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Inspiration: rustic pink rose barn wedding

Inspiration: rustic pink rose barn wedding

A beautiful sunny late August bank holiday saw the wedding of Vikki and Dan at Cogges Manor Farm in 2015.

Cogges Manor Farm is nestled in the lovely market town of Witney and offers two stunning seventeenth century barns for weddings. This is a special location for the happy couple who are regular visitors to this local venue. Plus it was a perfect blank canvas for them to add loads of personalised details to the day with hessian, white lace, dusky pink ribbons and roses. This wonderful rustic rose pink barn wedding was captured by Neil Hanson Photography.

The bride and her attendants arrived in style in a white carriage pulled by two pristine white horses courtesy of Fabulous Occasions – what a way to make an entrance! The bride wore an exquisite low back white wedding dress which consisted of a figure hugging satin underdress with a lace overlay which had a beautiful V-neck as well as a breath taking deep V-back. This was purchased from Proposals in Witney and is by Essence of Australia. The bride searched for a long time to perfectly colour match the ribbon sash herself, in order to coordinate it with the colour scheme of the day, and then attached a lace appliqué to the new ribbon.

She carried a magnificent bouquet by Distinctive Petals which included peonies, David Austin roses, wheat, gypsophila (baby’s breath), astilbe (false goat’s beard) and amnesia roses. The wheat echoed the venue’s wheat barn heritage and featured in several of the displays during the day. The peonies were also a pleasant surprise for the bride – these are her favourite flower but she wasn’t sure if she would be able to get them out of season but the wonderful florist pulled it out of the bag on the day!

The wedding continued to wow as the bride entered the picturesque barns adorned with hand-made bunting in vintage floral material, fairy lights strewn over the beams from UBE Lighting and she walked down an aisle made of straw bales covered in the same coordinating pink and white fabric. Once the ceremony was over, the guests mingled around the courtyard of the farm and enjoyed the glorious sunshine. They were able to find their names on an ingenious floral seating plan with potted plants of hydrangeas, lavender and roses stood in a wooden crate pyramid.

The table names were named after the bride and groom’s favourite local walks (their own pet names for the walks rather than their official names). For example, Fields of Love was the name of the top table which is the name they gave to the field where they were walking their dogs when they said they loved each other for the first time! The guests all sat down to enjoy a picnic courtesy of local caterer, Abigail’s Kitchen. Tables had a rustic feel and flowers were displayed in clear glass jam jars and milk bottles decorated with twine and fabric and stood on wooden slices (all supplied by the florist).

All the stationery was put together by the bride using recycled card, tags and twine bought from Razzle Dazzle Rose (who also printed their invite cards). Another wonderful personal touch was the carrot seed favours which were a nod to their romantic proposal of carrots spelling out ‘Will you marry me’ in an allotment. Read more about how the groom spelt it out in this real life romantic proposal stories blog post.

Before their first dance, the happy couple cut the charming ivory four tier wedding cake, with hand piped filigree highlighted with pearl lustre and decorated with a selection of varying shades of dusty pink sugar roses, beautifully made by The Pretty Cake Company.

The guests enjoyed a succulent hog roast from The Oxfordshire Pig Company, then danced the night away whilst Mark Cortez sang and the sun set on an amazing and truly memorable wedding day!

Photography by Neil Hanson www.nordicpics.co.uk

 

#UKWedLunch – Wednesday 7th September 2016 – wedding day survival kit

#UKWedLunch – Wednesday 7th September 2016 – wedding day survival kit

#UKWedLunch – Wednesday 7th September 2016

As well as general wedding planning chat, there’s some #toptips as well. This week’s theme is ‘Things to carry in a wedding day survival kit’ #UKWedLunch 

TOP TIP 1: Buy cosmetic blotting paper to dab away any sweat or ‘shine’ on your face #UKWedLunch

TOP TIP 2: Use chalk to cover up any scuff marks on a white wedding dress #UKWedLunch

TOP TIP 3: Rescue Remedy is an amazing herbal drop to keep you calm on your big day #UKWedLunch

TOP TIP 4: Use a drinking straw so your lipstick stays in tact (and not on your glass) whilst you sip your drink #UKWedLunch

TOP TIP 5: Keep a small bottle of water on hand to make sure you don’t get dehydrated or a dry mouth when saying your vows #UKWedLunch

This week’s top tips taken from Hanami Dream blog ‘Wedding day survival kit‘ #UKWedLunch

JOIN US EVERY WEDNESDAY! on Twitter between 1-2pm GMT

Next week’s theme is ‘How to keep your wedding guests happy’ #UKWedLunch

Photography by Farrow Photography

SAVE THE DATE: Cogges Manor Farm Wedding Open Day

SAVE THE DATE: Cogges Manor Farm Wedding Open Day

Wedding Open Day of Cogges Manor Farm barns in WitneyI’m delighted to be supporting Cogges Manor Farm with their Wedding Open Day on Sunday 16th October 11am-3pm in Witney, Oxfordshire.

See more information at http://www.cogges.org.uk/event/cogges-wedding-open-day

Hanami Dream will also be offering a drop in wedding planning clinic on the day.

Watch out for more details coming soon.

coggesweddings #bridetobe #Cotswolds #cotswoldwedding #groomtobe #inspiration #keepitlocal #Oxfordshire #oxfordshirewedding #specialoccasion #ukwedding #wedding #weddingideas #weddinginspiration #weddingplanner #weddingplanning #weddings #Witney
#WeddingWednesday #weddingfair #openday #barnwedding

#UKWedLunch – Wednesday 7th September 2016 – wedding day survival kit

Wedding day survival kit

If your big day is just around the corner, you may be getting down to the nitty gritty of confirming all the final numbers with the caterer and venue, finishing off making favours, as well as starting the wonderful part of beautifying yourself in preparation for the big day.

Even if you’re armed with the best schedule in the world (my forte by the way!) there are always a few minor things that crop up on the day that you can’t prevent or avoid. However, you can be prepared and plan for some eventualities.

wedding dress hanging from four poster bed with morning sunlight streaming through windows

Here is Hanami Dream’s wedding day survival kit list for brides and grooms. It is not an exhaustive list but contains some items that I have found to be useful to carry (or better still get one of your trusty attendants to) on your wedding day to combat any little hiccups.

  • Blotting paper – dab away any sweat or ‘shine’ on your face
  • Chalk – to cover up any scuff marks on a white wedding dress
  • Double sided tape – to avoid any ‘wardrobe malfunctions’
  • Floss – to keep your smile looking at it’s best for all those pictures
  • Foot insoles – to save your feet for all that dancing
  • Hair bands, comb & pins – anything to keep your ‘do’ under control during the day
  • Mints – for fresh breath for the first kiss (as well all the meet and greats)
  • Nail file – to get rid of any snags
  • Nail vanish – clear polish is good for stopping pulls in your tights turning in to ladders
  • Paracetamol – light pain relief so you don’t have a headache for your first night together
  • Plasters – in case of blisters from your amazing wedding shoes
  • Rescue remedy – amazing herbal drops to keep you calm
  • Safety pins – in case anything comes undone
  • Sewing kit – for minor repairs like sewing on buttons
  • Straws – so your lipstick stays in tact (and not on your glass) whilst you sip your drink
  • Tissues – for dabbing away tears (hopefully of joy!)
  • Tweezers – to get rid of any stray hairs
  • Water – a small bottle on hand will make sure you don’t get dehydrated or a dry mouth when saying your vows
  • Wet wipes – to freshen up during the day!

There are plenty of pre-made kits on the market that you can buy to fulfil the need for an emergency kit. However it’s lots of fun to pick and pack your own things that are personal and relevant for you and your big day. Perhaps you could prepare some for your bridal party or maybe your bridesmaids might assemble one for you.

What would you add to this list? I’d love to hear any of your suggestions (in the comments below) for items you’d have in your wedding survival kit.