Burley Manor Wedding
Rustic, Woodland (“Farm Feels”)
Pippa and Thomas
Oh the sunflowers! Sunflower wedding flowers galore today folks! And I am in love. It’s time to share WWW readers Pippa and Thomas’ Burley Manor wedding in Hampshire held on Tuesday 30th July 2019. Their day had all the summery farm vibes complete with yellow and navy hues, tweed and rustic wooden décor. Oh yes!
The styling here today is just superb, wooden pallet signs, wild meadowy style flowers, naked cake and twinkling fairy lights, the barn looked so magical! I really love the pops of navy too, the bridesmaids in navy with their sunflower bouquets looked amazing. Pippa wore a stunning lace mermaid gown with her hair swept to the side and Thomas and his groomsmen wore tweed suits and yellow bow ties, so stylish!
Just wait until you see the sunset portraits and the lovely confetti moment too. Becky Bailey Photographer thank you so very much for sharing with us these joy filled images.
The Proposal
Thomas and I went on a day trip to Salisbury since it was the weekend (Saturday 28th July). We walked the Kennett and Avon Canal after going for a coffee, sat on a bench taking in the views. As we sat down, he brought out a wooden box and asked me to marry him. Inside the box, I found a teal-sapphire ring which was beyond perfect. Salisbury will forever be our favourite place.
The Vision
As a couple, we love nature and outdoor adventures, so we knew our wedding had to have a meadow feel including sunflowers! As we gathered ideas from magazines, Pinterest, we decided to go for a rustic wedding and looked at barn weddings for more ideas.
The Planning Process
I was recommended to download Bride Book where we found several venues in Hampshire. The app also helped to get ideas such as where we could shop for a wedding dress in the local area and photographers. It was a really great place to start. Eventually we booked to view a country house, a vineyard and a manor house. The first venue we visited was Burley Manor and we fell in love as we drove into their driveway. They had deer roaming in the background which gave us the country feel. The manor house had a wonderful old-world charm feel to it. In contrast to the other venues, we knew we had to get married in Burley! When you know, you know!
The Venue
Burley Manor, Burley, Hampshire.
Your Outfits & Accessories
I have always loved pearls (from Akoya to South Sea pearls), so I decided I wanted to use the Freshwater Pearl earrings that was given to me. My mother had a Freshwater Pearl Opera length necklace and had it made into the choker I wore on our wedding day.
My dress search started and ended at Bleu Bridal. I knew I had to try on a mermaid dress as A-line and ball gown would have eaten me whole! I tried on eight different mermaid style dresses (some had more sequins than others) before deciding on the very dress I wore! The wedding dress was designed by White Rose in the colour, Blush. I also had a lace jacket giving the ‘off shoulder’ look (yes, my dress was a 2 piece!). My wedding shoes were also from the same place.
Wedding dress was altered by Button and Bows.
The wedding headpiece was independently made by White Designs Bridal. I found their stall during a Bridal Boutique Accessories Evening at Romsey Bridal Boutique store.
The Flowers & Décor
We attended a wedding showcase hosted by our wedding venue and was introduced to Kirsty from Fundoo Weddings. Kirsty helped us decorate the tables and the ceremony which took a lot of the pressure off. She provided fairy light canopies, artificial foliage, navy hoods, gold candlesticks, gold and clear tea lights and brass table numbers. She also recommended Lauren who was our florist. I described my ideal bouquet as being “scarecrow” and “farm like” when I could have just said dry flowers! Once we saw our floral inspiration board, we knew we made the right choices! We didn’t know how the flowers would turn out, but they became our favourite wedding memory. The flowers had a mixture of foliage, bunny tails, wild raspberries, billy buttons, wheat and of course a few flowers from the sixty plus sunflower varieties!
The Readings & Music
Bride entrance – How long will I love you – Ellie Goulding
Exit as Mr and Mrs – You are the sunshine of my life – Stevie Wonder
Groomsmen
Before we started looking for a suit, Thomas knew he wanted tweed. We didn’t know what colour or style except the material it was going to be. Tweed is rather seasonal, so we had to wait a bit before looking! One day, I impulsively bought a green tweed waistcoat and trousers to match. It was perfect except the colour was too dark for a summer wedding. The downside of online shopping is the colours don’t always look the same in reality. We returned it and eventually found the tweed outfit in Astares Menswear thanks to a friend’s recommendation!
All the groomsmen, including the groom wore an Astares Waistcoat, an ivory Debenhams shirt and shoes from Next.
The groomsmen wore navy blue chinos which were also from Next.
Bridesmaids
WED2B have five styles in roughly thirteen colours which made it easy to choose. Three bridesmaids wore the Haven dress in Navy Blue and the youngest bridesmaid wore Bella in Navy Blue since I knew a dark shade would compliment the sunflowers.
The Details & Décor
We had Fundoo Weddings who made our wedding day sparkle, but I also decided to use free pallets from a local wood recycling project. I got this idea from Pinterest and enjoyed making them. I used graphite paper, Microsoft word to create the fonts and acrylic paint for our welcome sign and table plan.
The Cake
Carla’s Cakes was able to make semi-naked and naked sponge cakes for weddings. Carla was very accommodating and was able to make a vegan vanilla sponge and Victoria sponge for our two-tier wedding cake. We also had a tiny version of a Victoria sponge cake but in gluten free. The cake looked and tasted amazing.
Your Photographer
Becky was amazing with us since we don’t like being the centre of attention! I am also not a fan of having my photographs taken so it was quite nerve-wrecking, but Becky made us both feel at ease! I remember looking for a photographer in the local area comparing prices and portfolio. We loved her style and found it to be vibrant, natural, informal and whimsical! We were highly recommended by people who had her as their wedding photographer which sold us. Her attention to detail was phenomenal!
Beauty
Lissy Hair and Beauty did both my hair and makeup, including the bridesmaids.
The Honeymoon
We didn’t really want to have a beach holiday. I completed my master’s degree in June, so I had no commitments and Thomas was able to get two months off from work. It was the perfect time to travel together. We spent two months in a campervan travelling the East coast of Australia enjoying the complete freedom.
Memorable Moments
Thomas – seeing Pippa for the first time in her wedding dress.
Pippa – There were so many memorable moments, it is hard to choose! It would probably be the confetti.
Advice For Other Couples
Pippa – I made the mistake of worrying and not drinking the night before. My advice would be to have some drinks (to calm your nerves) and a good night’s sleep.
Thomas – Don’t be afraid to break tradition. If the other half prefers to do the speech, that is fine too.
Credit Where Credit Is Due
Photography
Becky Bailey Photographer
Venue
Burley Manor
Dress
Bleu Bridal Gowns
Alterations
Button and Bows
Headpiece
White Designs Bridal
Accessories Evening
Romsey Bridal
Hair & Makeup
Lissy Hair and Beauty
Waistcoat
Astares
Bridesmaid Dresses
WED2B
Decor
Fun Doo Weddings now The House of Styling
Florist
Concept Flowers
Cake
Carlas Cakes
Rustic wedding perfection! Don’t you just love the sunflowers too? So happy!
Pippa and Thomas thank you ever so much for sharing your splendid nuptials with us xo Lou