After eight years together, Danielle and Mark decided that it was time to get married and they knew straight away that they wanted a relaxed and informal celebration. Their winter wedding was everything they hoped it would be.

Finding ‘the one’

Working in events, Danielle wanted a venue that was completely unlike the hotels and corporate locations that are a daily part of her life. She knew a barn setting would be perfect for their big day and Upwaltham Barns was her dream venue:

“I fell in love with Upwaltham Barns immediately,” says Danielle. “It was just beautiful and all the smiley faces when you walked in made you feel instantly at home. The barns are full of details which we loved, and the East Barn felt like a special place to get married.”

With their winter wedding date in the diary, it was time to start planning the big day!

Styling Upwaltham Barns

“The Christmassy date helped a lot of things to fall into place and the barns really lent themselves to a winter wedding. We started collecting silver and gold candles and tea light holders to match what was already in place, so our theme was more sparkly than colourful!”

Danielle and Mark added lots of personal touches to their wedding day. From photo boards that made their families feel part of the day, to the amazing doughnut wall that became a very popular focal point.

The flowers for the day focused on seasonal greens – ivy, mistletoe and Christmas trees! The pillars and chandeliers in the South Barn were dressed in ivy and the whole barn was full of mistletoe, arranged by Danielle’s mum. Danielle’s bouquet, from Manor Nursery, complemented her gown perfectly.

Dressing for the occasion

Danielle had a head start when it came to choosing her wedding dress as she’d previously worked at a local bridal shop. It was no surprise that she knew exactly which designer she wanted to wear on her big day:

“Jenny Packham dresses are always so special and sparkly and as the Duchess of Cambridge has worn so many, I was always going to have one as well!”

Despite being heavily detailed, Danielle’s dream dress was incredibly comfortable to wear and because it was so stunning, she didn’t have to worry about her accessories too much – she wore an old bracelet and some new earrings, bought the day before the wedding!

Mark and his groomsmen looked great on the big day and their tan tweed herringbone check suits from Mark Darcy London worked well with the country vibe at Upwaltham Barns. Danielle’s bridesmaids wore neutral gowns from ASOS and the simple style was the perfect contrast to Danielle’s show-stopping gown.

The Wedding Day

After a fantastic morning spent in Jasmine Cottage, it was time for the wedding ceremony and Danielle was accompanied down the aisle in the East Barn by her father.

“One of my favourite memories is walking down the aisle and seeing everyone’s happy faces.”

After the ceremony, the couple moved on to their celebrations and this was an important part of the day for Danielle and Mark:

“We’re such big eaters, we wanted to make sure that we had great food, and a lot of it! We chose the most filling canapes we could, and everyone’s been raving about them ever since.”

For the wedding breakfast Nibbles2Nosh created ‘family style’ roasts that were served to the tables so their friends and family could help themselves.

Music was another big part of the day and the couple chose lots of meaningful tracks to play throughout their wedding breakfast, but it was during the evening reception that the soundtrack really kicked in:

“When we first started going out, we used to go to Motown nights in Brighton, so we wanted our reception to recreate that feeling but with lots of 90s classics thrown in. David, from The Vintage Wedding DJ, listened to us and definitely delivered – the dancefloor was packed all night!”

Wedding tips and advice

“Make a list of every single thing you’ve got to do and get your family to help you with it. Trying to keep everything in your head is just too stressful. Involving everyone also makes them feel like part of the day and makes it all a real family occasion.”

“Also, trust what Upwaltham Barns say – they have such great advice. The team always had an answer to our questions and reminded us to just enjoy ourselves. If we could do it all again, we would and repeat it all the following day!”

For more real wedding inspiration, take a look at Hollie and Sam’s Timeless and Personal Winter Wedding at Upwaltham Barns.

Images courtesy of © Samantha Pells Photography