Sarah and Owen's Eco-friendly, Locally Sourced, Autumn Wedding by Bethany Lloyd-Clarke Photography

Today I have a gorgeous Eco friendly micro wedding for you, an Autumn wedding full of locally sourced goodness. Owen and Sarah, like so many couples who planned weddings last year, started off with a big guest count. This was reduced to 30 and then at the last minute changed again to 15. However they didn’t let Covid and the restrictions it brought them dampen their spirits, they carried on regardless and held the beautiful wedding they had always wanted. Making sure that all elements were as eco friendly and natural as possible, the whole day is filled with autumnal beauty and a whole lot of love. Big thanks to Bethany Lloyd-Clarke Photography for the gorgeous photos.

Our wedding was a rare moment of calm and joy in an uncertain time. It was a magical day, filled with laughter and happiness – you couldn’t help but smile.

Owen and Sarah were married on 4th October 2020 at South Farm, Cambridgeshire. ‘It is a beautiful venue with brilliant eco credentials! We loved all the home grown, fresh produce and the homely vibe of each space. The enchanting gardens, vegetable plot and lake were also especially beautiful in autumn. Originally, we had planned for 80 guests, however, in September 2020 the number was reduced to 30. Only two weeks before the wedding, the government restrictions meant we had to reduce to 15. Nevertheless, it made for a very intimate and special day with our closest family, best man and bridesmaids. We had a year of planning, but all the last-minute changes meant that the slate was practically wiped clean two weeks before. Our suppliers were amazing at adapting though!’

How they met
We are high school sweethearts – we met in a sixth form German class and had been together for 11 and a half years when we got married.

The proposal
We were on our way to Somerset on a weekend break for our 10 year anniversary. It was a peaceful and beautiful spring evening; we were out on a walk for the first day of our holiday. Owen went down on one knee, in a secluded spot by a lake, as the sun was setting to propose with the bespoke sapphire ring he had commissioned. We couldn’t wait to tell our family so ended up calling them that evening to tell them the wonderful news!

How did you allocate your budget?
We really wanted all our suppliers to be either eco-friendly, recommended by a friend, and where possible local. We focused our budget on quality over quantity. As you might suspect, we also had a trusty Excel spreadsheet so we could prioritise what was important to us.

Where did you splurge and where did you save?
Because our wedding ended up so small, nothing felt unnecessarily expensive. We had previously chosen each of our suppliers for their quality and stunning work so we felt that everything was worth it – the bespoke wedding rings, home grown flowers and organic cake were all designed around us.
We saved money by finding the right hair and makeup artists by researching them properly. I know of a few brides who had to have several trials by not going with a recommended supplier! We also cut out wedding favours (which always seem wasteful) and grew some dahlias in the garden to decorate the tables with.

How did you choose your photographer?
Beth was recommended to us by our friend, Dom. One of the best recommendations we have ever received! Beth’s work is so natural and her photo-journalistic background means that she can capture each moment beautifully.

The dress
My dress was by Pronovias. I had so many compliments on how different it was to other dresses, so I’m pleased I found it at House of Snow in Bury St Edmunds. I also bought my veil there at a later date when I decided I wanted one. My shoes were by Rachel Simpson – I couldn’t resist the glitter.

The suit and bridesmaids
Owen wanted a suit to stand out, so chose an autumnal burgundy French Connection suit with a Fox & Chave Gustav Klimt tie and pocket square. The bridesmaids wore a beautiful, deep green multiway dress which complimented each of their hair colours and skin tones. They could all wear it in a way that they found comfortable.

Theme or colour scheme?
The theme was eco-friendly, natural and autumnal. The two key colours which featured throughout (dresses, flowers, suits, ties etc.) were deep green and burgundy.

Flowers
Our bouquets, buttonholes and corsages were designed, home grown and arranged in Cambridgeshire by the very talented Rosanna at Wild Florals. The autumnal colours and florals were stunning, with dahlias, hydrangea, copper beech and hand-dyed ribbon all matching our theme perfectly. All of the flowers were wild and breathtakingly beautiful.

Decoration
Handwritten place cards by Fawkes Quill Calligraphy, postcards by Cambridge Imprint, bottle vases from Etsy, dahlias from the garden, photos from our younger years and a selection of gorgeous metallic LSA tealights. All things that we could use again in our future home and they made for a homely feel.

Food
All organic and beautiful food by the very talented team at South Farm. The starter was based around seasonal ingredients, a delicious Red Kuri Squash Ravioli, the main was Roast Rump of Lamb or a Halloumi parcel for our many vegetarian guests. The dessert options were Lemon Slice or Pear Bakewell. We couldn’t have been happier with the food, all so fresh and tasty!

Wedding cake
Was made locally by Bitesize Bakehouse. We had two tiers: the top was lemon and the bottom ginger cake with apple, and both were delicious. Nothing was too much hassle for Jade, we had three vegan guests and she made them special raspberry vegan brownies (feedback for these was also extremely positive!!). The topper was two polaroids from our engagement photo shoot with Beth the year before.

Entertainment
Because of our small numbers and restrictions, we all enjoyed each other’s company for the drinks reception and dinner. There were garden games, but everyone seemed to ignore them and enjoyed chatting. A benefit of such small numbers meant that we were able to spend time with each of our guests. We couldn’t believe how quickly the time flew!

Who supplied the stationery?
Our place cards and vows were written out by the wonderfully talented Fawkes Quill Calligraphy on a burgundy card and metallic ink. We will treasure our vow books forever.

Where did you go on your honeymoon?
We travelled down to Cornwall and enjoyed a couple of weeks relaxing by the sea. On the journey down, we also stopped at The Pig at Coombe, which was a real highlight.

Personal touches
We hand stamped the save the date cards from Not On The High Street and printed out our invitation letters. We wax sealed each of our invites with a rose gold heart stamp, which took rather a long time.

Special moments
Saying our personalised vows to each other was so special and a moment we had waited a long time for. The speeches over dinner were also especially poignant – Sarah’s dad announced us in as husband and wife for the first time and our bridesmaids and best man made some personal and funny speeches. Due to our reduction in numbers, one of our groomsmen had to become our videographer and we live streamed the day to our guests who could no longer make it. It made everything more connected and it was lovely to know that our other guests could still join us.

Advice for other couples?
Don’t become obsessed with what others think your wedding should be, it is your special day and you can do whatever makes you happy. On the day, relax and enjoy every moment, it will all go very fast! The day is all about your love for each other so don’t get too hung up on the small details.

Biggest surprise
That we were able to go ahead! With all the restrictions we couldn’t quite believe that we had managed to go ahead. Everyone scrubbed up so well and it was wonderful to have so many people we loved under one roof.