Wedding Ideas

Emily & Tom

Tom proposed to Emily on the beach in the beautiful Perhentian Islands. During a walk along a deserted beach under the stars, Tom got down on one knee and asked Emily to marry him. Back home after their romantic holiday, the couple began planning their spring wedding.

The Wedding & Reception Venue

A barn wedding venue was top of the list of wedding must-haves for Emily and Tom and after finding Gaynes Park on their Instagram, they knew that this was a venue that they just had to see: “We loved the fact that at Gaynes Park, you have all these fantastic locations at one venue. You can hold your wedding in the Orangery, your reception in the Mill Barn and serve your evening food in the Gather Barn.”

The Orangery at Gaynes Park in Essex is the perfect setting this spring wedding ceremony — © Ilaria Petrucci Photography

The Mill Barn at Gaynes Park is decorated with bright spring blooms for the spring wedding reception — © Ilaria Petrucci Photography

The Gather Barn at Gaynes Park in Essex is a fantastic covered outside space for your wedding guests to enjoy — © Ilaria Petrucci Photography

“We also both loved the accommodation and the beautiful Long Walk and Walled Garden. It was everything we wanted in one venue.” As Emily had always wanted daffodils at her wedding, their spring date in March was absolutely perfect. “We left our visit feeling so excited about making plans for our wedding day.”

The walled garden at Gaynes Park is set for a spring wedding with daffodils lining the aisle — © Ilaria Petrucci Photography

“Gaynes Park was the first venue we looked at and we didn’t look at any more. We both fell in love with it instantly and knew it was the place where we were going to get married.”

Bridesmaids

With a whole host of close girlfriends, not to mention two sisters, in her life, Emily knew that she wouldn’t be able to have everyone as bridesmaids. So, she opted to have just one bridesmaid by her side, her best friend Kay. “I’ve been best friends with Kay for 22 years and I knew I’d be able to find her a dress that she liked, that suited her figure and she felt comfortable wearing.”

The bride and her bridesmaid enjoy a moment in the walled gardens at Gaynes Park in Essex — © Ilaria Petrucci Photography

Kay wore a lovely dress from Missguided and, to make sure her best friend looked and felt amazing, Emily let her friend select the gown: “I ordered six or seven different styles and Kay chose her favourite. I was completely open to styles and colours so she was free to choose whatever she liked the most.”

The Men

The groomsmen all wore suits chosen by Tom although Emily was asked to give her seal of approval too: “Tom just wanted to make sure I liked them as much as he did, which I did! I would have done the same with my dress if I could because it was such as struggle not to get Tom’s opinion on it.”

The groom and his groomsmen stand among the daffodils in the gardens at Gaynes Park in Essex — © Ilaria Petrucci Photography

On the wedding day itself, Tom’s outfit choice was a huge hit with everyone, especially with his bride who admits to taking a look at him before the ceremony! “Tom looked so smart on the day. He didn’t know but I was watching him from the window of the Apple Loft. He looked so nervous but I instantly felt so proud of him.”

The bride and groom take a stroll around the grounds at the exclusive use wedding venue in Essex — © Ilaria Petrucci Photography

The Dress & Accessories

Choosing a wedding dress wasn’t quite the dream experience that Emily had hoped for. However, she eventually found a gown that was perfect for her at The Wedding Shop in Colchester: “My Stella York dress was simple and figure hugging and as I’m not a fan of glitz and glam, it wasn’t easy to find a dress but looking back, the gown I chose was just right for me.”

The father of the bride prepares to walk his daughter down the aisle at Gaynes Park in Essex — © Ilaria Petrucci Photography

To work with her simple, beautiful style, Emily wore flowers in her hair and an elegant, classically styled pair of earrings.

Final bridal preparations are made in the Appleloft Cottage at Gaynes Park in Essex — © Ilaria Petrucci Photography

Emily was incredibly lucky because her best friend Kay is a hairdresser and she styled Emily’s hair on the day: “This had to be my biggest saving! I was so lucky that Kay could style my hair for the ceremony and again for the evening!”

The Decorative Touches

Emily and Tom worked to a theme that was bright, wild and floral. Emily also adores boho and natural style and she was adamant that she didn’t want anything too sparkly or too perfect! The couple decorated Gaynes Park with masses of flowers and lots of lanterns and the flowers around their three-tier naked wedding cake matched Emily’s bouquet. But, it was the personal touches that they included that really stood out to their guests: “Everyone had a personal note from Tom and I at their place setting, thanking them for being there and for our close families, we also had a little wooden plaque resting on their napkin that explained how much they meant to us.”

For the wedding ceremony at Gaynes Park the Orangery was decorated with spring wedding flowers — © Ilaria Petrucci Photography

A rustic ladder was decorated with spring wedding flowers to create a cheerful table plan – wedding ideas — © Ilaria Petrucci Photography

Tables in the Mill Barn at Gaynes Park were decorated with spring floral centerpieces — © Ilaria Petrucci Photography

Mr and Mrs signs were used to decorate the chairs of the bride and groom at this spring wedding in Essex — © Ilaria Petrucci Photography

“For my close friends, I used an embarrassing photo of each one of them as their place cards! They were shocked and found it hilarious!” Emily’s sister also made cupcakes for everyone as favours. These were decorated with the couple’s names and wedding date.

The Wedding Day

The couple chose to hold their wedding ceremony in the Orangery, looking out into the beautiful gardens. Emily was accompanied down the aisle by her Dad and both her sisters were involved in the ceremony too, one gave a reading and one acted as a witness.

The bride was glowing as she entered the Orangery at Gaynes Park for the wedding ceremony — © Ilaria Petrucci Photography

With the ceremony complete, the newlyweds joined their guests for drinks and canapés: “For our drinks reception, we served white peach sangria and an elderflower sparkler. My friends have actually gone away and recreated the sangria at home because they loved it so much!”

Wedding guests gathered outside the Orangery at Gaynes Park in Essex for the wedding drinks reception — © Ilaria Petrucci Photography

After moving into the Mill Barn for the wedding breakfast, everyone enjoyed a three-course feast of crispy duck salad to start followed by fillet of beef and cheesecake. “Our speeches were amazing, especially the one by Tom’s best man. It’s hard to remember them because it’s just all so overwhelming but luckily, as we had our wedding day filmed, we can re-watch them. Tom’s was, of course, my favourite.”

At the wedding reception in the Mill Barn at Gaynes Park in Essex guests enjoy the speech from the best man — © Ilaria Petrucci Photography

Emily and Tom invited an additional 50 guests to their evening reception and after taking to the dance floor for their first dance to One Direction’s ‘Little Things’; everyone joined the couple and partied all night long. “It was lovely to welcome more people throughout the day and our DJ was a friend of Tom’s. Our first dance song was something we deliberated over for ages. We don’t have ‘our song’ as such but in the end, it was Tom that found this track, which actually made it much more special for me.”

The Honeymoon

After all the wedding excitement, Emily and Tom escaped for their honeymoon – a safari in South Africa followed by a week in Mauritius. “With the money our guests gave us, we managed to have the honeymoon of our dreams. It was amazing!” “I’d really recommend couples take a few days off after the wedding, even if you aren’t going on honeymoon straight away. Tom and I were completely exhausted for a good three days after the wedding and we also loved having time to sit together and reminisce about the day for a while with each other and with your family and friends.”

Wedding Planning Tip

“My biggest piece of advice would be to book a photographer who really suits your style. Everyone is so different and it’s important to have someone who fits with your personalities. Looking back at our photographs is one of my favourite things to do.”

The bride and groom enjoy romantic moment away from guests under the Pavillion at Gaynes Park in Essex — © Ilaria Petrucci Photography

“Also, make it personal. People don’t care about how much you’ve spent or how glitzy the day is. They care about how much you want them to share in the biggest day of your life.” For more real wedding inspiration from this beautiful Essex wedding venue, take a look at Amanda and Steve’s Rustic Spring Wedding.

“If we could do it all again, we wouldn’t change a thing. We were so lucky with the weather and Gaynes Park staff went over and above for us. What really touched us was when two barmen came over, without being asked, to help my Grandad back to his room at the end of the night.”

Suppliers

Photography :	Ilaria Petrucci Photography
Flowers :	Lily & May
Bride’s Shoes :	ASOS
Wedding Dress :	The Wedding Dress Shop, Colchester
Bride’s Accessories :	Gypsy Rose Vintage
Bridesmaids Dresses :	Missguided
Groom’s Suit :	The Groom’s Room
Venue Stylist :	The Venue Stylist
Cake :	Jennifer’s Cakes
Stationery :	Eagle Eyed Bride
Rings :	Hatton Garden

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