Ufton Court have kindly shared this dreamy April wedding with us. This has to be one of our favourite real weddings to share, there are so many delightful details and Benjamin Stuart Photography has captured every moment in such a beautiful way. Here's what Sammy & Ally had to say about their special day...
Why Ufton Court?
We wanted somewhere sophisticated yet rustic, with lovely grounds for our guests to enjoy. After researching venues, Ufton Court fit the bill perfectly and as Sammy is a teacher, the fact that all wedding profits go back into the educational trust was of extra appeal.
Your Style...
Elegant yet rustic, navy blue and blush pink featured throughout with touches of lace. The barn itself at Ufton is beautiful and needs little decoration. As an art teacher it seemed only right for me to put my DIY hat on!
I used lace doilies from my Grandma and others sourced elsewhere to create bunting which hung throughout the barn. Each table had a log slice and mismatched bottles and jam jars that had lace and hessian embellishments wrapped round them, these were filled with loose floral stems by our florist.
We sourced a vintage suitcase for guests to place cards in and created a table plan by up cycling an old mirror frame. We chose to go with simple uplighting provided by our DJ and tea lights spread around the barn to merely compliment the beauty of the structure and not overwhelm it.
I used lace doilies from my Grandma and others sourced elsewhere to create bunting which hung throughout the barn. Each table had a log slice and mismatched bottles and jam jars that had lace and hessian embellishments wrapped round them, these were filled with loose floral stems by our florist.
We sourced a vintage suitcase for guests to place cards in and created a table plan by up cycling an old mirror frame. We chose to go with simple uplighting provided by our DJ and tea lights spread around the barn to merely compliment the beauty of the structure and not overwhelm it.
The Ceremony
We knew a church wedding was important to us and upon researching nearby churches, found St Mary’s to be a beautiful little church just round the corner from Ufton Court. We attended the services regularly and grew to be part of the small parish community.
Our friends and family gave personal readings and we hired a string duo, Manor House Music, to play the music for the service including our hymns – Amazing Grace, I Vow To Thee My Country and Lord of All Hopefulness.
Our friends and family gave personal readings and we hired a string duo, Manor House Music, to play the music for the service including our hymns – Amazing Grace, I Vow To Thee My Country and Lord of All Hopefulness.
The Flowers
Our amazing florist, Lindsey from White Horse Flower Company, created 3 stunning hand tied bouquets with blush pink roses, anemones, ranunculus and subtle rustic additions from her garden. She also supplied flowers for the church and beautiful single stem style arrangements for the tables and barn.
The Cake
Nicola from Vanilla Spice Cake Company created a round, 3 tiered sponge cake with each layer being a different flavour. It was coated in ivory lacing and had beautiful detailing emulating the lace on my dress cascading down the cake.
Food & Drink
The Great Food Company handled all our catering and were fantastic throughout. We had Pimms and canapés outside the barn for the drinks reception. The breakfast was a family style barbecue meal with posh burgers, sausages and salmon fillets accompanied by salads, veg and rustic bread served to tables on slates and wooden boards, followed by a white chocolate and raspberry trifle. We basically just chose food that we knew we would really enjoy and that everyone would find delicious!
Entertainment
As we mentioned earlier, we had the string duo play at the ceremony and drinks reception . We hired DJ Adam Rees to provide the evening entertainment as he seemed to understand exactly what we wanted for the music and fitted perfectly with our ‘no cheese’ policy!
The Dress...
I wore a lace fishtail, sweetheart gown, it took a while to decide but you get that undefinable feeling, once you know, you just know!
Your Photographer...
We chose Benjamin Wheeler of Benjamin Stuart Photography to capture our day because his portfolio was stunning and his philosophy perfectly matched our vision. Our favourite photo spot was definitely at the back of the manor house looking out towards the beautiful gardens.
Your advice to future couples...
Be true to who you are and the things you do and don’t like, don’t ever feel like you are in competition with other couples, work together and try to enjoy the process of planning. If you can, personal DIY touches add a special dimension to everything.
On the day, just embrace everything, the planning is over, if something minor isn’t quite right no one will notice anyway so just enjoy every moment and the fact that so many people who love you have come to celebrate with you.
On the day, just embrace everything, the planning is over, if something minor isn’t quite right no one will notice anyway so just enjoy every moment and the fact that so many people who love you have come to celebrate with you.