What do you get when you combine retro, 70s vibe with a cowboy aesthetic and a Newcastle coal yard? Why, Jane and Rob’s epic country western wedding of course! With the bride working in fashion and the groom being in an Americana band, their wedding was never going to be boring, but they made it even more awesome by DIYing almost everything and spending under £4,000!
“We just wanted a big party. Nothing formal, a 70s hoedown if you will!”, Jane said when asked about their theme. “I also think that our wedding goes to show that you don’t need to spend a whole load of money to have the perfect day. Our entire wedding came in at under £4,000, and we loved every moment of it. We wouldn’t have had a better time if we’d spend £20,000!”
Jane wore a Willowby By Watters gown with a cowboy hat and boots, while Rob was in a light blue suit which was customised with appliques. “We bought a mixture of different appliques and wanted to DIY the suit, but they didn’t quite flow together and lacked personality. Luckily Rob came across Yve of Thread Icons. She combined traditional nudie suit decorations with some lovely personal touches. For example, the flowers were taken from the Cumbrian flag (where Rob grew up), and two herons were placed on the back (Rob’s surname is Heron).”
For catering they had a potluck buffet, asking guests to bring a dish instead of a gift, “It was a challenge to not end up with 17 lasagnes, but it all worked out in the end”, Jane laughed. The flowers and all the decorations were also done by the couple and set up the morning-of by their army of helpers. They bought loads of huge orange paper lanterns from eBay which they hand-painted with retro flowers. Jane also purchased dried flowers to make the table decorations and her bouquet as well as vases from local charity shops.
With the groom being a musician, the songs they played throughout the day were a huge consideration. They hired Howling Ric and The Rocketeers, a scratch band and a DJ. “As Rob is a musician, he has a huge group of wonderfully talented musical friends”, Jane explained. “They formed a band for our wedding and played a list of our favourite songs. We also had a great selection of Newcastle’s finest vinyl only DJs who kept the dancefloor shakin’ all night!”
“Our advice to other couples would be to just be yourselves!”, she concluded. “Don’t worry about confirming to what a wedding should look like. Having worked in the wedding industry for many years (as a designer and stylist), I often hear the word ‘timeless’ being used, but I think timeless can often equal boring!”
