Today's wedding has style, colour, crafty DIY, and a barn location, all the elements we love in a real wedding! So when it popped up on our radar we knew we had to feature the wedding of lovebirds John and Claire. The pair threw a romantic barn bash to celebrate their nuptials and being a super creative […]

By

Today's wedding has style, colour, crafty DIY, and a barn location, all the elements we love in a real wedding! So when it popped up on our radar we knew we had to feature the wedding of lovebirds John and Claire. The pair threw a romantic barn bash to celebrate their nuptials and being a super creative couple, they were hands on with decor and flowers, expressing their personalities in all sorts of elements, and of course roping family and friends in to help! The photographs captured by Rebecca Wedding Photography are bursting with colour and details, so lets take a look...

John and Claire first met ten years ago outside a bar in Luton in England at the end of a night out... John was already acquaintances with my friend (and bridesmaid) Ruth who was with me that evening. After briefly meeting that night, John would initially try to find out about me through her! Ruth and I worked in a pub together at the time so she used to fill me in on the messages he used to send her about me! Being quite young, (and a combination of immature and shy), it took ages for us to actually get together! We built up a really good friendship through bus journeys to the same local University and John then used to visit me at home when I broke my foot! Eventually in February 2004 we were officially a couple!

On the morning of the wedding, Claire got a lovely surprise from her Mum and sister... When I went to take my garter out of its box I saw a mini wedding and engagement ring attached to it which they had put there. The rings were charms from a bracelet which my dad had bought for my mum the first Christmas after they got married. It was my something old and borrowed and such a gorgeous surprise as my dad passed away when I was 16 so it was really special.

When it came to popping the question John decided to seize the moment when the two were on holiday in Portuga... It was the first night of our holiday and we had dinner and drinks on the harbour. Walking back along the beach afterwards, John suggested that we take a wander up the pier to the lighthouse. Upon realising it was too dark to see where we were going, he then suggested we sit down on one of the beach sofa areas but that had been hosed down and was soaking wet! Eventually we just sat down on the sand by the waves for a little while. Looking back, it was quite odd behaviour but I didn’t really think anything of it at the time. I was totally surprised when he then pulled out a little black box and asked me to marry him! I think we both knew we were going to be together but it was so unexpected at that moment which was lovely! We went back to our hotel and celebrated with Champagne and it was our little secret for that evening!

Claire and John knew they wanted a Catholic ceremony, they chose the beautiful Our Lady Help of Christians Roman Catholic Church. We love the cute ceremony booklets that match the colours in Claire's bouquet!

Yipee, it's official for Claire and John!

Claire had some important priorities when it came to planning the wedding. One of them being the flowers...I think the florist almost died when I first went to visit them with a big mood board in tow! You can never be too prepared, though Claire and it's a fun way to get your idea and vision across to your florist!

The bridal parties looked fab on the day. The bridesmaids soft pink dresses matched the laid back party vibe of wedding perfectly and the boys scrubbed up nicely too, with gorgeous blue suits and big smiles!

So with all that style and beautiful blooms we know the venue is going to be good! Claire and John wanted a barn venue from the start and they fell in love with Tythe Barn in England for its warmth and welcoming vibe.

Claire took advantage of the couple's long engagement to collect bits and pieces over the course of a few years. This is a super plan if you know you'll have a long engagement. Make a few decor decisions and then pick up things that suit your theme as you see them. It will leave you less stressed as the big day draws nearer...
I bought cards as and when I saw ones I liked from all different places for the ‘guest book’ and with many decorations, I tried to buy things I both liked and that I would have in the house afterwards. For example, candle votives and the vintage suitcases – which I now use as storage on top of the wardrobe! We're seeing this trend more and more and it makes so much sense. Why collect so many things you'll never use again after your wedding day. Make them function for you after you tie the knot!

When it came to those beautiful blooms, Claire had her heart set on peony roses from the start, so it was lucky that they were getting married during peony season as peonies can be on the expensive side out of season. After their florist recovered from the inspiration board presentation ( just kidding!) she was able to get pale pink and white peonies, but was having a hard time sourcing crimson peonies. Luckily Claire's granddad came to the rescue! He offered the crimson peonies from his garden to add to the peony pot.‘Operation peony’ was touch and go for a while as Claire and her Grandad didn’t know if they were going to stay in bloom long enough but sure enough they were able to cut them in time and get the florist to keep them cool until the big day!As you can see it was worth it, just look at those centre pieces!

There's those cards that Claire found over the years to add to her guest book!

Family and friends came from near and far to celebrate and this made the day for the couple... Obviously having our closest friends and family there to share the day with us is what made it such a magical day – we were grateful to have guests travel from all different places to be there and I finally got to meet John’s grandmother, Auntie and cousin who flew over from Florida for the occasion!

Claire's advice for couples planning their weddings is sweet and simple... I think just try to enjoy it! I have such beautiful memories of the planning journey and lots of giggles along the way! And those are exactly the kind of memories you want to keep from the process and the day!

Congratulations Claire and John and thank you for sharing your beautiful barn wedding with us and you can see their cute video wedding here too! Of course a big thank you goes the Rebecca Wedding Photography for sharing her work with us at One Fab Day! To see more of Rebecca's work pop over to www.rebeccaweddingphotography.co.uk

The Wedding Details