The DIY details for Kizzy and Lee’s simply beautiful, country barn wedding were truly a labour of love…
How they met
Kizzy was smitten with Lee from the moment they were first introduced. “We met at a mutual friend’s birthday party, and as soon as I saw Lee, I told my friend, ‘I have to have him!’,” Kizzy remembers. “I couldn’t take my eyes off him, and his smile from across the room made me blush.”
The proposal
Lee’s Christmas Day proposal had special significance, as it marked the anniversary of his father’s death. “We had been going through a tough time in the previous months, so I was overwhelmed when Lee asked me to marry him,” Kizzy explains. “After everything we had been through, we came out stronger, and I knew he’d picked Christmas Day as a way to remember something positive on a sad occasion.”
The bride’s outfit
Kizzy ended up diverting dramatically from the vintage lace dress she thought she wanted, and fell in love with an ivory chiffon one-shouldered gown from Pronovias, with simple, delicate beading. “Although I had a fixed idea of what I wanted, the shop owner insisted that I tried on a variety of styles, and I am so glad she did,” Kizzy says. “When I tried it on, I got goosebumps, and my friend started crying and shouting ‘It’s the one!’.” Kizzy also splashed out on a pair of stunning bespoke shoes. “I knew I wanted something a bit different,” she explains. “The platform heels were encrusted with gold beads.”
The groom’s outfit
Sentimental soul Kizzy was set on her groom wearing navy blue – the colour her late grandfather had worn for her mum’s wedding. The vintage 1990’s suit from Dickie’s featured a subtle sheen that glistened in the light, and was teamed with an ivory shirt and cravat. “I had only seen him in a suit once before, and he looked so handsome,” Kizzy smiles.
The bridesmaids
Kizzy’s six bridesmaids wore ivory lace gowns from French Connection. “I didn’t want a signature colour that ran throughout the day, so I decided that my bridesmaids should wear ivory, like me,” Kizzy explains. They added gold shoes and baby’s breath floral arrangements in their hair.
The ceremony
The couple decided on a civil ceremony at a manor house in the village in which Kizzy grew up. “We didn’t want any readings, so we discussed this with the registrar and we were blown away by how personal he made our service,” Kizzy says.
The flowers
Put together by a family friend, Kizzy’s bouquet was a mass of hydrangeas, and every guest was given a single hydrangea bloom. “At the ceremony, we had vases of flowers placed on the floor to create an aisle, and a huge display on the registrar’s table,” Kizzy says. “The flowers made the venue look so beautiful.”
The reception
Kizzy and Lee faced a gargantuan task in dressing their venue – a barn in a local vineyard – for their reception. “It was literally a shell, and we had to hire everything, from the tables to the glasses,” Kizzy laughs. “We also attached a marquee so that we had an area for the bar and for people to sit if they didn’t want to dance.”
The details
Kizzy went to town on the details for her rustic, handmade big day. The finishing touches included vintage glassware, miniature bottles of strawberry liqueur for the toasts, place names written on oak leaves, framed tapestries and a cookie bar on a retro sweetie cart.
The cake
Creative bride Kizzy designed a masterpiece of a cake that featured tiny glittery blue hydrangeas. “As we had neutral colours everywhere else, I really wanted the cake to stand out,” Kizzy explains.
Special moment
One of Kizzy’s favourite moments of the day came while she was on the dancefloor. “I was dancing with my nine-year- old sister and she told me how beautiful I looked and made me cry,” remembers Kizzy.
The honeymoon
The couple spent two years saving for their dream safari holiday in Kenya. “We didn’t leave until a week after the wedding, and spent that time catching up with people who had travelled over for our celebration,” Kizzy says. “I would recommend giving yourself that time to reminisce.”
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