Late last Summer we were lucky enough to play host to the ultimate
festival wedding right here at Elmbridge Farm. Think colour, flower power and pompoms galore, all tying in with our tremendous tipis! It was a DIY wedding dream; so much thought went into
every element of this day to make it perfect and it was incredible to be chosen as the venue
to host such an epic event!
To understand a little more about this wedding, it’s important to know Sarah & Joe are Glasto-obsessed! It’s a place that means a lot to them both, not only because they’ve spent many a summer out in the fields of Worthy Farm but because it was right there in the crowds that Joe popped the question (in skywriting no less!) to a very surprised Sarah. It seemed only natural they’d want to create their very own festival for their big day.
If you think this all sounds familiar, it may be because you spotted them on the local news talking about their extraordinary engagement or because you followed along for the journey on Sarah’s Instagram account (@festivalbride2021) – flicking through the posts you can really see just how much effort went into their day!
They thought about EVERYTHING – from decorating the venue and hand-making so many pieces, choosing flowers and flourishes that would make a real statement, to finding ways to bring their love of music into their day and giving their guests the full festival experience. Their invitations were made up of wristbands and lanyards, they had signage that looked like it was taken straight from Glasto itself, and, of course, they named their day ‘Blainfest 2021’! Their table names included Pyramid Stage and Left Field, there was bunting by the bucketload, and there was even a merch stand with wedding branded goodies for their guests to take home at the end of the evening. They literally left no stone unturned!
Joe & Sarah stayed in our holiday cottages and descended upon the venue on the eve of their wedding to transform it from blank canvas tipi into the brilliant Blainfest. There were thousands (literally thousands!) of DIY pompoms put out; pretty paper lanterns hung from the ceiling; centrepieces with the standard festival wellies; and there were touches such as the rainbow postbox, branded coasters and the obligatory festival flags which all came together to make the most colourful, personal and joyful festival wedding which we’ll remember for a long, long time.
On the morning of the wedding, Sarah & Joe got ready with their bridal parties up in the cottages and guests soon arrived to be greeted by this incredible setup (and of course a jar of Pimms!)
Our lakeside ceremony area looked stunning with an aisle adorned with pompoms. They were also used to reserve the seats of the bridal party on the front row, and of course to decorate the archway which would be the backdrop to their super sweet ceremony – it added an amazing pop of colour whilst still making the most of those views!
Their ceremony was both joyful and moving, and was a real spectacle of colour. Lydia from Floral Roundabout had worked her magic once again to create beautiful flowers to decorate the venue, and also make the most spectacular bouquet AND flower crown for this gorgeous festival bride!
Once the ceremony was complete, Sarah and Joe led their guests along the bridge and up to the tipis for a drinks reception and lawn games in the sunshine. The walkways up to the tipi had, of course, been lined with pompoms and lovely colourful lanterns led the way up to the terrace. We did say they didn’t do things by halves!
Our confetti pony, Snowdrop, made her appearance in the afternoon and there was time for family photos before everyone took their seats in the tipi – and it was just as impressive inside as it was out. Our tipis looked spectacular filled with festival vibes and plenty of smiling faces! Once The Blains had made their entrance, Sarah and Joe took a seat at their own sweetheart table which took pride of place for their reception, and the colourful ribbons, flowers, signs and banners brought the perfect summer party vibe into the tents.
There was festival food served up by the couple’s favourite burger bar, The Beefy Boys, there were some epic speeches made, and even a brilliant photobooth for the guests to enjoy too. The evening was spent making the most of the activities, exploring the grounds, and filling up the dancefloor (with a few inflatable friends thrown in for good measure!). And if there hadn’t already been enough colour throughout the day, the smoke bombs added the perfect finish for the photos.
The whole day was sublime from start to finish, and it was a pleasure to host this epic festival wedding for such a wonderful couple. Hats off again to Sarah, Joe and their families for creating everything and organising it all to perfection, and to Nellie Photography for capturing it all so beautifully.
SUPPLIERS:
Photography: Nellie Photography
Flowers & Flower Crown: Floral Roundabout
Dress: Hill Bridal
Suits: Peter Posh
Photobooth: Made You Look Photobooth
Food: The Beefy Boys