Morning you lovely lot!
We have such a treat for your eyes today. This outstanding, relaxed country wedding in Pembrokeshire was photographed by one of Wales’ leading wedding photographers, the super talented Maria Farrelly (who is also the founder of Cwtch The Bride and photographed my own wedding as well, She rocks!).
I love all the homemade and personal details of this wedding and I think this will be a huge inspiration to you all. ~ Kate.
How would you describe your wedding theme?
Relaxed country vibe with a nod to festivals!
What was your favourite part of your wedding?
Tough question! Actually probably the one thing I didn’t plan, the impromptu game of cricket. That and the silent disco at midnight.
Decoration wise I loved the flower chandelier our very talented florist Linda from The Woodland Farm created. I thought she’d run for the hills when I started describing it but she was really up for the challenge.
I should probably say these all come after marrying my husband!!
Tell us about your Wedding Dress
My dress was actually the very first I tried on! I love it. Its the Lillie Mae by Charlotte Balbier. I wanted something a little boho but also traditional. I went to Whitebride in Narberth with my Mum and Aunty. All the lovely things I’d heard about Sally White from my friends was spot on. She was a fountain of life hacks beyond wedding attire!
Who did you pick as your bridesmaids &/or best man and why?
I had three bridesmaids. Kirsty and I have been friends since forever. We lived a few doors apart growing up and shared the same obsession with horses. Which also ties me and Rach together. Sian’s very nearly my sister. She’s set to marry my brother next June. I can’t wait. Their two sons Hewi (three) and Finley (14 months) were my strapping pageboys and my niece Alexia (eight) was my mini me flower girl.
The best man was Matthew, Rickie’s best friend since they were tots and the reason Rickie and I first met.
Why did you choose your venue?
The venue is less than three miles from our home and we often walk our dog there. Its not actually a wedding venue but we contacted the County Council and they were happy for us to use it provided we sorted the licences. Its such a beautiful setting. There’s so many established flowers and plants it changes drastically every month. I think they plan to use it as a wedding venue more now.
We chose a yurt as we wanted to keep the rustic feel and to still be light and airy. We hired this from Herf Yurts in Chepstow.
Scolton Manor has so many beautiful enormous old trees so we made a feature of one, now called “the disco tree”. We rigged a disco ball and hung lampshades from the branches – easier said than done. Big thanks to the ushers for this! We then had a silent disco under the tree at midnight. So much fun!
Tell us about your photographer
We were so lucky to have Maria Farrelly shoot our wedding. I can’t recommend her enough. She maintained a ridiculous level of excitement for 14 hours! And yet gets people to jump when she’s says. so no waiting around for hours posing. From the “sneak peek” of photos we’ve seen so far we’re blown away. I love them.
How did the proposal happen?
Rickie and I met at a festival in 2011 and have been to lots together since. We love them! So naturally Rickie popped the question at Glastonbury last year. It was such a lovely setting. We had so many strangers jumping on us and congratulating us and then where better to celebrate than straight to the Pyramid Stage with the bottle of bubbly Rickie had smuggled in!
Any DIY stories/tutorials you’d like to share?
A lot of the wedding was DIY. I loved the horse shoes sprayed in glitter. We made a few wooden signs. I realised after the first one I should’ve sanded the surface I wanted to paint to stop the paint running. This is probably common sense mind!
What was your first dance & why?
Stereophonics – You sexy thing. We don’t take ourselves too seriously, its Welsh and Kelly’s voice is sexy as hell!
In hindsight, was there anything you would have done differently?
Honestly… no. Maybe not to leave my beautiful bouquet at the alter in the Church!Do you have any advice for future couples?
Enjoy the planning and all the creativity because its over before you know it.What’s the best piece of marriage advice you received?
To set aside time during the day with just you and your partner. Rickie and I stole a few minutes outside the church before the confetti throw and before we were announced to the wedding breakfast.
What was your favourite thing about planning a wedding?
I’ve since realised planning your wedding is a celebration of you as a couple. So every detail has a little nod to your personalities and history together. I’m soppy at heart so loved that. Seeing everything come together the day before the wedding was such a high.
The Suppliers
Photographer: Maria Farrelly
Ceremony Venue: St. Mary’s Church Spittal
Reception Venue: Scolton Manor
Bride’s Dress: Lillie Mae by Charlotte Balbier
Bride’s Shoes: Traditional ballet shoes from The White Ribbon
Bride’s Headpiece: Silk flower crown and veil by Flo & Percy
Bride’s Jewellery: My something borrowed was a bracelet from my Mum and my other bracelet was a gift from Rickie on the wedding morning.
Groom’s Outfit: Three piece from Marc Darcy and tie from Lewes Bow Tie
Bridesmaid’s Dresses: Monsoon
Bridesmaid’s Accessories: Pandora gifts and gyp and wildflower bouquets
Cake: Naked cake baked by Rickie’s Aunty Jose Thomas. My friends Rachael Lusted and Gina Rees also helped decorate.
Flowers: Wildflowers with peonies by The Woodland Farm. This included a flower chandelier!
Hair: Rachel Blockwell and Lauren Rees
Make Up: Alexandra Morgan from Debenhams
Band: We had three bands! Evers Steel Band during arrival drinks, Rosey Cale after the speeches and Daisy B for the night
Stationery: Lauren Owens
Caterers: Strawberry Shortcake
Any Reception Decor/Props: The table centre pieces were kindly leant to us from Sharon Owen
Transport: Vintage VW Beetle from Eternity Wedding Cars
The Wedding Album
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