We’re bringing you the most perfect, traditional and rustic barn wedding today with pretty touches and natural earthy tones. If subtle and understated loveliness is your thing, you’re going to be head over heels for this wedding.
Tweed, navy and sage green paired with all-white florals and heaps of hay, ideal for a barn style wedding – it’s a match made in rustic wedding heaven. You’ll see a mix of fluffy and blousy blooms, classic white roses and thistles offset by modern gold box stands and frames. Then, spot the way this is echoed in the cake, seating plan and stationery throughout the day, really adding an elegant sense of continuity and style.
We’re always super into the little touches, like the personalised robes for the bridal party, that make the whole day feel special from start to finish. And there’s a dog! We love it when you get your furry pals involved in the photos! Lucy and Richard have certainly shown us how to do a barn wedding but keep it classy and tasteful, creating a look that won’t age in the years to come. Let’s hear all about it from the bride herself…
With photography by Hayley Baxter Photography
Proposal
Lucy: We got engaged at home on the 19th of November 2017. It was five years to the day since Richard first saw me so he made a fuss of booking a meal at our favourite tapas restaurant. He is usually really relaxed and had seemed not quite himself throughout the day. Once I was ready to leave, I went downstairs and he had lit loads of candles and was playing our favourite song and he got down on one knee! Richard said he knew I wouldn’t like it if he proposed in a restaurant in front of loads of people, so he decided to propose at home first and then go for the meal to celebrate after.
Setting
We got married on 11th August 2019. We originally thought about an autumn wedding but Richard works in a school and we didn’t know which date the school holidays would fall on. We decided on a summer wedding so that we could go on honeymoon straight after the wedding. We decided to get married on a Sunday but spent the weekend at the woodland log cabins next to our venue.
We got married at Sandburn Hall, York. It was the first venue we visited and we immediately fell in love with the Grand Function Hall! The oak beams gave the feel of a barn but the large arched windows allowed the light to flow into the room and gave amazing views over the golf course. We decided to view a couple more venues with it being the first venue we had seen, but after viewing two more venues we knew that Sandburn Hall was the venue for us!
We knew that we didn’t want a traditional, formal wedding venue as we felt that we would be more relaxed and enjoy our day more in a more casual venue. We liked the idea of a barn wedding but we found that a lot of barns were very much DIY venues and we decided we wanted a venue which could provide the food and drink rather than having to source these separately. Sandburn Hall simply ticked all the boxes for us.
Theme
We didn’t have a special theme as such, we just knew we wanted to stick to neutral ‘earthy tones’ and keep our day classic but relaxed. Our flowers were all white with greenery and thistles with gold table decorations. We chose this colour scheme as we wanted something classic that we would not regret with time.
Dress
I wore a dress from Pronovias, purchased from Ava Rose Hamiltion in Silsden, which is a beautiful bridal shop where my sister had got her wedding dress from a couple of years previously. I actually ended up choosing the first dress I tried on! The dress was a mermaid style wedding dress with a skirt made of layers of soft tulle and an off the shoulder neckline with a lace back. I had it altered by a really talented seamstress called Emily based in Colne. Her shop was called Sew In Love and Emily was so confident from day one about alterations that she immediately put my mind at ease about the fit of the dress.
Groomsmen
Richard wore a blue suit from Joshua Adams Menswear which he would highly recommend. It is a modern shop but the staff were very experienced with fitting and altering suits. He wore a Marc Darcy tweed waistcoat and matching bow tie. The groomsmen wore the same suit as Richard but they had a slightly different waistcoat with a burgundy tie.
Bridesmaids
It was really important to us for the bridesmaids to feel comfortable in what they were wearing and to actually like their dresses. My bridesmaids and I chose a sage green dress with lace for them to wear, which wasn’t too formal or traditional. The dresses were Little Mistress which we ordered from House of Fraser. The bridesmaids also wore embellished sandals from Accessorize.
Beauty
The bridal party’s hair was done by Marisa at Bijou Inspirational Hair in Horsforth and the makeup was done by Kate Spreckley MUA.
Transport
We stayed next door to the venue at Griffon Forest Lodges so we decided not to hire transport. My brother in law drove me and my dad round to Sandburn Hall and my stepdad drove the bridesmaids round. They had matching blue cars which they put bows on.
Photographer
Our photographer was Hayley Baxter and we wouldn’t hesitate to recommend her to anyone looking for a photographer. She was totally professional and extremely friendly and she put everyone at ease. We loved Hayley’s relaxed style when researching photographers. For a lot of the day you didn’t notice Hayley there taking loads of photos but she captured every part of the day and all the little details! She went above and beyond and made sure she sat us down between the end of the wedding breakfast and the start of the evening party, just to let us take five minutes and watch a slideshow of images she’d captured so far.
Styling
My bouquet contained a selection of mixed greens, green bell, white astilbe, white veronicas, cream roses, wax flower and thistles in a rustic hand tied shape, finished with the cut offs from one of the bridesmaid’s dresses. They were provided by Natasha Jane Events who we would also highly recommend.
We had tall gold box centrepieces with fresh florals made of cream roses, mixed greens, white lissi, white stocks and gypsophila with hanging bauble tealights. On the other tables we had double gold box lanterns with matching fresh florals and tealights. On the top table we chose a mixed greenery garland, gold votives, matching florals and tealights.
We ordered our invites and table plan from Sara at Fancy Post UK, who we found on Etsy. Again, we couldn’t fault her. She was very patient and responded to any query or amendments so quickly and the products she created were beautiful.
The fairy lights were from Wedding Venue Lighting who were recommended by Sandburn Hall.
Favours
We didn’t give out favours but we did have a sweet cart in the evening instead which we made ourselves. I found an old tea cart in a shop at the tip and spray painted it. We then borrowed some jars and tools from a friend who had got married a couple of months earlier and filled them with sweets.
Cake
We were really lucky because my sister in law is very talented at baking cakes and very kindly offered to make us our wedding cake as our wedding present. We had a traditional fruit cake for the top layer and then three further layers comprising lemon cake with lemon curd and elderflower buttercream, a cherry almond layer and a white chocolate and raspberry layer.
Dining
The wedding breakfast we chose was oven baked brie in filo pastry with sweet pepper and cranberry relish to start, followed by roast rib of Escrick beef with roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding and gravy for our main. Then we had rocky road chocolate fudge brownie baked Alaska with strawberry and white chocolate sauce for dessert.
Entertainment
We chose a band for the evening as we felt this would be an important aspect of our day. It was really important for us to have live music but with a band that would play a good mix to suit everyone’s tastes. We booked Southwest Band and they surpassed our expectations. They played a great range of music and everyone commented on how brilliant they were. They really made our night!
Unbeknownst to us, my dad and step mum had arranged for singing waiters at the end of the wedding breakfast which was definitely a ‘special touch’. They were amazing and had the whole room up singing and dancing and joining it. It’s definitely a stand out moment from our day. They were called Waiters That Sing and we would highly recommend them.
Thanks to
We would absolutely recommend our venue to another couple. We couldn’t fault any aspect of the day and every member of staff couldn’t do enough to help us and ensure that every aspect of our day went to plan. Our wedding coordinator, Ashleigh, was so approachable and professional from our first meeting with her and throughout the planning stage and the day itself. She put us totally at ease and made us feel confident that even if something didn’t go to plan that we could trust her to handle it.
Best Bit
We loved every aspect of our day but the Singing Waiters really stood out. They were so talented and everyone got involved. At first we didn’t know what was happening and were so confused and then when they started singing they were just amazing. All our friends and family joined in and the atmosphere was something we will never forget.
Honeymoon
We went to Bali for ten nights to relax and then on to Singapore for four nights on the way back. They were both amazing in their own way and we would definitely love to revisit both places at some point in our future. Bali was very relaxed and everyone we met was really friendly. We had a lovely hotel which was extremely relaxing with a quiet pool located near our room. We enjoyed a few day trips and we were lucky to see a traditional Balinese dance, visit the monkey forest, a ‘secret’ waterfall and a number of temples, including the Lempuyang Temple, or ‘Gates of Heaven’. Singapore was amazing too with so much for us to see and do. The highlights of Singapore for us were probably Gardens by the Bay and having a Singapore Sling in Raffles.
Advice
My top tip would be In the planning process do lots of research and read reviews of any suppliers you consider. Personal recommendations are usually the best!
In terms of the day itself, try to relax and not sweat the small stuff. It sounds like a cliché but it really is the best day ever and everyone is there to celebrate you. Enjoy every moment and take a few minutes every so often to soak up the atmosphere together because it really does go so quickly.
I signed up to the mailing list and also followed Brides Up North on Instagram. I also enjoyed looking at real weddings for inspiration during the planning process.
