Louise & Jason
Homemade details make this rustic autumn wedding wonderful
PHOTOGRAPHY BY Grace and the Heart, graceandtheheart.co.uk
Louise and Jason met at a mutual friend’s birthday drinks, and after a date to Woburn Safari Park, the rest was history! “Three years later, and only 10 weeks after our son Douglas was born, Jason proposed. We were enjoying a night away in Brighton together. As we walked along the beach, Jason said he had something to ask me – whether I would be his wife! He chose the perfect white gold ring,” Louise gushes.
Like many brides, finding her dream dress wasn’t plain sailing.
“My first feeling when I found my wedding dress was pure relief!”
“I’d tried on so many dresses that came within budget but I didn’t like any of them. I thought I would end up having to compromise and choose a dress I liked but didn’t love, until I found my David’s Bridal gown. It was perfect for the venue and relaxed feel to our rustic autumn wedding day.”
The strapless dress was made from ivory chiffon and featured a dreamy train. “I loved the subtle leaf detailing on the front,” Louise smiles. She accessorised with a double layer David’s Bridal veil, embellished with a sparkling trim, Jenny Packham shoes and leaf design drop earrings and a necklace.
“The groom and ushers chose to wear trousers with a waistcoat but no jacket.”
“Jason is always too hot,” the bride laughs, “so it worked really well. The outfits went perfectly with our rustic autumn wedding theme.” The dark brown trousers and waistcoat came from Next, while the bowtie and pocket square were sourced from Mrs Bowtie. “He looked so handsome in a suit. I felt so proud and lucky to be able to call him my husband.”
Louise asked five of her best girls to join her bridal party, also asking their son to be her pageboy. “We also went to David’s Bridal for the bridesmaid dresses. I was happy for everyone to wear different styles in one colour, but luckily everyone ended up loving the same dress!” The girls chose knee-length, chiffon, plum gowns.
“Choosing chiffon for both my dress and the bridesmaid dresses ensured we looked lovely together.”
The groom’s cousin Haleigh, who runs Haleigh Maskall Hair and Makeup, took care of the bridal party’s big day beauty. “She’s amazing – I left it all to her and she did a brilliant job using MAC, Clinique and Paul Mitchell products. Laura Howard did my bridesmaids’ hair and she was also fabulous.”
Louise and Jason tied the knot in a civil ceremony at Shenley Cricket Club, surrounded by family and friends.
“We wanted an instrumental song for my walk down the aisle, so we chose a song from Lord of the Rings!”
Jason’s sister and one of the bridesmaids gave readings, including a poem written especially for the occasion. “We played Charlene Soraia’s cover of ‘Wherever You Will Go’ as we signed the register. It was going to be our first dance song, but when we practised it made us laugh too much!”
After the ceremony, the newlyweds and their guests tucked into tomato and sweet pepper soup to start, followed by a hearty hog roast served with all the trimmings for the main course. Lemon cheesecake added a sweet finale for dessert. “Later in the evening, we served fish and chip cones, which went down a treat!”
“I knew that giving a speech would be my father’s worst nightmare, so I let him off!”
The groom and his two best men did take on the responsibility of making a speech. “Jason’s speech was lovely and full of gratitude to the people who made the day possible for us. His best men were hilarious – they had so many funny stories to tell.”
Inspired by the time of year, the couple opted for a rustic autumn wedding theme. “We chose decorations and flowers with lots of red, brown and orange hues and made our invitations from Kraft card, paper leaves and twine.”
The couple pegged up family photographs and suspended warm coloured pom poms from the ceiling. Wooden heart confetti and log slices topped the tables and autumnal garlands dressed pillars at the venue. The guestbook resembled a beehive, into which guests could tuck their rolled up messages, and bunches of straw and barley were dotted around the venue.
Carly from Florence and Flowers created the dried flower bouquets, buttonholes and hair clips. “They came out perfectly for our rustic autumn wedding. She understood our vision perfectly.” Continuing the theme, the couple gifted guests hessian-wrapped packs of seed bombs.
The bride’s sister baked 100 cupcakes and one giant cupcake for their wedding cake. They featured lemon, carrot cake, chocolate and vanilla flavours and were topped with sugar autumn leaves.
“We went conker collecting before the wedding so our guests could play the seasonal game – they loved it!”
Louise and Jason shared their first dance to ‘You Are The Best Thing’ by Ray Lamontagne. “We didn’t want a song that was too cheesy or too soppy. We listened to this song on our first Valentine’s Day together and I remember thinking to myself that if we ever got married, it would be our song. We’d been dreading the first dance, but when it came around, dancing with Jason and Douglas all together was amazing.”
After the wedding, the couple minimooned in London, indulging in dinner, drinks and tickets to see Les Miserables.
SUPPLIERS
VENUE Shenley Cricket Club
DRESS David’s Bridal
BRIDESMAID DRESSES David’s Bridal
GROOM Next, Mrs Bowtie
ACCESSORIES David’s Bridal, Jenny Packham
HAIR & MAKEUP Haleigh Maskall Hair and Makeup, Laura Howard
FLOWERS Carly, Florence and Flowers, Blundeston Farm
FAVOURS This Paper Garden on Etsy
