Emily and Tom just adore spring and knew they wanted to celebrate their wedding in their favourite season. They also love good food and good times so Clock Barn was the perfect venue for their big day.

The Venue

As much as wedding days are all about dreams, sometimes you need to be practical too. The unpredictable spring weather was definitely in Emily and Tom’s minds as they were searching for their wedding venue:

“We chose Clock Barn as we wanted somewhere we could have a beautiful wedding inside or outside. I loved it when we drove up the long driveway – you get a sense of occasion and we could imagine our wedding guests starting to get excited as they came up to the entrance.” – Emily.

The flexibility available at Clock Barn was another big factor in the couple’s decision:

“We wanted a few chops and changes to the packages which up front they said not a problem. They want to work with you and they understand there is no cookie cutter mould to a wedding and it can be personalised and made special.” – Emily.

The Décor

Emily and Tom chose a fresh English Country Garden theme and took a lot of their influence from herbs. Jars filled with flowers by Effie Fahay sat on the wood slices on the tables, there were wicker hearts with gypsophila and raffia hanging around the barn and logs with flowers marked out the aisle.

“We also had a willow arch so it felt as if you were walking into something special as you entered the main room for the ceremony and wedding breakfast.”

“We drew upon all our resources and very creative family and friends to help us decorate the barn. Tom provided all the stationery and artwork with the table plan, menus as well as the initial save the dates and the invites. Tom’s Mum Liz provided us with extra colourful bunting for an extra pop. Tom’s Father Mark, a retired DT teacher, made the wooden table centrepieces which the flowers went on as well as the tree stumps used as decoration for the aisle in the ceremony.” – Emily

Tom also created the table names, place names and the boxes for the wedding favours. These held a picture of the bride’s Granny, her shortbread recipe and a shortbread cookie baked by the bride’s Mother. This was a lovely tribute to Emily’s beloved Granny.

The Outfits

Emily wore an embroidered chiffon dress by Ellis Bridal and a bespoke bolero:

“My bolero made by Deborah from Surrey Brides who got the same lace from the dress to create an off the shoulder three quarter length sleeve top. I also had a veil which was single tier very simple and very pretty with just a little lace and a couple of diamantes.” – Emily

Emily accessorised her look with pearl earrings, a pearl bracelet and a pearl necklace that she’d bought in Vietnam whilst on holiday with Tom.

The groom and ushers all looked very dapper in tailored suits from Moss Bros in a fabulous blue/grey tone with mint green ties and waistcoats. Emily’s bridesmaids wore Hobbs dresses in soft mint with silver shoes and gypsophilia in their hair.

The Wedding

After their vows, the happy couple celebrated with mouth-watering canapés and drinks which went down a treat with their guests.

“Drinks were served on the dance floor with guests enjoying six different canapés, all of which were amazing, while sipping delicious cocktails and Prosecco.” – Emily.

The wedding breakfast was exactly the delicious feast that Tom and Emily had imagined. Guests were served ravioli of king prawns to start and this was followed by a sharing board main course of roast fore rib of beef – guests were provided with chef hats and aprons to serve themselves! An apple and blackberry compote was the perfect ending to the meal.

“For me, the standout dish was the starter but the beef had the most compliments – people couldn’t believe the quality and the fact that it was served medium rare was beautiful too. We picked food we like to eat and so many people came up to me and said it was the best food they’d ever had at a wedding.” – Emily.

The edible treats didn’t stop there – the couple served wood fired pizza in the evening and their cake, which had been made by a friend. The cake included lemon, fruit, banana and carrot cake layers and was decorated with white buttercream and herbal garlands, edible flower petals and herbs.

Emily and Tom started the evening party dancing to Ho Hey by The Lumineers and then the band The Confidentials (booked through Function Central) played all night and were described as ‘awesome’!

Final Thought

“I think my favourite moment was just dancing to amazing music by an amazing band with all our friends and family around us. My friend Jo also sang opera while we were signing the register and it was so beautiful, I was holding back tears.”

“My advice to anyone planning their wedding would be don’t worry and don’t sweat the small stuff. Also, use your suppliers – they’re so creative and so knowledgeable and have done this so many times, they know that works and what doesn’t.”

If you’re looking for even more wedding inspiration, then make sure you take a look at these incredible Spring Wedding Ideas For Your Ceremony and see the beautiful ways you could make Clock Barn your own.

Images courtesy of Sarah Elliott Photography