With a home full of vintage and antiques, it made sense for Megan and Jacob to base their wedding around this. “We wanted it to be relaxed, fun and colourful, and different to ‘normal’ weddings,” the bride told us. “We had a strong feeling that we didn’t want to have a stuffy wedding, and to feel like we HAD to do anything. We wanted a day that represented us, and for us that meant there wouldn’t be crystals in red roses or fluffy puffy bows anywhere! The discovery of Rock n Roll Bride was the perfect inspiration and convinced us to do what we love.”
The couple had a hand in so many of the details in their day; The Kings Chapel in Buckinghamshire was the perfect blank canvas for them to get creative and put their own stamp on things. They drew and designed all the illustrations for the tables, table plans and blackboard. They made tassels for the ceiling by repurposing plastic table cloths and tying them onto net and rope. They made personalised velvet banners to hang as the ceremony backdrop and in the reception area. They made dried petal confetti over the year and half of planning from bunches they were given during that time and from flowers from the garden. “I made so much we went down the procession line twice!”
Florals on the day were a big deal for the couple too – they wanted seasonal, with a wild feel, interspersed with big bright blooms and lots of natural looking foliage. They hired Ash Claydon of The Nagundo Tree, a purely organic florist, to complete their vision. “Ash was amazing. She is very creative, and we worked together to come up with new ideas for the space and gave her the reins to try some new things too. She even naturally hand-dyed the fabrics to wrap around the bouquets, and matched them to the colours of the ribbons we had planned for the chairs and banners.”
They hired vintage furniture and props from The Boho Shack, and the drinks trolley, pink velvet footstool and gallon jugs were rescued from the tip. These were interspersed with accessories and knick knacks from their own home for a truly personal, homely feel. “I loved kicking back on the chaise lounge to read my speech, and that now I look around our home and have so many memories from our wedding day.”
Their ceremony was performed by celebrant Billy Watson. “He devised a lovely and personal ceremony which ran through the story of our life together thus far. We had a reading by Jacob’s mum of the poem Blessings for a Marriage by James Dillet-Freeman. For our vows we read I’ll be There by Steven Curtis-Chapman to each other which was painfully tear inducing and took quite a while for me to actually get through. It was beautiful though apparently, said everyone else through their tear stained faces. I walked down the aisle with my dad to Tammi Terrell and Marvin Gaye’s You’re All I Need to Get By. Our nephew was a super star and though he seemed to be entirely unreliable during practice, he ran our rings down the aisle like a pro when it mattered the most. We walked out to Life’s a Happy Song by The Muppets… “
Megan and Jacob prioritised their spending into three areas, photography, flowers and the band. “The photographer was the most important to us because in years to come when the memories fade you rely on the photos to remind you what happened and how it felt. As with everything else, we didn’t want stuffy posed photos. We wanted photos that captured natural reactions, good or bad, and the feeling of the day.”
“Don’t feel like you have to have a typical wedding,” Megan concluded. “You have to remember you’re getting married not putting on a show for people. Even though you will want people to remember the day and have a great time that doesn’t mean you have to spend thousands of pounds on things that at the end of the day nobody cares about. If you are happy on the day that’s what people will remember so, make yourself happy and the rest will follow.”
