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WPC Real Wedding: Louise and Matthew's Intimate Barn Wedding
Today we share a wonderfully intimate outdoor wedding. Matthew and Louise were married in a stunning barn venue based in Essex with 22 of their wedding guests basking in the September sunshine. Due to covid restrictions the couple had to drastically cut their wedding guests down from 150, but this didn't stop them from having the most wonderful celebration. Hear how this lovely couple made the most of their wedding day, how they adapted their plans and how they now plan to have a mega party next September, in the very same venue.
What has been the highlight of your experience with The Wedding Present Company so far?
The product availability and knowledge of staff at The Wedding Present Company, as well as a lovely initial meeting in the showroom were a real highlight for us. Following this, the ease of use of the website and the team have been brilliant at communication and very flexible in these uncertain times.
How did The Wedding Present Company support you through changes to your wedding plans?
The team at The Wedding Present Company stayed in touch for updates but never pressed us for an answer when our plans were very uncertain. They have been so flexible around us having the ceremony this year, and hopefully a 'reception' at the venue next year, allowing us to use the wedding list as we need to.
What were your favourite brands available within The Wedding Present Company?
Some of our favourite brands from our wedding list with The Wedding Present Company were The White Company, Nkuku, Schott Zwiesel, Royal Doulton and Just Slate.
Why did you choose The Wedding Present Company for your wedding list?
The team at The Wedding Present Company offered to source any product we wanted, even if they didn't currently work with them which they call a 'custom product'. The flexible list option really appealed to us as we really liked the idea of being able to change some wedding presents around if required after our guests had 'purchased' them. Their flexibility really shone through from the very beginning.
Favourite Wedding Presents
Which Wedding Presents are you most excited to recieve?
We are so excited to get The Luna Home Deco drinks trolley, fresh towels from The White Company and the Newgate Clock. The wine rack will get lots of use too. We can't for the mixture of frames on our wedding list, perfect for our wedding photos!
Engagement Story
Matt proposed on Friday night in our hallway with my Grandmother's engagement ring which he collected from my parents when he asked them for permission to marry me. We celebrated with a bottle of champagne before heading to a local street food market to have some fried chicken! Who says romance is dead! The next morning he surprised me to a lovely, long weekend away at Luckham Park.
What were your original wedding plans?
The plan was always to get married at Maidens Barn, a beautiful wedding venue in Essex. We planned to have 125 day guests and around 30 evening guests for a lovely rustic barn wedding. We planned to get married outside, weather permitting, although there is a lovely indoor alternative if needed. We would then have had reception drinks and a sit down meal, with live music by Michael G Moore. Finishing the night on the dance floor! We hope to still celebrate this way next year when restrictions are lifted.
How did you have to adapt your wedding to be in line with Covid restrictions?
We still went ahead with our wedding at Maidens Barn, we just had to dramatically reduce our numbers. Luckily, the venue were really accommodating and helped us to rework our plans. We reduced our guest list to 22 people, and as the restrictions on receptions lifted in mid August, we were able to have a small, sit down afternoon tea after the ceremony. As we had such a small number of guests I decided not to have bridesmaids.
Decor and Flowers
We were lucky in that the wedding venue is already a beautiful wedding venue so we didn't have to do much in terms of decor. However our florist, Cissy Bullock of WILD STEMS, elevated the venue with seasonal floral displays.
BRIDAL FASHION
I got my wedding dress from Grace Loves Lace. My hair accessories were from Jennifer Behr which are all handmade in New York. Lastly, I got my heels from Manolo Blahnik.
Are you planning on having another wedding celebration in the future?
We have the reception booked for 27th June 2021 at the same venue. We are going to wait until nearer the time to decide how the day will look, as there may still be restrictions on number of guests etc but we remain hopeful for a brighter outlook for weddings in 2021 now there is a vaccine!
Stand Out Moments
- Walking down the aisle in the sunshine (for Matt, seeing me walk down the aisle).
- Having photos in the field just the two of us.
- Having our closest family and friends there to be able to celebrate with us.
Top tips to couples currently navigating wedding planning?
- Whilst it is a shame we didn't have the big day we had originally planned, we are so glad we were still able to get married.
- Plan small and build on it as and when you feel comfortable with guidelines.
- I would recommend having a photographer, as its still such a big life event and we loved looking through our pictures.
Supplliers
Wedding List: The Wedding Present Company
Photographer: Kelsie Low Photography
Venue: Maidens Barn
Flowers: WILD STEMS
Catering: Host Catering
Bridal Fashion: Grace Loves Lace, Jennifer Behr & Manolo Blahnik.
Groom Fashion: Antony Formalwear, Reiss, & Stemar