Meeting at university, Verity and James were good friends before becoming a couple in their third year. “James proposed at a Japanese botanical garden by a waterfall, with a Haiku he wrote,” says Verity. “We like a lot of elements of the Japanese culture, so this was a lovely backdrop for our proposal.”
Choosing a wedding venue was an easy decision. “We were extremely fortunate to have our whole day in the beautiful garden of James’ parents’ home in Broadclyst,” says Verity. “They are incredible amateur gardeners and have spent a lot of their time reviving the garden to its former glory.”
The picturesque setting inspired their bright and beautiful styling. “The garden is so full of colour, I wanted to reflect that in the rest of the day,” says Verity of the rainbow of colours that carried from the flowers and trailing ribbons of the bouquets to the signage and stationery. “We also made and hung hundreds of pom-poms from a large tree in the centre of the garden, and my final colourful DIY dream come true was draping ribbons from the marquee roof.”-
There were also nods to Japanese culture, with 1000 handmade origami cranes made by the couple and their mums hanging from the roof of the marquee. Continuing with the handcrafted theme, Verity made her own headband from freshwater pearls and crystal beads, as well as the bridesmaids’ headbands and men’s buttonholes, while she and her bridesmaids made their bouquets with flowers and foliage from the garden.-
Getting legally married at the registry office a few days prior meant their friend Danny could be the ‘celebrant’ at the ceremony in front of a stunning wisteria walkway. After the vows, there were photos and garden games in the sunshine, before moving into the marquee for champagne and afternoon tea, while Verity’s bridesmaid Chess serenaded everyone. In the evening they cut the cake – made by James’ auntie – and had speeches, before the pizza and taco food vans arrived!
It was just before the couple’s first dance that Verity remembers a particularly fond memory. “James and I went into the house and watched out of a window that overlooks the garden, to just take it all in,” she says. “We had a moment to ourselves and let it sink in that we did this amazing thing and all our favourite people were here to celebrate it with us.”
The first dance – which was choreographed by her sister to Baby It’s You by London Grammar – led to an evening of dance floor fillers. “I remember bouncing around on the dance floor and one of our favourite songs came on,” says Verity. “We were dancing together surrounded by our best friends – I felt like I was in a movie and all I could really see was James.”
After their dream wedding, what would be the couple’s advice to others? “Ask for help: don’t try to do everything on your own,” says Verity. “The huge collaborative effort from our families and close friends to bring everything together was so special – it really felt like a day for all of us, which I love.”
Photography Nova Wedding Photography novaweddingphotography.co.uk
Marquee, dining tables & chairs Abbas Marquees abbasmarquees.co.uk
Other furniture Virginias Vintage Hire virginiasvintagehire.co.uk
Tableware & freezer South West Event Hire southwesteventhire.co.uk
Dress Stephanie Allin from The Bride the-bride.co.uk
Bridesmaids’ dresses Coast coastfashion.com
Groom’s outfit Charles Tyrwhitt charlestyrwhitt.com
Hair & make-up Hair B Ellie instagram.com/eloisefleur_hairstylist
Veil, headbands & buttonholes The Wedding Pattern instagram.com/theweddingpattern
Catering The Ginger Cat Deli thegingercatdeli.co.uk
The Little Taquero thelittletaquero.co.uk
Flaming Good Pizza Co flaminggoodpizzaco.co.uk
Beer & ice The Red Lion
Stationery Papier papier.com
Entertainment Steve Clarke Chess Taylor chesstaylor.com Patrick Gavaghan instagram.com/pilotmusic_
