Molly & John’s cultural fusion Barn Wedding

Molly and John’s beautiful English Nigerian wedding took place in rural Suffolk, hosted by Molly’s wonderful parents at their home and it’s fair to say that the wedding wasn’t without its challenges namely the weather and the A14 road!

We arrived early morning to a gorgeous, hot Summer’s day and all plans for the outdoor garden ceremony forged ahead.  Fast forward to one hour before the Church service and a guest was quick thinking enough to call us and give us a heads up of a torrential thunder storm that they were caught up in en-route to the wedding – cue much running around by the team and family to bring in the outdoor PA system and various other items before the storm hit us hard and flooded part of the marquee and barn that was housing the bar – not the most ideal way to start the day but one we soon overcame – as always with the British weather, after 30 mins of torrential storms the sun was back out and beating down on us as we dried off the garden ceremony chairs and mopped up the bar area!

Molly looked absolutely stunning in her Elizabeth Fillmore dress which was purchased from Browns Bride in London, as the dress was such a statement Molly opted to not carry a bouquet and teamed the dress with a gorgeous pair of Christian Louboutin wedding shoes.

John’s family have Nigerian heritage and it was wonderful to see so many colourful outfits as close family made their way to the tiny village church followed by Molly and her father for the first part of the ceremony.  With so many guests and such a tiny church the decision was taken to hold two ceremonies – the first where M&J were legally wed in church and the second half of the ceremony in a beautiful wooded area of the gardens conducted by the same Vicar as the church ceremony.

The flowers were the mastermind of a lovely lady called Lesley Bennion who is a member of the Framlingham Flower Club and she beautifully decorated the church and the reception barn and house with stunning seasonal blooms in summery pinks and lilacs whilst the reception tables kept their clean lines by having pots of white hydrangeas in the centre of the tables.  The bridal party flowers were from Lilac Thyme in Woodbridge and perfectly complimented Lesley’s arrangements.  The beautiful cake was from The Pretty Gorgeous Cake Company and not only did it look stunning but tasted amazing with flavours that included oreo cake, pink coconut cake, lemon cake with lemon curd filling, champagne cake and a chocolate cake with chocolate ganache filling – the ruffles on the outside were colour matched to the stationery which was all hand made by the wonderful Julie from Little Button Nose.

The A14 and road closures did its best to delay delivery of the cake but Cynthia and her mother arrived cool as cucumbers and just in time to set up before the guests entered the reception barn.

At the drinks reception, guests were treated to a trio of cocktails, two alcoholic cocktails were the favourite of the Bride and Groom (mojito and caiprianhi) and a non-alcoholic one named after their gorgeous son the ‘Axel’ which was a Juicy Julep.   During the reception there was a magician to entertain the adults and a face painter for the children with the addition of a crèche for those that wanted to relinquish their little charges to the care of the nannies.

Catering was provided by Serena and her wonderful team at Bruisyard Hall and although the wedding breakfast was traditional English based on local Suffolk produce, the evening food was Nigerian and full of hearty stew, rice and Nigerian Yam Porridge to name but a few dishes.

Although there was no traditional first dance, the newlyweds took to the dance floor as James Junior was singing and guests were soon up on their feet all night dancing to DJ Ladi except for when we managed to tear them away from the dance floor for the spectacular firework show.  At the end of the night, just before M&J were whisked off to their hotel they both changed into traditional Nigerian outfits as a surprise for their guests – so surprised that we never managed to get any photos of them!

What have we learnt about planning our first Nigerian wedding?  Well we learnt ALOT! but namely that Nigerian guests will do their own thing, in their own time and their own way!

Molly & John, your day was amazing and we loved every part of the planning journey working with you and your families.  Wishing you much love and happiness for the future.

Huge shout out to Emily from Photography by Emily Fae for the gorgeous images and thanks to the following suppliers that made their wedding possible:

Supplier credit:  Photographer: Photography by Emily Fae Wedding Planners: Rocks & Frocks Ltd Make Up: Hannahs Make Up Hair Stylist: C L Lydford Hair Design Caterers: Bruisyard Hall Cake: Pretty Gorgeous Cake Company Florist: Lilac Thyme Flowers: Lesley Bennion of Framlingham Flower Club Coach: DJ Coaches Videographer: Cant Stop Filming Childcare: All Events Ceremony & Reception Pianist: The Cambridge Pianist Magician: Wayne Goodman Children’s Face Painter: Martina Sills DJ: DJ Ladi Fireworks: Dynamic Fireworks Evening singer: James Junior Marquee: Anglia Coastal Marquees Dance Floor: Intents Effects Toilets: Plush Mobile Toilets Stationery: Little Button Nose LOVE letters: Rocks & Frocks Ltd

If you think we could help you with the planning or management of your wedding, please contact Vanessa for a chat, a cuppa and quite possibly a slice of cake!

Vanessa & Dom

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