When it’s so cold out and the days are short, it’s difficult to remember what the heat of summer feels like.  But today we are transporting you back to a long hot day in July for this week’s real wedding.  Kim and John got married at Fernhill Meadow on the Isle of Wight on a beautifully warm day in a fun garden party wedding.

On 23rd July the lovely couple, who got together on the island, held a relaxed, informal wedding. The ceremony was written by them and conducted by a friend under a rustic wooden arch, there were games of rounders and beer pong to entertain their guests, and a pretty preloved wedding dress.

We chatted to bride Kim to find out more about their fun garden party wedding, which was captured by TNWC recommended photographer Betti Confetti Photography…

A fun garden party wedding

Kim and John are lucky enough to have a friend whose family own a beautiful garden on the Isle of Wight – reached by a inconspicuous suburban path, the garden is almost secret; full of apples trees, a pond and lots of lovely nooks and crannies as well as wide open space, it is the perfect setting for a summer wedding.

They have never held a wedding there before, but will certainly do so in the future. Kim is full of praise for them too, “the venue we picked was amazing and exceeded our expectations on the day in terms of decoration and service. They made the venue look amazing and we both felt that they had worked so hard to make the day perfect for us.”

A relaxed and fun garden party

The couple wanted to make sure their wedding reflected them: “We spent a lot of time talking about traditional wedding ceremonies and structures. We knew that we wanted the day to be relaxed and unstructured. For example, we didn’t want a sit down meal or formal speeches, but wanted to make sure that we could keep our guests entertained. We wanted the wedding to feel like a garden party.”

Choosing a preloved wedding dress

In keeping with the relaxed feel of the day, Kim chose to have a pastel rainbow of bridesmaids’ dresses. Alongside her simple ivory wedding dress and pretty white gerberas, the bridal party achieved an effortless elegance.

And Kim’s dress has eco credentials too: “I brought my dress from an amazing preloved wedding dress shop, Your Little Secret – this was more by accident than anything else but we found the service and the dresses at the shop to be the best”. This is a fantastic idea for both saving on costs and the environment.

Being creative with the structure of the day

“The wedding venue we chose was not a registered wedding venue so we had to pop to the registry office the day before to make our wedding official. This meant that we could be completely creative with the ceremony and structure of the day.”

But this freedom was crucial in making the ceremony, as well as the celebrations, personal and special: “I felt that every part of the day included parts of us and our relationship.”

A personal wedding ceremony

“We asked one of our friends to complete the ceremony and spent a weekend with him writing the ceremony and agreeing on vows. He was amazing and the ceremony felt so personal to us.

We had spent a lot of time thinking and talking about what promises we wanted to make to each other and the values we felt we had in our relationship which were important to share. We also included two readings in our ceremony and asked two friends.”

Recycled, fair-trade wedding rings

Kim and John chose Arabel Lebrusan to make their wedding rings – a TNWC recommended supplier, Arabel Lebrusan makes “award winning, statement jewellery” which is “designed with Fairtrade and ethics at its core”.

Full of food, drink and entertainment

Kim and John got together on the Isle of Wight so the beautiful place was a natural choice for their fun garden party wedding. “We knew that we wanted to get married on the Isle of Wight because it was such a special place for both of us.” And the fun garden party style was suited to their personalities too – “I don’t like being the centre of attention and as we both have small families were able to create a small and intimate wedding.”

“John also felt that the most important part of the wedding to get right for the guests was the food, drink and entertainment so we prioritised these.”

Laidback and carefree

The beautiful garden in which they held their wedding lends itself perfectly to the sort of wedding Kim and John sought. With the addition of hay bale seating areas, bunting alongside the painted caravan and cosy yurt, their fun garden party wedding was laidback and carefree.

Afternoon fun-filled games to entertain guests

“We wanted the day to be really relaxed and fun. After lunch we had a planned rounders game where most of our guests took part. The teams were Bride vs Groom and the bride won. The game was so fun and meant that all of the guest integrated.”

Choose a dress that is practical for your day

With the games in mind, Kim has a solid piece of advice about choosing a wedding dress from her own learning:

“Make sure the design of your dress fits your day. I couldn’t sit down in my dress – it was beautiful and had to be taken in so that I would feel secure in it, however it meant that I couldn’t sit down in it. When I bought it, I knew that the dress didn’t really fit with the feel of the day but I loved it and I couldn’t choose another one. After wearing it on the day maybe I should have picked a more informal dress.”

Your photographer is invaluable

Kim also feels really strongly about having a photographer too, even though she considered not having one at all. In the end she chose, Betti Confetti Photography.

“Get a photographer for the day. Before we asked Gemma to do our wedding, we had debated if we needed a photographer, thinking we might be able to rely on guests to take pictures of the day. I am so glad decided to get a photographer and in particular Gemma; her pictures were beautiful and she was able to catch hidden moments of the day.”

And we have to agree – Gemma of Betti Confetti Photography not only captured the essence of this fun garden party wedding, but these woodland pictures of the bride and groom are beautifully shot too – something guests would surely miss.

Homemade edible delights

Fernhill Meadow isn’t just a beautiful place – the venue also provided homecooked food on the day too. Not only this, but they brew their own cider on-site and guests were welcomed with a glass of it when they arrived. The homemade nature of the food and drinks continued through the the wedding cakes too as Kim’s mum’s friends made cakes for the couple.

We especially love the low slung tables and hay bales on which guests consumed these treats – a low-cost, quirky seating arrangement that fits perfectly with the style of this fun garden party wedding.

Wooden letter guest book

The couple utilised the skills of their friends too – “My maid of honour has a very talented boyfriend who made the wedding sign and chalkboard for us. As a wedding present we were also given wooden letters for the guest book.”

Festivals are at the heart of this wedding

“We first met when we were eighteen. John had just moved into University halls and was living next to my best friend. He didn’t directly speak to me for about two years but we knew of each other.”

The fun festival feel of this wedding isn’t an accident, that’s personal too: “John asked me to be his girlfriend after we went to the Isle of Wight festival together. I wasn’t meant to be going with him but was let down by a friend at the last minute and joined his group. At the end of festival he asked me to be his girlfriend on the beach.

We returned to the festival 5 years later and John proposed at the end of the Maccabbees set, which was the song that we used as our first dance. The moment was perfect.”

Wedding beer pong, naturally

As the afternoon stretched into evening, and they had all worn themselves out playing rounders, the guests relaxed on the lawns and had a whale of a time playing beer pong. Unusual, but perhaps perfect for a couple who met at University.

Gather for the speeches

In keeping with the laidback nature of the wedding, guests gathered on the floor under canvas, cups in hand, to listen to heartfelt speeches and laugh at stories of Kim and John.

All of the planning will be worth it

Kim’s ultimate advice is extremely comforting for anyone planning a wedding – “it’s worth it”, she insists.

“All of the planning will be worth it. I didn’t realise how special and loved I would feel on the day, not just by John but also all of our friends and family – the day turned out to be the best day ever.”

A huge thank you to Kim and John for sharing their fun garden party wedding with us and to Gemma Taylor, of Betti Confetti Photography, for capturing it so beautifully.

{ Details }

Photographer: Betti Confetti Photography
Venue: Fernhill Meadow
Bride’s Dress: Your Little Secret
Bridesmaids Dresses & Accessories: ASOS
Wedding Food: Fernhill Meadow
Entertainment: Gentleman of the Road
Decorations: Fernhill Meadow  and MTE Pallets
Wedding Rings: Arabel Lebrusan