Barn Wedding

all natural. enzoani for a woodland wedding at healey barn – jamie & david

Laura McDonagh

A Natural Wedding at Healey Barn (c) Camilla Lucinda Photography (33)

We do love a barn wedding here at Brides Up North, and Jamie and David’s gorgeous celebration at Healey Barn near Corbridge, Northumberland, is top of the (barn) pops.

This stylish couple are all about the natural; from the wisteria colour of the bridesmaids’ dresses to the hessian and lace details of their rustic theme, not to mention the intimate photographs taken under a fabulous woodland canopy.

But what we really love about this real wedding is how ‘natural’ is clearly far more than a one-day-only theme. From the silver Converse that Jamie slipped on under her Enzoani gown and the barbecue feast they opted for, it’s obvious that they wanted a laidback and honest feel to their ceremony and reception that really reflected them as a couple.

With images by Camilla Lucinda Photography.

A Natural Wedding at Healey Barn (c) Camilla Lucinda Photography (13)

jamie says:

We got engaged on 20th April 2012, at Creswell Beach in Northumberland. We‘d been for a walk along the beach when David suddenly asked me to climb up the sand dunes. He got ahead of me and, when I eventually reached the top, he was already on one knee.

Our wedding date was 20th April 2017. We chose the date because it was the anniversary of our first date and, of course, our engagement date! Unsurprisingly, it had become quite a special date for us so we looked to get married then, too.

A Natural Wedding at Healey Barn (c) Camilla Lucinda Photography (9)

We had our ceremony and our reception at the gorgeous Healey Barn. When we first started looking at wedding venues we decided we wanted something different and that’s when we found Healey Barn online.

We didn’t really have a theme in mind when we were planning – we just saw little snippets of other people’s weddings on social media and fell in love with details such as hessian and lace bows for chairs and matching table runners. However, on the day everyone said they loved the vintage theme that had ended up running throughout.

Colour-wise, we decided we didn’t want anything too over the top so went for a rustic feel and quite natural, neutral shades in our colour scheme.

A Natural Wedding at Healey Barn (c) Camilla Lucinda Photography (29)

My dress was an Enzoani design from The Wedding Dress Company in Corbridge. Over the past couple of years I’ve lost quite a bit of weight, so I wanted something that not only showed off my figure but something I also felt comfortable in. From the moment I tried it on, I fell in love – I knew it was the one the moment I saw my reflection in the boutique mirror.

David wore a racing green suit with a Jeff Banks shirt and tie. His shoes were RJR John Rocha, all from Debenhams. His best man wore the same.

My bridesmaids wore wisteria colour dresses from JJsHouse and silver Converse so that we all matched.

A Natural Wedding at Healey Barn (c) Camilla Lucinda Photography (36)

Our photographer on the day was Camilla Lucinda and we would definitely recommend her. We met with Camilla before the wedding and she was absolutely lovely. She put us at ease instantly, and gave us some ideas for our couple photos which echoed exactly what we’d said we wanted. We loved how she captured natural photos of everyone – we didn’t want to be posing for photos all day aside from a few family pictures.

A Natural Wedding at Healey Barn (c) Camilla Lucinda Photography (38)

For the wedding, I carried a bouquet of flowers: a mixture of white roses, gypsophila, eucalyptus, veronica and some green foliage. Natasha from Flowers by Dawn at Newbiggin by the Sea, put them together for me.

Our centrepieces were smaller versions of my bouquets arranged in glass vases with rustic rope handles, also provided by Flowers by Dawn. We also had some glass lanterns along the edge of the aisle, some vintage ladders, a Mr & Mrs sign, some flowers and pearls. We had a sweet table with some vintage scales from Sitting Pretty Chair Cover Boutique.

A Natural Wedding at Healey Barn (c) Camilla Lucinda Photography (37)

As wedding favours, gave out hangover kits: paracetamol, a plaster, a mint, a chocolate smile, a penny, a sachet of instant coffee and a sweet in a hessian bag. We also included a small bottle of water with a ‘Mr & Mrs Mains’ label and the date we were married on. Our bridesmaid Amy kindly put them together for us. As an extra touch, we also had some sparklers with a card attached to them reading ‘Let’s light the way for Mr & Mrs Mains 20.04.2017’

A Natural Wedding at Healey Barn (c) Camilla Lucinda Photography (30)

We decided to have a naked Victoria sponge as our wedding cake decorated with gypsophila which was made by a relative, Karen. We wanted something we thought everyone would enjoy as we’d decided to cut it and give it out to family and friends.

For our canapés we had mini top rump burgers, cod fillet goujons with tartare sauce and two different bruschettas; one with roasted red pepper and tomatoes and another with crushed chickpeas, braised curly kale and red chilli.

The wedding breakfast starter was cured beef with celeriac and a herb dressing or falafel and tabouleh with flat breads. Our main course was a barbecue mixed grill which included burgers, sausages, pork ribs and lamb chops accompanied by jacket potatoes, sour cream and a watercress and rocket salad. Finally, for dessert we had chocolate fondant which was accompanied by ice cream.

In the evening our guests enjoyed pizza; margherita, goats cheese and caramelised onions and salami and mozzarella cheese.

We wanted our food to reflect us as a couple. We picked the mixed grill because we love getting the barbecue out in the summer and having our family and friends around. And we just love chocolate fondant pudding!

A Natural Wedding at Healey Barn (c) Camilla Lucinda Photography (10)

We chose to have a photobooth as our entertainment for our evening reception. We went to a wedding last year that had one and it was a really big hit with the guests. We thought it’d be a great idea to hire one and we were right – everyone enjoyed it, especially all the props provided by the Crazy Pix team. We also hired a DJ for the evening reception, set up and provided by Harrison Skinner.

A Natural Wedding at Healey Barn (c) Camilla Lucinda Photography (49)

After our wedding, we’d definitely recommend Healey Barn to other couples; from the moment we visited, we were completely in love with the place. The rustic style was just what we’d been looking for and as soon as we booked it, nothing was too much trouble. The wedding coordinators were absolutely fantastic and the views are amazing – it’s definitely worth a visit.

My favourite part of the day was finally being able to wear – and show David – my dress. We never keep secrets from each other, so it had been very hard to keep it under wraps. David’s favourite part of the day was seeing me walk down the aisle and saying our vows.

A Natural Wedding at Healey Barn (c) Camilla Lucinda Photography (32)

We haven’t been on our honeymoon just yet, but we’ve booked to go to Kos in the Greek islands.

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