Tony and Wendy found their perfect venue in Folly Farm in England and they certainly put their own stamp on it with the help of their family and friends. Just wait till you see the little bird theme that they brought through into their farm-yard celebration. The talented Caro Hutchings was there to snap these love birds on the day...

By

When we say sweet farm wedding, pretty bunting, outdoor seating and a relaxed vibe comes to mind. Well that's just half the elements that today's fabulous farm wedding has! Tony and Wendy found their perfect venue in Folly Farm in England and they certainly put their own stamp on it with the help of their family and friends. Just wait till you see the little bird theme that they brought through into their farm-yard celebration. The talented Caro Hutchings snapped the lovebirds on the day...

Tony and Wendy met when they were at university in England. Their paths crossed through various mutual friends and over some playful mockery sparks flew... In the early days I only knew Tony by his first name, so on one particular night out when a friend informed me that his surname was Pidgeon I laughed thinking it was a joke and pulled him aside to ask if this was true! Despite my mockery he was very chivalrous and offered to walk me home and we hit it off immediately. Even though we only got together in the last few weeks of university, and our homes were in Essex and Wiltshire and the fact I was just about to embark on a teaching project in Buenos Aires, our relationship survived!

Fast forward eight years Tony and Wendy decided to take an adventure to Cape Town...One evening when we were in the beautiful lagoon town of Knysna having a sundowner at a cocktail bar looking out to sea, Tony suggested we went for a walk. He caught me completely off guard when he dropped to one knee and produced from his pocket a chunky ring from Accessorize and said ‘so I’ve been thinking...’ I of course said yes!

Back in England, the two started to plan their wedding. They knew they wanted a beautiful rural location, but they didn't want a formal country house or manor. They wanted something that would give them a little more freedom when it came to catering and corkage fees as well. They were starting to wonder if they could find a location like that when they stumbled upon Folly Farm, a farm set on a 250 acre nature reserve managed by the Avon Wildlife Trust. They loved it, and loved the added bonus of helping to conserve the natural habitat and biodiversity! A win, win situation all around!

Folly farm was the perfect venue to have both their ceremony and reception.

And when it came to the decor, Wendy and Tony decided to go back to that surname that brought them together in conversation at the start. They created a bird theme that ran through the day, with lots of little touches that tied the theme together starting with a reading during the ceremony that was a poem by Gaylord Munemo entitled ‘Two Love Birds’.

Along with the bird theme (that you will see carried on in their reception) the colours of choice for the day were blues, pinks and a mix of pattern and pastels. You can see the array of colours in the bunting used for the ceremony and the cute hanging hearts.

Wendy accessorised her beautiful lace dress with a ribbon sash and brooch that she DIY'd together. It saved her more than £350 on the designer one she tried on at the bridal shop! She bought a swath of ribbon and attached it with a brooch lent to her by her mother.

The pair chose an open marquee for their reception and continued their bird theme with the decor...We had cute little handmade felt stuffed birds as a cake topper, birdseed for confetti, our table plan was a flat rustic birdcage that we hired from our florist, on which I pegged luggage tags with the names of the tables and we put a cream birdcage tea light holder on each table.

Wendy's Mum made the favours - jars of homemade whisky marmalade for the gents with ‘Spread the Love’ labels and miniature bottles of sloe gin for the ladies with ‘Get in the Spirit’ labels. How sweet!

These newlyweds were crafty when it came to the other decor elements. Wendy and Tony also reused bunting from friends who had gotten married before them. Such a smart idea, why reinvent the wheel if you don't have to! Wendy's sister gave them a crash course in making tissue paper poms, and Wendy ordered lots of neutral tissue paper for them. They could be assembled before hand, but needed to be fluffed right before the wedding day. So Wendy enlisted a few guests for a fluffing party!

To top that off the couple asked a family friend to bake their wedding cakes, and Wendy's only requirement was that there would be no traditional fruit cake! So instead, their friend Shirley whipped up seven different flavoured sponges. Don't they look delicious!

There you can see the little bird cake topper complete with top hat and veil!

As the sun came down, Tony and Wendy snuck off for a few moments for some intimate photographs as the sun set.

It would be hard not to spot Wendy's gorgeous Ted Baker shoes and they couldn't have been more perfect for the day as they arrived with the sweetest inscription ‘Cinderella is proof that a new pair of shoes can change your life’. What shoes could be more perfect than that for exchanging vows.

Wendy's bouquet is so sweet, the mix of lilac and pink is a beautiful compliment to her homemade sash.

Wendy has some great advice for couples planning their own weddings... Don’t be afraid to ask for help! Friends and family are usually keen to be involved and to feel a part of all the preparations so let them be – you don’t have to do it all yourself.

Congratulations Wendy and Tony on your wedding day! A huge thanks goes to Caro Hutchings for sharing these gorgeous images with us today at One Fab Day! To see more of Caro Hutching's work pop over to www.carohutchings.com

The Wedding Details