This Real Weddingsis one of those relaxed, family-filled days; brimming with joy and carefully chosen homemade details, it is unique yet classic and timelessly traditional.

Gemma and Nick, who met at university, were married in their beautiful local church and held their reception in a marquee adorned with borrowed bunting and homegrown flowers in the garden of Gemma’s family home.

We asked bride Gemma to fill us in on more details of this picture-perfect DIY wedding, captured by one of our recommended wedding photographers, Maureen de Preez. Over to Gemma…

Cottage garden wedding handcrafted by the whole family

“We tried to do a lot ourselves – we really wanted the wedding to reflect us as much as possible and have a really personal touch,” Gemma explains.  Her mum is renowned for her amazing cooking so they asked her to do as much of the catering as possible, “with her friend Carol they made all the canapés, desserts and wedding cake – we thought we’d massively over catered but everything got eaten”.

And the homemade treats didn’t stop there: “my sister decorates our Christmas cake every year so it seemed fitting that she extend the tradition to our wedding cake and it was stunning.” Gemma’s dad got involved in the preparations too – “he made all the centre pieces, order of services, car parking signs and anything technical.”

Creating a flower-filled day

Gemma’s auntie grew lots of sweet peas to decorate the marquee and the resourceful bride and bridesmaids did a course with The Flower Appreciation Society and ordered flowers from a local wholesaler – a great idea to ensure the floral decorations and bouquets are exactly how you envisage them on the day, not to mention a way of helping everyone to bond: “this is how you bring the family together.”

“I know it might seem stressful,” Gemma concedes, “but if you haven’t already had that formative conversation with your new in-laws when will you?”

“I personally think if you can, don’t outsource. Having family and friends bring desserts, cakes or simply help, gives that personal touch to the day. When a guest meets another guest on the day they can tell them about the bunting they made or the lighting they put up.”

A vintage bridal look

On the morning of the big day, Gemma and her bridesmaids got ready at Gemma’s parents’ house.  Her gorgeous vintage-inspired delicately layered lace Cymbeline wedding dress is a beautiful example of how to ‘wow’ without layers and hoops. Gemma’s mum provided her with a beautiful necklace for her ‘something borrowed’ and a new Monica Vinader bracelet finished her look.

Vintage summer party inspiration

When asked what inspired her plans for the day, Gemma is clear on her vision: “Vintage, cottage garden, traditionally English, relaxed, festival-y feel. We wanted it to be in the most literal sense, your best friends coming round to your home for a summer party: unpretentious and welcoming. We wanted a big party full of our family and friends.”

Pale blue bridemaids’ dresses 

Gemma’s delicate backless gown was beautifully complimented by periwinkle blue floor length bridesmaids’ dresses from ASOS and she treated them with gifts of elegant Kate Spade bracelets.  The dresses perfectly matched with the cottage garden flowers in their bouquets and were an impressive online find.

A classic journey to a beautiful service

Their vintage-inspired celebrations were preceded by a service at the ornately grand Dedham Parish Church, after which the happy couple made a head-turning journey to the reception in a carriage pulled by horses festooned with plumes of white feathers which had been booked as a wedding gift by Gemma’s mum.

The impressive wedding transport really made the bride and groom feel special, “on the day we felt like minor royalty as the streets of Dedham stopped for to watch us go by. The horse and cart was the perfect way to have time to ourselves between the church and reception to relive the ceremony which had flown past.”

A natural choice of wedding ceremony

“We had selected Dedham Parish Church because of its locality but also because of it’s grandeur and historical links to the painter John Constable.”

Groom Nick explains, “Gemma and I had amazing times rowing boats together from Dedham to Flatford, the landscape made famous by Constable. The setting, village and church, and links to the landscape meant lot to us.”

An even more meaningful marriage

Even the church service itself involved family: “a meaningful part of the day was that we were married by my Nanny’s husband, who had been a big part of my childhood, and had administered the marriage of my brother.”

There’s no place like home

Having the reception at Gemma’s parents house was a special choice for the couple, “it meant so much to us that we could have the reception at my family home; the memories from the day can be relived by a simple walk in the garden.”

Along with the beautifully decorated marquee and garden, guests enjoyed homemade canapés, drinks and lawn games upon arrival, before sitting down to enjoy a hog roast by Spitting Pig and, after the eagerly anticipated speeches, desserts made by Gemma’s mum and her friend Carol.

Capturing memories of the day

Gemma feels that her choice of wedding hotographer was a significant one – “make sure you book a photographer who you could see yourselves being friends with: they have access-all-areas on the biggest day of your life.”

And they clearly made an excellent choice in Maureen du Preez – their photographs capture both casual, happy moments amongst friends and beautiful golden hour shots of the couple themselves.

“You need someone you can get on with if you want to achieve natural quality shots. It’s difficult to ascertain this via email so definitely Skype interview your photographers to get a sense of whether there will be a fit.”

Golden hour couple portraits

We adore these tender ‘golden hour’ photos of Gemma and Nick that Maureen du Preez captured. Having that time along together in the midst of your wedding day is so important to let you have a moment to reconnect just the two of you.

Continuing the celebrations throughout the evening

Gemma’s final piece of advice? “Spend money on a band – the party matters. There’s nothing worse than the party dying a death.” And to that end, Gemma, Nick and their guests celebrated until late with self-proclaimed ‘feel good party band’ The Smooth Sailors, surrounded by the people who not only meant the most to them but who also made the day everything they had hoped it would be.

It has been a real pleasure to share the details of Gemma and Nick’s wedding – thank you for inviting us to marvel at your carefully and thoughtfully crafted day. And a huge thank you to Maureen du Preez for capturing it so beautifully.

{ Details }

Photography: Maureen du Preez
Venue: Family home
Marquee: County Marquees
Dress: Cymbeline from Elm Hill Brides in Norwich
Hog Roast: Spitting Pig
Wedding Cake: Homemade
Flowers: Bride and bridesmaids