Photos by Joasis Photography
Festival, Woodland Wedding Vibes…
You’re going to love todays colourful, woodland wedding!
It’s so heartwarming to see a wedding that was pulled together with so much help from a couples friends and family, and Beth + Zac’s wedding is a perfect example. From hand made signs and pom poms to BBQ food and lawn games…this fun, eco-friendly woodland wedding was a real family affair at Mulberry Lodge !
Beth + Zac…
Tell us how you met and got engaged…
We went to school together! We’d always known about each other, but didn’t really meet until sixth form when I transferred in to Zac’s Religious Studies class. We’ve been together since we were 17; high school romances work! We got engaged at about 2 o’clock in the morning last Christmas!
How would you describe your wedding theme?
Fun, festival like, colourful, DIY, ECO!
Our main aim was to organise a really easy going day, where everybody could just have fun, but still make it feel like a wedding. I’ve only actually been to one wedding before, so I wasn’t really sure what we were aiming for! But fun was the most important thing; it could rain, and the marquee could collapse, and everything could go horribly wrong – as long as people were having fun, nothing else would really matter.
What were your favourite details?
We did a lot of DIY everything! I collected tin cans and syrup bottles from work to use as flower pots and water bottles, and the pompoms were made by my mum’s team in her haberdashery. Zac’s brothers made the giant Kerplunk and Banagrams set, which were so much fun. The invitations and the signs around the site were designed and made by my lovely friend and beautiful bridesmaid, Maddy. My very clever mum made the lace top to my dress, as well as the big cake, a few other desserts, and some BBQ food. We could not have done it without the amazing help from our gorgeous friends and wonderful families!
What was your favourite part of the day?
It’s so hard to pick one particular part! The speeches are definitely up there though. We’ve both been friends with my bridesmaid, Dawn, for absolutely ages and she gave the most brilliant speech. People are asking for the transcript! She has so many great anecdotes about us both, and there was a perfect amount of humour and emotion. And it’s so refreshing to have one of the girls giving a speech!
How was your day unique?
So much of everything was made by us or friends and family! From the invitations to the decorations to the food, we were able to tailor everything to our exact specifications without shelling out a ton of cash. The other upside was that everything was under our control and care, so if something was going wrong we knew immediately and could fix it! Also, our generally relaxed approach to wedding formalities – I had my two best friends as bridesmaids (no MOH, no hierarchy!), and Zac never appointed a best man. Everyone was on an equal footing! Our venue wasn’t licensed either, so we had a whole separate day dedicated to a tiny private registry ceremony.
It was important to us that our wedding didn’t leave to much of a footprint, and we’re both very aware of wedding waste being a real problem. All of our cups, plates, platters, and crockery were recyclable and were ordered through the lovely people at Poppy’s Kitchen in Deal (as well as some truly amazing salads). We had a lot of dietary requirements amongst our guests, so we wanted to make sure there was plenty of choice for everyone – the majority of the food was gluten free and vegan.
What made you chose your wedding venue?
We were so excited to be able to use the Smugglers site as it’s a venue that actually has some significance to us. By having the wedding the weekend after the Smuggler’s Record Festival, we were able to use so many of their decorations, tents, and furniture. We hired our dining tables and chairs, as well as the ice baths, from Rustic Hire, but everything else on site was provided by the festival organisers. The land owners even lent us their bell tent to stay in for the night!
What was your budget?
We had a fairly strict budget of £8000 for the whole thing, and we managed to come in a bit below that. We even had just enough left for a short honeymoon.
What was your biggest expense?
We always knew venues were going to be expensive, and technically that was our biggest expense. The bigger surprise was the cost of photographers, but it is so worth the money! We were both sceptical at first; after reading so many stories of how couples have either been so relieved to have decided to hire a professional, or regretted not doing so, we were convinced it was a good idea to just invest.
How did you save money?
Making the food ourselves was such a cheap option! We were able to have exactly what we wanted, and still be able to afford quality ingredients. We got some real bargains with our clothes too; every piece of Zac’s outfit came from a sale!
What was it like working with your photographer?
We could not have found better photographers than Jo and Raf! They were so brilliant to get to know and work with, and such lovely people. And our photos are beautiful!
Advice to any couples about to get married?
If you think you can do it yourself, you probably can! Don’t let anyone put down your vision of your dream wedding; you’ll win round any doubters when they see how awesome it can all be.
Thank you so much for sharing your day with us Beth + Zac; what an incredible, fun filled, colourful day! Huge thanks also to Jo from Joasis Photography – If you would like to find out more about her creative wedding photography, you can visit her website HERE
The Suppliers:
Photographer: Jo and Raf from Joasis Photography
Wedding Venue: Mulberry Lodge
Smugglers Records – site planning led by Will Greenham
Bridal Dress: Bridal Boutique of Jules. Designed by Stephanie Allin Couture, purchased in sample sale. Lace shrug designed and made by Beth’s mum Anita, lace purchased from Minna Bridal
Bride’s Shoes: Lotta from Stockholm
Headpieces and Flowers : by Et Cetera Vintage, Margate
Bridesmaid’s Dresses: Asos (shoes Asos and Office)
Cake: Beth’s mum Anita, decorated with fresh flowers from a market
Stationery: Invitations and wedding signs Designed and illustrated by Maddy Vian (one of bridesmaids)
Caterers: A combination of DIY and Poppy’s Kitchen, Deal
DJ: Joseph Russell
Wedding Props: We hired our dining tables and chairs, as well as the ice baths, from Rustic Hire.
So lovely to see the wedding of Beth and Zac featured on your blog! It was truly unique. We loved every minute of it and had so much fun photographing it. Thanks!