Hattie and Ollie's Beautiful Sussex Countryside Wedding

On a baking hot day in July, the gorgeous Hattie and Olly celebrated their wedding in the rolling hills of the Sussex countryside, hosting their reception in the garden of Hattie's family home. Choosing to have a wedding inspired by 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', the whole wedding has a wild and whimsical feel to it, with lavender tied in hessian dotted around the church, foliage garlands and a seating plan made of kraft paper luggage tags amongst many other pretty details. As a blogger, the bride Hattie clearly has a great eye for style and this is evident through so many lovely elements of their day (you can see more from Hattie here). Surrounded by all their family, friends and pets, their wedding feels warm and inviting and like one big family bash with everyone helping out, in true family style. Throughout the day, the photographer Helen Abraham captures the couple's fun spirit so wonderfully, in a really candid and unobtrusive way. 

The Outfits

To suit their Midsummer Night's Dream theme, Hattie wore a delicately laced dress from French designer Rime Arodaky, someone who is currently aceing the wedding game with classic looks teamed with a modern edge. Over the top of the skirt, she wore a feather light overlay that she could remove later in the night when the dancing kicked it. Our personal favourite element of the outfit is how she paired the look with a personalised pair of converse later in the evening, that saw 'Mrs F-C' delicately hand-painted onto the outer edge in soft pinks and blues. To keep the look classic, Hattie wore ditsy, white gyposphilia in her hair pinned lightly above her veil and finished it off with diamond earrings and a pearl bracelet. The bridesmaids wore pale periwinkle blue mid length dresses with dainty floral headdresses placed in their hair. 

Olly and his groomsmen all wore morning suits and vibrant blue cornflower buttonholes, with each putting their own twist on the look through varying coloured ties and waistcoats.  

The Flowers 

The couple’s choice of flowers were perfect for the look they were trying to achieve. Opting for classic English countryside flowers, both the ceremony and the reception venues were filled with blooms. The bride and bridesmaid bouquets were made up of the softest hues and featured scabiosa, gypsophilia, roses, peonies, veronica, stocks and green eucalyptus foliage. This colour scheme and choice of flowers continued across the venue flowers, with large arrangements placed at the entrance to the church, bunches of gypsophilia and scabiosa attached to the pew ends with a large striking floral garland around the arch where they said their vows. The marquee was filled with a mixture of gorgeously tall trees and loose floral arrangements to fit with their wild and whimsical feel. Even their cute dog Luna had a look in, as she paraded round the reception in a collar made of bright blue cornflowers and white spray roses. 

The Reception

To fit with the easy-going summer vibe of the wedding, guests were welcomed to the reception by a fabulous steel band to help set the tone as they enjoyed drinks outside. It was floral galore, with potted lavender lining the bar, trees and potted plants dotted around and ivy running around the whole of the marquee. The couple made the (very wise) decision to go for two cakes – one large sponge cake covered in strawberries with ‘H & O’ spelt out and another with multiple tiers of cheese. Guests mingled out in the garden and made their way to their seats for the meal, speeches and then lots of dancing. Due to the wonderful countryside setting, everyone could enjoy the hazy Summer's day outside right until sundown. One of our favourite personal touches with all real weddings is the choosing of table names and Hattie and Olly didn’t disappoint, naming their tables after Tennis Players, Cricketers and favourite Celebrity Icons.

Suppliers

Dress:  Rime Arodaky // Shoes:  Freya Rose  //  Veil:  The Mews  //  Diamond earrings:  Tada and Toy  //  Custom Converse  //  Groom's Suit:  Favourbrook  //  Flowers:  Simply Wonderful Flowers //  Stationery:  Danewood Press