Village fete wedding with Morris Men

This beautiful wedding photographed by Dawn Potter was inspired by the nostalgia of village fetes, and is full of fun and games for the many children who came – something I think too often gets over-looked.  Holly crafted such a colorful and fun wedding that really went that extra mile for her guests.

Holly and Dean got married in the picturesque village of Loders in Dorset, with the ceremony in the village church and the reception just down the road.

The church was decorated with pretty country style flowers and the order of service is one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen – isn’t it stunning, like a page out of a fairytale…

There were paper cones of flower petal confetti in a wire basket for guests, and Holly carried a bouquet of blousy pink Peonies.

After a pretty church ceremony with their closest family and friends, Holly and Dean enjoyed a lovely walk through the picturesque village with their guests from the church to the reception on this warm June day.

The bridesmaids carried baskets of rose petals that had been collected and dried by Holly and her mum in the run up to the wedding.  They scattered the petals in front of Holly and Dean as they walked through the village.

The marquee was set up in a field behind the local pub – I loved that they mowed a path through the field and lined it with pots of lavender – a wonderful way to welcome their guests to the reception.

As the guests arrived they were treated to locally made ice cream served from a traditional ice cream bicycle.  I love these cheeky chappies – don’t they look happy with their ice cream cones!

Holly and Dean had set up village fete style stalls to keep their family and friends entertained, with a bouncy castle, coconut shy and a dress up area for the kids.  There was even a wooden cow which the children could milk!

Inside the marquee Holly and Dean put on a beautiful spread of afternoon tea complete with vintage china, collected by Holly and her mum, and earthenware pots filled with seasonal garden flowers.  Don’t you just love the big sprays of yellowy-green Lady’s Mantle and Ox-Eye Daisies – such quintessential country flowers.

There were lots of dainty sandwiches and cakes followed by a hog roast later in the evening.

In each guest’s place they placed a small pot of homemade jam, made by Holly’s dad.  The jars were covered in pretty fabric tops and fastened with a tag telling them what kind of jam it was.

There were also big glass jars full of sweets for their guests to help themselves to and a wedding fingerprint tree.

The Morris dancers, who had earlier formed a guard of honour when Holly and Dean had left the church, later provided traditional village entertainment for the guests.

What a lovely quintessential country wedding.  A huge thank you to Holly and Dean, and their photographer Dawn Potter for letting me share their beautiful wedding with you.  Dawn Potter is based in Dorset and tells me she wants to provide wedding photography that “give a sense of belonging” and to “capture the unique true spirit of the day.”

Images: Dawn Potter Photography