Wildflower Wedding at Grittenham Barn in England
Drewe and Theo met at a medical conference ball where she was singing with her university big band. "I’d like to say Theo was so moved by my singing that he simply had to come and find me, but that wasn’t the case, as he’d had a fair share of free wine, so didn’t remember much of the night at all. Luckily he did remember to message me the following day, and 9 years later he proposed, back where it all began in Brighton, watching the sun set on the seafront."
The Wedding Dress Journey
What kind of dress were you originally looking for and why did you choose Indie Bride London?
I was really open to trying on different styles, but I thought I wanted something with a nice flowy train, with little straps or a short sleeve. Being comfortable and able to dance and move around during what I hoped would be a sunny August day was important too. When I arrived for my appointment, the atmosphere in the studio felt so warm and different to other places I had tried. I already loved the Clementine dress when I’d seen it online, so everything fell into place on that first visit.
What was your biggest worry when looking for a wedding dress?
I wanted to feel like myself, but with a bit of added visual drama for a very big day, so achieving this was the main worry of mine! Miina’s expertise and advice helped me put together a bridal look which felt very me, and she had the great idea to adapt the veil to match my dress, adding that extra cohesion so that I could have a long sweeping veil, it all made the whole experience feel extra special.
How did wearing your dress made you feel on your wedding day?
It sounds like a line, but I actually felt like the most amazing version of myself, which was exactly how I hoped I would feel!
The Wedding Story
The Bridal Look
My incredible friend Katrina is a make up artist who knows me so well, so she created the perfect natural, glowy look for the day - adding a bold red lip for me in the evening (that’s always when I feel like the most fun party version of myself, so it had to be done!) For hair I went for a classic half up, half down with some dried flowers for when the veil eventually came off.
How would you describe your wedding theme? What was the inspiration for your day?
We wanted a fairly relaxed day with lots of delicious food and fun. For visuals, I kept calling it our 'Wildflower wedding' because I love gardening and growing cut flowers at home. I based the colour palette on a particular photo of a wildflower field, so we ended up with bridesmaids in all different bright colours, with florals in their bouquets matching their dress - which I was so excited about and it looked even better on the day than I'd pictured in my head.
Where was your ceremony and reception, and why did you choose that venue?
We got married at Grittenham Barn in Petworth, West Sussex, having seen it on a rainy day in January. We instantly fell in love with the barn and surrounding areas, and I knew it would be an absolute dream to have our ceremony in the Rose garden there - which we were lucky enough to do.
The Ceremony
We had a lovely pianist called Sally Rowley who played our favourite songs for us during the ceremony. There were so many memorable moments - I’m such a crier, so I just accepted it when the tears came as I walked down the aisle. Lucky some well needed comic relief saved me when our registrar initially tried to marry Theo to my mum by saying her name instead of mine!
The Reception
Everyone couldn't stop talking about the food - we had massive, delicious family-style sharing boards that got everyone talking to each other. The party was kicked off by our friend Sam's amazing band playing our first dance, which was truly memorable, and I got up on stage to sing a few songs with them - I'd say they twisted my arm but I loved it really!
Did you do any DIY projects?
I feel like the wedding was a labour of love from so many of our friends and family, for which we are endlessly grateful! Theo's mum made our wedding cake, my talented bridesmaid Hannah painted tonnes of watercolour flowers and we made and designed the invites and stationery together. She also spent lots of days traipsing with me around ribbon shops and evenings at my flat painting mirrors for welcome signs and the table plan. Something I loved the look of in the end was some ribbon covered branches which we hung up and had photos trailing down from - a Pinterest goldie that had been on my board since before Theo and I had even got engaged...
Was there anything that went wrong on your wedding day, and how did you deal with it?
I am not naturally very organised at all, but I had timed everything and made multiple schedules which I was sure were perfectly bulletproof when making them. Obviously things like speeches ran over, and I had a moment of being worried about it, but I looked around and saw everyone having a great time and realised it was only me and a handful of people that knew, so had a deep breath (and a pep talk from Theo!) and was able to shrug it off and enjoy the day. Nobody else knows, so it's really not worth stressing over too much.
Apart from saying yes to your husband, what was your favourite moment on your wedding day?
Taking a moment with Theo where we both just stopped and looking around the courtyard, watching all the people we loved drinking, chatting, snacking and enjoying the sunshine felt so lovely. Dancing like mad with all our friends in the evening too, of course!
What advice would you give to brides who are still planning their wedding?
Everyone says it, but the day goes by in a flash so just try and step back occasionally and just admire the joy happening around you! Don't worry too much and just make sure the day is how the two of you want it - everyone else will have a great time as long as they're fed and the music is good! Oh and one of the best things we did was buy a camcorder to pass around our friends throughout the day - we've got hilarious and heartwarming short clips from our wedding that have given us other people's perspectives of the day which has been so nice to look back on.
- Drewe -
Other wedding suppliers:
Photography: Shot By bek
Makeup artist: Katrina McLeod
Hair stylist: LouLou Brighton
Engagement rings: Ethica Diamonds
Wedding rings: Rare Thing
Florist: Petal And Feast
Caterer: Copper And Ivy
Entertainment: Suns Up
Cake: Theo's mum!