Faye & Khalid, Thornton Manor
Every now and then a wedding comes along that we are truly lucky to be involved with. Faye and Khalid held their wedding reception in the Waterside Marquee at Thornton Manor in September, and Faye's specification was to plan 'the perfect rustic wedding'. The venue itself is perfectly suited to our rustic and vintage style, the marquee providing a 'blank canvas' to realise Faye's vision.
The beautiful photos are courtesy of Michael Foyle, who captured the early autumn day perfectly.
Working as a wedding planner herself at home in Kuwait, Faye had lots of wonderful and creative ideas that she wanted included in her day. It was a pleasure working with a bride who had such a truly imaginative vision. She loved the idea of featuring lots of gypsophelia and succulents in the decor, and so, as you will see they feature in abundance throughout!
The welcome area was decorated with a collection of old photographs of the couple, dressed on hay bales and surrounded by rustic props such as ladders, wicker hearts and even a bucket of apples!
Inside the marquee, Faye opted for long tables, which we felt really fitted with the rustic theme, and were perfectly suited to our hessian and lace table runners. She was keen to feature a lot of foliage in her decor, and so we created two twisted willow archways with the leaves still attached, to add a whimsical feel to the setting. We also sourced manzanita branches from a ranch in California that still had the leaves attached, to add some colour and life to the centrepieces. These were displayed in a mix of mini wooden crates and wicker baskets, and dressed with moss.
We used our hessian chair bows to contine the rustic theme, adding in some gypsophelia to finish.
Our hand-made kraft luggage tags added a personal message from the bride and groom to the guests. These were added with twine as napkin rings, with thanks to the lovely ladies at Anne Wilson Catering.
We even created a pair of monogrammed hessian runners for the top table...
And each guest had a miniature succulent wrapped in hessian as a favour, complete with hand written kraft name tags.
The stunning top table display (along with Faye's bouquet) was create by Donna @ Pure Floral Design, and included mini potted succulents to complement the rest of the decor.
We provided a rustic styled refreshment table, complete with our large glass drinks dispensers perched atop log stumps, and mason jar glasses with mini hand written wooden tags.
Faye and Khalid had a simple white sponge cake, which we decorated with antique gold ribbon and succulents, and displayed on our large log slice cake stand.
We created a framed 3D heart guest book for the couple, so that their guests could leave messages of the big day. This created a lovely keepsake that Faye and Khakid could display in their home forever.
Our marquee LOVE letters created a feature behind the dancefloor, providing a great backdrop for the party.
Outside we created some seating areas using hay bales covered with lace, and glass-topped bales for tables. These were decorated with storm lanterns and jam jar lanterns hung from shepherd's hooks.
We also added some wire baskets full of blankets to help keep the guests warm through the evening.
Finally we created an outdoor photobooth area surrounded with festoon lights and vintage hanging frames. We used our rustic doors backdrop, and provided a range of props displayed in a mini haybale. We also provided our polaroid camera so that guests would have a memento to take away.
We thoroughly enjoyed working with Faye to plan and create her beautiful rustic vision!
