Last Saturday I headed to the village of Buckhorn Weston for the wedding of Jessica and Chris. The weather had been glorious for weeks, but in typical British summertime style today’s garden and marquee wedding was forecast with high winds and torrential downpours. Unkind!
Still, the weather was fair as I arrived at Jessica’s family home to join a bustling household seemingly filled with women; with four chief bridesmaids and four attendant bridesmaids things were lively in the house! Apart from her sister, all the bridesmaids were old school friends of Jessica’s, and they’ve known each other since they were children; you can imagine the organised chaos of music, laughter and a LOT of excited chat.
The bridesmaids had different outfits – the four chief bridesmaids were in matching elegantly simple white dresses with a subtle floral print shining on the full skirts (with oh-so-popular deep pockets!). The four attendant bridesmaids were in perfectly mismatched dresses in complementing shades of palest pastels. The bridesmaids set the theme for the day, the bouquets following on with English country flowers in loose abundance, mainly white with highlights of softest pastels.
Jessica herself looked stunning in her Lillian West vintage-inspired gown, the Alencon lace bodice with a Sabrina neckline complemented the simplicity of the full skirt falling into a cathedral length train (and some fabulous Valentino shoes peeking out from underneath). For her ‘something borrowed’ Jessica had two treasured items; she is named after her Great Aunt, and she not only wore her aunt’s diamond earrings, but also the Staffordshire knot brooch that her mother also borrowed on her own wedding day.
I left the girls to their finishing touches to go and meet the boys in the Stapleton Arms, just down the road from St John the Baptist where the ceremony would take place, and where we shortly walked.
The guests were soon arriving, quickly followed by all the bridesmaids filling the village street as they walked to the church. Jessica and her Dad arrived in a (totally gorgeous) 1956 vintage Citroen borrowed from a family friend.
The vicar greeted Jessica warmly at the door – St John’s is not her normal church as she lives in Herefordshire, but as she has known Jessica since she was 7 and she came back especially to marry Jessica and Chris.
The wind was picking up as Jessica and her dad walked into the church (a veil disaster threatened, but was soon diverted, thankfully), and the skies kindly waited until everyone was inside the church before opening the first heavy shower of the day.
But the sky had lightened by the time Jessica & Chris were officially Mr & Mrs, and the guests were able to line the path to the church gate for a confetti tunnel before seeing the happy couple off in an open top vintage DB5 for a short drive while all the guests headed back to the marquee in the farmhouse gardens. As we all arrived another very heavy shower began and everyone dived into marquee, but it was short-lived, and everyone was back outside to welcome the Bride & Groom.
The drinks reception managed to stay mostly outside, until the blustery wind brought in another torrential downpour driving everyone back into the shelter of the marquee – setting the pattern for the rest of the day.
After the wedding breakfast the speeches were under way – and the Best Men definitely deserve a mention for their excellent gangsta-style rap about the groom which had everyone in stitches.
Between Jessica & Chris cutting the cake (with her grandfather’s very long sword!) and the evening guests arriving, there was a perfect break in the weather, and we slipped away for a walk through the lanes and fields surrounding the farm, enjoying the quiet and a little fresh air.
Back to the marquee to find the band ready to get the evening started – the first dance was rapidly followed by a filled dance floor as everyone settled in to properly to enjoy the evening party.
Thank you so much, Jessica and Chris, for allowing me to share your day. It was a wonderful wedding, everything was beautiful and the rain only added to the fun. Congratulations – and I wish you both all the best for your future life together.
Best wishes
Courtenay
Some of the very many… Enjoy!
Credit where credit is due!
Caterer – South Street Kitchen
Band – Party Starters
Wedding furniture/sundries – South West Event Hire
Wedding Dress by Lillian West Shoes by Valentino
If you would like to see Jessica & Chris’s whole wedding album when it goes live, click the following link and add your details to be automatically notified.
(please note we do not store your details and you will not be contacted for any other purpose other than the album notification)
All the very lovely scrumptious details from Jessica and Chris’s fabulous Country Marquee Wedding in Buckhorn Weston Dorset …..
