Brad and Rachel value their individuality so it was a no-brainer to the couple that their June 2019 wedding reflected everything that they hold dear. They also wanted to make sure that they didn’t sweat the small stuff, that they focused on having a good time over spending a lot of money, and they wanted it to be real.
As an ode to Rachel’s upbringing in the English countryside, the day was held at Greenacres Colney, Norfolk with a reception at a local village hall. They had a budget of £5000 to spend on their big day and they achieved it by focusing on he things that were important to them, and spending five hours the night before the wedding setting up the hall themselves.
They strung hundreds of metres of fairy lights, made all the bouquets and buttonholes, even buying in their evening buffet from the supermarket the day before. Instead of a stuffy sit-down wedding breakfast, they hired a mobile fish and chip van to cater for all their guests, which went down a treat. They DIY’d all their signage, centrepieces and brought it objects from home instead of buying new – their welcome sign was a handpainted mirror from their hallway.
Rachel saved a pretty penny with her outfit, too. “I didn’t even set foot in a wedding dress shop,” she said, “because I knew that wasn’t what I wanted. I looked online for ages, settling on a skirt from Needle and Thread and then kept ordering different lace white tops, trying them on and sending them back until I found the one!” She paired the two-piece with shoes from New Look and half-moon cat earrings as her something blue.
Their ceremony was non-religious but really meaningful to them. Rachel’s favourite part was walking down the aisle to Stand By Me by Florence and the Machine. “When Brad turned round he had tears in his eyes!” she said. “I’d never seen hm cry before.”
When asked if they have any advice for future couples planning their wedding, Rachel’s guidance is all about the money, money, money. “Obviously spend as little or as much as you like, but I would just advise that you don’t need to get sucked into spending vast amounts to have an amazing day. Focus what money you have on the areas important to you (to us, our photographs, as they’re the only thing from the day that will last forever) and don’t worry about tiny details because on the day, neither you nor your guests will notice or care about them! After all, it’s supposed to be a celebration of love – not of who can flash the most cash!”
