Anne and Jared, who were married at College Farm in Norfolk, they created a wedding day that was filled with eclectic, vintage, and rustic touches to reflect their love for animals and nature. The couple met while working in an animal sanctuary, so their passion for animals was at the forefront of the day.
“Our inspiration definitely came from our love for animals and nature,” said Anne. “We knew we wanted to get married outside and be surrounded by animals! We had Jack Brock the Confetti Pony provide guests with confetti, everyone loved having cuddles and photos taken with him.”
After their intimate ceremony where the bride walked down the aisle holding their 21 year old dog, came a murder mystery afternoon tea and a line dancing class! “Reggie walking down the aisle with me was such a special moment,” Anne said. “Having our dogs involved in the ceremony made it even more meaningful. Jared’s first words to me at the top of the aisle were ‘What is this song?!’ – I walked down to ‘I’m Gonna Always Love You‘ from The Muppets!”
When their original afternoon tea and cake supplier pulled out just weeks before the wedding, they turned to another supplier, The Iced Vegan, who stepped in and exceeded their expectations. “We were so grateful to The Iced Vegan for taking on the extra work and delivering an incredible selection of cakes,” Anne shared. “It was a stressful moment, but it turned out beautifully. Our wedding cake was two tier, the top chai spice and the bottom lemon. We chose ferret cake toppers who were made to look like two of our actual ferrets.”
After the afternoon tea, their guests had the opportunity to meet and interact with the farm’s resident animals (chickens, sheep, llamas and alpacas). They even had buckets of sweetcorn for guests to throw as ‘cornfetti’ for the chickens, and carrots to offer the larger animals! Guests were treated to Harry Potter-themed potions as drinks and old-fashioned games such as hook-a-duck and bucket ball.
“Being creative and finding unique ways to do things while staying on theme was so much fun,” Anne continued. “But our absolute favourite bit of the prep process was making our wedding rings. We had a full day workshop where we made each others rings from start to finish, it was such a special day.”
Anne and Jared final advice for other couples is just to do what makes you happy. “Keep things simple and prioritise what’s important to you,” Anne advised. “Don’t let the fear of what others may think prevent you from creating a day that’s true to you. Do what makes YOU happy and keep things simple. We didn’t have any seating plans and let guests choose their own seats, it was one less thing for us to worry about.”
