Blog: hay bale seating
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Favourite Natural Wedding Spaces: ceremony spaces, wedding reception decor and a magical wedding venue

Charlie

Favourite Natural Wedding Spaces: ceremony spaces, wedding reception decor and a magical wedding venue

Natural Wedding Spaces

This is the second in our 7 part blog mini series Real Wedding Favourites. Last time we featured our favourite Natural Wedding Styles (wedding dresses, accessories, bridesmaids dresses and more). Today we’ve scoured the Real Weddings to find our favourite ceremony spaces, wedding reception decor and a truly magical wedding venue.

As mentioned previously our picks are chosen from the very first Real Wedding we featured up until spring of this year. You can find all the links here to our Real Wedding Favourites.

Our Favourite Wedding Ceremony Spaces

I had two favourites for this category and I’ve decided to share them both.

A Wedding Ceremony on a Beach Amongst Chapel Ruins

Natural Wedding Spaces: Wedding Ceremony on a Beach Amongst Chapel Ruins

The first of my favourite wedding ceremony spaces is this ruined chapel amongst the dunes of a Scottish beach. Sounds like something from a film doesn’t it?

Well this is where Jo and Dom had their wedding ceremony. They had a humanist ceremony amongst the ruins on a beach that bride Jo had grown up visiting. It was also where Dom proposed, so it had loads of special meaning to the couple. As if that wasn’t lovely enough, they followed it with a picnic on the beach and a swim!

Natural Wedding Spaces: Wedding Ceremony on a Beach Amongst Chapel Ruins

Natural Wedding Spaces: Wedding Ceremony on a Beach Amongst Chapel Ruins

This was from Jo and Dom’s natural and relaxed Scottish wedding. Photography by Taylor & Porter Photographs.

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Charlie Charlie

Charli and Sam’s sunny laid back village wedding with outdoor ceremony, locally grown flowers and tea cup wedding favours

Charlie

It certainly feels as though Spring has sprung, and what better way to celebrate but with a gloriously sunny, cheerful and laid back village wedding.

Charli and Sam’s special day has an authentically wholesome vibe to it. Just looking at these beautiful photographs by Freckle Photography you get the sense that their day was true to them. While their ‘official’ nuptials  took place in the edifying surrounds of historical Bath, their outdoor ceremony and marquee celebrations were set in the village Charli grew up in.

The couple’s decisions typify the quintessential natural English wedding: hay bales, locally sourced wildflowers and homemade bunting, and it really is lovely. Emma of Freckle Photography, one of our recommended suppliers, has captured the happiness of their day perfectly. Let’s chat to bride Charli to find out more…

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Charlie Charlie

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

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Poppy and Mark's colourful meadow festival wedding with outdoor ceremony, hay bale seating and bridesmaids in yellow maxi skirts // Bohemian Weddings // The Natural Wedding Company

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…

Bridesmaids in yellow maxi skirts and white lace tops // Bohemian Weddings // The Natural Wedding Company

Wedding reception chairs decorated with ribbons // Bohemian Weddings // The Natural Wedding Company

Meadow wedding photos // Bohemian Weddings // The Natural Wedding Company

Table plan on a rustic wooden pallet // Bohemian Weddings // The Natural Wedding Company

Outdoor meadow wedding ceremony with floral arch // Bohemian Weddings // The Natural Wedding Company

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Elena and Simon’s colourful handmade wedding with rustic outdoor ceremony, felt heart garlands and a unicorn

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This week’s Real Wedding is vibrant and carefree. There’s a marquee bedecked with sweet felt heart garlands and hundreds of handmade pom poms, and wildflowers and hay bales adorning the open-air ceremony space. This colourful handmade wedding is an inspiration for anyone who wants a laid back and fun vibe for their big day.

Beautifully captured by one of our TNWC recommended photographers, Emma Stoner, on a horse rescue farm. Join us as we find out more about this September wedding from bride Elena…

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Zoe and Alex’s rustic hippy outdoor wedding with a barefoot bride in a boho wedding dress

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Zoe and Alex's rustic hippy outdoor wedding with a barefoot bride in a boho wedding dress // Photography Mariell Amelie // Flowers by Forage and Blossom // The Natural Wedding Company

Oh what a beauty of a wedding this is, with this effortlessly stylish barefoot bride in her boho two-piece wedding “dress” and the outdoor ceremony beneath an archway of weathered branches. I have literally spent hours attempting to whittle down the photos I received for Zoe and Alex’s stunning wedding, but I’m sure you’ll forgive me for not doing great at cutting them down, because they are pretty awesome.

A special thanks goes out to Alice at Forage and Blossom, one of our fab recommended suppliers and the florist for Zoe and Alex. All those gorgeous white, pale cream and green bouquets, flower crowns and arrangements – those are her work. Alice is also the one who helped get this beautiful wedding to grace our pages.

Put on some music and find somewhere to get comfy, because Zoe and Alex’s wedding deserves all the time you can give it to soak up a truly special celebration. If you are worrying about all the details you need to “have” to create the wedding of your dreams, I hope that Zoe and Alex will show you that you only need a few carefully selected elements and lots of laughter. Over to Zoe…

Boho bride with white flower crown // Photography Mariell Amelie // Flowers by Forage and Blossom // The Natural Wedding Company

Zoe and Alex's rustic hippy outdoor wedding with a barefoot bride in a boho wedding dress // Photography Mariell Amelie // The Natural Wedding Company

Green and white bridesmaids bouquets // Photography Mariell Amelie // Flowers by Forage and Blossom // The Natural Wedding Company

Rustic branch archway for outdoor ceremony // Photography Mariell Amelie // Flowers by Forage and Blossom // The Natural Wedding Company

Zoe and Alex's rustic hippy outdoor wedding with a barefoot bride in a boho wedding dress // Photography Mariell Amelie // The Natural Wedding Company

Green and white flower crowns // Photography Mariell Amelie // Flowers by Forage and Blossom // The Natural Wedding Company

Boho wedding dress and flower crown // Photography Mariell Amelie // Flowers by Forage and Blossom // The Natural Wedding Company

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Samantha Samantha

Kerry and Nick’s festival farm wedding with a humanist ceremony, homemade wedding cake and a Citroen van bar

Samantha

Wedding photography in a field with white balloon - Photography by www.david-owens.co.uk

Festival farm wedding

It’s a very exciting wedding we have to bring you today, with a bride that will need little introduction. It’s the fabulous, fun-filled, festival-themed family affair of TNWC Real Bride Kerry and her now husband Nick! We’ve shared in the planning and now we can revel in the gorgeousness that is their big day!

Kerry and Nick got married on 9th August this summer at TNWC Recommended Supplier Cowparsley Weddings at Roughmoor Farm, Somerset; which they described as an ‘amazing venue’ and we couldn’t agree more!

Now go grab a cup of tea (or a cider to get you into the spirit of things), take a break and enjoy the wonderful words shared by Kerry…

Festival wedding sign - Photography by http://tvcrphotography.weebly.com/

Outdoor wedding ceremony beneath a tree - Photography by http://tvcrphotography.weebly.com/

Vintage Citroen bar for weddings - Photography by www.david-owens.co.uk

Orange and white sprinkles wedding cake by http://www.cakesbypotts.co.uk - Photography by http://tvcrphotography.weebly.com/

Flower girl - Photography by www.david-owens.co.uk

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Charlie Charlie

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

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Nik and Chris’ chilled out rustic coastal farm wedding – photography http://www.petecranston.com/

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.

Chalkboard wedding sign – photography http://www.petecranston.com/

Nik and Chris’ chilled out rustic coastal farm wedding – photography http://www.petecranston.com/

Rustic bride with chicken – photography http://www.petecranston.com/

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.

White lace bridesmaid dresses – photography http://www.petecranston.com/

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…

Rustic barn wedding venue – photography http://www.petecranston.com/

Rustic barn wedding tables – photography http://www.petecranston.com/

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

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Charlie Charlie

TNWC South West Roadtrip Day 3: Lantallack Weddings with Lucy Turnbull Photography

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Lantallack Weddings photography by Lucy Turnbull

I hope you are all enjoying following along with my TNWC South West Roadtrip – I’m only three days and loving it.  It has been such a pleasure and a real treat to visit these wedding businesses and find out more about who they are and what they do.  I can quite honestly say there are some real gems out there for anyone planning their wedding, so get looking through the directory to find some fabulous suppliers.

After a rather busy Day 2 of the TNWC Roadtrip, yesterday was a bit more relaxed with just one visit scheduled for the day.  Like Day 2 I was joined by a TNWC wedding photographer, this time is was Lucy Turnbull, whose photos these are.  I momentarily got lost down a very narrow high-hedged Cornish lane, but soon realised my mistake and found the very beautiful Lantallack Weddings.

Lantallack Weddings photography by Lucy Turnbull

Lantallack Weddings photography by Lucy Turnbull

Lantallack Weddings photography by Lucy Turnbull

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Charlie Charlie

Jodie and James’ epic weekend wedding full of feasting, festivities and handmade details

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Jodie and James' epic weekend wedding

Epic weekend wedding with handmade details

Today I have an incredible real wedding.  It is utterly epic (I don’t use words like that often) and it’s not short on beautiful ideas and inspiration if that’s what you’re looking for.  I’ve even broken it down into headings because there is so much to share with you!

Richard Rayner Photography

Richard Rayner Photography

Jodie and James got married on 15th September 2012 and spent the whole weekend celebrating with their family and friends.  Jodie has kindly told me so much about their incredible weekend celebration, and I am sure that many of you brides-to-be will find lots of helpful snippets throughout from Jodie and James’ experience.

Tiered sponge wedding cake with berries

Jodie and James' wedding

Without further ado, I’ll hand you over to the lovely Jodie to tell you all about their epic wedding weekend…

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Charlie Charlie

Christine and Joe’s intimate woodland wedding with vows beneath a beech tree

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Woodland wedding ceremony

Intimate woodland wedding with vows beneath a beech tree

I have such a lovely wedding to share with you today, which will be of extra interest to anyone considering a woodland or outdoor ceremony, because Christine and Joe had one of the most beautiful looking wedding ceremonies I’ve seen.

Their photographer, Emma Stoner, is one of the talented wedding photographers listed on The Natural Wedding Company directory, and I’m thrilled to be able to share this wedding with you.

West Lexham wedding venue Norfolk

On a sunny August day, Christine and Joe were married in the grounds at West Lexham in Norfolk in an intimate woodland ceremony beneath the boughs of a red beech tree.  “We wanted an intimate and joyous feel for our wedding, as if we were in the heart of our community and supported by them.  It was important to us that everyone had a good time – despite having to work for it by making contributions!”

Emma Stoner Photography

“We wanted to find somewhere that we could get married outdoors, near trees and water.  I guess you could say it was symbolic to us as I love water and Joe loves woodlands.  In personality, I think of Joe as the strong, grounded one, and me as the strong, flowing one!”

Emma Stoner Photography

“We chose West Lexham because it felt like the right place – we could get married under the boughs of a beautiful red beech tree by a little river.  Also, the site had camping in bell tents, a swimming pool, gardens, rowing on the river, as well as cottages and the manor house.”

Bell tents

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