An elegant Suffolk Garden Wedding at WILDERNESS RESERVE
When Ariel and Charlie realised they needed some support wedding planning for their elegant Suffolk wedding at The Wilderness Reserve, they picked up the phone to me following a recommendation to them from one of my favourite luxury makeup artists, Emily Chantal.
Ariel and Charlie had this incredible vision for their day and wanted me to support them on the day itself with my ‘On the day coordination’ service. But we bonded on our first conversation and I knew this was going to be such a stunning wedding in many ways. To start with, some of my most favourite suppliers were also coming along for the ride!
The couple had chosen the sought after The Wilderness Reserve in Suffolk and trust me when I say this must be a place you visit. We met and walked around the venue along with their wedding coordinator at the venue and their caterer whilst we planned, tweaked and organised the logistics of the day and I fully grasped exactly how beautiful it would look once we’d spoken about everything.
In the morning of this gorgeous sunny June day, Ariel was being looked after by her makeup artist email and hair stylist Sally-Kate (Hair by Duboux) with her stunning Bridesmaids in the comfort of this dog friendly venue… see how Oakley and Willow feature in the wedding later on, it’s a treat!
Next revealed the most beautiful Armeria wedding dress from fashion designer Alena Lena and it could not have been any more perfect for the gorgeous Ariel. She wore designer Loeffler Randall shoes and accompanied the dress with delicate white florals from Figa and Co.
The ceremony was performed by family and contained the most sweetest readings filled with laughter and the occasion tear whilst the guests listened to the beautiful harmonies of Gemma Daltrey & Jonny.
Delectable Canapes and the wedding breakfast was served by local catering team, Gather and Feast in the outdoor stretch tent from Events Under Canvas with table decor provided by CMA Hire
Remember the cake from Pink Face Cakes I told you about earlier? Isn’t this the cutest thing…
Afterwards, everyone danced the night away and enjoyed an array of drinks and cocktails from the fabulous team at Beyond Bar hire - wow! What a party!
This wedding could not have been captured more beautifully than it was, courtesy of the incredible Sharon Cudworth along with second shooter Laura Williams and fabulously talented Mike Savory on video
So if you are looking for inspiration on an outdoor, romantic garden wedding, I don’t think you can get a more beautiful aesthetic than Ariel and Charlie’s wedding.
A dreamy Parisienne styled wedding shoot
Paris or Suffolk Wedding?
You may be sitting in your Suffolk home thinking about a destination wedding but feel like the logistics of getting family & friends to travel overseas is too much? Let’s face it, most of us like the idea of jetting off to some luxury, warmer location but when you start planning, it can seem like a minefield, especially without a wedding planner.
So, let me offer you an alternative… what about a sophisticated Suffolk wedding? Hear me out…
A creative team of us got together to make this Parisienne dream a reality and it did not disappoint.
The location for this stunning vibe was at the incredible Butley Priory. Don’t let this Grade 1 listed, 700 year old venue fool you, it is a deeply romantic, luxury and private wedding venue covering 20 acres and surrounded by a stone wall. It’s interiors, unique in design and incredibly appealing to any modern couple looking for that Parisienne feel.
With exclusive use, 20 bedrooms and room for up to 100 of your loved ones to attend the ceremony, 80 to dine (200 if having a tent/marquee) then Butley Priory should be top of your list.
This talented team of suppliers really did come together to make this one of the best shoots I’ve worked on. It’s something as professionals we can’t explain but when a couple comes to us with their own vision, we have the ability to see exactly what you mean even though a mood board may not fully pull that dream together. but I knew with this shoot it was going to be extraordinary.
Moral of this blog? Trust your suppliers to deliver your vision.
What do you think?
Suppliers:
Venue Butley Priory
Florist Charlotte Wild Floral Design
Photographer Sharon Cudworth
Second Shooter Images by Anna
Hair Glow Occasion Hair
MakeUp Emily Chantal Make Up
Videography Films from Lewis
Dresses Perlanova
Jewellery SV Bridal
Stationery Lucy Mcspirit
Cake RT Cakes
Suit Anthony Formalwear
Styling Styled By Lulabelles Suffolk
An elegant English barn wedding with a touch of Greek sophistication
As an Essex based Wedding Planner, I was recommended to Georgia & Alex in the build up to their wedding day by exceptional hair artist, Carly Williams. I instantly knew that if Carly was involved, this was a wedding I definitely wanted to be a part of and I wasn’t wrong!
When I met with Georgia & Alex, we clicked instantly and I knew the visions they had for their day would be met based on the fantastic suppliers on board. They had chosen beautiful 17th Century barn, Blake Hall for their big day and popular venue stylists JF Styling and The Blossom Company were on hand to transform the already beautiful barn.
On the morning of the wedding day, Georgia and her Bridesmaids were busy sipping Champagne whilst high profile makeup artist Kate Glanfield looked after Georgia, then Amy May and Rebecca Claire worked with the Bridesmaids before Georgia slipped into her stunning Ersa Atelier dress from Morgan Davies Boutique in London topped with a pearl headdress from Botias Accessories and the look was completed with iconic Dior shoes.
The ceremony took place at Blake Hall and the couples request for draping wisteria on the beams and elegant flower displays to line the aisle was created beautifully. Georgia walked down the aisle to her excited Fiancé whilst music played on the mezzanine by string quartet OM Strings and sung by her equally beautiful Chief Bridesmaid. Soon after they slipped through an archway of aromatic confetti from Shropshire Petals.
Wedding guests were then treated to Processo, Beer, Orange Juice and Cloudy Lemonade with a delectable selection of Canapes provided by Caterers Waters Edge.
To entertain the guests further, the couple had arranged for the fluffiest alpacas from Hilly Ridge to wander around which made for the cutest photo opportunities.
Meanwhile, JF Styling and The Blossom Tree company were busy transforming the main barn in preparation for the wedding breakfast. Tables were laid with gold detail crockery & cutlery with bespoke grey table linen. Stationary was lovingly crafted by Georgia’s friend at Mag & Marge whilst tasty biscuits laid on each place setting providing favours to each guest. A gorgeous unique 5 tier black cake made by multi award winning cake designer Amelies Kitchen stood in the corner of the room.
Making sure the couple made the most of Alex’s heritage, Greek music was played towards the end of the meal which was a great addition and really got everyone in the mood for an amazing night of music arranged by Creation Events.
Georgia quickly transformed into her Greek themed evening outfit from Erin Kelly Bridal with a stunning number from designer Catherine Deane and matching headpiece from Victoria Percival she looked simply breathtaking.
The whole day was captured by one of the most talented photographers I know, Alicia, owner of Aurora Grey photography whose Dad is also Greek so the couple had a great connection with her. She was accompanied by contemporary videographer Robbie from RJ Wedding Films who shot the day and all the magical moments that came along.
Thank you to Georgia and Alex for letting me be a part of your day and to the most amazing team who put this vision together. Georgia & Alex, I wish you endless years of happiness and love together.
Additional thanks to:
Lovelight Entertainment (Uplighters & Canopy)
Shropshire Petals
To enquire about hiring Hayley as your wedding planner, click here.
You don't NEED a Wedding/Event Planner
but how does a wedding or event planner organise your event?
You are absolutely right, you certainly don’t NEED a planner, thousands of people plan their wedding or event without a hitch, but… what I’m going to talk you about is why you should WANT a planner; your time is precious
I’m going to give you a scenario; when I was younger and I wanted to book a holiday, I’d go into a local Travel Agents and they would do it all for me (or I’d check Teletext holidays!) it was easy, they knew what they were doing, they’d even been to some of the locations I wanted to visit and were able to give first hand information on the location - perfect! They even made sure I got the best price and stuck to my budget. Then in came the DIY holiday packages, now don’t get me wrong, these are amazing, I love sitting there for hours and hours planning my own holiday, researching where to go and what to do, where to avoid and for some reason, I always like to research what the locals wear (don’t ask!)
But… this all comes at a cost, my precious time, my money, my patience, sometimes even my sanity. The worst thing is, I’ve travelled to some places and then discovered when I got home that someone I know had already visited and could have recommended the BEST restaurant on the island (that I ironically did not visit!).
My point is this, anyone with organisational skills can plan a wedding or event but wouldn’t you feel so much more comfortable hiring a professional who has unlimited experience managing weddings and events and can recommend the best ways to run the celebration, minus the stress. After all, we’ve experienced the hiccups, the power cuts, the suppliers not turning up, the family arguments… and luckily for you, we know exactly how to handle them.
“If I cry at my wedding it’s because I’m overjoyed that the planning is finally over”
Planners are extremely useful if you are planning a last minute wedding or event, trying to fit it all in is just too much and actually, not everyone is good at planning or event wants to plan their own event. There are also times when there are family conflicts and the thought of making decisions with fear of backlash is just daunting. Hiring a planner gives you the ability to ‘pass the buck’ - we don’t mind having difficult conversations with family/friends if we know something is important to you.
Bringing a planner in from the very start of your planning process means you get to work closely with them, they will get to know you and they will get to know what you like and don’t like. We are all extremely busy people and it is very difficult setting time aside to plan your wedding or event to perfection, the reality is you won’t understand how much time, effort and money goes into planning an event, especially if this is your first time, that is why I am here to support you. Make sure you check my amazing testimonials!
Regularly working with the best suppliers in the area means I am able to negotiate on costs for you, so if I am able to save you money, I will - this could then be put towards the costs of my services.
Specifically your wedding day should exude peace, love, calm and romance (oh and lots of FUN!), just don’t take the risk of things going wrong, get in touch for a FREE consultation and I can get to know you better and understand your vision and goals, I can’t wait! Let’s get planning!
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