Mr + Mrs Knighton
Sunday 29th July 2018 | Swancar Farm Country House
Instagram: @misscooke @the_official_jmk
Juliet and James had a gorgeous rustic country wedding with tones of soft pastel pink and navy. The rain didn't stop these two from having the best day ever! Bride Juliet tells us all about their love story, why chairs were so important to their decor (trust us, they are), the details of their day and her wedding DIYs...
How did you meet?
James and I met at a job in a bank. He had already worked there for a few years and as I walked into the banking hall on my first day, he was spying on me out of his office window! He told one of his colleagues that he knew he would marry me one day!
Tell us about the proposal...
James knew how much I love Paris so he took me there for Christmas 2016. On Boxing Day, we waited for hours in the queue to go up the Eiffel Tower. When we got to the very top, he bought two ridiculously expensive glasses of champagne and then proposed to me. It was so romantic and I cried and cried but managed to say yes!
What is your wedding must-have?
One of my amazing bridesmaids put together a ‘bride box’ and gave it to me on the morning of the wedding. It included everything I might need like stain remover wipes, mints, a mini deodorant, blister plasters, rescue remedy, chocolate and loads more. It was perfect to just grab what I needed quickly!
Tell us all about your wedding colour scheme...
James took a little bit of convincing to have pink but he eventually came round! I loved the soft, pastel pink and foliage scheme and it contrasted well with the navy suits. I wanted it to be rustic and pretty with lots of flowers. We used a wedding stylist called Hannah (@the_lanes_) who also did our flowers and I used Pinterest a lot for inspiration.
What kind of ceremony did you have?
We had a lovely civil service in the upstairs room at Swancar Farm. I remember feeling sad that the service only lasted about half an hour because the room was decorated so beautifully with flowers and all the little touches! One of my closest friends whom I’ve known since school, Kirsty, read a gorgeous poem called ‘On Your Wedding Day’.
What was your favourite wedding planning moment?
I look at the chairs in our wedding photographs and still chuckle to myself! The chairs and sashes featured heavily in our wedding plans – not always in a good way! I knew from the start that I wanted to hire chairs rather than using the ones that the venue throw in with the chair covers. As lovely as they are, I loved the wooden chairs with the draped sashes over the back and no amount of argument from the husband would’ve stopped me getting them! He disagreed completely and thought they were a waste of money at the time but on the day they looked absolutely perfect.
Did you make any wedding DIYs?
I wanted some small touches that I knew I could create myself to save pennies. These were some of them:
• Chair tags for reserved chairs during the ceremony
• Order of the day cards
• A sign asking people to sign the guestbook
• A photobooth sign
• Confetti cones
• A quote in a frame next to the confetti
• A gift box for the groom to open on the morning of the wedding including tags
• Macaron boxes with a ‘thank you’ sticker and ribbon
See Juliet's DIYs at the end of this post!
Advice for future brides...
You cannot guarantee good weather; our wedding was in July and it rained most of the day and was so windy! In hindsight, I wish I’d chosen two hairstyles during my hair trial – an updo and the half-up half-down style I had. On the morning of the wedding, knowing how windy it was, I’d have probably chosen to put it up!
Funniest wedding photograph...
I treated myself to some beautiful Ted Baker wedding shoes with bows on the top. Unfortunately the heel kept getting caught in the bow of the other foot (and walking through a field after it had been raining in heels was also tricky!). When walking back from a photo shoot in the field, my heel got caught and I fell forwards. Luckily my Maid of Honour was there to catch me!
What was your favourite wedding purchase?
I bought so many lovely things but I think my veil was the most beautiful thing I purchased. I spent a long time deciding on whether to have a mid-length or full length veil and whether to have lace on it. I ended up decided on a full length one with lace around the bottom. Some of my favourite photographs are the windy veil ones so I am so pleased I chose it.
Who was your bride and groom squad?
James had two best men – his best friends Stephen and Richard. My bridesmaids were my two cousins Kate and Lucy who have always been like sisters to me, my two best friends, Natalie and Gemma and my three nieces were flower girls – Olivia, Esme and Lexie.
Favourite wedding supplier?
I loved all of my suppliers but my favourite had to be Hannah from The Lanes. She took away a lot of the stress that I felt about wanting it to look perfect. The floristry she did, from the bouquets to the small little bunches in the ceremony, were absolutely stunning and her styling was exactly how I’d imagined it. I remember walking to the ceremony through the main hall and seeing the tables for the first time and I was completely in love with everything.
Best wedding splurge?
Although they didn’t feature on the big day, I spent a small fortune on our wedding invitations. They were handmade by @rosepress and I couldn’t have been more in love with them.
What was your first dance song?
Our first dance song was ‘All of Me’ by John Legend. It took us a long time to find the right song but we felt the lyrics of this song were perfect for us. It was played and sung on the day by an old friend, Roland, and his band ‘The Burgundys’. We just winged the dancing but at the time you don’t care about anyone watching you!
Venue: Swancar Farm Country HousePhotographer: Chris SnowdenStationery: Hannah at The LanesFlorist: Hannah at The LanesDécor: Hannah at The LanesCake: Emma Hello CakeInvitations: Rose PressMUA: Rochelle o’BrienHair: Mon Amie Wedding HairDress: Mori LeeShoes: Ted BakerBridesmaids Dresses: Mori LeeFlower Girl Dresses: MonsoonSuits: Hugo BossWedding Rings: Trinity Goldsmiths, Nottingham
Some of Juliet's wedding DIYs...
From Brides, With Love xo
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