Are you planning a countryside wedding in your back garden? Then get inspired by this lovely wedding we are sharing with you today! Our real bride Sarah and her groom Josh tied the knot on a beautiful summer’s day on 8th of August 2015 in Norfolk. The reception was held in at the groom’s family home which boasts a grand garden.

The couple met eight years ago at university on a night out! Sarah says that it wasn’t exactly Jane Austin material, but it certainly was a serendipitous and memorable evening; and she adds that she think of it as a “sliding doors” moment.

THE PROPOSAL

Josh and I got engaged over the New Year; we were away with some friends in Wales, in a little family holiday cottage celebrating the bringing in of 2015. I’m originally from the Welsh Marches and had spent Christmas at home with my family; the cottage is very close to home and on our way to the local town, Hay on Wye ,for a little excursion, we popped in to say hello to mum as Josh insisted! When I wasn’t in the room, Josh asked mum’s permission to marry me, and although he wasn’t exactly sure when he would do it, after mum’s emotional reaction he decided that today would be the day! On our way back from Hay, we’d made a little pit stop as the view was wonderful. It was a beautiful crisp day and the rolling welsh hills were bathed in the most incredible, late afternoon, golden light. Josh very suddenly dropped down on one knee on the soggy hill, and asked me to marry him.!

THE THEME

We didn’t really have a theme, but we wanted as much to be handmade as possible, and for the day to have a relaxed feel to it. We really wanted to showcase the incredible garden and to continue that feel in the marquee, which we tried to get across in the decorations. Josh’s aunty is a florist and did an amazing job of the marquee, and we hired some living trees to dot around the place.

THE VENUE

We got married in the Norman Church of St Mary’s, in South Creake, Norfolk and had the reception in the garden of Josh’s family home. It is a beautiful home in Norfolk with a huge, absolutely sensational garden; there was never any question about it, we knew our wedding reception would be held there, rain or shine! (luckily for us, it shone, although we were very nervous it wouldn’t!).

FINDING THE DRESS

It was the first wedding dress I’d ever tried on, in the first bridal shop I had ever been to, so I went along not knowing what to expect. When I put the dress on, I fell in love with it; I loved the cool, smooth, fluid feel of the silk and could tell it was of exceptional quality. I wanted something to emphasise my shape and height and the simple lines of the dress did that. The detail of the beadwork on the shoulders and belt were uncluttered and intricate, but resplendent and elegant.

THE WEDDING DRESS

I felt so very glamorous! Its not a typical wedding dress; it doesn’t have lace, or petticoats, or a massive train, and this absence of clutter, to me, spoke so loudly. I loved the unique simplicity of the dress; it was unusual but elegant and timeless. In short, I felt like a queen!

SOMETING OLD, SOMETHING NEW, SOMETHING BORROWED, SOMETHING BLUE

This isn’t a tradition that I really understand, and didn’t feel relevant to me. Although in some respects, it was a very traditional wedding, in other ways it wasn’t at all; my mum gave me away at the alter, and both she and I gave a speech during the reception. It was important to me that a female voice was heard as usually this is not the case.

TRANSPORTATION

Friends of the family lent us their baby blue Triumph to drive back from the church in. I made some “just married” cans and the ushers tied these to the back of the car – they didn’t quite make it all the way back though, so I think they’re probably lodged in a Norfolk hedgerow forever now! My father-in-law was going to take me to the church, but as a surprise, Josh had hired a beautiful cream vintage car to take me and the bridesmaids! It broke down however, so couldn’t take us – we won’t talk about that though, it was the thought that counts!!

BEING A SANYUKTA SHRESTHA BRIDE

I wasn’t aware of the fairtrade, organic element to the dress and in truth, it is not something I considered a priority as I have little knowledge of the issues surrounding fair trade clothing manufacture, but knowing that Sanyukta Shrestha works so closely with the Nepalese community who produce the dresses was certainly something to consider. I think it ade me more mindful of ethical clothing in general.

MOST MAGICAL MOMENT

The most “magical” moment of the day was stepping out of the marquee in the evening and seeing the many many candles lit, lining the path in the garden, which led through a little wood.

WEDDING DRESS SHOPPING ADVICE FOR BRIDES

I loved the dress immensely, and genuinely did fall in love with it, but part of why I immediately decided on the dress was a very conscious belief that you shouldn’t keep thinking there is one and only one perfect dress out there. I don’t think that you should give yourself too much choice; otherwise you’ll never make a decision!  The notion that the dress has to be a perfect extension of yourself is crazy; at the end of the day,  you need to feel great in it. I think probably the hardest thing about planning a wedding is managing your own expectations!

CREDITS

Photographer: Ron Lima

Wedding dress: Sanyukta Shrestha

Wedding Veil: Sanyukta Shrestha

Hair: Six Apple Yard, a local hair salon in Norfolk. I can’t express how wonderful the girls were; the lady I had booked to do my hair and makeup cancelled last minute. When I explained the situation to them they were so helpful and even agreed to open the salon early for us!

Shoes: Steve Madden. Everyone advised me not to have super high shoes, but I had my heart set on them. I’m very tall anyway (and proud!) and wanted to be the tallest woman at the wedding!  Luckily my husband is really tall too, at 6’7, so we are a good match!

Bridesmaids Dresses: Frock and Frill. It was difficult finding a dress to suit everyone’s figure, but I think they all looked great in the end!

Flowers: Flowers By Vanessa. Josh’s aunty Vanessa is such a talented lady and runs her florist business alongside working at the local school AND being in charge of three boisterous sons. She never stops and is a complete perfectionist. She works tirelessly with the help of her super-dooper husband Gavin. They are the absolute perfect team and took complete charge on the day and on the run up beforehand!  Vanessa listened carefully to what I had in mind for the bouquets, marquee and the floral crowns for the girls and the amount of care, love and thought she pours into her work make her bouquets and arrangements so wonderful and special. The table decorations were fantastic; I am a big fan of Edmund De Waal porcelain and she somehow wanted to incorporate this into the decorations – Vanessa did so by hand making tiny, delicate wax containers for the flowers and fixed them to wooden log rounds in the centre of each table. Genius.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SANYUKTA SHRESTHA REAL BRIDES