WWW readers Matt and Sarah tied the knot on 8th July 2017 in the Wye Valley. Their ceremony took place in a Norman church and they held their evening celebrations in a beautifully adorned marquee in the grounds of the local village hall. With lots of guests arriving from Australia, they wanted everyone to feel relaxed and at home, and of course to have lots of fun.
Our pair were very lucky with the weather and you can just feel the summer vibes in these beautiful pictures from Francesca Hill Photography, thank you for sharing!
Sarah’s gorgeous Katy Katya Shehurina dress was just perfect for such a relaxed day, and importantly easy to move and dance in! Don’t miss all the beautiful, wild florals and that fabulous cake!
THE PROPOSAL | On top of Mount Feathertop in Australia on a beautiful clear day after lots of snow. We spent the night before in a mountain hut in front of a fire. We woke early to hike up to the summit of Mount Feathertop. It was beautiful, cold, crisp and clear. We could see for miles around.
THE VISION | We both wanted everyone to feel relaxed and enjoy their day. We also wanted to use and support local producers and businesses. The Wye Valley has lots of small companies that produce top quality products.
THE PLANNING PROCESS | We started planning about a year before our wedding date, starting with the ‘big’ items such as a venue, photographer and caterer. One of our friends recommended a local village hall down a lovely country lane. It was perfect……. a large lawn for a marquee with all of the facilities we needed and cows in the field next door. We had lots of fun organising the day and were lucky we were able to choose a lot for ourselves and we had lots of flexibility. There were times where we didn’t have much to do and then others when it was full on planning and organising! We made lots of to do lists and slowly crossed things off as we went!
BUDGET | We didn’t want to get carried away and spend too much on our wedding day, but didn’t want to compromise on fun. We had lots of help from friends and family who were able to do the small things that can add up.
THE VENUE | We were married in a picturesque Norman Church in the Wye Valley with a bell tower. We then made our way to the local village hall for the evening celebration.
THE DRESS & ACCESSORIES | The beautiful Rosa dress by extremely talented designer Katya Katya Shehurina. The dress has a full length with train, intricate lace bodice and pearl beading with capped lace sleeves. The dress is extremely comfortable, lightweight and easy to dance in.
I wore mum’s earrings and shoes by Kurt Geiger.
FINDING THE DRESS | I found my dress secondhand online. I was lucky enough to find a dress that I loved and fit perfectly.
GROOM’S ATTIRE | Matt wore a jacket made by Racing Green, the trousers were Reiss and the tie was bought in John Lewis. He wore Dune shoes. We had a mix and match tweed theme for the groomsmen which worked well.
THE READINGS & MUSIC | I walked down the aisle to ‘May It Be’ by Enya and we had three readings including John 15: 9-12, The Blessing of the Apaches and I Corinthians 13. The band did an amazing job as we danced to ‘How Long Will I Love You’ for the first time as a married couple. The band was absolutely amazing and played long into the evening.
BEAUTIFUL BRIDESMAIDS | My two sisters and close friend from high school were the bridesmaids. Each wore individual dresses that were blush pinks, purples and maroon.
THE FLOWERS | Crown Hill Nursery in Caldicot did an amazing job. They created the bouquets, buttonholes and hair flowers.
We wanted to bring the outside into the marquee so asked them to organise a hanging flower display in the middle of the marquee and what a magnificent display it was. There were also lots more flowers in jars on the table’s adding lovely pinks, blues, greens and purples into the marquee.
THE CAKE | A delicious three tiered honey sponge with lavender icing made by the very talented mother and sister of the groom.
YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER | Francesca Hill was the only photographer we contacted as we know from her website she took great pictures that really build a picture of the day and captured the beautiful moments between the bride, groom and close friends and family. Fran captured the day perfectly, incorporating the natural beauty of the surrounding fields and even the photo-bombing highland cows.
THE DETAILS & DÉCOR | We wanted to have a natural, outdoor theme for the reception. We hired the marquee from Country Marquees with open sides to let in the natural light and twilight as the sun went down and the fairy lights came on. The Wye Valley Meadery supplied amazing locally produced, natural, unfiltered honey in small jars as favours. They also provided a new take on the traditional wedding drink, supplying sparking mead for toasts and as an alternative to champagne.
THE HONEYMOON | We headed to the Greek Islands for guaranteed sunshine, beautiful beaches and amazing food. We spend two weeks soaking up the sun travelling from Santorini to Milos and back to Crete. Very relaxing!
MEMORABLE MOMENTS | Everything went so quickly but one of the moments that stood out was Matt standing at the end of the aisle as I started to walk down. It was one of the rare moments in life when nothing else matters.
ADVICE FOR OTHER COUPLES | It is such a busy day and can get quite overwhelming at times, however a couple of quiet minutes with each other can really help to settle your mind and help you to make the most of every second. As everyone says, the day flies by!
CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE |
Photographer | Francesca Hill Photography
Dress | Katya Katya Shehurina
Caterer | Joshua’s Catering Company
Wedding Favours and Sparkling Mead | The Wye Valley Meadery
Wedding Stationery Design and Artwork | Brigid Johnson
Band | ‘Wardance’ based in Bristol
Cake | Made by the Mother and Sister of the Groom
Flowers | Crown Hill Florist & Nurseries
Make Up | Jade from Bristol Hair and Make Up
Hair | Makeup by Faye, based in Bristol
Thank you so much Matt and Sarah! It was such a pleasure to share your wedding day today. Rachel x
