Morning WWWers, i think it’s about time i shared another deliciously beautiful wedding with you all.

Jenny and Paul were married last September at the gorgeous Birling Manor, East Dean. They wanted their wedding to be relaxed and romantic with a sea breeze… oh wow!

They decided to have a homemade feel to their day, with elements they crafted themselves. I love the peach and orange colour scheme and the laid back feel to the festivities.

Thanks so much to the fabulous Cotton Candy Photography for sharing their beautiful imagery with us today.

Names…. Jenny and Paul

Wedding Date…. 24 September 2011

The Proposal… We were on a holiday in France, staying in the Burgundy vineyards and cycling through villages sampling the local wines! Paul got down on one knee next a windmill in the lovely village of Santenay and I said yes.

The Vision for the day…. Relaxed and Romantic – drinks and dinner in a lovely garden with a fresh sea breeze!

The Planning process…. We planned the wedding ourselves, starting with finding the beautiful venue of Birling Manor, set in rolling East Sussex countryside with the sea in the distance.  From there we found great local people to supply our every need, including a bar with local ales and a caterer serving delicious Moroccan food.  We had a year and a half to plan and that helped to make it manageable, as well as a very good spreadsheet!

Budget…. £13,000

The Venue… Birling Manor, East Dean.  We had a civil ceremony in the hall, followed by drinks in the garden, dinner in a marquee and a disco in the hall.

The Dress + Accessories….. The dress was by Anoushka G (House of Fraser) in Oyster. The tiara of pearls and crystals was from Julienne beads and my pearl drop necklace was my ‘something borrowed’ from my mum.  The shoes were Roland Cartier at Debenhams.

Finding the dress…. I had never been keen on a really big dress and wanted something simple and elegant, especially as I love the empire line style dresses of “Pride and Prejudice!”  Looking around the House of Fraser on Oxford street my friend Caroline pulled this dress out and the shape and pretty detailing just struck a cord!  I had to track down one in my size and ended up on a day trip to Bristol to collect it, determination is key!

Groom’s attire… Paul looked handsome in a black cord Paul Smith suit with grey waistcoat and peach tie.

The Readings + Music…. We had two readings and were so impressed with our friends!  Ben read From Ernest Hemmingway’s ‘A farewell to arms’ and Caroline read us a poem that she had written herself.

Beautiful bridesmaids….. Sarah and Julia wore embellished pewter grey dresses from Monsoon, whilst Caroline and Jessica wore cute frilly dresses in a pinky peach from French Connection.  The flower girl, Melissa, wore a long dress from Next and loved swishing the skirt around her!

The Flowers… I bought the flowers wholesale and with the help of my bridesmaid Sarah made them the day before at the venue!  It was a brilliant task to do as it meant a lot when I saw friends and family wearing them.  I think doing the wedding on a budget meant we developed a ‘can do’ attitude and you can do it with hard work and internet guides!
I chose orange, peach and cream roses as the stars of the show with cream hypericaum berries and spray roses to add texture. The table flowers used the same flowers and were made up in rings that sat at the base of the candelabra.  Paul’s mum Sue and her friend Caroline did a beautiful job making them and we all learnt new skills in flower arranging!

The Cake… I made the cake myself as I wanted a grand affair without a huge price tag!  I started to make cakes at every opportunity to try out new things and recorded my progress on a blog: http://jennyroebuck.wordpress.com/
Icing, piping  and flower cutting all got a test run and eventually I settled on a three tier stacked cake in the colours that matched the wedding.  I had to time it quite well with the other plans but the fruit cake could be made well in advance to help!

Your Photographer…. Was the fabulous Gemma at Cotton Candy.  She was great on the day at shepherding the family and geting a great mix of formal and relaxed pictures.

The Details + Decor…. The hall interior had lovely wooden panelling so we kept it simple using strings of white fairy lights mixed in with luscious green ivy.  In the marquee we made tissue pom poms and hung them from the ceiling.  I borrowed some bunting made by our friend Lottie and hung it around the edge.
The tables had silver candelabra centre pieces and vinatage napkins all collected from ebay, to complete the homemade theme we filled cute little jamjars with homemade chutney.
The gardens were so lovely we did little to adorn them other then candles and lanterns.  Pauls dad Bryan grown bonsai trees and so he brought them to decorate the tables.
We had a homemade fireworks display  from the best man and the ushers which all the guests loved and made an arched procession of sparklers for us to run through!

The Honeymoon…. We were very lucky and had a whole month in Brazil and Argentina, visiting Rio de Janerio, the beautiful island of Ilha Grande and breath taking Iguazu falls.  We then travelled on to stunning Patagonia, finishing up in laidback Buenos Aires.

Memorable moments… I think walking down the aisle and making eye contact, as you have both waited and worked towards that moment, and to have all your friends and family there to share it is a very special experience. We also had another  great moment with homemade fireworks display from the best man and the ushers which all the guests loved and made an arched procession of sparklers for us to run through!

Advice for other couples… Do your best then sit back and enjoy!  The love from everybody on the day is what makes it special.  On a practical note-Listen when people tell you to not take too much on, but, if you really want too you can totally do it yourself!

Credit where credit is due…

Venue – http://birlingmanor.co.uk/

Marquee – Village marquees 01323842700 – Chrissy http://www.villagemarquees.co.uk/

Caterer – Moorish – Jo, 84 Dyke Road, Brighton BN1 3JD, 01273 777765

Bar – http://beermatt.co.uk/

Furniture hire – http://www.cateringequipmenthire.net/

Thanks so much to Jenny and Paul  for sharing their beautiful day with us… are you planning a homemade wedding? I’d love to hear from you below :-) XOXO Lou

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