We might be hurtling towards Christmas but today on the blog we are back in June for a beautiful summer wedding. This botanical Welsh wedding is full of sweet eco details – homegrown plants for decorations, handmade bunting – and a love of plants and the natural world.

Jenny and David got married on 25th June at the Ceridwen Centre in the Welsh countryside, and their wedding was captured by TNWC Recommended Photographer Emma Stoner. Over to Jenny to tell us more about their botanical Welsh wedding…

Why a botanical Welsh wedding

“Our wedding was inspired by our relationship, which was built around a love of plants and the Welsh countryside. We wanted to have a relaxed family wedding, with everyone feeling included in the celebration.

We wanted a venue that reflected our love of the Welsh countryside. When we saw the tipi on the hillside overlooking the Welsh valley at Ceridwen Centre we knew we had our venue.  The tipi is on a farm which had accommodation for all our guests including yurts and a gypsy wagon. It was great to have our guests onsite for the whole weekend giving a really laid back atmosphere.”

An unintentional homemade wedding

“We never set out to have a homemade wedding, but we did have a very clear picture of how we wanted our wedding to look and we enjoyed making things exactly how we wanted them. Our venue gave us freedom to make the wedding exactly how we liked with all the homemade touches we wanted.

The bouquets were made from buttons using new and old buttons donated from friends and family.”

We love Jenny’s button bouquets for a fun alternative to a fresh flower bouquet, and that they were created using donated buttons from all their friends and family.

A sunset beach proposal

“David and I met in the queue for registration at Aberystwyth University. We were both studying biology and soon discovered a shared fascination for plants and the natural world.

We explored the Welsh coastline together, and were lucky enough to get research projects together in Lapland, where we saw the midnight sun, the northern lights and most importantly a whole new range of plants to study. We loved living in Aberystwyth but after 9 years studying and working there it was time to move on. On our last night in Aberystwyth David proposed on the beach at sunset.”

Homegrown plants for meaningful wedding favours

“We didn’t need to use a florist for our wedding because the farm let us pick wildflowers from their hedgerows to decorate our tipi.

Before the wedding we grew over 100 plants, taking over our windowsills and David’s parents’ conservatory. We wanted to give each wedding guest a living momento of our wedding, so each guest had a sempervivum (meaning live forever) plant place name. We also grew some of our favourite plants to use as table centrepieces, including plants we studied together during our time in Lapland.

We used more homegrown plants for the ‘living’ buttonholes, which we could replant after the wedding, they are still growing on our windowsill.”

Homemade wedding cakes

Jenny and David’s mothers made their wedding cakes, a really lovely idea for incorporating family into your wedding day and letting them create something for you. My experience from my own wedding day is that people generally really enjoy being invited to contribute in some way. We also love cute pair of foxes.

 

Wedding advice – ask for help, people want to get involved

“We loved involving our friends and family in the wedding preparations as well as our big day. We found people really wanted to help us with our wedding so don’t be afraid to ask for help, especially if you’re planning a lot of homemade details.”

Advice we wholeheartedly agree with! Your family and friends are there not only to witness your marriage but to offer practical support and help – so why not start on your wedding day by asking them to get involved.

A big thank you to Jenny and David for letting us share their lovely botanical Welsh wedding with you, and to Emma Stoner for bringing it to our attention.

If you are dreaming of a wedding in beautiful Wales, then do take a look at the recommended suppliers we work with in Wales by viewing our supplier map, and check out out Welsh wedding archive on the blog.

{ Details }

Photography: Emma Stoner Photography
Wedding Venue: Ceridwen Centre
Brides Dress: Debenhams Debut range
Wedding Stationery: Recycled card from Eco-Craft and stamps from Noolibird
Wedding Cakes: Made by the mother-of-the-bride and mother-of-the-groom
Decorations: Homegrown plants and handmade bunting.

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