Real Weddings at The Granary Barns

MATTHEW + NICOLE

19.04.19

Matthew and Nicole began planning their wedding day when they were living in different countries (Nicole in America and Matthew here in the UK)… not an easy feat! But with the help of our team and Hall & Co., they were able to create the day of their dreams!

Take a look at a selection of images by the talented Olivia & Dan, captured on their special day back in April. If you’re looking for some serious style inspiration coupled with wonderful memories, this is the blog for you…..

PICKING THE DRESS

I really thought I wanted a Hermoine de Paula, super embroidered, ‘English Rose’ with an edge type of dress. I tried on probably 20 dresses in that style and something just wasn’t working! Finally, I had one of my bridesmaids suggest I try something on the simpler side and that was it. Waterworks. Loved it immensely, and that ended up being my dress!

I chose my dress because it made me feel like me! I’m not a flashy dresser, but I do like really polished numbers, like a jumpsuit, blazer, etc. And I felt like my dress had a touch of that. And what girl doesn’t dream about having a Vera Wang dress!

SUITED & BOOTED

Matt got his suit from an amazing place called Bespoken For where they make custom made to measure suits. The company is run by an ex banker. He used to buy suits for work from Savile Row, but got tired of paying a lot of money. So they founded their company, which uses the same materials that they use on Savile Row, but they are manufactured overseas to keep costs down.

Matt picked all the materials and finishes himself, down to the thread colour. He even had the wedding date embroidered on the inside!  So it was super special. Matt wore navy, and so did his groomsmen. The best men wore grey, so that they would stand out.

Matt chose everything! And it was a surprise for me. I didn’t see it until the day.

THE VENUE & DECORATION

I was living in the states when we started planning our wedding, and I spent HOURS upon HOURS looking at venues online. We were open to anything and everything. From a city wedding, to a manor, to a hotel, to a warehouse. It was lots to narrow down. But believe it or not, Granary was the first place we viewed. And after meeting the GG’s, we were sold! The team put us completely at ease. We viewed one more venue on the same day, and we just had a feeling that nothing would beat Granary. From the style of the barn (rustic but modern), to the GG’s, to the ease of access for my travelling family, to the proximity to nearby hotels. We were in love.

We wanted to do something that felt like us… traditional, but a little bit edgy and unique. We didn’t really have a theme! It was more like.. ‘Oh that would be cool! Let’s do that!” Hall and Co were AMAZING at taking alllllll our ideas and organising them and bringing them to life! From the pampas, to the AMAZING flower pillars/turn photo backdrop! Such creativity and talent!

We were BEYOND PLEASED with the results. ABSOLUTELY BLOWN AWAY. It literally brought tears to our eyes. We could not have imagined anything more perfect.

FLOWERS

Hall and Co did all of our flowers and foliage! We started planning a little late in the game.. and it was in the midst of me moving from the states to the UK! So Matt and I wanted one place to help us in our frantic state.

When it came to the floral styling, what didn’t we choose??? During our first meeting with Hall and Co, we wanted really really classic white and greens. (Right after the royal wedding, I think that was having an effect on me!! Ha!) But even then, we knew we wanted something statement making!

After we thought about it more, we started chatting about some other fun ideas that we liked and saw on Pinterest. And we arrived at… PAMPAS! From there, the traditional vision transformed a bit with the help of Jo and Kerry, and we arrived with EXACTLY what we wanted! Still lots of white and greens, but with these beautiful blushes and nudes incorporated that I think complimented the barns perfectly! You’ll have to ask Jo the flower names… all I can remember was pampas and the David Austin roses!

BRIDE SQUAD

I had 11 bridesmaids. My dad was in the army, so I moved so many times as a kid and young adult. So I had all of my best girl friends from each place I’ve lived by my side! We’ve all managed to keep in touch!

The ladies got to choose their own bridesmaids dresses. I actually picked a paint swatch of creams and told them to go wild! I LOVED the outcome!

When I think back to my favourite moments with my 'bride tribe’, if I’m honest, it was just being together for the whole week prior to the wedding! It was honestly a once in a lifetime moment to have so many ladies from all over the world together in one place! But a memory that stands out is just having that first glass of bubbles in the morning, and us all being in one large room chatting and getting ready together. And taking an impromptu group picture on the bed, where we were all feeling like Victoria Secret angels I think!

THE VOWS

I felt SO emotional, and so excited just before the ceremony. Not really nervous. Just so eager to see one another, and with SUCH an adrenaline rush!

It felt indescribable to have all of our friends and family at our wedding day. It was one of the most important thing about the day for us. We are honestly so blessed with the most amazing family and friends. It gives us goosebumps just thinking about it. You could FEEL the love in the room!

The ceremony itself flew by. We remember blips, but the emotions were just running so high!

CATERING

Hall and Co catered for our wedding, the best ever.

They provided the most gorgeous canapes, regular and vegan. An out of this world parma and cheese starter, THE BEST shin of beef we’ve ever had, and a salt caramel Eton mess! Oh, and can’t forget the most AMAZING Puerto Rican inspired tacos made especially for my Puerto Rican family.

PARTY TIME!

We were SO pleased with how the Granary looked for the wedding reception. I think the bits that stand out were obviously the flowers, along with the lights and candles. Oh and the order of service and seating chart! STUNNING!!!

We knew our evening entertainment had to be a band all the way! We chose the Teenage Kicks. They knew our first dance song, and honestly we just love a bit of rock/indie!

Our first dance was ‘I Love You Baby’ by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. We saw Jersey Boys together when we first started dating, and it’s been on rotation ever since. And we just love the part when it all kicks off with the brass band!

Would we like to do it all over again? YES YES YES. And it was a unanimous YES from our guests too. Honestly trying to find an excuse to get together like that all over again! The music, the drinks, the energy! Amazing.

WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY

Olivia and Dan. We just found them by googling! We loved that they were a husband and wife duo, and they were just so amazingly sweet from the first conversation we had with them! We love their moody, cinematic style that was really candid and natural. We wanted someone who could capture the ‘real’ moments! And they so did!

We received our photos 8 weeks after the wedding, which was expected. First thoughts? SO MUCH JOY AND EMOTION. It was like reliving the most perfect day all over again! We were actually BLOWN AWAY by how perfectly they captured everything!!

My favourites photos have to be all of the ceremony shots. And the reactions during the speeches! And the dancing photos! (Nearly all, so hard to choose!) The great thing was that they were so unobtrusive. We barely noticed they were there, yet they got the MOST amazing shots!

We’ve printed a few images since the wedding. But we plan to make a book as a gift to our parents.

TAKE MY ADVICE...

 After having some time to step back and think about our day what I remember the most is the absolute tidal wave of love and support we felt from our family and friends. I don’t think we’ve ever felt as loved and blessed. And honestly, we remember Parris and Kerry (from Hall & Co) being absolute ROCK STARS! They treated our day like it was theirs. They made us feel so special and looked after. And no request was too big or small. They were completely composed, and handled everything with ease! That makes a HUGE difference, because we felt like we could be at ease and just enjoy the day!!

Thinking if there things we chose to have on the day that I wouldn’t have now, I cant say I would’ve changed a thing. I think we did just the right amount. We didn’t get too caught up in favours, table games, etc. Which I’m so glad we didn’t! Because we had  the best time and didn’t really miss it! We did do favours though, but just kept it simple. Mini eggs and a shot of café patron! Because why not. ;)

If I could give a top tip for future brides/grooms it would be to forget convention, and do what you want! It’s your special day, and it should be fun! At the end of the day, everything will work out. So just enjoy every moment, because it will be over before you know it!