Julia & Mark's Monochrome Rustic Wedding

Written by: louise

Rustic meets classic in today's wedding, and I simply adore how bride Julia combined the two cleverly throughout her day. Monochrome stripes, structured florals and a classic dress gave their traditional church ceremony a formal feel, while their marquee reception gave way to rustic DIY details and informal styling to let the guests know it's time to relax and party! My favourite element of their entire day has to be these beautiful Jimmy Choo's, doesn't every bride need a pair of these to adorn her bridal toes?!

Mark and I met whilst working at The King's School in Gloucester, we dated for several years and bought our first house in Gloucestershire. He chose to propose by the pool of our villa whilst on holiday in Florida. It was my 30th birthday during the trip and I had bought myself an iPad, and Mark gave me a custom-made case made with the words 'Will you do me the honour of marrying me?' on the back (along with an embarrassing photo of himself)! As I read the words he got down on one knee with the ring he had chosen himself after meeting with my Father to ask for his permission (which went down well with him). It was then a champagne and Skype session to tell our families and friends back home. I bought my Caroline Castigliano dress and lace bolero, my veil and my Stewart Parvin belt from The White Room in Minchinhampton. I instantly knew as soon as I entered the serenity of the boutique that I would buy my wedding dress there and I adored the fluidity and elegance of my gown - it truly made me feel like a princess! The whole experience of shopping for a gown there was like a dream come true! My Jimmy Choo shoes were a surprise engagement gift from my parents. In the evening I removed the bolero and also changed my belt to a long black velvet ribbon, also by Caroline Castigliano. I wanted my hair to be elegant and timeless, so my hairdresser Chris Fordham styled it in a side-swept chignon, which felt natural and soft. The look was completed with simple pearl drop earrings and a Jenny Packham headpiece. I wanted my make-up to be flawless and natural and Sophie Chamings did a fantastic job - I felt like myself on a very good day! Knowing that we didn't want strapless gowns for the bridesmaids, we chose the navy Alfred Sung bridesmaids dresses from Mystia in Gloucester and loved the cap sleeve and low v-neck. Our two year old flower girl's dress was from Debenhams. The groom and groomsmen wore navy tails from Horace Barton in Cheltenham with blue cravats. He finished his outfit off with a pair of engraved Tiffany cufflinks, which were a wedding gift from myself. Being teachers at Cheltenham College, we were lucky enough to be married in the school Chapel. We even had some pupils in the congregation, which made for a very special, personal ceremony. We looked at a lot of venues before Mark found Birtsmorton Court. We fell instantly in love as soon as we saw the beautiful grounds and adored the outdoor nature of the venue, even in the marquee, with its flagstone floor and open sides. I was so excited to begin planning our big day and drew inspiration from blogs, magazines and Pinterest. I knew I wanted an elegant and classic summer wedding with both elements of rustic and modern and it was really important to us for our guests to feel relaxed and have a great time. I always knew I wanted to use navy and white in our wedding as it is clean and simple and very typically 'us'! I designed all of the wedding stationery, including bespoke 'madlibs' that we put on every place setting. This meant all our guests could give us marriage (and other!) advice and have now been bound into a book and it makes for an entertaining coffee table item. We individually hand stamped luggage tags tied with navy and white striped ribbon for place names, while for table numbers our totally adored cat, Cooper, graced every table in various poses, much to the amusement of our guests. Nicola from Likes Florist in Ross-on-Wye had so many fantastic ideas and perfectly created my dream bouquet using all white orchids, roses, lily of the valley and stephanotis. The bridesmaids carried white roses wrapped in a navy and white striped ribbon and the centrepieces were modern and simple, using white hydrangeas, calla lillies and had a phalaenopsis orchid suspended in the tall vases. We really wanted to bring some height into the marquee, without the centrepieces dominating the table and the views of our guests. Mark's buttonhole reflected my bouquet with lily of the valley and an orchid. Props and fancy dress items on the dance floor were lots of fun and the giant pick 'n' mix stand ensured guests did not go hungry. Pictures from the photo booth made for a fun alternative guest book. I created our table plan from scratch, using borrowed apple crates from a local garden centre and pots of lavender and Ivy to decorate. We bought a crate from Plantabox.co.uk that was personalised with our names and wedding date - it now resides in the garden as a permanent reminder of the day.

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Categories: real weddings · Tags: alfred sung, birtsmorton court, caroline castigliano, cheltenham college, classic, diy, garden wedding, jenny packham, jimmy choo, monochrome, navy, summer