Ok so I'm a little bit in love with today's real wedding of Gill and James, let me tell you why: first, bride Gill is a really girly girl with great style - she rocks not one, but two flower crowns during the day. Secondly, the location, Aynhoe Park is amazing! Talk about my country house dream - an eclectic mix of modern, antique, and animal decor (yes, you read that right!). Gill and James' wedding is a classic country house party wedding, with a twist of the super cool. It just oozes summer party vibes. You just have to see for yourself the beautiful photographs by Lucy Davenport...
Gill and James met at a bus stop, not the usual place to meet the love of your life, but so unique 'We still love telling each other the story over and over and we look forward to telling our baby the story one day.'
Not a couple to stand on ceremony, James chose somewhere super special to pop the question... "We had just bought our first house together, James got me there under the pretence of checking what building work we had to do. He proposed in the kitchen, although our house is completely different from when we bought it, we still smile when we look at the spot where he proposed.
From the start you get the summer party vibe from Gill and her bridesmaids. Their powder blue dresses are floaty and feminine without being too girly. Top marks for the baby's breath flower crowns. Could this be an outdoor ceremony we're heading to?
When it came to choosing their spectacular venue (I'm a wee bit jealous!) It took only one visit to seal the deal... It was like nothing else we had seen, the art work and decor reflected our style and taste. Aynhoe Park has a magical feeling like nowhere else we'd ever been.
See what I mean now? Gigantic disco balls, animals and antiques. What more could you want? The decor could overwhem the space, but there's a beautiful light and airy feel to this room, I can almost feel the summer breeze from outside, definitely one of the nicest ceremony rooms I've ever seen.
There's handsome hubby to be, James, looking very chilled (must be the epic room putting him at ease!)
After the ceremony, Gill, James and their guests enjoyed the gardens of their venue. The perfect spot for some entertainment...
Food and music were the priorities for Gill and James and with such a fantastic venue, there was little the pair had to add...Our wedding day was the warmest of the year, we were very lucky. We didn't have a look or theme, the venue is spectacular enough, we just wanted to be surrounded and immersed in the joy of the moment with our family, friends, food, music and drinks that we love. We couldn't have asked for anything more. It was perfect in our eyes!
As a wedding gift our friend Meimi Sanchez provided bespoke cocktails, a Vintage El Presedente, Hemingway Daiquiri and a Jasmine Margarita. It felt like we had been transported to Cuba drinking the finest cocktails - such an amazing present.
The eclectic decor followed suite in the reception room, how cool is that giraffe? I'm sure you have an animal lovin' friend who would love this place, I sure do! The nicest thing about the venue is the mix of playful, antique and modern decor. For a couple like Gill and James who have varied tastes it works really well.
The soft peaches and lilac flowers were perfect against the white tables and if you love balloons, wait till you see how they decorated their dance floor!
Love. The. Flower. Crown...
Another important element to Gill and James was the music...The music we chose, every one of the songs played were meaningful and special to us, imagine hearing your favourite song, the excitement you get, and then getting that again and again as the DJ rolls.
So what advice do Gill and James have for us? Choose what you want for the day together, choose the main aspects together. It can be really fun planning if you don't make it a chore. Your thoughts and tastes are always different, but there is always something you will both love. We didn't have a "theme" to our wedding it was organic, everything was individually chosen, as a result it all came together since it was what we both wanted.On the day don't sweat the small things, relax and enjoy every moment. It will all come together and be beautiful. The day goes so quickly, try to take in each moment, take a moment to yourself to get excited and let each other how much you love one another. Have fun and don't allow anything other than the meaning of the day and your love to be in your thoughts, It's your day.
Very aptly (after all the animal decor) the pair went on Safari to the Selous at Siwandu! A huge congratulations to Gill and James on their magical summer wedding!
A huge thanks to Lucy Davenport for sharing her work with us at One Fab Day. To see more of Lucy's work pop over to www.lucydavenport.co.uk.
The Wedding Details
- Ceremony: Aynhoe Park
- Photographer: Lucy Davenport Wedding Photography
- Wedding Dress: Monique Lhuillier at Browns Brides
- Bridesmaids dresses: Maids to Measure
- Cake: Princess Patisserie
- Shoes: Staccato
- Flowers: Walker and Nott Flowers
- Groom(smen)’s suits: Richard James
- Shoes: Crockett & Jones
- Hair: Sally Crouch
- Strings Quartet: The Vyne String Quartet
- Band: Family Funk
- DJ: James Malin, Stylish Entertainment
- Balloons: Balloon Tastic
- Caterers: Rhubarb
- Stationery: Artcadia
- Make Up: Harriet Franklin