This week I’ve already introduced TNWC Real Bride Myfawny who’s planning a creative and vintage inspired wedding celebration with her Mr-to-be Tom (oh and Arthur the dachshund!), so today it’s ‘Real Bride’ number 4 – the lovely Sarah.

Sarah and Lee are getting hitched in Nottinghamshire and are making their wedding a child-friendly (they have two cuties called Ava and Archie) and homemade affair – I can’t wait to hear all about it as their plans unfurl.  

I’m also really excited because I met Sarah’s mum Susan last summer on the Catkin cut flower course (she’s growing lots of flowers for their wedding!).  So it’s over to Sarah to tell you all about their plans so far…

Sarah + Lee: 24th August 2013, Nottinghamshire

Hi my name is Sarah Milner I am 26 and engaged to the handsome Lee Broadhurst who turns 30 on Christmas day!  We have 2 children Ava who’s 5 and Archie who is 21 months old.  Our wedding is taking place on August 24th 2013, we are tying the knot at the gorgeous old vicarage in Elkesley – it’s a beautiful old building which is a private home in which they allow 12 weddings a year to take place.

The ceremony would take place inside the house and afterwards we move into the marquee set in the beautiful gardens where we are having an informal tea party for guests and a BBQ later in the evening.  It’s the perfect setting for the relaxed, homemade, family wedding we really desire.

My lovely mum is playing a big part in my day, she is growing and arranging the flowers for the big day.  She is also making hand knitted toy dogs as favours for young guests, handmade lavender bags for the ladies and we are still deciding what to do for the men!

Rachel from Catkin Flowers showing my mum and Charlie from The Natural Wedding Company how to make a hand-tied bouquet:

We plan to decorate the marquee with lots of home grown flowers, decorations, hay bales, croched blankets, bunting and candles.

I’m hoping to have a VW campervan to take my parents, Ava, and myself to the wedding.  We have our photographer booked, Sally Moore Photography based in Worksop, I instantly adored her photos they were so natural, not too much editing or posing!

The lavender bags and knitted dogs my mum has made for the wedding:

We have a few ideas on the music we’d like at the wedding, I love the soundtrack to the film Juno, it’s simply beautiful, so a few songs from that will make an appearance, and I’d like to walk down the aisle to Old Pine by Ben Howard.  My finance Lee has some musical friends and we are hoping one of them will play an acoustic set for us in between the tea party and BBQ.

We also made our own save the date card which is an idea we got from The Natural Wedding Company blog – me and my gorgeous children had great fun making the making the banner!

As for the cake I’d like a big Victoria sponge cake, I would like to make it myself as I know I make a beautiful Victoria sponge and I think it would add another personal touch, but I am unsure if I would have time to make it so close to the wedding so we are going to decide on that later!

I recently ordered my dress from a pretty little bridal shop in Matlock called Gracie Bleu.  It’s a lace design and it’s the perfect dress for me – simple and elegant with a very small train.  We are still to find dresses for Ava and my niece Tegan who will be the only bridesmaids on the day.

A ‘work-in-progress’ drawing my mum did that I hope to use for our wedding:

Lee is hoping to have a tweed suit but he hasn’t started looking as yet and that is the one area I’m not involved in!  He is choosing his suit and also the outfit for Archie, I think it will be a lovely surprise when I arrive at the venue on the day and see what they wearing for the first time (Archie will be staying with and travelling to the venue with his dad) I can see my eyes filling up now!

As a couple we are relaxed, easy going and natural and that’s exactly how I’d like our wedding to be.  I have been so inspired by The Natural Wedding Company blog and by the real weddings featured – I would love to inspire other brides, I think that be would be an amazing feeling.

Next week I’m hoping to have a few more ‘Real Brides’ for you to meet and hear about their wedding plans, but for now if you haven’t already, do catch up on the first four lovely TNWC Real Brides.

Images: (1) Illustration by Izzy Burton; (2) Dasha Caffrey Photography; (3 – 5) Brides own pictures