Today I am sharing with you a most beautiful June wedding which took place at Broadfield Court in Herefordshire, the wedding of Jake & Katy. It all started back when Katy was 12 years old when Jake bought her a wonderful pearl bracelet as he was falling in love with her! It’s safe to say that they have been together ever since and Katy still wears it with pride! Jake & Katy do everything together, including the planning of this wedding. The getting ready together on the morning was my absolutely favourite moment of the day – somehow it was so meaningful and intimate and peaceful! Loved it, loved it, loved it.
The weather wasn’t the kindest with them on the day but the couple made the most of the outdoor space, braved the slightly colder temperatures and decided to hold their ceremony outdoors anyway and enjoy the vast views that Broadfield has to offer. I will let Katy tell you all about their story next.
Flowers: The Artisan Dried Flower Co & Atlas Flowers
Katy’s top: Jurgita Bridal
Skirt: La Boutique Brides & @astitchintime_1
Hair: Naomi Kymberley MUA
Groomsmen attire: Bill Child Formal Wear
Jakes tie: Beau Tie
Pocket square: Zebel
Groomsmen ties: Gents Lab
Bridesmaids dresses: Sophie Wynne Owen
Catering: A to Zest
Marquee: Boutique Marquees
Venue: Broadfield Court
Photographer: Cat Beardsley Photography
A FEW WORDS TO DESCRIBE THE STYLE OF YOUR WEDDING
“Inspired by the natural world, rustic and natural.”
WHEN PLANNING YOUR WEDDING, HOW DID YOU GO ABOUT CHOOSING A VENUE THAT WOULD FIT YOUR STYLE?
“Having grown up in the beautiful Herefordshire countryside, we have both developed a love of the natural world. One thing was decided upon without discussion – that we were to have a summery outdoor wedding, surrounded by nature.
We scoured the internet and shortlisted around six venues around Herefordshire that gave us the potential to have an outdoor ceremony and a marquee wedding breakfast, but also give us a wet weather plan B. After visiting Broadfield – an historic country house with not only beautiful gardens of its own, but extended grounds of rolling fields and trees, we could immediately picture ourselves spending our special day here. Right from the start, we loved the idea of being able to spend the whole wedding weekend in one place, so that we had time to relax, enjoy time with our family and friends and get some of the decor set up prior to the day. Broadfield felt like a home, which made the weekend feel so comfortable and relaxing.
We were utterly spoilt for choice with the outdoor ceremony options and found ourselves toying between saying our vows in the woodland, or on the croquet lawn, with a backdrop of trees and fields as far as you could see. Finally, a couple of days before the wedding, a decision was made. After chatting with Cat about which space would provide better lighting for photographs, we decided to lay the ceremony space out on the croquet lawn. Even though the decision took a long time to come to, it was definitely the right one. Saying our vows with panoramic views of the countryside, grass under our feet and the sound of the wind rustling the trees was perfectly calming and magical.
A lot of our difficult decisions came from not trusting the British weather. We ended up being thankful of our caution as the weather was not very kind to us, but one of the main reasons we picked Broadfield was because of their lovely plan B indoor options. Up until two minutes before the drinks reception took place, it was due to be held in the apple orchard, but due to weather, we didn’t want to risk the string quartet not being able to play if it rained, so we moved the into the house, giving everyone a chance to warm up by the fire and explore the beautiful house. For similar reasons, we decided on a ‘Sperry tent’ marquee for our wedding breakfast, that created the perfect ‘indoor-outdoor’ space, that was also fitting for the evening reception.”
TELL ME MORE ABOUT YOUR DECOR AND COLOUR THEME
“We knew we wanted to keep the whole wedding as natural as we could, and by spending most of the day outside, the venue already gave us the kind of look and feel we were trying to achieve. In the Sperry tent, we wanted to bring the outdoors in, and reflect the colours and textures seen throughout nature, so we stuck to bare rustic wooden tables and chairs. Due to keeping the décor simple and primarily from natural materials, with friends and families help, we managed to source 95% ourselves, from logs we had found, to maple syrup jars we had collected from our spice cupboard.
We were quite indecisive with our colour scheme, after being exposed to so many weddings that had one predominant colour running throughout the day, we took a while to realise that this didn’t have to be the case! We knew we wanted a very simple colour pallet, with a couple of colours that were found in the environment. Without too much thought, we agreed we wanted to use mustard yellow, sage and terracotta, as they felt summery, soft and natural. After initially wanting mix and match bridesmaids dress colours, we couldn’t find a mix of colours/shades that worked, so decided on sage green, that would complement the mustard yellow ties of the groomsmen and their mismatched terracotta and mustard pocket squares.
After being torn between fresh and dried flowers, the decision was made for us when we found the only way to include a washed out terracotta colour was to use dried flowers. This was a perfect, sustainable option, that let us and our bridal party keep our flowers and memories years after the wedding. We ordered the bouquets, buttonholes and some table jar posies from the Artisan Dried Flower Company and lose flowers from Atlas flowers, so we could make some décor ourselves. Ordering the loose flowers was a decision we were so thankful we made. On the Friday evening, friends and family that were staying at Broadfield got involved with flower arranging, which gave the flowers a really personal touch. Some of the loose flowers were also used by Katy’s aunt to make arrangements for the cake that matched the bouquets and buttonholes, to go on her perfect creation of our vision of a simple, yet rustic and elegant cake. Katy’s Mum made dried flower petal confetti out of primarily yellow, orange and white daffodils and snowdrops, which again, made the confetti throw feel so much more meaningful.
I think we managed to achieve the look we were going for, as many people came up to us and complimented how ‘us’ and natural it was!”
CHOOSING YOUR WEDDING DRESS: YOUR JOURNEY
“As to the surprise of many people in the wedding industry that we came into contact with, we organised the whole wedding together, with the ‘dress’ being no exception. I am not a dress kind of person, and have very particular taste, so I knew this would be the trickiest part of the process. Afterall, having the person who knows you and your style the best help you with such a big decision is very helpful! On the odd occasion that I wear a dress, it’s always a short one, but I decided that I did want to try something long for the wedding. After scrolling Pinterest and wedding dress websites, I decided I ideally wanted ‘bridal separates’ – a long flowy pleated skirt with a separate long sleeved top, but I thought this would be hard to find. After trying on a few dresses in the local bridal shops with Jake and Mum, I found that I was not liking the fit of any of the dresses, but definitely thought that flowy pleated skirts suited me, the wedding venue, and the time of year (June). Getting a totally bespoke dress made was not within our budget, so we targeted finding a dress with a perfect bottom half, that we could get a dress maker to adapt into a skirt. We finally found a dress that had the perfect bottom half, from a bridal shop called La Boutique in Exeter, that donated all of their profits to charity – even better! After purchasing the dress with the intention of adapting it into a skirt, I searched the internet for a top to go with it. A beautiful bespoke handmade long sleeved jacket with 3D elements and buttons down the back popped up on my Etsy, by Jurgita Bridal, a dress maker from Lithuania. I instantly knew this was the one. After realising that she was based in Lithuania, making posting it back to her for alterations very expensive, I contacted a few other people who had worked with Jurgita, to find out whether it went smoothly. The positive responses were enough to calm my worries, so I nervously sent her my measurements for her to start making my top. About four and a half months later, my top arrived, and thankfully, it was perfect. After trying the dress and the top on together to gauge what it would look like, we decided the top half of the dress definitely needed to be removed, so we took the dress into a local seamstress, where she cut the top half of the dress off, while I was nervously wearing it. She altered the hem and waistband of the new-found skirt and I finally got to try the skirt and the top on to reveal the final look.
Prior to the wedding, people had been telling us that the day goes so fast, so make sure you spend plenty of time together. So, on the morning of the wedding, because Jake had already seen the skirt and top, we got ready together, which gave us some lovely quiet time to reflect and prepare, and also some lovely photos. Afterwards, I did a first look with my parents and bridesmaids, which was really fun.
My advice for future brides would be to pick something that you feel like yourself in, something that reflects you and your personality. If you feel comfortable, you’ll feel confident and happy.”
WHAT IMPORTANCE DOES PHOTOGRAPHY HOLD TO YOU?
“I have always loved how photography enables you to visually look back on a special moment, that you’ll never be able to relive again. Photography helps to create and restore memories of people and feelings, to transport you back to the moment in time, resurfacing details you might have forgotten. Having 400 beautiful photos of the best day of our lives to date is something I’m sure we will be increasingly thankful for as more time passes. Cat’s photography has given us the chance to share memories with people that couldn’t make it, and we are really looking forward to sharing them in the future with all the new friends and family that come into our lives.”
WHAT WOULD BE YOUR ADVICE FOR COUPLES WHEN CHOOSING THEIR PHOTOGRAPHER?
“Our advice for choosing a photographer would be, firstly: have a look at photos they have taken of other couples’ weddings and see whether you like which moments they chose to capture, how they edited the photos and the overall aesthetic of the photographs. Then chat with them and find out whether they are approachable, easy to contact, that you both get along with them, and that they acknowledge your style and ideas. After all, you will be spending most of the day with them, so having someone you feel comfortable around will make for relaxed photos.”
Thank you, dear Jake & Katy, for agreeing to share your wedding planning adventure and useful advice for future brides and grooms out there starting theirs! Thank you as well for your trust in my vision and style, your love for nature (and especially trees!) matches mine and our styles just blended so well together! I am thankful to have had you as my bride & groom!
