SOPHIE AND ASHLEA'S RELAXED SPRING WEDDING

Hello! Today it’s the spring in the air.. at least here on the blog! Lovely wedding with two brides with the biggest smiles ever! Thanks to Shane Webber Photography for sharing this wedding with us!

DO YOU WANT TO TELL US ABOUT YOUR PROPOSAL?

Ash proposed to me on November 26th 2016. We were decorating our Christmas tree and sheʼd suspended the ring inside a bauble but I hung it on the tree without noticing; she then kept staring at it with heightened levels of anxiety until I spotted it!

WHAT WAS THE THEME AND INSPIRATION FOR YOUR BIG DAY?

Weʼre both teachers so had a theme of books; each table was named after a novel we love and we had confetti made from the books themselves.

DID YOU STYLE IT YOURSELF?

Yes – we looked at other weddings that had been held at our venue and picked out bits and pieces that we loved. We tried to bring Nature inside with wood centre pieces and seasonal flowers!

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THE VENUE AND WHAT DID YOU LIKE ABOUT IT?

We had the ceremony and reception at Sandhole Oak barn and they were just superb! Itʼs a beautiful place (set beside a lake) and they really take you by the hand and lead you through the planning of your day whilst always taking into account your vision of how youʼd like things to be!

Everything was perfect! I loved that there was outside space and decking so in the evening you could wander inside and out catching up with different groups! Also there is some accommodation there on site so people can stay over if theyʼd like.

FLOWERS, DECORATIONS, DID YOU DO ANY DIY?

We made our own place setting cards by writing a note to everyone that was there about why theyʼre important to us and happy memories we have of them. The children at school did a great job at using a heart-shaped hole puncher to create table confetti from our chosen books! A family friend organised flowers and floating candles and we paid to have fairy lights wrapped around the beams – the lights and candles looked beautiful as we moved into the evening.

WHAT WAS THE ENTERTAINMENT?

We had a DJ in the evening that was recommended to us and was good fun. One of our friends played the piano for us as we came down the aisle and while we signed the marriage certificates – that was really emotional!

WHAT WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT AND MOST FUN PART FOR YOU?

The most important part was that everyone had a good time and was together. We really enjoyed having sparklers outside when it got dark!

WOULD YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR COUPLES PLANNING THEIR WEDDING?

1) Enjoy the planning! We would go out for dinner and have a glass of wine while looking for florists etc.

2) You donʼt have to spend a lot – think about where you can save a bit. We asked friends to make cakes and bring them instead of buying one and the cake table was immense!!

3) Try not to worry about things you canʼt control e.g. the weather! Have a contingency plan if it rains – like bright wellies and a personalised umbrella and youʼll still get fab memories and photos!

4) Itʼs worth investing time (and money) in choosing a photographer that you really like and admire. You spend a fair amount of time with them on the day and your photographs are your best reminder of the day! Shane Webber was ours and he was brilliant!