Flo and Matt wanted a relaxed wedding that bucked tradition and felt like them. “We started out fighting against traditional wedding themes, looking for something that represented us”, began the bride. “The venue was the way-in to planning for us. We were keen to find a venue with accommodation but a relaxed feel in Herefordshire. We viewed many venues including yurts, country houses and a priory but knew on the approach to Lyde Court that it was the place for us.”
“Initially we weren’t sure if we needed to do it at all so we didn’t set out with any great ambitions or themes”, said the groom. “Flo had never made that ‘wedding book’ you read about in all the magazines and she didn’t want to make all of the decisions on her own either! It was important for us to create a relaxed atmosphere and that ambition helped to inform a lot of our decision making along the way. We set out to avoid anything too ‘wedding’ and we thought long and hard about the things people assume you must do or must have on your wedding day. When it came down to it we still did a lot of the standard stuff but somehow it felt more personal because we had chosen to do it rather than felt we had to.”
“Our overall idea was to have something relaxed”, Flo continued. “The venue allowed us to move around the grounds between the ceremony and reception with many guests staying on site meaning that everyone (including us) could settle into the day without time pressures.”
“Live music was also a key theme for us, I lost my Father in 2014, a keen musician, and music was a positive way to have him close throughout. Our good friend and brides-groomsman, Mark, played us our first dance in the sunny gardens to the fantastic rock band playing in the evening.”
In terms of décor, the couple knew very early on that they didn’t want anything ‘pretty’ or ‘girly’. “Instead of hearts, butterflies, glitter and pink we opted for concrete, cacti, gold and mustard yellow. We searched quite hard to find a venue that had some character to begin with and then we tried to make decisions that would fit with it. Having a good starting point allowed us to focus our efforts on a few bits and pieces that we really loved.”
“I think that not having any preconceived ideas (or any idea at all!!) of what we wanted when we started out really helped. We did all of our own stationary, we made concrete plant pots for table decorations, personalised brass collar stiffeners as gifts, we made bozzy chocolate truffles as wedding favours.”
“There’s not much we’d do differently”, they concluded, “maybe we would have stressed less and shared more! There was really no need to get as concerned about our decision making as we did, mainly with the time pressure with the wedding date getting closer by the minute! We are both perfectionists so liked to review all of the options prior to making a decision. This made it hard to let go of tasks which family and friends were willing (and perhaps often better placed) to help with. When we came to this realisation we kicked ourselves.”
