Ruby and Jamie’s woodland wedding was inspired by their venue. They knew they wanted to get married in the woods, and when they found Captain Wood Barn, they knew it was perfect. They were married in August and chose a burgundy as their main colour, reflected in the groom’s suit, the bride’s lipstick, shoes and crown, and the flowers.
They also did LOADS of DIY. Décor wise, they kept things pretty rustic in theme, allowing the beauty of their surroundings to be the star. They made their own table plan, spray-painted a lot of stuff gold including toy animals for the tables, and Jamie’s dad made all the names on the table using pyrography and wood. The bride’s mum made candle holders, the groom’s sister made the cake and another family member did all the flowers! They also ordered lots of paper decorations as well as hired in extra props and furniture.
They also served a fully vegetarian menu, which ended up being their biggest single cost of the £12,000 budget, but it was important to them that the food was amazing. Faze Catering certainly delivered with a fully bespoke menu.
The couple hired Hayley Jayne Weddings and Events as their day-of coordinator, although if they were to do it all over again they think it would be worth the money to pay someone to plan the full wedding for them! “People don’t talk about the anxiety part of planning a wedding”, Ruby said, “especially when you dry hire and plan the whole day! We had our friends hanging in trees and making paper decorations the day before whilst I was having a panic attack. My mum and best friend were trying to feed me whilst Jamie and our family and friends helped decorate the rest of the venue. Sometimes you need your mum to tell you to get it together!”
The couple wrote our own vows for their outdoor humanist ceremony and had the bride’s best friend and sister-in-law read poems. “My grandad Ernie walked me down the aisle which was a very special moment”, she explained.
“My advice to other couples would be to tell people how you really feel”, the bride concluded. “I felt so alone at points but lucky I had my mum to talk to. My therapist also helped! Also, if you really want something, then absolutely go for it, but remember to look after yourself and try to recognise when it’s all getting too much. I was so anxious that I struggled to do a lot of the things I wanted to do. But again, the wedding made us feel so loved that it was all worth it and we’ve got some really happy memories from it.”
