There's something quintiessentially English about this gorgeous autumn wedding. The combination of the pink and burnished gold wedding colours, the falling leaves and the lovely English countryside makes you long for those lovely days when summer turns into autumn. Laura and Jae chose Braxted Park as their wedding venue, and their wedding ceremony took place outdoors in the private walled garden {sooo lucky with the weather}. I'm loving all wedding details, from the bridesmaids' elegant full-length dresses, Laura's stunning full-skirted wedding gown, and sparkly tiara, plus Jae's smart monochrome suit and cravat. Don't miss the clever way Laura and Jae displayed their table plan in mismatched vintage frames and the lovely children's party packs {such a good idea}. Huge thanks to John Simpson of Bloke with a Camera for his fabulous photographs. I've also taken some stills from the amazing wedding video by Your Perfect Day. It made my cry - definitely worth a watch {scroll down to the bottom}. Also don't miss Laura's answers to the Before the Big Day Bride's Questionnaire. You can steal all her fabulous wedding ideas!
The Before the Big Day Brides' Q&A - Laura was kind enough to fill in our bridal questionnaire, aimed at helping other brides with their planning process. Feast your eyes on her answers for helpful hints and tips from someone on the other side of her big day!
Where and when did you get married?
Braxted Park in Witham on 16th September 2011
What was your thinking behind choosing the venue and the decoration of the reception?
We really wanted somewhere that wasn't too fussy but very pretty. Braxted Park ticked every box and more. The grounds are stunning, and being able to get married outdoors was a dream. We went for simple but elegant decorations - twinkle lights in bay trees, flowers, butterfly swags on the ceiling, sparkle on the table, white linen and chair covers with a gold sash, and a black and white dance floor. We also placed soft pink and lilac uplighters around the room, which gave a soft, warm wash to the walls in the evening. In the evening, the venue was lit up beautifully with lights in trees outside and gas torch lights.
Did you have a theme, colour or motif in mind? (e.g. green ivy leaves)
No theme as such. We just wanted a romantic feel to the day… soft, pretty and elegant. Golds and soft pinks were our wedding theme colours.
Who made your wedding outfit, and how did you come to that decision?
My wedding dress was by Lynn Ashworth and my shoes by BHS. I probably tried on about 12 dresses in a number of different shops. The one I decided upon was the very last dress I tried. and the one I liked least on the hanger. I’d already got a favourite which I very nearly bought earlier that day. But after trying on the Lynn Ashworth dress I knew that was the one. It felt perfect, was very 'me' and fitted with the feel of the day. I felt fantastic in it, and didn’t want to take it off, which was a great sign! My alternative wedding dress was a much slinkier and although it was beautiful, I didn't feel like a bride in it. It was more of an amazing evening dress.
What about your husband’s outfit? Where was it from?
Jae's suit was made for him. His cravat and waistcoat were hired from Debenhams.
And how about your bridesmaids’ outfits?
My bridesmaids dresses were from Satin Bow in St Albans. I already had in mind what I’d like the girls to wear. After trying on a handful of dresses in the shop, we found a winner and it was just perfect. Satin Bow were terrific and carried out a few alterations on the dresses, including last minute alterations due to two pregnant bridesmaids! I'd highly recommend this shop -Tor was my contact. The flower girls' dresses were from Debenhams.
What type of cake did you go for, and how did you come to that decision?
Again, we didn’t want anything over the top. We didn't really have any vision of how the cake would look, just that we wanted different flavours. We found Cakes by Shelly at a wedding fair in Hertfordshire and she was brilliant. We looked through some of her designs, {there were 100's}, but it took us no time at all to find the cake we wanted, and we adapted it to fit within our colour scheme. We had a tasting session with Shelly and chose four different flavours; chocolate, vanilla, fruit and lemon. On our wedding day, the cake tasted delicious and we got lots of great feedback from our guests. We also had a personalised cake topper made via a company on Ebay. We saved it from the wedding cake, and it's a great keepsake.
Did you have any favours? What were they? Was there any particular reason why you picked them?
Our favours doubled up as name places at the table. They were bespoke cookies which had the guests’ names on. These were also made by Cakes by Shelly.
Who was your florist, what flowers did you choose, and how did you come to that decision?
A woman called Lynn Whitton who is based in Hemel Hempstead. She was recommended to me by my sister-in-law and a friend. She was absolutely brilliant! I know very little about flowers, but again, had an idea of how I wanted them to look. A very precise idea, which trying to explain when you don’t know much about flowers is very difficult! Lynn listened to what I wanted and advised me what would work well together. There was so much more to think about than just the bouquets and everything she did was perfect. It was exactly what I wanted and she was so easy and pleasant to work with.
Who was your photographer and how did you choose them?
We chose Bloke with a Camera. I read a lot of reviews about him on the Hitched website and he came highly recommended. He was brilliant for the informal, natural photos. but a little more direction was needed for the group formal shots.
Did you enjoy planning your wedding?
Loved it! Not sure my husband did though!
Did you have any DIY projects?
Our invites were from Debenhams and required putting together. It wasn't clearly stated on their website and had we have known, we wouldn't have chosen them. The DIY was very fiddly and time consuming. I made the children’s activity packs. We put the table plan together ourselves by buying lots of different frames and printing the inserts ourselves.
Who designed your other stationery? What did it look like and how did you come to that decision?
I found a great company called Here Comes The Bride and they were brilliant. Very helpful and made everything to our spec. It was lovely for everything to match - the menus, table names, guest book, post box sign etc. I'd highly recommend them.
What advice do you have for brides planning their big day?
Enjoy it because it will be over before you know it. I'd also strongly recommend a videographer. My husband wasn’t keen on having one but I really wanted one. When I found Your Perfect Day (highly reviewed on Hitched) and saw samples of their work, it was a must have. Needless to say, now the day is over and we’ve got a copy of the DVD, it was one of the best things we did. What a lasting memory to have and even my husband likes it! I’ve never seen anything like it before and the company were superb!
The Before the Big Day Brides' Q&A - Laura was kind enough to fill in our bridal questionnaire, aimed at helping other brides with their planning process. Feast your eyes on her answers for helpful hints and tips from someone on the other side of her big day!
Where and when did you get married?
Braxted Park in Witham on 16th September 2011
What was your thinking behind choosing the venue and the decoration of the reception?
We really wanted somewhere that wasn't too fussy but very pretty. Braxted Park ticked every box and more. The grounds are stunning, and being able to get married outdoors was a dream. We went for simple but elegant decorations - twinkle lights in bay trees, flowers, butterfly swags on the ceiling, sparkle on the table, white linen and chair covers with a gold sash, and a black and white dance floor. We also placed soft pink and lilac uplighters around the room, which gave a soft, warm wash to the walls in the evening. In the evening, the venue was lit up beautifully with lights in trees outside and gas torch lights.
Did you have a theme, colour or motif in mind? (e.g. green ivy leaves)
No theme as such. We just wanted a romantic feel to the day… soft, pretty and elegant. Golds and soft pinks were our wedding theme colours.
Who made your wedding outfit, and how did you come to that decision?
My wedding dress was by Lynn Ashworth and my shoes by BHS. I probably tried on about 12 dresses in a number of different shops. The one I decided upon was the very last dress I tried. and the one I liked least on the hanger. I’d already got a favourite which I very nearly bought earlier that day. But after trying on the Lynn Ashworth dress I knew that was the one. It felt perfect, was very 'me' and fitted with the feel of the day. I felt fantastic in it, and didn’t want to take it off, which was a great sign! My alternative wedding dress was a much slinkier and although it was beautiful, I didn't feel like a bride in it. It was more of an amazing evening dress.
What about your husband’s outfit? Where was it from?
Jae's suit was made for him. His cravat and waistcoat were hired from Debenhams.
And how about your bridesmaids’ outfits?
My bridesmaids dresses were from Satin Bow in St Albans. I already had in mind what I’d like the girls to wear. After trying on a handful of dresses in the shop, we found a winner and it was just perfect. Satin Bow were terrific and carried out a few alterations on the dresses, including last minute alterations due to two pregnant bridesmaids! I'd highly recommend this shop -Tor was my contact. The flower girls' dresses were from Debenhams.
What type of cake did you go for, and how did you come to that decision?
Again, we didn’t want anything over the top. We didn't really have any vision of how the cake would look, just that we wanted different flavours. We found Cakes by Shelly at a wedding fair in Hertfordshire and she was brilliant. We looked through some of her designs, {there were 100's}, but it took us no time at all to find the cake we wanted, and we adapted it to fit within our colour scheme. We had a tasting session with Shelly and chose four different flavours; chocolate, vanilla, fruit and lemon. On our wedding day, the cake tasted delicious and we got lots of great feedback from our guests. We also had a personalised cake topper made via a company on Ebay. We saved it from the wedding cake, and it's a great keepsake.
Did you have any favours? What were they? Was there any particular reason why you picked them?
Our favours doubled up as name places at the table. They were bespoke cookies which had the guests’ names on. These were also made by Cakes by Shelly.
Who was your florist, what flowers did you choose, and how did you come to that decision?
A woman called Lynn Whitton who is based in Hemel Hempstead. She was recommended to me by my sister-in-law and a friend. She was absolutely brilliant! I know very little about flowers, but again, had an idea of how I wanted them to look. A very precise idea, which trying to explain when you don’t know much about flowers is very difficult! Lynn listened to what I wanted and advised me what would work well together. There was so much more to think about than just the bouquets and everything she did was perfect. It was exactly what I wanted and she was so easy and pleasant to work with.
Who was your photographer and how did you choose them?
We chose Bloke with a Camera. I read a lot of reviews about him on the Hitched website and he came highly recommended. He was brilliant for the informal, natural photos. but a little more direction was needed for the group formal shots.
Did you enjoy planning your wedding?
Loved it! Not sure my husband did though!
Did you have any DIY projects?
Our invites were from Debenhams and required putting together. It wasn't clearly stated on their website and had we have known, we wouldn't have chosen them. The DIY was very fiddly and time consuming. I made the children’s activity packs. We put the table plan together ourselves by buying lots of different frames and printing the inserts ourselves.
Who designed your other stationery? What did it look like and how did you come to that decision?
I found a great company called Here Comes The Bride and they were brilliant. Very helpful and made everything to our spec. It was lovely for everything to match - the menus, table names, guest book, post box sign etc. I'd highly recommend them.
What advice do you have for brides planning their big day?
Enjoy it because it will be over before you know it. I'd also strongly recommend a videographer. My husband wasn’t keen on having one but I really wanted one. When I found Your Perfect Day (highly reviewed on Hitched) and saw samples of their work, it was a must have. Needless to say, now the day is over and we’ve got a copy of the DVD, it was one of the best things we did. What a lasting memory to have and even my husband likes it! I’ve never seen anything like it before and the company were superb!
♥ Want more autumn wedding ideas? ♥ Or how about vintage wedding ideas? ♥
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