Thu 20th Jan, 2011
Jo and Mark's vintage garden wedding
Joanna and Mark
Beautiful. Really, it’s the only word that can sum up Joanna and Mark’s vintage inspired wedding, submitted by the talented James Davidson. I absolutely love Jo’s gown and the carpet of lavender stems in the entrance to the church, what a lovely idea.
Jo and Mark were married last summer with a garden reception at Jo's parent’s home.
Jo's dress was a tulle 50s design by Kate Halfpenny, which she beautifully remade for Jo, customising it with a huge handpainted silk flower corsage and long dusky pink washed silk sash. Her vintage-style pale pink net veil was handmade by Rio designer Muggia.
The Ebury Collection wedding blog. Photography copyright 2011 James Davidson
The ceremony was so special, surrounded by family and friends in the beautiful sandstone church in Burton Village. Our fabulous florist James at William and Benjamin, expertly tied jam jars filled with flowers to pew ends and arranged a garland of flowers over the church door (he also made my beautiful bouquet and the bridesmaid’s sweet pea posies). The real talking point was the porch strewn with a carpet of lavender stems (the groom’s idea) that filled the church with a wonderful scent and had an amazing calming affect on the little flower girls before they walked down the aisle.
My friend Lindsey had also hand made lavender-filled heart-shaped cushions for our two chairs at the front of the church. The vintage block print letters that had taken so long to hunt down were put to good use - we hand-printed the order of service booklets with them on kraft card tied with twine.
There were so many moving moments during the ceremony – but one of my favourites was our friend Fiona singing her own version of the Kings of Leon’s Use Somebody accompanied by Matt on the piano – I don’t know how she held it together with me blubbing a few steps away!
My mum made the vintage-style floral silk bridesmaid dresses, and the little flower girls wore traditional smocked dresses, embroidered with tiny roses, and flower crowns in their hair.
The gorgeous groom looked dapper in his traditional morning suit and Jil Sander polka dot tie and baby blue double-breasted Gieves waistcoat. We left the church (having dodged aggressive confetti throwers!) in a vintage green MG borrowed from my godfather and bunny-hopped our way to the reception…..
I think my favourite photo is the two of us in the little “meadow”, a small area of wildflowers at the bottom of the garden that our photographer, James had somehow transformed into a rural idyll!
The sun did its best to shine for drinks outside the marquee in my parent’s garden, blooming with summer flowers. My pretty veil sadly had to come off by then but it revealed the gorgeous headpiece handmade by my friend Emma Embery, made from embroidered vintage lace, diamantes and tiny pearls.
Guests were welcomed with Rose Syrup Prosecco (an idea stolen from Petersham Nurseries) with crystallised rose petals, cups of tea and traditional pink lemonade (I think I tried all three!). We had afternoon tea-themed canapés including mini sandwiches and scones, and the more energetic guests tested their skills in croquet on the lawn, where all the old-fashioned deckchairs I had collected were put to good use too.
With the help of a dedicated team of friends and family, we managed to collect over 150 vintage tea cups and saucers which looked beautiful all laid out en masse. - I had painted bits of wood as signs (“croquet”, “wedding” and “smokers and smooches” for the outdoor smoking space), and used blackboard paint to make smaller chalkboard-style signs and the table plan (tip: use white marker pens rather than real chalk!).
The marquee was beyond all my expectations and looked incredible – the huge floor-to-ceiling windows let the light stream in and revealed the garden outside and it just looked stunning.
Long trestle tables were laid with embroidered floral table cloths collected over the past year, jam jars filled with flowers, plants in mini terracotta pots and tea lights in glass yoghurt pots, and each guest had an individual vintage floral side plate. - Those cheap and cheerful Ikea cushions were spruced up by my mum who had sewn on off-cuts of embroidered fabrics, vintage napkins and lace. - The Kraft card (so hard to find but so good!) was again put to good use for menus and table names, and we used handwritten luggage tags for place names.
The talented Jessie Chorley created a personalised guest album made from an antique book, which was passed around the tables for guests to sign.
We wanted the meal to have a summer feast feel, with a choice of sea bass or lamb and big bowls of salad and roasted new potatoes on the table. After-dinner cheeses were laid out, along with mum’s homemade chutneys in jars for guests to take home.
The cake looked stunning – our florist James had stuffed each layer with Amnesia Roses to match the button holes and the colour of my sash.
Our Wedding suppliers
Dress: 1950's design remade by Kate Halfpenny
Evening headpiece: Emma Embery
Photographer: James Davidson
Bridesmaids dresses: Made by bride's mum
Marquee: Tents and Events
Transport: Jo's Godfather's vintage MG
RELATED BUSINESSES:
Halfpenny London,
James Davidson Photography
You might also like:
_001.jpg)
