Morwenna and Andy’s wedding is as much a celebration of the West Country and it is of their love.
Firstly, they held their reception in Morwenna’s parents back garden in the glorious county of Somerset.
Obviously, guests drank cider and hung out on hay bales. For those of you not au fait with the West Country, a LOT of this goes on there. Which is no bad thing.
Morwenna wore Petra by West Country designer Sassi Holford. All of the rustic, wild flowers were grown in Somerset and the delicious looking cake was made locally too.
My Childhood Home
Morwenna The Bride: Andy proposed to me while we were walking our dog near my childhood home in Somerset. Straight away we decided that this would be the place we would want to get married. My parents kindly offered to host our wedding, and the planning began. It was a very busy 18 months leading up to our wedding and we couldn’t have planned and organised such a lovely day without my incredible Mum who worked so hard to make it so wonderful.
Our wedding took place on 1st June 2013 at my village church, The Blessed Virgin Mary, followed by afternoon tea and cake in the garden at home. An evening marquee reception took place later on overlooking the beautiful Blackdown Hills where I grew up.
A Chance To Get Glammed Up
As a vet I don’t get the chance to get glammed up very often, so I was looking forward to having my hair and makeup done professionally. However, I didn’t want anything too formal and wanted to feel and look like myself, but on a really good day!
Gayle and Claire from Hair@22 in Taunton were brilliant. They understood exactly what my Bridesmaid’s and I were after, and I was so happy with the results. My makeup was also very natural, yet made me feel great, and stayed perfect all day – thank you so much Lucy!
Dreaming Of Sassi
As a teenager growing up near Taunton I had walked by the Sassi Holford shop many times and had always dreamed of getting my wedding dress from there one day. In fact I didn’t even look in any other shops! They were extremely professional, and I particularly liked the fact that the dresses were made locally. I loved the shape of ‘Petra’ from the So Sassi collection immediately, and they helped me personalise it. The dress felt classic and elegant, yet not out of place at a country wedding which was what I had hoped for.
Andy looked very stylish in a tailor-made Reiss suit and tie. He didn’t want the formality of wearing tails, and wanted to wear a suit he felt good in and could wear again and again.
Shimmering Pearls
I absolutely adored my Hermione Harbutt ‘Elegance’ pearl headdress and veil, and had so much fun choosing them. Hermione was so helpful and kind, and it was so difficult deciding on one headpiece from her incredible collection!
My shoes were ‘Miss Alice’ shoes from Diane Hassall. I also wore a pair of pearl earrings that Andy had given me for Christmas, along with my very wonderful pearl engagement ring.
A Tartan Tribute
My sister and my good friend from school were my Bridesmaids. They looked gorgeous in their champagne coloured dresses from The Dessy Group, with real flower combs in their hair.
We asked the Groomsmen just to wear their own grey suits, but my Father, Uncles and Brother wore waistcoats made from our family tartan in memory of my Scottish Grandfather. My brother then changed into his red Master of Ceremonies outfit at the reception, and did a fabulous job at organising everyone.
An English Country Wedding
We didn’t really have a colour scheme or theme as such. All we wanted was a happy and relaxed, locally sourced, very English country wedding with a rustic and slightly vintage feel. Following the ceremony we had yummy afternoon tea and wedding cake in the garden before the main evening reception. There was a lot of bunting, a cider tent with hay bales, and plenty of garden games including croquet and boules.
Flowers From Somerset
Our flowers were locally grown, traditional country flowers from Somerset. Jan was such a great find from JW Blooms. We didn’t choose any flowers in particular, I just asked Jan for what was in season, and growing well, at the time of our wedding.
She produced the most beautiful natural bouquets for my bridesmaid and I, as well as stunning flowers for the marquee. I can’t thank her enough. The greenery we used was mainly from our garden.
The Most Important Part
The ceremony was the most important part for me – saying my vows, in Church, to my gorgeous groom in front of all our friends and family was very special. Our readings were read by two of our close friends, and one of our hymns was an old favourite from my school days. We had a harpist playing during the signing of the register which really added to the occasion.
Our first dance was ‘Ho Hey’ by The Lumineers – a song that we loved, that really suited the feel of our reception.
Pies And Eton Mess
Jacci from Mark Country Catering supplied us with the most delicious Pieminister pies (with the choice of Moo Pie, Pietanic or Heidi Pie) and Eton mess for pudding.
Our wedding cake was a simple three tier cake with yellow roses draped over it, and tiny pearls surrounding the tiers from The Honiton Cake Gallery.
Vintage Touches
We had so much fun with plenty of DIY projects. My Mum, Aunt and Grandma, made all of the bunting, table runners, rose petal confetti and gorgeous little lavender pot favours. Our table plan was made with an old easel and chalk board, and our name places had vintage animal stamps printed on them.
Andy’s Grandma made the jam, and the lace table clothes belonged to Andy’s Great Grandmother. I made our Save the Dates, but I couldn’t resist getting our invitations and order of services from Meticulous Ink in Bath. Athena designed us the most beautiful stationery.
A Feeling I’ll Never Forget
Being surrounded by all the people we love from different walks of life, wishing us well, was a feeling I’ll never forget. Our photographer told us to take some time out, away from everyone else during the day, just to enjoy the moment and let everything sink in.
Walking through a beautiful field near my childhood home with my wonderful new husband, watching our guests enjoying our reception from a distance was a lovely moment.
Breathtakingly Beautiful
We feel so incredibly lucky to have found our amazing photographer, the lovely Brett Symes. Andy and I are not particular fans of having our photographs taken, and we certainly didn’t want any formal line ups, so finding a photographer who had a natural and relaxed approach was very important.
Brett’s photographs are breathtakingly beautiful. He captured everything and everyone perfectly. Looking back at our wedding album I am immediately transported back in time – those feelings and memories of such happiness and love that day come flooding back. Thank you Brett.
Click here & view all images from this wedding
Bride’s Gown – Petra By Sassi Holford
Headdress – Elegance by Hermione Harbutt
Shoes – Miss Alice by Diane Hassall
Bridesmaids – The Dessy Group
Hair – Hair @ 22
Make Up – Lucy Davis
Groom – Bespoke at Reiss
Florist – JW Blooms
Catering – Mark Country Catering
Cake – The Honiton Cake Gallery
Stationery – Meticulous Ink
Photography – Brett Symes
Isn’t it a pretty wedding?
The pastel coloured bunting and flowers look so summery and gorgeous in the white marquee.
Lots of love,
Fern x