Take a step inside Hannah and Andrew's boho chic wedding at the Milton End Barns.
Tell us about your story, how did you meet and where did the proposal happen? Myself & Andrew have been friends for 20 years and have been a couple for 10 years. We started secondary school together, we were in the same tutor group and even sat at the same table. We both went off to different colleges & then universities but when we moved home started hanging out again. We finally became a couple, went traveling came home got our first house & then our beautiful puppy Rio. On our 8-year anniversary before our dinner plans, Andrew suggested going for a big dog walk in the hills, I didn’t think anything of it. Little did I know he had the ring hidden in his pocket. On the 30th of July 202, Andrew proposed to me on top of the ridgeway hills & took me by complete surprise. It was perfect. Obviously, I said yes through the floods of tears.
What style were you striving for with your table settings, florals, and reception? Was there a certain look or vibe that you wanted to create?
As a couple we just aren’t colour fans, we love black, texture, metallics & glass. We didn’t know how this would fit into a wedding. We were quite nervous to “be ourselves” in our decor to begin with as it’s not seen as traditional… Black at a wedding…. My Nanny Pam nearly died when I told her we were having black sequin bridesmaid dresses.
SO…. We came to etiquette events for our styling appointment with Beth. What a game-changer! Beth reassured us about everything & brought our vision to life. Keeping us balanced so we didn’t go too far & keep in theme with the wedding venue “Milton End Barns” the wedding concept became “When boho meets contemporary chic”. We had touches of black here & there using black napkins, and black bunny tails, the men were in tuxedos & bridesmaids were also in black. The florals were a mix of dried & real, using pampas grass to create texture, and ivory roses to add a lux, soft feel. We did a mix of centerpieces for the wedding breakfast, half glass candelabras and the other half tall clear stands with big pampas & rose floral arrangements. We had Candles dotted around the venue as well to add another layer of texture & warmth. It was a real WOW factor when you walked into the room. It caused lots of happy tears amongst the bridal party. (Even my MOH cried & she’s as hard as nails)
Predominantly we just wanted our decor & wedding to really represent us. Beth fully did this for us. Our guests all kept saying “Wow this is so you two”.
Were there any wedding suppliers that you particularly loved working with and why?
Etiquette Events - it goes without saying!!! Etiquette Just blew us away from their personal service, to the final execution, even to the little added touches like the Brides group I was a part of. This was a service & support I didn’t know I needed!
Our photographer Char Cook photography was absolutely incredible. She has such a laid-back vibe & all about the natural, fun shots. This was a big worry for me having photos taken of me well out of my comfort zone, in an Ivory dress (I live in black) but Char made me feel so relaxed. She was just amazing. We are still blown away by our wedding photos & would highly recommend her to anyone & everyone!
Orchard catering was fantastic, so accommodating, and flexible with the food we wanted, they were transparent no hidden costs & we loved their whole family business vibe, nothing was too much trouble we had them for our full day's food & evening. They then catered for our party the Sunday, the cold folk food for this was out of this world. I’d like to give a shout-out to Charlotte from orchard catering she was an absolute star.
Par-Tee Events Mini Golf was a huge hit!!! People are still talking about it. It gave our guests something fun to do between the ceremony & wedding breakfast. It helped new people meet each other. They have a competition where our guests all went up against each other to win prizes it was brilliant. Sam was so easy to talk to & always quick to get back to us if we had any questions. Again I would highly recommend these guys
What were your favourite parts of the wedding styling process with Etiquette Events?
We absolutely loved our styling appointment with Beth where our vision was brought to life in front of us. It’s like a sneak peek that gets you super excited. Beth was exactly what I needed someone who was honest told me no when I needed to hear it & build a big vision from our ideas, she really listens. Where we did our styling appointment early on this gave us the opportunity to add more items from etiquette over time we added the feather wall then the audio guest book, and we changed our white cake plinths to mirrored plinths. I really like that we had a couple of final calls to double check everything we had booked was correct, even Meghan the florist had a call with me. It’s a service like no other. I also liked the open evening that was held even though we had booked our styling it meant we could go along & look at items we had booked this gave us that boost of confidence in what we had chosen.
Tell us what were the most important aspects of your wedding day and which moments really stood out to you?
I didn’t realise how important all the styling & full decor was to the full wedding day but this aspect made all the difference to the feeling of the rooms and the photography. This was worth every penny we paid for it, this would be a big recommendation from us.
Having entertainment throughout the day was a very big important aspect. We had a duo called The Duplettes they sang all day for us, we had mini golf, we had drinks available all day plus the bar was open if guests didn’t like the drinks we were providing. We had a company called Taxi Snaps outside in the early evening as well as Mario the pizza car from Orchard.
Important moments:
- Myself & Andrew decided to stay together the night before the wedding day to save any added anxiety this was lovely to have this time together before our big day.
- Getting ready in the morning, stay relaxed! What Will be Will be, you’ve done all you can for your day plus if you’ve made a time schedule for each person for hair & makeup you know when you’re needed, sit back soak it in & enjoy your bridesmaids & families' company.
- Waiting to walk down the aisle, take snapshots with your eyes, be conscious to remember these key moments, and don’t let the overwhelming feelings take these special moments from your memory… what can you hear & see take it in!
- Our wedding breakfast entrance was one of our favourite moments! We did a big entrance with a song, we included our bridesmaids & groomsmen, we got all the guests involved with clapping & signing then had the bar staff walk around handing out shots. It was so much fun & we loved it!!!
- The first dance. Have a little practice at home so you’re comfortable with some basic moves this prevents you from thinking about the footwork & you can fully focus on each other & the music you have chosen.
What would be your biggest advice to other couples currently planning their wedding?
Enjoy it! Sit down together, ask each other what you’d both like from the day, what’s important to each of you. Go to wedding meetings together. The day is about you two & your love, don’t forget that. We didn’t have one single argument over the wedding planning period because it was not needed. Take a breath & communicate. Have a book where you write everything down in sections.
Personal touches to your day make all the difference, we had personalised sunglasses, personalised light-up foam sticks, and fans for the seats in the ceremony. These are all things guests noticed & loved.
Suppliers
@etiquetteeventstyling / @orchardcatering / @charcook_photography / @partee_events / @indulgebyamy / @theduplettes / @pebble_and_stone / @elliesandersonbridal / @rosyleeflorist / @taxisnaps / @milton_end_barns / @hollyandrebeccaweddings
Need help creating the perfect day bespoke for you and your partner? Get in touch today and speak to our expert stylist.
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