So tell us about how you met and all about the proposal…
Scott proposed during a trip to Kenya in October 2019. We went on safari for one week and then travelled to Mombasa on the coast for the second week. After dinner Scott said let’s go for a walk to explore the grounds. Feeling tired after a week of 5am starts, I said let’s just go back to the room and we can check it out tomorrow. After much persistence, Scott walked us down to the beach and proposed in front of the ocean under the starlit sky. It was a complete surprise! It was a very romantic proposal, just the two of us. Our love for exploring and travelling meant that being aboard was the perfect place to propose and it was the perfect ending to an amazing week on Safari.
Scott then actually organised another surprise for the next evening. He surprised me with a three-course sit-down dinner with private waiter overlooking the ocean. He organised the menu and arranged for flowers, an engagement cake and champagne. It was a really magical experience.
What were your hopes for your big day? i.e. things that you really wanted to happen
We immediately knew we wanted a church wedding and we wanted it to be formal but relaxed, surrounded by our family and friends. We knew the style we wanted, very simple but classic with neutral tones with lots of greenery.
Why did you choose The Granary as your venue?
From the moment we walked into The Granary we fell in love with it. The Granary is truly a little gem and the staff just make the place exceptional. Nothing was too much trouble and whatever we wanted The Granary would make it happen.
We loved that the venue itself is almost a blank canvas but beautifully decorated. The colour scheme matched ours and our theme. The location was beautiful surrounded by English countryside. It truly is perfect. We are so pleased we picked The Granary as our venue.
The Bride & her Maids…Tell us about the dress, shoes, accessories, how many bridesmaids etc. (everyone always wants to know this!)
My dress was purchased from Serendipity Brides – I always wanted to buy my wedding dress from there ever since I was a little girl! My dress was from Stella York in the Essence of Australia collection. It was a blush pink (although looked white!) sparkly ballgown with glitter tulle. The dress had lots of detail and sparkle with a modern-cut ballgown skirt. I felt like a real princess wearing it all day. I had my mums veil sown into my dress to make it that extra bit special.
My shoes were from Charlotte Mills. I had the Imogen Pearl style and the detail was amazing. I loved that my sole was embossed with the phrase “Something old, Something new, Something borrowed, Something blue and a silver sixpence in her shoe.” I also had a silver sixpence built into the shoe which was a lovely touch.
I had an extra long veil which had diamanté’s throughout. I wore an Ivory & Co. Elva style tiara. I had a Swarovski silver diamond bracelet and I wore my mums small square diamond earrings.
I had three bridesmaids. My best friend Hannah who I met at University, and two of my cousins Charlotte and Rhiannon (who are also identical twins). The bridesmaids had mink pink long dresses with bow detailing on the back from ASOS. The dresses were formal but relaxed with a light-weight floaty skirt.
I also had three flower girls who were Olivia, Florence and Lucie, our nieces. They wore a white coloured flower girl dress from Next which had bow detailing to match the bridesmaid dresses and a netted overlay. They wore floral crowns with baskets of flowers to carry.
The Groom and his Groomsmen…. What did the groom wear, who was Best Man?
Scott had several groomsmen. Mitchell and Toby were his Best Men. Sadly, Mitch (Scott’s brother) caught Covid just before the wedding so he couldn’t attend, although he did Zoom in for his speech which was brilliant! The ushers were Richard and Thomas (my brothers), and Matt and Josh who are friends. Harrison, our nephew was the pageboy.
The men wore traditional black dinner suits from Nigel James with a white dinner shirt. Scott had a velour suit dinner jacket and dickie-bow to make his suit slightly different. All men had white rose button holes with traditional black shiny dinner shoes.
Tell us about the theme for the day…
Although we knew it would be formal, we did want the day to be relaxed. Taking note of our surroundings at The Granary, we knew we wanted to make the theme rural.
We had the long wooden tables with white chiffon table runners in the center, lots of greenery down the middle with lots of candles. We also had greenery hanging from the ceiling down the center of the venue.
The suits were picked to match the simple theme but to also keep it timeless and classic. The only colour throughout the theme was the blush mink pink bridesmaid dresses. The flower bouquets also matched the theme so everything tied in.
Beaulicious decorated the venue for us with the table dressing and hanging greenery. They also supplied the clear charger plates with gold beading which complimented our theme and the chiffon dropped-style chair covers.
Flowers, who supplied them and what arrangements did you have?
Stemsations made my bouquet, the bridesmaid bouquets, the buttonholes and top table flowers. Stemsations immediately understood the theme and what we wanted to achieve. My bouquet was loose with lots of greenery, soft cream and blush pink roses with some gypsophila. I also had pictures in lockets of our loved ones who are sadly not with us anymore tied to my bouquet so I could carry them with us throughout the day.
The bridesmaids had bouquets of gypsophila with twine tied finishing.
The button holes consisted of a white rose with a sprig of eucalyptus.
We had a crate of flowers for the top table as it matched the rustic, rural theme perfectly. The crate of flowers matched my bridal bouquet.
Photography – who did you choose and why?
Hannah Taylor Photography was our wedding photographer and the photos we’ve seen so far are fantastic. Hannah knew our theme and understood the backdrops we wanted for our photos, utilizing the grounds of Fawsley Estate. Hannah captured our day perfectly. The photos she has taken we will cherish forever.
Hannah has an eye for detail and catches very natural photographs. We love her natural style, staying true to the day.
The ceremony – tell us about it.
We got married at All Saint’s Church, Braunston. Funny enough, I have always wanted to get married at that church!
The church was beautiful. We had a stand in vicar as sadly the vicar of the church could not conduct our service at the last minute due to illness. However, our vicar was so lovely and made us feel at ease.
We had two hymns and two readings. The service itself went by so quickly! It was a fantastic service and we were in our own bubble stood at the front. The weather was on our side too. We walked outside to the bell ringers and the sun shining.
The Food – what did you eat?!
Our family love food! It was very important to us that there was plenty of full bellies, especially as it was a long day as we got married at 12:30 in the afternoon.
When arriving at The Granary we had canapes of sundried tomato and basil bruschetta; tandoori chicken with mint raita on mini naan bread; and shredded duck and hoi sin spring roll. We also had unlimited ice cream for 1 hour during the drinks reception which was a hit!
For our wedding breakfast, we had anti pasti to start which was served as a sharing board to get people to interact. The main was beef, turkey and pork served carvery style with all the trimmings. Our pudding was chocolate brownie and ice cream.
The evening food was also a hit! We had cones of chips served with battered fish; sausage; and pulled chicken. Perfect for holding and dancing at the same time!
The food from The Granary was amazing! We had so many compliments on the food and how tasty it was.
Entertainment….disco, band, fire-eater, singing waiters? Tell us all about it!
We wanted to think of our guest at every moment.
During the church service, we had a singer perform two songs whilst we signed the register. Our song choices were Ellie Goulding – How Long Will I Love You and Lady Gaga – Always Remember Us This Way.
We had a 6-hole crazy golf course at The Granary for our wedding reception, from Rustic & Vintage Carts and Props. The wedding detail was amazing and everyone really enjoyed it. We also had a tin can alley, which we made ourselves and a ring toss. The lawn games got everyone interacting and having a great time.
Ace Entertainment Services was our DJ and they really worked the room and got everyone on their feet. As part of our wedding invitations, we asked people to submit their favourite song. These were sent to Ace Entertainment before the wedding and they made sure all the songs were played. Everyone was up dancing and cheering. We had a photo booth prop table with inflatable microphones etc. and a glow stick table next to the dance floor which everyone loved too!
What was the highlight of your day?
The whole day was perfect from start to finish. We had a lot of hiccups along the way, especially the week of the wedding but the actual day was perfect, we couldn’t have asked for better.
We couldn’t pick one part as our highlight. We really did enjoy the whole of our day from the moment we got up, to the moment we went to bed. We were in our own little bubble for the whole day and it really was a special day.
Apart of from our day, a positive highlight of the day was our dog! Mabel our 10 month old Cocker Spaniel took really poorly the night before the wedding and needed emergency surgery. The vets sent us a photograph of Mabel after her surgery with a ‘Happy Wedding Day Mum & Dad’ banner. This really made our day and came in time for the speeches so Scott could let everyone know our Mabel was ok!
But everything from the church service, venue décor, food, staff at The Granary, music etc. was perfect. We are so thankful for the team at The Granary for making our day so perfect.
What’s the best piece of advice you’d give to anyone planning a wedding?
Just stay calm and relaxed! We both were very chilled and relaxed throughout the whole day. We didn’t let our emotions get the better of us so we could enjoy every moment. The day goes by so quickly so its important to ‘lap it up’ almost. Before you know it, the day is over and then the come down is hard! So, enjoy every single moment, don’t let it stress you out and enjoy the hiccups along the way as even they contribute to it. The day is what you make it, so enjoy every second.
… Also, if you can go on a honeymoon afterwards as god, we needed it! We spent the first week flat out asleep by the pool!
REBECCA & SCOTT’S WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY BY – Hannah Taylor Photography