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Charlie

Nikki and Ben’s rustic Pimhill Barn wedding with a pastel dahlia bouquet, hessian jam jar lanterns and gypsophila buttonholes

Charlie

This week’s Real Wedding is delicately rustic, pretty and full of pastel florals and sprigs of gypsophila. Set on a beautifully sunny July day at Pimhill Barn in the fields of rural Shropshire, Nikki and Ben focused their plans around their extraordinary venue. They chose handmade signage and cut log decor to complement the 16th Century vaulted ceilings of the barn.

Nikki and Ben decided upon Amy Taylor Imaging Photography to capture the best day of their lives, a photographer from our eco wedding directory whose photographs we always enjoy. You can see other weddings from photographer Amy that we’ve featured here.

Bride Nikki caught up with us to give us the inside knowledge on the couple’s planning and ideas for their rustic Pimhill Barn wedding…

Charlie

Beth and Robert’s spring Devon farm wedding with foraged wildflowers, yurts and a feast of local food

Charlie

Beth and Robert’s spring Devon farm wedding is overflowing with many of my wedding “favourites”. Favourites such as…getting married in May, spring wildflowers, and yurts. Captured by our friend Jennie Hill Photography, this down-to-earth wedding is a real family affair, with a sprinkling of handmade details and pretty touches.

Although the wedding was held at the family farm in Devon, it is dotted with elements that share the couples love of Scotland. As we sit here in March with hints of warmer weather and spring flowers starting to bloom, I’m certain this spring Devon farm wedding is going to get you dreaming of spring.

Charlie

Poppy and Mark’s colourful meadow festival wedding with outdoor ceremony, hay bale seating and bridesmaids in yellow maxi skirts

Charlie

Poppy and Mark’s colourful meadow festival wedding in Wales is not only full of inspiration and pretty details, but it just oozes love and fun. It’s a beautiful example of a British summer wedding at it’s best, with hay bale seating, sunflower yellow bridesmaid dresses, and romantic meadow photos.

This wedding was captured by Michael and Andrea of Bohemian Weddings, one of our recommended wedding photographers. If you’re on the hunt for photographers for your 2017 wedding, you could win your wedding photography with Bohemian Weddings this month via our blog – full details here on how to enter.

Here’s what Poppy and Mark said about them…

“We met our wonderful photographers, Michael and Andrea of Bohemian Weddings, at a friend’s wedding the previous year (Lizzy and Graeme had found them by contacting The Natural Wedding Company after being let down last minute).

We wanted to capture the feel of the day rather than have hours of posed photographs, and as we’d seen them previously we knew they would be perfect. It felt like having friends take our photos rather than official photographers, and their friendliness and ease spread to all the guests throughout the day.”

Over to Poppy to tell us more about their colourful meadow festival wedding…

Charlie

The new Minna wedding dress collection 2017 – ethical and affordable boho style wedding dresses for the natural bride

Charlie

Please note: Minna is now Indiebride London.

The 2017 wedding dress collection from Minna is full of modern dresses with hints of vintage and bohemian glamour. There is exquisite attention to detail, and lots of lace – but in an understated way. 2017 and 2018 brides will be truly spoilt by how much choice there is in this new collection, but it’s the stunning back detailing that really caught our attention. Almost every dress in this new collection has a unique and often surprising back to it.

Minna wedding dress collection 2017

As always, Minna has created a collection that is not only beautiful and with excellent ethics, but also affordable. The wedding dresses in the 2017 collection range in price from £800 to £1500. On top of this during March 2017 Minna is offering 10% off to all our brides-to-be, click the link for full details and to get your offer code.

Onto the wedding dresses, here are some of our favourites…

Boho wedding dress with lace panelling

The Estelle wedding dress has a real hipster boho vibe with modern lace panelling on the back and skirt. There’s one of those beautiful wedding dress backs that you don’t expect, but really add to the overall look and feel of the dress.

Edwardian-esque wedding dress with ribbon waist

For me the star beauty of the Charley wedding dress is it’s back and the detail that’s gone into it. This dress whilst modern in feel, sweeps me right back to days gone by with all that beautiful vintage-esque lace.

Charlie

Win your wedding photography with Bohemian Weddings

Charlie

We have a wonderful competition for you to win your wedding photography with our photographer friends Bohemian Weddings. This month – March 2017 – we are celebrating our 10th birthday, and are blown away to be able to offer this truly remarkable gift to one lucky couple.

Having spent a weekend with Michael and Andrea of Bohemian Weddings last spring, I can hand on heart tell you that they are some of the best people you’ll ever meet.

Take a look at their website and the weddings they’ve captured, read about them, and see if you feel a connection. If you feel that connection, you’re getting married in this year (2017) and you haven’t found your soulmate photographers yet, read on for how to enter.

Win your wedding photography

I shall hand you over to Michael and Andrea to introduce this truly special competition that they are offering to The Natural Wedding Company couples…

We are all about making meaningful connections full of love and life. We love capturing memories through our creativity but we are also suckers for a good story. You can often find us blubbing behind our cameras at a good speech.

The Natural Wedding Company has connected us with so many great couples it would be our pleasure to give something back. As part of The Natural Wedding Company’s 10th Birthday Celebrations we are offering free wedding photography for one lucky couple getting married in 2017.

Charlie

Exclusive wedding offers to celebrate The Natural Wedding Company’s 10th Birthday

Charlie

I truly can’t believe this time has come – March 2017, the month that I get to celebrate The Natural Wedding Company’s 10th Birthday with you all. And what a way I get to celebrate, with a month jam-packed with exclusive wedding offers from our fabulous suppliers just for you.

It doesn’t feel that long ago that I was just dreaming up the idea for the directory. I had little idea then that it would turn into a business that would become my ‘full time’ job. Just five years ago I was celebrating with a lovely group of girls in a spring party at my house. I’m even still really good friends with three of those girls – how amazing is that.

Here I am another five years on, and I’m delighted to share another month full of offers and goodies for you all.

Exclusive wedding offers

We’ve put together all these exclusive offers in this one handy blog post. I suggest you grab a cup of something warm and set aside some time to digest the wonderful offers we have. There are offers covering all areas of your wedding, from wedding photography to wedding venues, wedding flowers to wedding rings. And more!

You’ll also find all these offers on our main Offers webpage, just look out for the ‘special offer’ badge marking them out. These offers are time-limited and only available to claim during March 2017.

Win your wedding photography

For your diary – tomorrow morning we’ll be launching a very special birthday competition to win your wedding photography. This is such a wonderful offer coming from fabulous photography duo Bohemian Weddings. Full details will be on the blog tomorrow, and again, the end of March will be the closing date for entries.

Giveaway to win a box of personalised biscuits

If you fancy winning a scrumptious box of personalised biscuits for a friend or loved one, keep an eye out on our Instagram account. We’ll be hosting a giveaway with our friend The Kitsch Hen to win a box of 12 biscuits for someone you love.

Onto the offers…

Charlie

Fairtrade gold mining and the difference you can make by choosing fairtrade gold wedding rings

Charlie

Freshly mined fairtrade gold for fairtrade gold wedding rings // April Doubleday // The Natural Wedding Company

We share a lot of pretty things here on our blog, like most working in the wedding industry. The wedding industry is big business and with that there can come a price, a price that we may not always consider. When we are investing so much money into certain aspects of our wedding day it can be worth taking a minute to open our eyes (and hearts) to the reality behind the items we purchase. Most of us are aware of issues that have arisen from diamond trade but have we ever considered the cost of gold?

In 2013 our friend and jewellery designer April Doubleday visited one of the few fairtrade/eco gold mines in Colombia. She took her son Jon and filmed their adventure, producing this 9 minute long film.

Fairtrade gold wedding rings // April Doubleday // The Natural Wedding Company

Where do your wedding rings come from?

Everyone should watch this short film before before buying your wedding rings. Let’s be open and honest about where these precious and symbolic love tokens come from. That means considering who mined the gold, how it was removed from the land, and the state the environment is left in.

In your next tea break we’d love you to watch April’s film and gaining an insight into the lives of those who mine the gold for our jewellery.

“Fairtrade and its standards offer miners a better choice and a way out of poverty” – April Doubleday.

Charlie

Dear bride-to-be, wear a wedding dress you can move in

Charlie

Our friend and TNWC recommended photographer Maureen du Preez has a wonderful way with words. She is writing about wedding issues that we think are really important – not just what flowers to choose, or how to do your hair.

When looking for your wedding dress, have you prioritised how easily you can move in it? We’re not talking about just how well you can walk down the aisle, but truly move in it. Can you dance all night in it, be hugged all day, and eat all the good food? Is it a wedding dress you can wander through a forest in or hike across the moors in. Can you even get muddy in it?

If I haven’t already convinced you to think more about this, perhaps Maureen du Preez’s beautifully written words will.

Why You Should Choose A Wedding Dress You Can Move In

Dear bride-to-be,

Wear a wedding dress you can move in. You can love in. A gown that makes you feel like a queen who can dance all night until your bones ache, and be held tight by your loved ones all day long.

A dress you can climb hills in, explore forests, to reach that special place you long your love to be captured. Where the magical light spills in, and the trees canopy around.

Charlie

Laura and Jamie’s autumn village hall wedding with statement flower crown, emerald green bridesmaid dresses and a squirrel cake topper

Charlie

In nature, autumn is a blaze of vibrant colours and this week’s Real Wedding is all about those quintessential autumnal colours. Emerald green bridesmaid dresses, rusty orange leaves, plump purple blackberries, soft brown fur and deep red dahlias. This autumn village hall wedding is a feast for the senses too; the textures are intense with pheasant feathers, ears of wheat and berries adorning the dahlia bouquets, buttonholes and hair clips.

Captured by TNWC recommended photographer, Amy Taylor Imaging, Laura and Jamie’s autumn village hall wedding is the product of a whole community coming together and pitching in. The ceremony took place in her parent’s tiny local church and the celebrations unfolded in the village hall in which her youth clubs were hosted when she was a teenager.

We chat to bride Laura to find out more about the their special day…

Autumn village hall wedding

Charlie

Our Top 10 Eco Valentine’s Day Gift Guide featuring ethical British businesses

Charlie

Our 2017 Eco Valentine’s Day Gift Guide

Samantha and I are sharing our favourite finds for a possible Eco Valentine’s Day gift for your loved one – women, men, and even a gift from your little ones. We’ve stuck to all UK based businesses and artisans, most of them small independent businesses. You’ll also find we’ve tried to include ideas across a span of costs, with only one true ‘blow the budget’ gift.

In putting together this guide we discovered that neither of us celebrate Valentine’s Day in a big way. I’m sure lots of people choose to celebrate their love and gratitude towards each other on a daily basis. But for those who are looking to give something special or just a token of their love, here are some ideas.

Personalised Valentine’s Biscuits

The Kitsch Hen is run by a former TNWC Real Bride, Caroline (part one + part two of her wedding is not to be missed). Her iced biscuits are homemade from locally sourced ingredients, and all handstamped. We love this option because it can be personalised to a meaningful message – lyrics from ‘your’ song, a love quote from your favourite novel, or just a simple ‘I Love You’. A scrumptious Eco Valentine’s Day gift.

£12 for 6 personalised biscuits – Buy them here

You Are My Favourite Valentine’s Day Card

Our friend Lucy Says I Do always has a fab offering of Valentine’s Day cards, and we love this design. Short and sweet, perfect for anyone not wanting to give an overly mushy card full of text. Printed onto FSC approved card and with a brown kraft envelope it’s a great card for the eco-chic.

£3.25 – Buy it here

Author: Charlie

Blog

Nikki and Ben’s rustic Pimhill Barn wedding with a pastel dahlia bouquet, hessian jam jar lanterns and gypsophila buttonholes

Beth and Robert’s spring Devon farm wedding with foraged wildflowers, yurts and a feast of local food

Poppy and Mark’s colourful meadow festival wedding with outdoor ceremony, hay bale seating and bridesmaids in yellow maxi skirts

The new Minna wedding dress collection 2017 – ethical and affordable boho style wedding dresses for the natural bride

Minna wedding dress collection 2017

Boho wedding dress with lace panelling

Edwardian-esque wedding dress with ribbon waist

Win your wedding photography with Bohemian Weddings

Win your wedding photography

Exclusive wedding offers to celebrate The Natural Wedding Company’s 10th Birthday

Exclusive wedding offers

Win your wedding photography

Giveaway to win a box of personalised biscuits

Fairtrade gold mining and the difference you can make by choosing fairtrade gold wedding rings

Where do your wedding rings come from?

Dear bride-to-be, wear a wedding dress you can move in

Why You Should Choose A Wedding Dress You Can Move In

Laura and Jamie’s autumn village hall wedding with statement flower crown, emerald green bridesmaid dresses and a squirrel cake topper

Autumn village hall wedding

Our Top 10 Eco Valentine’s Day Gift Guide featuring ethical British businesses

Our 2017 Eco Valentine’s Day Gift Guide

Personalised Valentine’s Biscuits

You Are My Favourite Valentine’s Day Card

Fairtrade Gold Heart Ruby Ring