handmade wedding Archives - Page 5 of 12 - The Natural Wedding Company

Blog: handmade wedding

Charlie

Harriet and Paul’s homemade, eco-friendly wedding on a community farm with a dried flower headdress and barn dancing

Charlie

Eco-friendly wedding on a community farm

One of the best parts of my job is when an email pops into my inbox from a bride who has been inspired by ideas they’ve found here on my blog, and used some of the wonderful suppliers we feature in our directory.

Today’s bride, Harriet, sent me one such email shortly after I had my baby last autumn. She described her wedding to me and I fell in love with her commitment to creating her wedding with love, making many things by hand, and doing so all on a budget. It was so nice to hear she was inspired by my blog, and now I hope by sharing her wedding here you too can be inspired by her.

Over to Harriet…

Harriet and Paul got married on the last day of August at Riverbourne Community Farm in Salisbury, in a wedding full of handmade details and surrounded by their loved ones.

“We wanted a homemade, eco-friendly wedding. We didn’t have a huge budget as we were both students so I handmade most things and sourced lots of car boot sales, charity shops and recycled lots from friend’s weddings (such as bunting).

Charlie

Win a copy of new book The Cut Flower Patch so you can grown your own cut flowers all year round

Charlie

A competition to win a book all about how to start your own cut flower patch – I don’t know about you, but that sounds pretty good to me! Well that’s what I have for all you lucky readers today.

I was delighted to be contacted about a new book that’s just been published called The Cut Flower Patch: Grow Your Own Flowers All Year Round by Louise Curley, and to then receive a copy in the post to review. Rather than keeping this beautiful book all to myself, I’ve decided to run a competition for one of you to win it.

You’ll also find an offer code at the bottom of the blog post if you wish to buy yourself or someone else a copy – now that I’m giving away my copy I’ll be off to put in an order! A big thanks to publishers Frances Lincoln for sending me a copy to review and giveaway.

The Cut Flower Patch: Grow Your Own Flowers All Year Round

What I first noticed about this book as a I started to read it, was how accessible it was – I might be a huge fan of cut flowers and growing my own veggies, but I’m by no means an expert, so it’s great to find a book that explains it all in a way that made me feel confident I could have a go myself. And if I did get stuck, I could just dip into the book for advice.

The book is broken down into various sections from planning and making your cutting patch, through to cutting and arranging your homegrown flowers. For all you brides-to-be out there planning on growing flowers for your own wedding, you’ll be delighted to hear there’s a section on growing flowers for a wedding, including essential top tips.

Charlie

Emma and Chris’ relaxed festival wedding on the Cornish coast with outdoor ceremony in an ampitheatre and colourful flowers

Charlie

Relaxed festival wedding

Well what an utterly wonderful way this is to start the week – a stunning, sunny, Cornish wedding. The wedding of one of my lovely TNWC Real Brides from last year, Emma (you can read all about her wedding planning and handmade details here). I do hope you’ll check back tomorrow as well as I have their wedding film to share and it is a feel-good way to begin your day.

Emma and Chris got married in July on a stonking hot sunny day in Cornwall. They planned a day that was relaxed and informal, full of colour and with a festival type vibe. I’ll let you decide but I think they achieved all those things they dreamed their day would be.

Over to Emma…

“The Natural Wedding Company and Pinterest played a bit part in the planning process. I used the internet to search for all sorts of things! I also bought a sketchbook and started scrap booking images and very quickly formed a strong theme for the day. Most the ideas came from the festival theme – we booked the venue and the flags in the same day – the rest sort of followed naturally.”

“I just want to say that despite the hiccups nothing could have ruined our day – it was just perfect in its imperfection – all the bits that didn’t go according to plan just make for good memories. Something will always go awry but it is those differences that make your special day yours and your only – and the things you will chuckle about when old and grey!”

Charlie

Nik and Chris’ chilled out rustic coastal farm wedding with woodland ceremony, chickens and countryside flowers

Charlie

Rustic coastal farm wedding

In the past few years of running my business I have been lucky enough to meet and make some lovely friends, many of whom I know will be lifelong friends. I met Nik, today’s bride, two years ago, when she won a place on a cut flower course via the blog and we spent a day together learning how to grow and arrange homegrown flowers.

Since then I’ve followed Nik’s adventures as she has moved to Wales and set up her own business, and last summer when I was heavily pregnant I saw her again when we holidayed in Cardigan. It is an absolute pleasure to share Nik and Chris’ wedding with you all, it is utterly beautiful but completely down-to-earth and full of love and laughter – which seems to me a true reflection of this sweet and kind couple.

Nik and Chris got married last July on the farm where they live in Wales, with a beautiful outdoor ceremony, champagne on the beach, and a chilled out barn reception. If you are having any wobbles about staying true to yourselves when planning your wedding, or whether it’s possible to have a beautiful wedding on a budget, then this is the wedding for you.

By now, if you’re a regular blog reader you’ll have also probably recognised Nik as she was one of our TNWC Real Brides – you can read all about her wedding planning and handmade details here.

This wedding was captured by Pete Cranston, who is one of our recommended photographers on the directory. Do pop back to the blog tomorrow as I have Nik and Chris’ wedding video to share, which brings to life their wedding day

Over to Nik to…

Bride on a horse – photography http://www.petecranston.com/

Charlie

Caroline and Gareth’s spring wedding on their farm with a rustic barn reception and pretty homemade details (part two)

Charlie

Spring farm wedding (part two)

Yesterday I featured the first part of Caroline and Gareth’s beautiful spring wedding on their farm in Nottinghamshire. If you missed it – oh no! Make yourself a cup of tea and go click on the link to read part one. If you’re back to see the final part of their wedding, enjoy!

As well as all the gorgeous pictures from their rustic and homemade wedding reception you’ll also find their wedding film at the bottom of the post, to bring their whole wedding a little more to life.

Oh, and don’t miss the part where Caroline cuts up her wedding dress…mid-wedding…yes, really.

>> View Caroline and Gareth’s spring farm wedding (part one) here <<

Finally, I want to say a huge thank you to Caroline for sharing all of her wedding plans as TNWC Real Bride, to her wedding photographer Milestones Photography, and to all you wonderful readers who come visit the blog to read about these fab weddings.

Over to Caroline…

Charlie

Caroline and Gareth’s spring wedding on their farm with a rustic barn reception and pretty homemade details (part one)

Charlie

Spring farm wedding (part one)

I have a super special real wedding to share with you today. For regular readers or those who’ve been following last year’s TNWC Real Brides you probably remember the lovely Caroline who was planning her wedding with a real focus on homemade details and supporting local businesses.

Back in May last year she tied the knot with her Mr-to-be Gareth, on their farm in Nottinghamshire, and today I have the delight of sharing all their official photographs from their beautiful day. Caroline has also shared so much of what went into their day and how it went, I’m sure that many brides-to-be out there will find not only creative inspiration but reassurance ahead of their wedding day.

>> View Caroline and Gareth’s spring farm wedding (part two) here <<

Before I hand over, I want to start with this wonderful quote from Caroline, that I think is so beautifully worded about what your wedding day is really all about:

“At times it was hard work and with the weather not on our side we were really tested (big puddles all over the barn floor after a torrential downpour 2 days before the wedding worried us a little!) but on the day, none of it really matters. You’ll always have the best day ever, surrounded by all the people you love the most and at the end of it all you’ll be Mr and Mrs, and at the beginning of an amazing adventure through life together – and that’s really what its all about.”

Over to Caroline to tell you all about her wedding day…

“We knew what we definitely didn’t want was a traditional, formal, wedding day feel to the day and the style was most definitely a handmade, relaxed, informal country wedding and just a jolly good knees up really! We were both bought up in the country, for our second date Gareth bought me a pair of wellies and we took his dogs for a long walk around the farm which I think was pretty much the moment I knew he was ‘the one’, so it seemed quite fitting to have a wedding that gave us a chance to get our wellies on!”

Charlie

Elegant English country garden party inspired handmade wedding stationery from Lucy Says I Do

Charlie

For all of you embarking on the hunt for you wedding stationery, today’s post is bound to inspire you. We are joined again by the lovely Lucy from Lucy Says I Do, who has been sharing a number of guest blog posts all about the handmade elements of her own wedding (read all about her bridesmaids dresses, homegrown flowers, and antique wedding dress).

Lucy runs her own business (and one of our recommended suppliers) Lucy Says I Do, creating all kinds of beautiful wedding invitations, paper goods and gifts, so it’s pretty cool to hear about how she designed her own wedding stationery.

Over to Lucy to tell us all about it…

As with all of the inputs to our wedding, the invitations were a real labour of love! We wanted all our guests to be given a taster of what our day was about, what was important to us, and hopefully generate a little bit of anticipation for the big day!

Charlie

TNWC Real Brides Married! Nik’s back to tell us all about her relaxed coastal farm wedding

Charlie

This lovely TNWC Real Bride has become someone I consider as a friend, so it’s been a real treat to hear all about her wedding day (and I’ve been buried in all her ‘official’ wedding photos recently which will soon be gracing these blog pages). Nik and Chris had, what I think was a very chilled out and down-to-earth wedding (two in fact!) back in July, with champagne on the beach and lots of animal appearances on the farm where they live in Wales.

Over to Nik…

Six Months On

Recently we celebrated our six month wedding anniversary (ok, I know, not technically an anniversary, but nice to acknowledge it all the same). By a happy coincidence, it turned out our wedding caterer, Trehale Farm, were hosting their annual wassail on the same night, so it seemed quite fitting for us to go along to toast the apple trees, drink cider, eat great food and commemorate our first wedded milestone.

Charlie

TNWC Real Brides Married! Sarah’s back to tell us all about her homemade child-friendly wedding

Charlie

The fifth of our six TNWC Real Brides is here today to tell us about her lovely summer wedding. Sarah married Lee back in August with a very homemade wedding full of child-friendly touches. After the seasonal wedding flowers all grown by Sarah’s mum, my favourite part is the duck race!

Over to Sarah…

Married at last! Our wedding was back in August. The chaos began on the eve of the wedding…

In the morning me and my now husband went to my mum’s house, where, along with my mum and dad, my brother, his wife and my mum’s best friend were all ready and raring to go with the wedding day prep. All of the flowers we used were homegrown by my mum so we set to work on bouquets, buttonholes and vase arrangements for the tables. After a spot of lunch we loaded my dad’s van with all our wedding day goodies and headed to venue to set up.

Charlie

TNWC Real Brides Married! Myfanwy’s back to tell us all about her creative autumn wedding

Charlie

What a treat we have for you today! A lovely post from TNWC Real Bride Myfanwy who’s sharing all the details of her beautiful autumn wedding to her mister Tom – don’t miss the tractor wedding ‘car’ and Arthur the dachshund in his very smart suit!

Don’t forget you can catch up with all the posts from our brides under the TNWC Real Brides category, and we are looking for 2014-15 brides who’d like to be guest bloggers so if you’re interested full details can be found here.

Over to Myfanwy…

Married! What an adventure it was! August to October 5th was a whirlwind! We had planned no days off and to shut the shop 5 days before the wedding, that plan went to pot! Tom’s stag do and birthday was 2 weeks before the big day, the summer had been so busy that when he came home from the weekend we agreed to close the shop, we had so many final details to organise and were so tired that you have to live to fight another day.

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