Chris & Nat’s Kent Barn Wedding
Today’s blog is a gorgeous Kent Barn Wedding and the lovely Nat and Chris who flew all the way from their home in New Zealand to marry in the UK and celebrate with their nearest and dearest.
Nat was born in Kent and moved to New Zealand for work where she met Chris through a mutual friend. The proposal was full of romance during a picnic on the beach, followed by a weekend of surprises including a forest cabin with champagne. With family still in the UK, they decided to hold their wedding close to where Nat grew up in Kent. They knew they wanted a woodland involved in their big day as Chris is a part time Luthier. With a little research they also realised that it was bluebell season in April and so a wedding brief and date was hatched! Nat & Chris knew about us from one of our previous couples Alex and James, as Nat and Alex are old friends. It was lovely to have a reunion with Alex & James but this time as wedding guests!
Our brief was to find a venue with a bluebell woodland for the ceremony and space for a ceilidh band in the evening. Wanting to keep things natural to tie in with the venue, we settled on a woodland theme with mis-matched chairs for the ceremony and the same chairs paired with vintage wooden trestle tables for dining, creating one huge table down the barn.
Nat & Chris themselves got creative and created a table runner put together of various pages from their favourite books … needless to say when the guests realised, there were some raised eyebrows followed by a lot of laughter at some of the content!
Although it was a dry day, there was a cold and blustery April wind blowing and as much as we knew they were desperate for an outdoor ceremony in the woodland, we also knew the older guests would find the ceremony far more enjoyable in the warmth of the barn. So, on the morning of the wedding, we changed plans and prepped the barn for the ceremony.
The fabulous team at Blubelle Creative created all the florals to our brief which included bluebells and other woodland flowers and foliage including a fern native to NZ and freesias which are Nat’s favourite flower. Nature lovers at heart, Chris and Nat wanted to feel the earth underneath them during their ceremony (hence them originally wanting an outdoor ceremony) so they opted to go barefoot. Whilst they didn’t have the earth underneath them, we made sure they were comfy with faux sheepskin rugs to snuggle up their toes in.
Their celebrant led ceremony was beautifully personal and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house including all of us suppliers and the Preston Court team! Music was provided by roaming band ‘Fiddlin’ About’ and they teamed up with Chris’s father to sing an Elvis classic to the couple and to Chris’s Mum (this was the part we were all reaching for the Kleenex!). They literally rehearsed together for 5 mins before the ceremony and it was one of the most personal and heartwarming performances we’ve ever witnessed.
During the drinks reception while guests were kept entertained by Fiddlin’ About, the vintage carousel and fairground games from Tiggiwinkle, the team prepped the barn for dining.
Nat & Chris didn’t want a formal sit down meal so opted for a BBQ provided by Tayberry Foods, using local produce from the surrounding Kent area. In the evening guests partied with a ceilidh band interspersed with rides on the carousel before retiring to their bell tents at the onsite glamping field. Later that week, our gorgeous couple honeymooned on the Trans-Mongolian Express!
If you live abroad and are looking at the UK for your wedding and would like to chat to us about planning your wedding, please contact us here
Supplier Credits: Photographers: Lina & Tom | MUA: Lydia Rae Make Up | Hair: Kate Atalay Bespoke Hairstyling | Florals: Blubelle Creative | Musicians: Fiddlin’ About | Venue: Preston Court | Catering: Tayberry Foods | Bell Tents: Glamping at Preston Court | Celebrant: Karina O’Donnell | Napkins: CMA Hire | Crisis Ceilidh Band | Fairground Games: Tiggiwinkle Tables + Chairs: Anthology Vintage Hire On the Day Stationery: Little Button Nose
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