When we were looking at venues we wanted somewhere in the countryside, with lots of outdoor space, but also enough room inside in case the great British weather lived up to its reputation of being unpredictable- even in summer!
We also wanted somewhere that we could do what we liked to it-within reason, such as choose whichever suppliers we wanted and decorate it how we liked to really make our wedding “us”. It didn’t bother us that it was a completely blank canvas, with no tables, chairs or staff of any kind included – that just meant we had more freedom.
Words by Cat. Images by Mark O’Brien Photography.
The barn itself is a beautiful 16th-century barn, so even if you did nothing to it is would still be strikingly beautiful with its old wooden beams and traditional farming equipment hung on the walls.
We also had use of a traditional Kentish orchard next to the barn where our guests could spend some of the day lazing about in. There was also an open-sided hay barn on the side of the main barn that we turned into outdoor seating and a children’s playground on the day as children used the hay and wooden pallets to make their own den.
I had a clear idea of the type of wedding dress I wanted when I went to look for my dress. I had visited a few shops previously and not found quite the right one, but this had allowed me to get to know exactly want I wanted.
So when I went to the bridal boutique I only tried dressed on that matched my vision, full length, lace, with a short or capped sleeve and button up back. Luckily there was a dress there that matched that description.
As the venue didn’t come with tables and chairs we made the most of the opportunity to find some that fitted the venue perfectly. All were actually vintage so the colour of the wood and imperfections matched the setting perfectly.
My mum made meters and meters and meters of bunting to be hung across the barn inside and on the outside as well as fairy lights which we hung across the barn and had a curtain of them on the back wall of the barn.
We also did a few other bits like hanging ribbon in the trees in the orchard to match the colour scheme and create a whimsical feel.
Originally we had a band booked for the wedding, but due to illness with the lead singer being in hospital, they had to cancel the Thursday before the wedding!! Everyone rallied round and sent out messages to all their musical friends and any bands they knew and by Thursday midday, we had another band booked who didn’t disappoint on the night and everyone said how good they were.
We also had Morris dancers! Morris men is a form of English folk dance and we hired Kits Coty Morris Men Troop to perform during the day outside as a unique form of entertainment. It went with the traditionally English venue and they got lots of people involved to do a group dance which was so fun.
Mark our wedding photographer was amazing to work with. Getting the right feel to the photos was very important to us, we wanted them to match the feel of the day, so not be too staged or forced and to show naturally the highlights of the day.
When meeting mark before the wedding I instantly relaxed about them as his photography perfectly matched what we wanted. When we received the photos back we were amazed at how much he had managed to capture, seeing as on the day it was like I hardly saw him as he blended into the crowd perfectly.
We are both outdoorsy relaxed people that enjoy spending time in nature and just want to live a happy life, so for our wedding, we wanted a day to reflect that. Relaxed, simple, natural, fun and happy!
Most of all we wanted our wedding to be really personal and “us”! So we did things like writing our own vows, we also chose a reading that was lighthearted and fun, and although designed to be read by children we got two of our best friends (who are both primary school teachers) to read it!
Reading- https://www.itakeyou.co.uk/sheep-and-goat-by-marleen-westera-wedding-reading/
What a wonderful wedding, are you planning on touches to make your day totally unique?
wedding credits / photographer: mark o’ brien photography / wedding venue: the great barn, rolvenden / brides dress and veil: chilham bridal boutique / brides bracelet: etsy / grooms suit: marks and spencer / bridesmaid dresses: ted baker / hair & makeup: family friend / florist: blooming green / wedding cake: family friend / cake topper: etsy / catering: fff catering / entertainment: groovezoo / morris men: kits coty / tables and chairs from anthology
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A Really Beautiful wedding folks!
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