Super Stylish Summer Coastal Garden Party Marquee Wedding in Wales

Oh the style, oh the location, what a dream of a wedding I have to share with you. Heather and Ollie are kindly sharing their marquee wedding in Wales today, held in the grounds of a farmhouse with far reaching coastal views on the 25th May 2019.

Let’s begin with those seriously stylish outfits shall we? Heather wore an incredible appliqué gown by Marchesa and a long veil with her hair in loose waves, meanwhile Ollie was suited and booted in a dapper Burberry suit. Now didn’t they just look amazing you guys?! Love.

I also adore the classic clear sided marquee, decked in flowers and candles. Come evening it looked really magical all lit up. I have a funny feeling you are going to be dreaming of a summer beach wedding after this wonderful set of images by the wonderful Fox & Bear Photography, which I am super thankful to be sharing today.

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The Vision

Ollie’s family have owned a small seaside cottage in Rhoscolyn for around 70 years. We wanted our family and friends to enjoy this beautiful and sentimental location that has held so many fond memories. The garden has amazing views of the beach and surrounding headland so it was important people could enjoy being outside as much as inside. We had a classic sperry marquee with panoramic views and a fire pit with bales of hay from the local farmer as seats and cosy blankets for our guests to take in the surroundings. Holding the reception at a family home meant that our guests could really enjoy themselves in an informal and relaxed environment.

The Planning Process

We decided to give ourselves two years to plan the wedding so we could enjoy our engagement and have more time to decide exactly what we wanted to do without any time pressure.

There was no doubt where we wanted to get married. Rhoscolyn is such a special place with beautiful views, it made so much sense. We realised that finding suppliers could be difficult in such a remote location so it was important to do lots of research.

We were lucky enough to find some great suppliers close by, but did have to source some elements that were further afield.

The Venue

The ceremony took place at St Gwenfaens Church, located at the top of the hill in Rhoscolyn. It’s a tiny medieval church that is a short walk through fields to the reception at Hirfron Farmhouse where we has a marquee set up in the garden.

Beauty

Heather – I hear so many stories of people going all out on their hair and make up that they end up regretting it simply because it made them unrecognisable. I felt like it was important to keep true to myself and wear my hair how I would usually, hair down with loose curls.

I take quite an interest in make up and ways of applying it so I decided that I would do it myself on the day. I had visited a make up artist in London and worked with her to develop a ‘look’ for the day, something that was in line with my everyday style, but a little more ‘evening’. I went with smokey brown eyes and subtle pink lips.

Groomsmen

I didn’t want to do the traditional matching outfit and suit and much preferred a more relaxed approach. I liked the idea of a perfectly mismatched look and asked the guys to wear their own navy suits. The different navy tones and textures worked really well together. To unify the team I gave them matching blue Price of Wales check ties that complimented my suit.

Your Outfits & Accessories

Ollie – We spent the whole day in London on a wet December day searching for the perfect suit. I was keen to wear a grey Prince of Wales check fabric with a subtle colour yarn thread running through it. This turned out to be a difficult search.

After a whole day of trawling the London shops unsuccessfully, we decided to have a last attempt in Burberry on Regents Street. They had a beautiful grey Prince of Wales check suit with a subtle Burberry brown thread woven into it in a classic British cut while still feeling modern. The deal breaker was when my brother came to see it and while I was trying it on in the fitting rooms a song came on in the store that we played at my Dad’s memorial service. It was like he was there giving his approval.

Suit – Burberry

Tie – Custom made using Sevenberry Japanese block print fabric

Shoes – Grenson

Heather – We visited Ollie’s sister in New York where I was lucky enough to try on a number of Marchesa dresses in her office. We had such a lovely day trying them on and drinking champagne, it was so special. Prior to trying them on, there was one dress in particular that I couldn’t stop thinking about and when I came to try it on, there were tears in the room, I knew it was the one.

Dress – Marchesa

Veil – Marchesa

Handbag – Shrimps

The Readings & Music

I walked down the aisle with my dad, pageboy and flower girls to The Beatitudes by Vladimir Martynov, taken from one of our favourite films, The Great Beauty.

We left the church service to Fat Boy Slim – Praise You to make sure everyone was ready for a good party!

Our first dance was Groove Armada – By The River.

Bridesmaids

We had our nieces as flower girls and they wore these beautiful dresses made by Ollie’s sister. We gifted them both a pearly hairclip by Shrimps and placed sprigs of baby’s breath in their hair.

The Flowers

We had an amazing local florist who created the most beautiful flower arrangements for the day. We wanted something that was quite wild with lots of colours. She put together the perfect arrangements for the bouquets and table centrepieces.

We kept the flowers in the church simple and classic by using baby’s breath wrapped with white satin ribbons for the end of each pew.

The day after, we hung all the bouquets from the day to dry them. They’re now dotted around our home as a nice reminder.

Your Photographer

We wanted a photographer who was local to North Wales and knew the area well. Dewi from Fox&Bear Photography was incredible and captured the essence of the day perfectly with his documentary style, we couldn’t be happier with the photos. He worked above and beyond and his passion for his job really shone through!

Your Filmmaker

Ollie’s brother and his now wife made a short film of the day using an old Super 8 film. The vintage style footage gave such a romantic feel.

The Details & Décor

We set ourselves the difficult task of sourcing absolutely everything! I’m sure with anyone who decides to go it alone with a marquee wedding will be able to relate. Not only that but setting up a wedding in a secluded area of Wales meant that we were limited with suppliers. Both of us work in design and were both are very visual so it was sometimes hard having to compromise but we made it work! We wanted it to have a warm cosy feel so we went with soft pinks and gold tones and lots of candles and fairy lights.

The Cake

We didn’t want to do the traditional tiered cake, instead we just wanted a beautifully decorated lemon and elderflower sponge. Our florist provided flowers to sit on top.

The Honeymoon

We went to Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Sri Lanka is such a beautiful country and the food there was incredible. The Maldives provided some much needed R&R.

Memorable Moments

The service was so beautiful, its one that sticks most. The sentiment of sharing your love with friends and family was just so special.

Advice For Other Couples

Make sure you have a clear vision and spend lots of time researching suppliers who are local to the venue – it will prove less stressful if they are close by. If you can, delegate tasks to friends and family to help with the set up so you’re not overwhelmed in the lead up to the big day!

You’ll be on a constant high throughout the day and it will fly by so try to share a quiet moment together to take it all in.

Credit Where Credit Is Due

Wow wee! What a marvellous day.

Heather and Ollie I cannot thank you enough for sharing your amazing wedding story with us xo Lou