06.11.22 |Emily & Sam
We remember your viewing like it was yesterday, some couples just can’t hide their excitement and Emily & Sam were one of those couples! The feeling we get when couples fall in love with the barns as much as we do is always a special feeling.Emily & Sam loved the venue from their first viewing and the feeling was mutual, these two are legends and we loved them more and more once we started the planning journey. When Emily told us she was making their ceremony backdrop well… the excitement started building. Head over to Emily’s business page @woodandwillowsuk to see the dreamy macrame backdrop!! This is one talented Bride.We had a feeling this wedding was going to be a pretty epic day and we were not wrong!!! As well as aesthetically pleasing the atmosphere at their wedding was one to remember… Now go check out what Emily & Sam have to say about their incredible boho wedding in their own words!
Photography: @mattwingphoto
Videography: @rideoutfilms
THE DRESS
After getting engaged in June 2020, the first thing on my to-do list was to find my perfect dress. Despite having not secured a venue or date, I begun my search straight away and soon stumbled across a dress I loved on Pintrest. A fully laced gown with a plunge neck, floaty skirt and bat wing sleeves… my boho bride dream! I began researching stockists in the UK and was gutted to find out the closest one was half way cross the country. I was fully prepared to travel up North to fulfil my desire to try on this dress until my Mum suggested trying some local dress shops before committing, of course Mum is always right….. I found a dress shop in Tiptree which fitted the “boho bride” vibe that I was searching for, so I booked an appointment and bought along my Mum and Grandma for the experience. Upon arrival I showed the shop owner a picture of my dream dress to which she told me that due to my small frame, a dress with this much material would likely drown me, and that I should consider an off the shoulder dress. My only real specification was that my dress had to have sleeves, so we picked out a range of dresses with a variety of different sleeves and this is when I found MY dress. I knew it was the one when I glanced over at my Mum and Grandma to see them both in tears, a reaction I hadn’t received from the 5 dresses I had tried on prior! From the lightweight silk chiffon skirt to the delicate floaty sleeves, this dress ticked boxes I didn’t even know I had. Moral of the story…. Always listen to Mum!
THE SUITS
When it came to suits we knew we didn’t want to go for a traditional navy or grey. We wanted something which followed along with the boho theme that we had envisioned and having booked our dream venue, we felt as though a tweed material would really compliment the barn style whilst also being a little different to most other weddings we had been to. We made an appointment at the Grooms Room in Colchester and were greeted with Prosecco and beer on arrival which instantly made the experience more special. Sam picked out a brown tweed suit and we both immediately fell in love with it. We tried a variety of different ties and waistcoats to create the perfect combination and settled on a matching waistcoat with a white tie. We chose navy ties for our groomsmen and Dad’s, which coordinated perfectly with our bridesmaids dresses. After our initial appointment, we arranged a fitting where each person was carefully measured to ensure their suit was the perfect fit for the day.
THE VENUE
Finding our dream venue was probably the most challenging task. We wanted to keep the travel time less than 1 hour for ease of our guests but having flicked through 20+ brochures and visiting 5 venues in Essex, we decided that if we were to find our dream venue we needed to broaden our search. And so, The Granary Estates hit our radar! The first photos I saw of the venue were of the ceremony room, which gave that cosy intimate vibe which was exactly what we were searching for. Once we begun digging further, we discovered the gift that kept on giving, the stunning brickwork in the barn was different to every other barn style venue we had visited. Everything about it just ticked every box, apart from the distance. An hour and 45 minutes from home was further than we wanted to travel, but there was no way we could let this venue pass, so we arranged a viewing. After meeting the team and feeling their passion for this venue really outlined to us how special it really was, even though we already knew it. Our first time walking into the barn blew us away, the high ceiling, wooden flooring and natural lighting were just a few of the little details which really stood out to us. In hindsight, the distance really didn’t matter, everyone who wanted to share our special day with us made the effort to travel, and the Granary Cottages along with the local hotels meant that all our guests had somewhere to stay. When it came to decorations, the Granary team had helpfully put together a “prop shop” to help inspire couples and make planning their wedding that little bit easier! We opted for a lighting package which included drapes and a canopy of lights over the dance floor. Although the barn really didn’t need any additional touches, the lights and drapes gave it that extra sparkle and provided a gorgeous glow throughout the afternoon on a gloomy November’s day. Sticking with the boho theme, we opted for florals in autumnal shades of orange, purple and peach, which were presented in miniature vases which I had collected in the year leading up to the wedding and I coordinated with taper candles on gold candle holders to add some dimension to the table decorations. I love when couples hire a photo booth or picture wall, and I knew I wanted something which guests could use to take photos in front of. Keen to keep the cost down, I opted to create my own feature backdrop made from macramé - this became a popular photo opportunity on the day, and we also used it to dress up our top table by having it behind us. Our florist decorated it so beautifully and it cost only a fraction of the price (albeit many many hours of knotting!!) of a Photo Booth. When it came to cutlery and crockery, we wanted something which stood out more than the standard package, as this is what our guests would see first upon entering the barn and finding their seats, so we opted for amber water glasses, matte gold cutlery, a stone charger plate and grey linen napkins. Seeing everything come together so seamlessly on the day was a huge sigh of relief; up until now it had all been a vision in my head but I trusted my creative instincts and it all fell together perfectly.
SUPPLIERS
Having opted for a venue which was in an area we were completely unfamiliar with, we relied heavily on the staff at Granary Estates to provide us with recommendations for our suppliers, and I’m so glad we did, because almost every supplier we used was familiar and comfortable with the venue and knew the staff well. Food wise, we had about 4 caterers to choose from, and opted with Hall & Co because they had an option to offer guests a chose of 3 dishes per course, meaning no one would end up with a meal they didn’t like! This also meant that when it came to the tasting session, we ended up with 9 courses to taste between us - it’s safe to say we practically rolled out of the session! For flowers, I came across Emily Tallulah from a Granary Estates open day where the barn was full of breathtaking flower displays and Emily’s display stood out to me immediately - she had used mini vases to decorate a table, which was firmly in my vision so I knew I had to book in with Emily (she also has an awesome name, so you could say it was fate!). My make up artist, Sabrina, was another suggestion from the Granary Team. I found her Instagram page and instantly fell in love with her make up looks, she mastered the minimal make up vibe which is what I was after. As someone who rarely wears make up, I needed to keep my look natural so my fiancé would actually recognise me walking down the aisle! I went with a risky red lip, as I wanted to continue with my autumnal boho look, and because my eyes and base were fairly low-key, the lip did all the talking! From meeting Sabrina at my trial, to working with her on the day, she bought such a great energy and created a masterpiece on my face, I was so sad to take it all off at the end of the day!
THE WEDDING PLNNING
The one thing my family and friends continuously told me during the process of planning our wedding was “how are you so calm?” And “I’ve never seen such a chilled bride-to-be!”, and in all honestly I found planning the wedding such an enjoyable experience. We were unfortunate with a few suppliers pulling out in the weeks leading up to the wedding due to illnesses, which certainly bought on some stress but everything else seemed to run so smoothly. Of course, the couple are ultimately responsible for the overall planning of a wedding but it generally comes down to your suppliers and venue coordinators, and if you’ve picked well, you’ll know how easy it is to put your trust in people to help deliver your dream day! Speaking to people on a weekly basis who have such a clear passion for weddings made the experience so much more exciting, and also made it easier to ask for advise on areas where I needed some guidance. Whilst I do agree that most women will take to wedding planning a lot more than men, I felt like it was important to keep Sam involved in the process by asking him to help make decisions so that he had an answer other than “ask the Mrs” when people asked questions about the wedding planning, I even gave him the important task of finding some entertainment! Excited with this responsibility, he successful found and booked a magician which went on to be a guest favourite on the day! We found that keeping a spreadsheet with our budget, along with what we had spent in deposits, and due dates for final payments really helped keep us organised. When we first got engaged my mum bought me a wedding planner book which I initially thought I’d keep as more of a keepsake, but it was so useful in telling me what timescales I should stick to for arranging specific areas of our day and I was able to check to-do’s off a list as I went along. I would absolutely love to do it all over again but I have to give credit to our suppliers and the girls at Granary Estates, as they made it really easy and stress free for us.
HONEYMOON
Being a fairly adventurous and active couple, we wanted to honeymoon somewhere which would keep us busy. And as much as a beach honeymoon sounded delightful, we opted for something which could not be further from the opposite - Canada, in December. As keen skiers we wanted to incorporate this into our trip, and where better to ski than in Canada? A friend of ours recommended a honeymoon planner to us, which ended up being the best decision for planning this trip. We didn’t know much about Canada, other than the skiing, so needed someone with first hand experience to help plan the perfect honeymoon for us. We started off with 7 nights in Banff, where we skied, dog sledded, toured ice canyons and relaxed in upper hot springs. I can only describe Banff as something out of a movie, the sort of place you never knew possible to exist. Going at a time when Christmas was well underway made the trip that much more magical. We then took a 4 hour transfer to Jasper where we spent 5 nights in a secluded lodge. We ice skated on frozen lakes, more ice canyon walks, took a food and drink tour, and spotted moose and elk in the mountains. To finish our trip, we took a 23 hour train to Vancouver where we spent our final 3 nights. This consisted of mainly eating, drinking and shopping, but we did also take a trip to the Capilano suspension bridge and explored various Christmas markets. We also got tattoos of a mountain and a pine tree to mark the most amazing trip of a life time.
TAKE MY ADVISE
If there’s anything I could say to future married couples it would be to “put yourselves first” - at the end of the day, your wedding is about you, and if people want to celebrate you, they will. I often found myself making decisions based on what I thought my guests would prefer that I forgot the most important people here were me and my fiancé. Don’t be afraid to break out of that traditional expectation, because in 2023 weddings shouldn’t follow a traditional guideline. Your wedding should reflect you as individuals and your personality should shine through in every decision you make. Take a step back, your big day will feel like it’s over in a flash. Grab your new husband or wife and take five minutes to just look around the room and take it all in, it may be one of the only times in your life where all of your favourite people are together in one place. And most importantly, enjoy every second, you made it!
Photography: @mattwingphoto
Videography: @rideoutfilms
Venue @thegranaryestates
Flowers: @emily_tallulah_flowers
Caters and table décor: @hallandcoeventdesign
Macrame backdrop: @woodandwillowuk
Band: Sky Knights via @entertainmentnationuk
Evening caterers: @reggia.pizza
Invitations: @woodandwillowuk
Menus and table numbers: @woodandwillowuk
Bridesmaid dresses - Dorothy Perkins
Bridesmaid shoes - Primark
Bridesmaid gifts - personalise leather wash bags from Etsy filled with self care items for a pre-wedding pamper!
Gift for bride: Jo Malone perfume and Tiffany gold heart pendant bracelet
Gift for groom: D&G aftershave and Tag Heuer limited edition F1 timepiece
My dress: by Catherine Deane, bought from Erin Kelly Bridal in Tiptree
My shoes: “Rainbow” by John Lewis
Grooms suits: The Grooms Room at Abigail’s Collection in Colchester
Make up: @sabrina_promakeup
Hair: pin curls by @taylors_hairdressing then styled ourselves
