Kimberley-Jane & Ben’s Gold and Ivory, Train-inspired Wedding. By Jacqui McSweeney

Happy Friday folks. I’ve managed to get through my first few days as an official bridal blogger, relatively unscathed! Thank you for being gentle with me. Today’s wedding is the perfect way to end the week. A union of gold and ivory against the backdrop of a disused, now totally transformed, railway station and platform. Kimberley-Jane and Ben wanted to hold their wedding somewhere unique and that featured so heavily in their growing up. History truly in the making! Enjoy this final wedding of the week, with beautiful photos by Jacqui McSweeney.

I smiled the biggest smile for the whole day. Our hard work paid off and all our ideas surpassed my expectations and how I had imagined them.

Kimberley-Jane and Ben tied the knot in front of 100 friends and family on 10th August at St Martin and St Mary Church in Chudleigh, Devon. It took them just under a year to plan their wedding day. “My (Kimberley-Jane) Grandparents bought “The Station” 50 years ago following the closure of its rail service and the platform. I spent many hours playing there during my childhood and have many happy memories. Although some of the old relics remain “The Station” is now unrecognisable and over the years has been transformed into a beautiful tranquil setting. It offered a unique place to hold the ceremony and it was amazing we could choose a venue that features so prominently in our past. We were able to make history at a place I treasure so much.”

How they met
I was the girl next door. We met 18 years ago, and started dating 10 years ago.

The proposal
Early in the morning over a champagne breakfast on Miami Beach.

Why did you choose your photographer?
I first met Jacqui McSweeney 3 years ago when I built her website. We met on Twitter and from the first day I knew she would photograph my wedding. Her photography is always stunning.

The dress and accessories
My dress was by Justin Alexander. A gorgeous tea length dress. Due to the wedding reception being outside a floor length dress wasn’t really practical.

The theme
Gold and Ivory

The flowers
All ivory with some greenery. Sorry not sure on specific names.

The decoration
I handmade all the decorations for the marquee from gold bunting, table numbers, favours, name places. The centre table piece was a wooden plinth (a tree from “The Station”) with a bowl of white flowers and pearls on top. White linen table cloths and napkins.

The food and wedding cake
Delicious hog roast
A delicious 5 tier cake. Each tier was a different shape and flavour. Gold flowers cascaded from the top.

The entertainment
A band, photo booth and fireworks.

Buy or DIY your Stationery?
DIY. The wedding invitations took 25 hours to cut out. There were 3 gold train tickets joined with ivory ribbons. Never again haha

Personal or handmade touches
The favours were cuts of lavender, taken from the station, in little jam jars. People could take them home and plant them.

Special moments
So much planning had gone into the reception but actually the ceremony was my favourite part. You always hear the words but on the day they hold so much more meaning. I loved walking down the aisle and sharing that moment with all my friends and family and then seeing my husband to be looking gorgeous and so happy.

Advice to other couples
Take time out after the ceremony to reflect. It’s the best part and deserves 5 minutes to share emotions of the moment.

Biggest surprise
The band. Money well spent. They had everyone on the dance floor and the atmosphere was amazing. Such a great end to a fabulous day.

Supplier Shout Outs:

• Hog roast – www.florrickproduce.co.uk  Amazing service and great quality food. They couldn’t do enough for us.
• Bar – www.barrambla.co.uk  Great duo with a fantastic supply of drinks. They even made sure they had all the ingredients for the special cocktail list I put together.
• The band:  Frequencies 

For more information on Jacqui’s work go to:

www.jmcsweeneyphotography.co.uk
www.jmcsweeneyphotography.co.uk/blog/blog
[email protected]
FACEBOOK
@jacquimacphoto