Katy & Adam’s spring wedding at Upwaltham Barns was fun, relaxed and personal. Full of details made by family and friends, there was a very special atmosphere in the barns for this wonderful wedding.

Finding ‘the one’

Katy and Adam admit that they fell in love with Upwaltham Barns as soon as they saw it online. The couple wanted a very relaxed, rural wedding and even though friends and family had to travel from neighbouring counties, once Katy and Adam had visited, there was no going back! The flexibility and service on offer also played a big part in their decision:

“The barns themselves are beautiful, and we liked the idea of having two separate areas, one for the ceremony and another for the reception, with the courtyard in the middle for guests to enjoy drinks in. Surrounded by the incredible South Downs, the location itself was also breathtaking and all of the little extra areas like the Moroccan Snug and gardens make the venue so special and unique.”

“Most importantly though, the owners Nicola and Tim were immediately accommodating, assuring us that they would go above and beyond to make our day perfect – nothing was too much to ask and they were open to whatever we’d like to do to make our wedding personal which was wonderful.”

Styling Upwaltham Barns

Working with a colour scheme of dusky pinks and soft, sage greens to fit with the rural, spring-like feel of the day, the couple set about bringing together their wedding dream team to style the day:

“We hired the wonderful Kerry at Rose Cottage Flowers who created the most stunning bouquets, buttonholes and centrepieces for the tables. We opted for candelabras decorated with flowers in our colour scheme on half the tables and smaller floral arrangements on the other half, which looked beautiful. I remember walking in to the candlelit reception barn on the afternoon of the wedding and being blown away by how stunning it looked.”

“The barns are so pretty that very little decoration was needed, but Stress Free Hire created a really romantic look for the ceremony barn, with an ivory runner down the aisle, scattered with candlelit lanterns and petals. They also put soft, elegant swags from the ceiling, which really complimented the gorgeous flint stone and rustic beams of the barn. They also provided the large ‘LOVE’ letters in the reception barn, which I loved!”

To make the day even more special, talented friends and family added their own touches. The bride’s mum made a delicious three-tiered cake, the groom’s sister made the cute cake toppers, the bride’s sister designed the stationery (complete with an illustration drawn by a friend) and two musical friends entertained the guests during the drinks reception!

Dressing for the occasion

Katy wore a gorgeous gown from the Sweetheart collection by Justin Alexander. The lovely tulle skirt was perfect for spring while the silk detailing at the waist and beautiful buttoned back were the perfect finishing touches.

“I had four bridesmaids – my sister, best friend from school and two of my best friends from university. They wore a beautiful pale sage green, which they all looked gorgeous in. The dresses we chose were floor-length and strapless with a sweetheart neckline. As it was April and still a bit cold, I also bought them all ivory pashminas, which both kept them warm and went perfectly with the dresses!”

Adam and his groomsmen wore Air Force blue suits by Wilvorst with dusky pink cravats to suit the colour scheme of the day. Adam also bought his lucky groomsmen Marvel-themed cufflinks, as they’re all comic book fans!

The wedding day

The day started in style for Adam as Katy had arranged a very special surprise for him:

“Adam’s always been a big James Bond fan and loved the old Aston Martin DB5 that featured in the films, so I hired one to pick him up as a surprise for his wedding present. He was very surprised and I think the other groomsmen loved it as much as him! After dropping Adam at the venue, the driver very kindly then came to pick my Dad and I up from where we were staying too, which was a really special experience!”

The couple’s ceremony in the East Barn was very moving indeed – the bride’s cousin had written a wonderful poem for her reading and Adam’s mum added her own tribute, a very personal speech about marriage and the couple’s relationship that had everyone laughing and crying!

After the ceremony, it was time to enjoy the celebrations and Katy and Adam had a particular reason for choosing their wedding menu:

“We got engaged whilst travelling and one of our favourite memories was a day spent at a Gaucho farm in Argentina where we had the most amazing barbecue! As this held such fond memories for us, we loved the idea of recreating a barbeque for our wedding, which Upwaltham Barns’ catering company Nibbles2Nosh were more than happy to provide.”

“Fitting in with our relaxed feel, the barbecue itself was fired up in the courtyard during the drinks reception for guests to see, and served family-style on the tables with a host of delicious salads and potatoes. We chose to have chicken, lamb and salmon as the barbecue options, which went down very well! Some of our friends and family are still raving about the delicious lamb!”

Wedding tips & advice

“I loved every moment of our day and would love to do it all over again! The only advice I’d give my former self is to not worry so much about timings on the day. As I run a lot of events and schedules in my work, I found myself checking whether we were running to time throughout the day. Whilst I didn’t let it stress me out, I do wish I’d just forgotten about time and left it to the organisers to make sure everything happened when it was meant to – that’s what they were there for and they were fantastic, always one step ahead!”

For more real wedding inspiration from Upwaltham Barns, check out Rachel and Patrick’s Personal Summer Wedding.

Images courtesy of © Sara Reeve Photography