Outdoors

Two Ceremonies, Afternoon Tea & A Music Festival: Tam & Rob

Kat

September 18, 2012

"We really wanted a fun wedding which guests would enjoy", began Tam when I asked her about her vintage-inspired festival wedding. "Rob & I decided we would split the day into three, so we had the ceremony, the afternoon tea with games then an evening party. I think having three different venues with lots of entertainment was fun for the guests and us!" In fact after the afternoon tea part of the wedding, the couple had a second ceremony - a traditional Indian wedding ceremony. "My dad is Indian so after the wedding ceremony everyone had a glass of Pimms and then gathered round for a traditional Parsee ceremony called a 'Mado Soro'. The ceremony is a blessing for the couple to wish them good fertility and a fruitful marriage. My dad explained what was going on to all the guests and what the ceremony meant. We were presented with the most amazing fresh flower garlands that my cousins had bought over from Thailand. A fruit tree was planted by my brother while prayers were said by other relatives. An egg was passed round Rob's head three times then thrown to the ground and broken. A coconut was then smashed on the floor. Everyone then threw rice and confetti."

A Backyard Beach Wedding Planned in Three Weeks: Nellie & Matt

Kat

September 13, 2012

Nellie & Matt planned their Whistable wedding in just three short weeks. They wanted something small, something personal and something relaxed. They found the amazing Beacon House, right on the beach, for their ceremony and were able to use the back garden of the bride's brother's holiday cottage for the reception. "Serendipity and our amazingly supportive family and friends brought our wedding together in just 3 weeks," the bride began. "Matt and I had been engaged for 3 years, neither of us are planners but we had a clear idea of the kind of wedding we wanted, a relaxed, seaside celebration centred around our close friends, family, good food and drink. But every option we explored in Cambridge and Brighton, our two home cities, in one way or another tied us into expensive packages, so we put off the wedding and skipped to the baby."

A DIY Maryland Wedding: Natalie & Brynn

Kat

September 10, 2012

"Our family and friends MADE this wedding happen," explained Natalie when I asked her about her wedding. "Brynn & I didn't want to have a wedding designer, but I think my mother now holds that title. She spent the eight months of our engagement collecting wine glasses and silverware from thrift stores. Her and my aunt accumulated all the décor and oversaw virtually every design detail. My grandmother sewed all of the napkins and a family friend arranged the flowers for the centerpieces. My father created and made the cocktails and roasted coffee beans for the wedding favors (Brynn’s mother sewed the favor bags). My super-talented friend, the visual manager of an Anthropologie in DC, built the ceremony backdrop & platform and made all the signs. We asked a family friend to bartend. My best friend’s father and my cousins hung all the lights for the reception. One of my friends recently started an event-planning business and she handled all of the insane day-of coordination. Our friend is in a band and graciously offered to DJ the entire wedding." The couple were married in Maryland in July. With a laid back approach, and as much help as their friends & family could muster, they planned the wedding of their dreams with little to no stress. "Our inspiration for the ceremony was a combination of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Lord of The Rings", she continued. "Obviously having the ceremony in a forest was a must. I envisioned my bridesmaids looking like little wood nymphs or fairies. They all picked out a white dress of their choosing and everyone looked smashing. We wanted our reception to be like a party Jay Gatsby would throw. There were lights strung everywhere, non-stop music, endless drinks, and next-level dance moves. Brynn's brother and best man even secretly got a limo to take us away."

A Farm Wedding with Fancy Dress, Fun & Frolics: Lauren & Matt

Kat

August 31, 2012

Lauren & Matt's started their wedding planning knowing exactly what they wanted: something relaxed, stress-free and fun. They were lucky enough to have a friend whose parents own a farm, so everything else really stemmed from that. Lauren told me all about it. "As soon as we got engaged we knew how we wanted our wedding to be, we just didn't know how to do it! The first and most important thing was to find a photographer. Being a enthusiastic photographer myself, I spent weeks searching for one that she liked, we finally came across Sassy of Assassynation and sent an excited email straight away. She immediately told us to phone her for a chat as we hadn't set a date yet, but when she told us she only had 2 Saturdays free in the 3 months that we were looking at we booked her there and then! Everything else was then planned around her."

An Independence Day Picnic Wedding: Sarah & Mike

Kat

August 27, 2012

Sarah & Mike were married on the weekend after Independence Day. They wanted a relaxed wedding that was a celebration, and one that all their family and friends would enjoy. "I would describe our wedding theme as a 'rural, homemade, Independence Day picnic'," began the bride. "We first looked at historic mansions in the area but quickly realized they would be out of our price range and we wouldn’t have much flexibility customizing our wedding. They would pick the DJ, and we’d have to select a meal from their menu for example. Then, when driving home from Baltimore one night, we drove past a park in Carroll County that was covered with beautiful flowers and several 18th century buildings, including a working gristmill. We stopped and walked around and discussed how perfect this place would be to get married and we decided to look into it. Luckily, they did allow weddings and after all the quotes we had from the mansions we were shocked at how affordable this place was!"

An Intimate Ohio Wedding: Ashley & Jon

Kat

August 24, 2012

"Jon & I were married on a scorching hot day (temperatures just shy of 100F!) in September of last year in Columbus, Ohio", wrote Ashley. "This was the culmination of a year and a half of UK to USA long distance relationshipping! We met while living and teaching ESL in South Korea 3 years ago, and after 8 months of dating while there decided to keep trying even as we returned to our respective continents. After Korea, I started a master's degree course in Ohio while Jon returned to Brighton and found a job. The year and a half apart was tough but we kept the love alive with lots and lots of Skyping and daily gchats. We got engaged when Jon surprised me by secretly flying to Ohio (an impressive collaboration between himself and one of my best friends/roommate) on February 13th, 2011 with a vintage ring he'd bought at an antique shop in the Brighton Lanes. I was absolutely shocked, believe me!"

An Intimate Australian Wedding & A Bride in Blue: Fiona & Andrew

Kat

August 17, 2012

Fiona & Andrew's DIY wedding in Victoria, Australia was themed around the things they love - vintage items, 1950s styling, cherries, hearts and flowers. They took these ideas as the starting point and built their wedding around them. "We wanted the guests to be able to feel as much a part of the day as possible, hence the small guest list of only 45 and the extended weekend long celebration", began the bride. "We made a lot ourselves. I made a ring cushion from the same fabric as my sash/bolero and a piece of fabric from my mum's wedding dress. We had a ring warming ceremony before I arrived where the cushion was brought around my my 5 year old nephew, Oliver, and guests where asked to send a blessing our way."

A Laid Back Rustic Wedding in South Africa: Natalie & Mike

Kat

August 16, 2012

Natalie & Mike met on the side of a road, whilst travelling to Mozambique. His car was broken down and she rescued him! After 9 months of a long distance relationship he moved to Johannesburg to be with her. They now live in the North Coast of KZN with their 2 year old son.

A Homemade Historic Mansion Wedding: Matt & Kellyann

Kat

August 10, 2012

Matt & Kellyann had a homemade wedding in the historic Colonial Dame, a mansion in Philadelphia. The DIY details included the escort table, some decorative pinwheels made from origami paper, the chalkboards, the ring bearer's book (an actual book instead of a cushion - inspired by The Clash's Combat Rock album art, and as a nod to Kellyann's bookish nature), the printed napkins and the invitations.

A Fancy Dress Glastonbury Festival Wedding: Alice & Matt

Kat

July 27, 2012

After dating for four and a half years, Matt proposed to Alice on the long drive home from Glastonbury Festival in 2011. So needless to say, the couple decided they wanted a festival themed wedding... or more specifically a homage to their favourite festival. "It had been an amazing weekend of music, love and cider-fuelled reveling," began the bride. "It was pretty much an unspoken agreement from the off that our wedding would be an homage to Glastonbury. The festival has played a massive part in both our lives and running around in the mud, dressed like loons, dancing until dawn is high on our favourite things to do list. As soon as we'd verbalised the words 'festival', 'camping' and 'fancy dress' the thought occurred that it might be worth a punt asking the Eavis family (who own the land Glastonbury Festival is held on) if they would consider letting us use Worthy Farm. The family are great friends of my parents and scrumptious people. Amazingly they were really excited about the idea and more than happy to help (although they have since decided they don't want to host further weddings - we might have put them off for life...eek!! - that's not their bag). Glastonbury was having a year off so we chose to wed on Saturday 23rd June, a date which anyone who knows anything about Glastonbury will know understand to be highly significant!"

Colourful Californian Ranch Wedding: Jamie & Chris

Kat

July 26, 2012

This colourful ranch wedding winged it's way to me all the way from sunny California. Held at The Holland Ranch, San Luis Obispo, with all the guests staying at the nearby Madonna Inn, the day was one of colour, fun and a rockin' good time! "Our inspiration was to make our wedding as fun as possible and as uniquely 'us'", Jamie, the bride, told me. "We knew we wanted to do it in San Luis Obispo because it's our favorite little town on the coast and would be a destination wedding for our families who live out of town and our friends who live in LA. The Madonna Inn is a special hotel for us and we stay there a few times a year. It's so fun and funky. And we love that every room was different, we knew it would be a fun part of the experience for our guests. As soon as we found the Holland Ranch and saw all the neon signs and taxidermy on the walls of the party barn, we knew it was our place. Plus, it had the gorgeous mountain-backdrop and cool archway for the ceremony. We loved the idea of having our big day all in one location. And the barn was the perfect back-drop for the party! More than anything, we wanted our guests to have fun and from what we've heard, they did!"

A Rustic French Countryside Wedding: Natalie & Oliver

Kat

July 26, 2012

Natalie & Oliver were married in France, at Oliver's parents home in L’Isle En Dodon. The British couple live in The States but made the trip to France to marry surrounded by their friends and family. "The French countryside and beautiful barn were our main inspiration and did a lot of the hard work for us!" explained the pair. "The family setting and DIY approach gave the wedding a really personal touch, which we would never have been able to achieve in a more traditional venue, and gave the wedding an incredibly unique feel. So many people contributed to making the wedding as amazing as it was – it really was a family affair and those invites, certainly a labour of love!"

A Californian Ranch Wedding: Natalie & Dave

Kat

July 24, 2012

The ranch location of Natalie & Dave's wedding helped to set their theme. With crafty DIY details creating a rustic charm, this wedding was one with a real relaxed vibe. The Californian sunshine probably helped as well! "I am not sure what to call our theme really," began the bride, "because it was outdoors we used berlap, wildflowers and wine barrels which gave it that country feel. But I also liked adding lace, pearls and hanging lights to give it a more elegant look."

A Woodland Ceremony & A Pirate Themed Party: Jenny & Gary

Kat

July 18, 2012

I love love love Shell de Mar's wedding photography. Every single image is bright and fun and vibrant. They just make me feel so happy. I don't know what it is... It's probably a little to do with the amazing way she captures colour but more likely than not it's a lot to do with the firecracker behind the lens. Shell is a cute as hell force to be reckoned with. She's also one of my best friends and so it's always an honour to share her work on my blog. Today's installment of sunshine comes in the form of Jenny & Gary's woodland ceremony, hillside portraits and pirate themed reception. "Our ceremony was held at Wittenham Clumps (i.e. up a hill!), just next to the reception venue", Jenny told me. "When we came to see the barn as a potential reception venue we fell in love with the view, the fresh air, abundance of wild flowers and birdsong (sounds cheesy but it truly was idyllic) and just had to have the wedding there. Amazingly the sun shone on the day, although it had been raining for weeks before and after. We were bloody lucky! The only down side was there was no license so we had to have a small civil ceremony the week before (no great burden really – having an intimate day was also wonderful)."

A Maryland Farm Wedding: Jamie & McKenzie

Kat

July 6, 2012

Too gorgeous for words...like literally. I just stared and stared at these amazing photos for (what seemed like) hours before I found the words to start writing this article. There really is something utterly breathtaking about this wedding and Lydia Jane's images that captured it. I'm thrilled to be able to share it with you today so please forgive my gushing... Jamie & McKenzie were married at home. They love their lifestyle on their farm, living alongside the sheep and chickens, so a homespun wedding was really the only option. The couple have a hugely supportive family who all helped out to make the wedding what it was.

Pin Wheels, Paper Flags, Tattoos & Love: Christina & Paul

Kat

June 28, 2012

now. I've tried to quit it but then he keeps luring me back with emails like "Heygirl, you're gonna LOVE this wedding!" and then I'm right back again...all smitten and stuff. That's exactly what happened when I saw Christina & Paul's epic wedding. I've died and gone to Rock n Roll wedding heaven.

A Rustic, Dainty & Slightly Chaotic Winery Wedding: Megan & Matt

Kat

June 22, 2012

Megan & Matt's wedding is one I definitely wish I'd been at. The bride rocking a hipflask in her garter, a kid called Milo Bear (isn't that the coolest name for a child ever?!) a mashed potato bar (trumps a dessert bar any day!) and a fancy dress party to end the night on a high.

An Upcycled Ceremony in the Park: Julian & Carolyn

Kat

May 18, 2012

Some of you may recognise Julian & Carolyn as I featured their 'registration of marriage ceremony', a Malaysian tradition, way back in December 2010! Well since then, the couple have been planning the rest of their wedding celebration - an outdoor party held at Kiara Jungle Park in Kuala Lumpur. "For the ceremony itself, we wanted a really cute/funny entrance," Carolyn began. "Our first ideas was to have a few of our friends ride in with their Harley's and then my Dad & I would zip right in with a Vespa and cute 'beep, beep'! Unfortunately (well, fortunately on hindsight) the Vespa we borrowed was giving us some problems, so we didn't go on with the plan... but my friends still came with 4 white Harley's and so I hopped onto to the back and that was my grand entrance!"

Married Beneath the Cherry Blossoms: Joseph & Fabiana

Kat

May 16, 2012

Joseph & Fabiana had a low-key and intimate wedding at Brooklyn Botanic Gardens. They decided against an expensive or extravagant wedding, instead favouring a simple and touching ceremony with their nearest and dearest.

A Handmade Florida Wedding : Mike & Melissa

Kat

May 1, 2012

Working in the music industry it was important to Mike & Melissa that their wedding suited their lifestyle and sensibilities and 1903 Hontoon, a vacation property in Deland Florida, turned out to be the perfect place. "Mike is a local musician and recently I have decided to leave my job and become his manager!" began the bride. "We have been together for almost 4 years now and over the next two we will be setting up our lives to hit the road indefinitely until we find the best place to live! We are too hot here in Florida and always long to be in the mountains. We changed our wedding date 3 times just so that we could have it at this venue, because as far as Florida goes it was pretty hard to find a place that really spoke of who we are. We chose 1903 Hontoon, a vacation property that used to be an old boat & motor repair shot. It has an awesome feel to it. Our wedding is hardcore DIY & hand made - from 1,000 paper cranes to the tablecloths to the bridesmaid dresses and jewelry. I'm extremely crafty so I have been a non-stop force of productivity in creating everything I possibly can for this day. With that being said it is REALLY important to us to have our wedding captured because every detail is so dear to our hearts! The two of us never imagined that we would get married but, love eventually finds you and before we left for our travels it was important to us to share this bond and experience with our families."

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