\u2019t know how many dresses I tried on before I said \u2018YES\u2019\u2026 I started with more budget-friendly shops. I\u2019m not going to name them but I cried after visiting the first store \u2013 the person was quite rude and basically stated as a matter of fact \u2018of course, you\u2019ll want to lose weight before the wedding?\u2019. I then decided that I preferred to spend more money on the dress but have a really good experience. I\u2019ve had issues with my body and weight my entire life, and didn\u2019t need to be reminded of it during what was meant to be a really exciting time.<\/p>\n

So down the designers\u2019 route I went\u2026 I visited five different bridal stores around Glasgow area. I tried on beautiful dresses in all of them but didn\u2019t feel \u2018it\u2019.<\/p>\n

Shortly after New Year, we went to Manchester to spend few days with Martyn\u2019s mum and siblings. Aside from one time when one of my good friend\u2019s went to an appointment with me, I\u2019d been trying on the dresses by myself. I thought it\u2019d be fun to take Martyn\u2019s mum and sister with me. I booked an appointment in Ava Rose Hamilton in Colne (they film \u2018Say Yes to The Dress Lancashire there!) but to be honest, I really didn\u2019t intend on getting a dress from there. I must\u2019ve been mad \u2013 drive all the way from Glasgow for fittings in Colne?!<\/p>\n

Anyway, Ava Rose Hamilton is a dream. The team there are just the best. I tried on few dresses that I picked and had that \u2018deflated\u2019 feeling again, when one gal brought a strapless dress that I\u2019d never picked myself (I didn\u2019t want strapless). I tried it on and\u2026 Oh, it was tears, and laughter and everything. I had \u2018that\u2019 moment. I said YES before I could work out it wasn\u2019t the greatest solution logistically speaking.<\/p>\n

I wore Stella York 6690+ dress in almond with illusion buttons back and custom added long illusion sleeves. Being a plus size, I never imagined I\u2019d ever feel the way I did on my wedding day in this dress.<\/p>\n

I had two pairs of shoes, one \u2018ceremony shoes\u2019 were purple\/deep pink velvet pumps from Ted Baker with a big brooch. They were so pretty, colourful and comfortable! My \u2018party\u2019 shoes were rose gold Kate Spade glitter trainers with ribbon laces. I wore big handmade Swarovski crystals\u2019 emerald green earrings that one of my bridesmaids brought from LA. I also had a tartan cape.<\/p>\n

Martyn knew what suit he wanted to wear pretty much straight away. We saw it online and both liked it from the start. We went to the shop he eyed up, Master Debonair, which was all the way in East Boldon. He tried on the three-piece suit he wanted (Marc Darcy Eton Navy Blue Tweed Check) \u2013 he ended up getting jacket and trousers, but went for a Cavani dark green\/brown tweed waistcoat. His shoes (London Brogues Gatsby Tan Leather with Navy Suede), tie and shirt were all from TK Maxx. He also wore cufflinks in the shape of a Westie that I ordered from Etsy. His belt and pocket square were from Master Debonair.<\/p>\n

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

The Readings & Music<\/h3>\n

I walked down the aisle with my dad to \u2018Skye Boat Song\u2019 theme song version from Outlander season 1 (I\u2019m a huge fan of everything and anything Outlander!).<\/p>\n

We had two readings, one read by Gaby (my bridesmaid) and the other one read by Hanna (my friend, one who went wedding dress shopping with me).<\/p>\n

We\u2019re both huge (and I mean HUGE) Harry Potter fans. Therefore, it was non-negotiable that we\u2019d have one reading from Harry Potter. Gaby read an extract from Harry Potter the Order of the Phoenix.<\/p>\n

Hanna read All I Know About Love by Neil Gaiman. It was perfect. We didn\u2019t fall in love from the first sight and having been through a lot as a couple at this stage, we were under no delusions of what love entailed.<\/p>\n

We decided on three songs during the signing of the registry (although only the first two had the time to play!):<\/p>\n