Lucy and Richard's Pretty Spring Barn Wedding in Gloucestershire by Catherine Carter Weddings

Today we are heading over to Gloucestershire for this pretty spring wedding from Catherine Carter Weddings. Lucy and Richard chose a barn venue local to them for their lovely spring wedding. With a natural colour palette of nudes and blush, reflected in the bridesmaids dresses the flowers and the decor, this wedding is super pretty and filled with lots of lovely details and personal projects. The tandem bicycle and homemade ‘help yourself’ bar are my personal favorites from the day, I’m sure you are going to love it too.

The best day ever! A relaxed, rustic party surrounded by friends, family, good food and drinks (with plenty of quirky homemade features)!

Lucy and Richard's Pretty Spring Barn Wedding in Gloucestershire by Catherine Carter Weddings

Lucy and Richard were married on the 14th May 2016 at St Peter’s Church, Filkins followed by a reception at Oxleaze Barn, Filkins, Gloucestershire. ‘It’s our local church and the closest reception venue to that! We had 108 guests and the wedding took about 8 months to plan.’

How they met
We met at university, 9 years ago

The Proposal
Richard proposed on a hammock in our back garden on my 29^th birthday on August 18^th. The sun was shining and it was totally relaxed which was perfect for us. The proposal had a clause though(!), we had to marry before my 30^th (he couldn’t cope with years of wedding planning apparently!).

How did you allocate your budget?
Richard had a spreadsheet and I spent what I wanted! We didn’t go to crazy, we lived within our means, I realised quickly you can spend lots on things you won’t notice on the day.

Where did you splurge and where did you save?
We didn’t really splurge massively, the venue was a significant cost and we had a childcare facility that cost a bit but both were worth every penny – I’d do exactly the same again in a heartbeat. I also treated myself to hair and makeup for the bridal party and my Mum, again worth every last penny, Clare of HarryJon was a machine!!

Why did you choose your photographer?
Long story but I worked backwards from the photographs – my brother had been best man in France and Catherine Carter had been one of the photographers, I loved the style so asked for the details – she was absolutely brilliant!

The Dress
Dress was from notonthehighstreet.com by Elliot Claire London, shoes New Look, earrings Lido pearls from John Lewis, bracelets Tiffany and Ernest Jones, veil borrowed from a friend.

The Suit and Bridesmaids
Both the groom’s and bridesmaid’s outfits were all from ASOS.

Theme or Colour Scheme
Nude and blush, a neutral palate where possible.

Flowers
Seasonal mix including pale pink Tulips, blush pink Roses, Peonies, ivory Spray Roses, pointy stems of pale pink Astilbe, ivory Ranunculus and heathery pink Limonium.

Decoration
Very little as the barn was simply stunning! Flowers, some glass ball hanging nightlights, bunting outside. I thought of the vintage crockery as decoration too!

Food
We ate a delicious pizza in the day followed by homemade afternoon tea. Porcetta (Italian street food) at night.

The Wedding Cake
Made by the most amazing greenkitchencakes.co.uk – so many guests said it was the best looking, most delicious cake they had ever seen or tasted – I wholly agree and still mourn it being finished!

Entertainment
We had some epic speeches and a ceilidh then disco.

Stationery
I designed and Vistaprint printed, really simple stuff. My amazing friend wrote all the place names on to Eagle Eyed Bride hummingbird glass decorations.

Personal Touches
Richard, my brother and my Dad built a serve yourself bar, our friend brewed us our very own wedding beer, the ‘Flying Gibson’, it was epic! We had branded Gibson glassware to serve. We cycled from church on a tandem (Richard loves bikes!). We had wooden hearts branded with guests initials as favours along with boxes of macaroons.

Special moments or Highlights
Walking to church with my Dad was really special. Being on the tandem with Richard was amazing, laughing that we just got married! Speeches were brilliant and getting a husband was also rather nice!

Advice for other couples
Enjoy the planning, it can be quite fun! Don’t spend loads of money you’ll regret, get quotes and reduce them to cover what you actually need, think about how many flowers/how much food will do. Try and do some things yourself if you can.

Biggest Surprise
How quickly it all went!