Erin and Mathew's Elegant Barn Wedding in Lincolnshire With a Botanical Theme by Aden Priest Photography

Hello you lovely people and how are you today? Today is a good day, I’m off to get my nails done today, after a month off over lockdown, I can’t wait!! But more importantly the UK now has a vaccine approved and ready to roll out, so there is light at the end of the tunnel! Which means that weddings will hopefully be able to go head in their normal fashion some time next year, but it looks like sooner rather than later, which is amazing news! So on with today’s wedding which took place well before anyone had even heard of Covid 19! Erin and Mathew held an elegant outdoor ceremony followed by a super stylish barn reception with a botanical theme. This meant lots of greenery, soft white flowers and gold accents in the decor. A beautiful wedding from beginning to end with an amazing party and a change of dress for Erin! I do love a bit of gold sequin! And I love these photos from Aden Priest Photography.

The cliché is accurate: it really was the perfect day.

Erin and Mathew were married on 29th May 2019 at Elsham Hall in Lincolnshire. ‘We were drawn in by the newly build pergola overlooking the lake and gardens. We had 42 guests and it took a year to plan’

How they met
I moved to the UK from Canada in 2013, and my husbands’ sister was one of my first true friends here. I met Mathew at her 25^th birthday party, which was festival themed. Festivals aren’t a big thing in Canada, so I came dressed in wellington boots and denim, only to realise – to my horror- that every other girl there was coated in glitter, wearing hot pants and holographic body suits. Mathew sat with me and spoke to me the entire night, so that I didn’t have to feel like the awkward Canadian.

The proposal
Mathew surprised me by proposing in the same park that we had out first date in. It was Christmas eve and chucking down with rain. He insisted we go on a walk, even through we were very busy running around that day. I had a feeling that I shouldn’t argue and, as I was stomping ahead through the park in the tempest, I hear my name. I turned around to see him down on one knee with a ring.

How did you allocate your budget?
I used a wedding planner book from Blush and Gold to help budget and allocate funds to the venue, catering, dress etc. It helped me keep on top of what I had paid for and what I still had left to cover.

Where did you splurge and where did you save?
We were able to save quite a bit on our venue hire and catering by having our wedding on a Wednesday. Myself, and most of Mathew’s family are teachers, so a half-term wedding was perfect for us.
I splurged on a designer wedding dress by Waters from Victoria Lou Bridal. It was the only dress I tried on, that made me feel emotional. It wasn’t just any dress, it was my dress and I would wear it every day if I could.

How did you choose your photographer?
Aden was recommended to us by the venue. We looked through his portfolio and felt his style matched our aesthetic.

The dress
My dress was by Waters from Victoria Lou Bridal. My headpiece was custom made by Di at Victory Designs, and my pink pearl jewellery were gifts from Mathew purchased from Scotts’ Jewellers in Louth, Lincolnshire.

The suit and bridesmaids
The bridesmaids’ dresses were the Victoria Lou Multiway dress in the colour: fossil. Each bridesmaid was able to alter the top to suit their own personal style.

Theme or colour scheme
We had a botanical theme with a white, green and gold colour scheme.

Flowers
We had clusters of eucalyptus and white rose.

Decoration
We decorated the barn conversion where we had the wedding breakfast with sprigs of eucalyptus and gold framed photos of us.

Food
We started with a bruschetta, followed by salmon in saffron sauce and an elderflower posset. In the evening we had personal stone baked pizzas and, instead of the traditional wedding cake, we had a three-tier cheesecake of stilton, triple cream brie and aged cheddar.

Entertainment
We had a live bad play called Wild Card.

Who supplied the stationery?
I used the papier website to create the wedding stationery.

Where did you go on your honeymoon?
We honeymooned at the Grand Villa Argentina in Dubrovnik, Croatia.

Personal touches
We created a photo frame with our engagement photos in them which were used to decorate the hall.

Special moments
My maid of honour, Claire, had come all the way from New Zealand to be at our wedding. She gave a speech at our wedding breakfast along with Mathew’s best man. The had us all crying with laughter.

Advice for other couples
Enjoy every moment. After all the stress, get up and drink in every moment. Hire a wedding planner or a venue with someone on staff to make sure things run smoothly on the day. You don’t want to spend your time worrying.

Biggest surprise
Seeing my husband cry when I walked down the aisle.