Today's wedding proves that having a good vision, and a great relaxed attitude is the key to planning a wonderful wedding. Anne and Paul's celebration at Larchfield Estate captured by Mark Barton is the epitome of one of the most popular wedding styles right now: Pretty, personal and rustic. Their sweet September wedding is definitely an inspiration in more ways than one. Once Paul popped the question Anne dived into planning, but in reality the majority was left until the last minute. Sound familiar? If you're a bit of a last minute merchant then you'll love seeing how their day unfolded - it all turned out beautifully on the day. There was lots of laughs, lots of lace and some clever DIY details I know you'll just love.
Paul and Anne met in a world before Facebook or Instagram. They began to chat all the way back in... 2005, when MSN messenger was the height of sophisticated social media (I remember those days - Ed!). But it was 2007 before the timing finally felt right and the relationship moved forward to their first date, followed by many holidays and one of a kind experiences, when the couple travelled the world together.
Clearly meant to be, Paul began to plan a romantic proposal in Dublin at Christmas. Paul kept things uncomplicated and wooed Anne with a romantic dinner and a gift reflecting their travels. "As a Christmas present Paul had gotten me tickets to see the Lion king in Dublin. (We first watched it on Broadway New York during our first holiday in the Summer of 2007) We had a lovely dinner in the Winding Stair before the show then when we got back to our hotel room Paul popped the question."
Once engaged Anne relished the planning process. Thinking outside the box she created a secret Instagram account, which she used to document her planning and get feedback from other brides. A clever little idea, worth replicating if you'd like to keep an element of surprise to your wedding details.
Although Anne and Paul were brimming with ideas and creativity they still found it difficult to find the perfect venue. Knowing they wanted a relaxed venue with a rustic vibe they booked a visit to Larchfield Estate and crossed their fingers it'd be "the one".
Once inside the Larchfield barn Anne began decorating the space in her head and just like that knew this was the place for their rustic wedding celebration.
With a venue secured Paul and Anne decided to choose a theme to ensure the day had a cohesive feel. Having travelled extensively together they chose a subtle travel theme which was mainly reflected in their DIY table names and plan.
Now I know it sounds like Anne and Paul had all of their planning under control but in reality lots was left to the last minute. "If anything family and friends would probably say we were too relaxed about our day. Our invites were only decided upon at the start of July but thanks to Feel Good Invites they got them out to us as quickly as possible. The night before the big day and we still hadn't confirmed music choices with the band/DJ but the day came and everything went perfectly, we wouldn't have changed a thing." So don't panic, focus on the big things and the little thing will find a way of working out. Just look how beautifully Anne and Paul's day turned out..
The gardens at Larchfield were another big selling point for Anne and Paul, providing, as they do, a wonderful backdrop to their portraits, but also as an extra "outdoor room" for their guests to enjoy.
Pretty garden portraits complete Anne and Paul headed indoors to be greeted by lots more lace, lots more hessian and a surprise Fingerprint Tree sketched by a friend. Not so arty? You can print off your own free One Fab Day Fingerprint Tree here.
Tables were dotted with soft rustic flowers and Polaroids of Anne and Paul around the world to reflect their travel theme.
For a final personal touch Anne and Paul hired some fab illuminated letters from Electric Alphabet. Like to have your own wedding light up lights? Have a look at our Marquee Letters & Wedding Signs for lots more inspiration.
Details aside Anne and Paul were just thrilled to have all their loved ones under one (rustic) roof. Huge congratulations to you both and thank you so much for sharing your wedding with us!
A big thank you also goes to Mark Barton for sharing his photography with us. To see more of Mark's work head on over to www.markbartonphotography.com
