Laid-back Elegance winter Chiswick wedding venues london
Today’s real wedding is all kinds of pretty! The dresses, the flowers, the accessories, the tablescapes, and of course, the
venue; every detail of Jenny and Daniel’s Castle Leslie laid-back elegance was beautifully executed. But that doesn’t mean this pair were hung up on the aesthetics or stressed in their planning! This couple’s sole aim was to create an intimate, laid-back atmosphere for themselves and their guests. As you’ll see from their gorgeous photos by Nay Photography, that’s just what they did with their stylish, 90-guest bash! This one is positively brimming with ideas!
Pink velvet bows? These are heels after our hearts!
Jenny and Daniel met when they were still teenagers, “I was in 6th year in school and Daniel had just started first year in Trinity,” recalls the bride. “One of Daniel’s friends and I had just started in the same school – he would end up being Daniel’s best man. Our first kiss was on the last day of Oxegen music festival (very old school!).”
Jenny’s floral bouquets were spectacular, filled with peonies, ranunculus, roses, and mixed textures of greenery.
Jenny’s wedding day hair is giving us inspiration for a natural fresh flower look that’s still polished and elegant.
Daniel popped he question on the couple’s 13th anniversary, “He surprised me with a proposal while on holidays in Sicily,” Jenny tells us. “We went for a walk up a hill in the town where we were staying, I should have been suspicious because it was his suggestion and usually I’m the one dragging him out for a walk! He had hidden a ring in the camera bag. He didn’t seem nervous at all and I was pretty shocked, but delighted.”
Jenny wore a gorgeous, romantic gown by Truvelle, from Kildare bridal boutique, Beau Bride. It’s got such a contemporary whimsical feel winter wedding venues chiswick london!
Let’s take a moment for Jenny’s dad’s blush suit – obsessed is not the word!
These two were eager to set the tone for their celebration, “In the lead up to the wedding, everyone kept telling us how relaxed we both seemed winter wedding venues chiswick london. Although it may not have always felt like that to us, it was important for us to create a relaxed atmosphere on the day because we knew we would enjoy the day more, and we hoped our family and friends would too.”
Daniel rocked a navy three-piece suit, standing out from his groomsmen in two pieces.
The bride’s niece and nephews, Holly, Max and Sam did an amazing job as flower girl and page boys – what pros!
The couple went to great lengths to ensure their wedding had the right atmosphere, “Everything about the day; from the Humanist ceremony to the long, banquet-style tables we chose for the dinner, helped create the laid-back atmosphere that we wanted. Also, as we had a small wedding of 90 people, we were able to have the evening reception in the main house of Castle Leslie rather than the pavilion winter wedding venues chiswick london. This gave an informal house party feel for the evening which fit in perfectly with the overall style of the day.”
The bride’s friend Cristina sang during the ceremony, “Two songs which carried a lot of meaning for us,” says Jenny. “We didn’t have any readings, so the songs were the highlight of the ceremony for me (apart from the ‘I dos’ of course!). And the fact that one of my best friends sang them made it extra special.”
The couple knew straight away that they wanted a humanist ceremony, “It gave us the flexibility to personalise the ceremony and reflected us as a couple.”
The venue had added significance as Jenny had been to Castle Leslie many times with my family for horse-riding trips, “We have great memories from there and whenever I go back I’m reminded of what a beautiful place it is,” she explains. “Daniel and I stayed there a couple of times in the last few years and he loved it as well. It has always felt very special, so it seemed like the right place for us to get married. We looked at one or two other places but none of them had the same unique feel as Castle Leslie.”
Once Jenny and Daniel got engaged, they didn’t want to wait too long to get married, “In fact, the wedding was only seven months after we got engaged. From the beginning we knew we wanted a small, intimate wedding, with just our close family and friends. It allowed us to spend time with everyone on the day.”
How chic are these laser cut white bridesmaid dresses? Such a cool, contemporary choice for bridesmaids, and dresses they’ll genuinely wear again!
Jenny and Daniel have a couple of tips to pass on to other couples, “Firstly, it sounds like a cliché but it’s YOUR day and do what you want to do! You’ll never please everyone so just please yourselves and I promise everyone else will have a good time.”
Their second tip? Trust your instincts! “There is so much choice out there for weddings – venues/florists/photographers – it can be overwhelming and hard to know which one to choose. I always knew who I got a good vibe from and I just trusted my instincts to make the right decision for our day. It’s really important to be surrounded by people you get on with and that are fun to be around on the day, it just makes everything more enjoyable.
The couple were excited about finding ways to personalise their day, “Even if its just a little touch. It makes it more special to you, as the couple, and it’s the kind of thing you’ll remember from the day,” says Jenny.
The colourful, statement blooms carried through to the reception centrepieces, with tall coral and pink candelabras.
The bride and groom wanted to make their wedding favours as personalised as possible, “We included donations to two charities that are important to us but I wanted them to be a bit of fun as well. So we included the succulent and scratch cards as an icebreaker when everyone sat down for dinner.”
Talented bride Jenny made her own wedding cake! “That was quite important to me, albeit somewhat stressful! I decided from the beginning that it was something I wanted to do and Daniel was very encouraging (even though everyone else thought I was mad),” she recalls. “However, closer to the time I became more nervous about, and thinking I should just order one instead! I started making it three days before the wedding, as Daniel said in his speech the kitchen looked like an episode from Great British Bake Off! But in the end I was really happy I did it and I wouldn’t change a thing.”
The couple opted for informal speeches ahead of their reception dinner.
The newlyweds jetted off to Iceland after their wedding, “It was fabulous! We hired a car and travelled around the country. It wasn’t a typical honeymoon, the country (and weather) is more wild than relaxing. But it was beautiful and many places we visited were quite secluded so we got some alone time which was perfect after the busy few weeks leading up to the wedding.”
Didn’t I tell you this one was full of ideas! Thanks so much to Jenny and Daniel for sharing your day with us, and to Nay Photography for documenting it so beautifully.
