After connecting on a dating app, Esme and Ash first met at one of his favourite cocktail bars in London. Romance blossomed and, a few years later, Ash planned a special picnic in Greenwich Park. Waiting until sunset, he handed Esme a picture album with photos from their relationship and the last photo was a picture of a ring. "I turned around to look at him and he had pulled out the real thing!" she says.
"We knew we wanted a wedding venue in the South-west because that is where Ash is from and I studied there," she explains. "Not only was Harefield Barn ideally located for guests travelling from abroad, the combination of beauty and simplicity made it feel immediately welcoming and relaxing. The owner, Deborah, was also fantastic at helping us work out how we could bring out as much of ourselves in the day as possible."
Settling on a brief of "bold, bright and fun", the couple used orange as a starting point for their colour scheme, complemented by punchy pink and sunset yellow. "We wanted to ensure the bridesmaids and grooms people felt comfortable and joyful," explains Esme, allowing the wedding party to wear the outfits of their choice in these shades. Flowers in the brightest shades of yellow, pink and orange carried the vibrant aesthetic throughout the the celebration spaces, while the linens and stationery added further colour to the tabletops.
As the couple had legally married two days prior, they had full creative control over their al fresco ceremony, shaping it to reflect their personalities. Esme's mum Anna acted as the celebrant, overseeing their handwritten vow exchange beneath the September sun.
The drinks reception was followed by a wedding breakfast comprising stuffed vine tomato with local crab and oak-smoked salmon, buttered breast of chicken with confit leg wrapped in pancetta with butternut purée, and Esme's favourite for dessert: sticky toffee pudding with toffee sauce and whisky ice cream.
The evening guests arrived during the cocktail hour. "Splitting the speeches across dinner and the evening meant we were able to share some special moments with the evening guests too, which we were grateful for," explains Esme. Guests had another treat in store in the form of a choreographed first dance to Kygo and Sigrid's The Feeling. "The lyrics were pertinent and the music fun, but we also chose it because Ash's first present to me was tickets to a Sigrid concert, and the concert itself was a special memory," she says.
"Esme is half-Spanish and we wanted to find a way to make sure our day reflected this somehow," explains Ash. "We opted for bringing our DJ, Sergio Yanes, over from Spain. He was a huge hit and we could not have asked for a better party!"
A showstopping fireworks display drew the celebrations to a close - a moment both Esme and Ash cite as a standout memory. "The fireworks were spectacular, far beyond our wildest dreams and timed perfectly to Axwell and Ingrosso's More Than You Know," she reflects.
Their top tip for engaged couples is simple. "Hire a planner!" she says. "The second the wonderful Francesca from Primrose Weddings came into our lives, everything became so much more enjoyable, and especially the day itself. She guided us to the most viable and beautiful solutions at every stage."
Photography Kristian Lissimore Photograhy lissimorephoto.co.uk
Venue Harefield Barn harefieldbarn.co.uk
Planning Primrose Weddings primroseevents.co.uk
Dress Burr Bridal burrbridal.co.uk
Suit Zebel Bespoke zebel.co.uk
Hair stylist & bride's make-up Cathy Vanstone beautybycathy.co.uk
Bridesmaids' make-up Jodé Bliss-Thompson instagram.com/makeupartistdevon
Flowers Floren florenflowers.com
Cake Coco's Devon cocosdevon.co.uk
Stationery Bureau bureaudesign.co.uk
Table runners Special Occasion Linen specialoccasionlinen.com
Fairy light canopy Socialights socialights.co.uk
Fireworks Sonic Fireworks sonicfireworks.co.uk
Transport Greenslades Tours greensladestours.co.uk
Dance lessons Connor Taylor at Adore Dance adoredance.london
Entertainment DJ Sergio Yanes
