The Vintage, Travel Inspired Wedding of Emma & Ali at Dewsall Court...

Vintage, travel inspired wedding at Dewsall Court in Herefordshire, photos by Three Flower Photography as seen on Mr & Mrs Unique www.mrandmrsunique.co.uk

A Stunning Dewsall Court Wedding…

A while back we ran a competition with Charlotte from Three Flowers Photography for one luckily couple to WIN their wedding photography… I know! What a prize!! We had some lovely enteries in, but one that stood out was from a couple called Emma and Ali.

Ali had emailed ‘It is an all weekender from Friday to Monday with the big day on Saturday at Dewsall Court… it will be filled with secret games in the woods and hidden treasures in the house as a nod to our travelling days. It will have a bohemian vibe but also a little traditional.‘ With that we found our winners…

Three Flowers Photography…

Why you love this wedding…

I simply adore this wedding! The detail Emma & Ali went to was astonishing and it’s a cliché to ‘make it your own’ but these guys really did. I love that they stuck to their plans and had their ceremony outside – the rain simply didn’t stop play!

The ceremony itself was also just beautiful, the service was so personal and joyful and it really felt like a celebration. Most of all though, I love this wedding because I was able to give my time to a couple who were very warm and welcoming and who are so clearly very much in love.

What were the couple’s requirements…

Mainly as with all my couples, Emma & Ali wanted me to document their story. They were keen to have some family photos but kept these to a minimum and they were very generous by giving me not one, but two portrait sessions!

Favourite details of the day…

Personally I just love the little people hanging from the wine glasses with the guests names on – genius! I also love the cake table. The idea of every able baker contributing something delicious is really fabulous – again, it made the day feel like it was everyone’s celebration. And the fact that those cakes were just out of this world (one of them literally!) was just amazing.

Emma & Ali…

Tell us how you met and got engaged…

We met at Bestival music festival on the isle of Wight and got engaged 3 years later whilst travelling the world on a small island off Cambodia!

What were your main hopes for the day…

For our friends and family to feel part of and understand what binds us (our sense of adventure and love of travel) and for our nearest and dearest to revel in and love our venue which we fell in love with from day one. We wanted it to feel personal and for people to appreciate the level of planning and detail that went in to immersing people in our theme. I think we got everything we wished for (except sunshine for the ceremony )

Was your favourite part of the day…

There were two! ; On the day itself, the moment we sat down as man and wife at the wedding breakfast and looked out on the room full of our favourite people and the Wainhouse we worked so tirelessly at to make it look incredible and it did. Also at the end of the night when our friends recreated our wedding “humming” ceremony and turned it in to “the lion sleeps tonight” from the lion king.

However as our wedding was over a weekend we felt that having the Sunday (day after) to relax and reflect with our nearest and dearest in the house was what made it extra special (we hired the house from Friday – Monday).

How was your day unique…

We were married by a celebrat (Tiu De Haan) who we met at the wedding of two close friends. This is neither religious nor humanist but totally personal to the couple and designed around their heritage. As Ali is half Irish theirs involved celtic rituals and some bespoke blessings.

It was also the first time our venue had used so much of its grounds to capture the theme. We had memory trees that was laced with coloured ribbon and floating candles as well fairy lights where people hung polariod pics they could take on the day, a candle lined wishing lake where people could pick up a wishing pebble and cast it in to the lake. Every guest had their own labelled bikini / swimsuit drinking buddy on their glass with their name on it and a travel themed favour including personalized wine stoppers. Every guest we had travelled with or met in a certain country got to sit on their country themed table and had polaroids of us with them in that location at their place.. we wanted it to feel as personal as possible.

What was your budget…

Well it wasn’t at the end what it was at the beginning that’s for sure. We started out at about 15k in early planning but easily more than doubled that by the end. We aren’t very good at compromising on budget once we have an idea in our heads and although you moan at the time.. in retrospect it was all worth it.

What was your biggest expense…

The venue… as we fell in love with its homeliness and amazing grounds and facilities we were determined to have Dewsall for the whole weekend Friday to Monday, which isn’t cheap… but again, totally worth it.

How did you save money…

Although our end budget doesn’t exactly scream “saver” we definitely used our nouse where possible. Ali bought expensive suits for the guys in the sales which actually ended up the same cost as renting and standard wedding number. Emma is a buyer and deals a lot with china so we had the bridesmaids dresses made over there and used alibaba for some mass purchases on the decorative front.

What was it like working with your photographer…

We were so over the moon to win the Charlotte’s services in the competition. We saw her work on the three flowers website and instantly her style and non-intrusive approach matched what we wanted for our wedding. Speaking to Charlotte only put us more at ease, we were totally on the same page and I think this really come across in our photos. It was raining on our wedding day and I think Charlotte managed to perfectly capture the character and “britishness” that added to our wedding, as well as grabbing all the little details that people may have missed on the day. It was a great experience start to finish.

Advice to any couples about to get married…

Forget what you think people “want” you to do and make your wedding a reflection of your connection. People really feel when a wedding reflects the love of the people getting married and that is what creates that bubble.. it takes some thought and effort but worth every minute, penny and blown gasket.

Anything additional you would like to add?…

Our wedding was the best weekend of our lives. When we set out we both knew what we wanted as an end result but didn’t know what, when or how. We agreed not to compromise if we fell in love with a venue, dress, idea or whatever and we held to that and luckily enough the road came up to meet us. Although it rained and cost way more than we expected… looking back, we wouldn’t change a thing.

Thank you for sharing your day with us! Charlotte you’ve done a great job capturing their day <3 To find out more about Three Flowers Photography you can visit her website here.