The Ice Cream Van was a MUST! I argued this point to every Tom, Dick & Harry who thought it was a stupid idea as the desert. In the end, everyone handed it to me. It was a great touch! Alex from Sweet Scoops was absolutely adorable and possibly the cutest little bean I have ever met. The whole thing just suits her down to the ground.
She had decorated the van with our wedding date and our married ‘’Mr & Mrs’’ and even played music as she came down. Everything about it just made me a little giddy kipper (more than I am normally!)
The ice cream flavours were the delicous Yorvale brand and it was so tasty. We had sorbets and ice cream flavours so there was something for everyone!
Sadly Mr C could not manage an ice cream (despite telling me everyday before the wedding he was going to eat 100!) as he was busy being a little bit sick after eating too much blue cheese from the cheese platters! (This makes me really sad that he spent some of his wedding day with his head down the toilet!)
What did you do on your wedding day that made it a little different or did you have an ice cream van too?
It’s the little details that mean a lot to me at weddings. I want to feel like I am taking a glimpse in to the Bride & Grooms life. Our special day was no exception.
James family are die hard farmers, we rear chickens and love the outdoors. So what was more fitting than a ‘’Countryfied’’ Wedding. My family are very crafty and creative so it was even better that there was so many home spun features on our big day.
The old potato chitting trays welcomed our guests on arrival. Despite the rain we managed to get the ‘’Mr & Mrs Clayton’s Wedding This Way’’ Sign out so everyone knew where they were going.
I think everyone was shocked when they walked in to the hall and saw just how amazing it was and how much love had gone in to decking it out. I have always imagined what peoples faces would be like when they opened their invites & saw that we were having our wedding reception in a village hall.
We managed to get a lovely shot the day before of the venue before chaos ensued. I’m sure you will agree it look PRETTY amazing, if I don’t mind saying so myself.
My mum sewed plenty of bunting to wrap around a few of the tables, like the top table and the Cake/Photo/Post Box table. It gave it just that extra pizzazz (is that even a word, it hasn’t got a squiggly red line under it?!) of colour to compliment the ivory marquee lining.
The ‘’Mr & Mrs’’ on the top table was a Hobby Craft special & so was the red post box that Mr C and I painted at his work. My mum paper mache’d the ‘’Mr & Mrs’’ too, she is so super clever!
The napkins are from the Cath Kidston sale that I picked up right when we got engaged so we have always known that this was the type of wedding we were going for
The centre pieces & flowers were very natural and country garden style. We didn’t want a huge centrepiece on the tables that people could not see one another! The ceramic jugs were an ebay find, we had lovely duck egg blue, blush pink and cream jugs. Each Table was different. We were a little boring with the table numbers and stuck to ‘’1, 2, 3’’ (you get the picture!) but we bought so cute chalk board table number stands which looked great!
I loved our little place settings, simple brown luggage labels that my mum decorated with doilies and the ‘’Mr & Mrs’’ ribbon. It was so simple but so effective. And I love how ours said Mr & Mrs Clayton on them!
Because we didn’t have ‘’favours’’ as such we created buckets for the children at the wedding that had sweets, magazines, colouring pen and pencils. One even had a set of fake moustaches which went down a treat! It kept the children happy during the speeches and throughout the meal and it was something we were so happy that we did. Thanks to my super Aunty Kate!
Like I said, we didn’t have favours so instead we opted for a cute Kandy Kart that kept guests entertained all day/night, rather than taking something home that they were going to stuff in a cupboard to never see again or, throw in the bin and never see again. Plus, it was a nice talking point for people to have a laugh & a joke about how many sweets they were getting.
Donna was fabulous & even sourced some material that matched the bridesmaid dresses. How’s that for service?
We got to choose 10 different types of sweets and we also got to keep what was left. So, we are currently wading our way through LOTS of sweets!
Our beloved ‘’R & J’’. I had seen these all over pinterest and thought, ‘’I HAVE TO HAVE THEM’’ and so I did. My uncle is super talented as he is a joiner by trade. I asked him nicely if he would mind doing them for us and he made sure they were perfect! They looked amazing when the lights were turned off. Again, it just added that extra little sparkle to our wedding!
Now, let me bring you on to the food. It was to die for! When we decided on a DIY wedding the first people we thought of were our local pub, The Fox & Hounds. Their food is amazing, delicious and locally sourced. They did not disappoint with their fairings.
The Chicken Liver Parfait is my particular favourite starter, add that to the succulently warm olive bread you have a winning combination.
Now, with James’ family mainly all farmers, meat is something of a task to them when they aren’t eating their own field fodder. So it was a welcome surprise that they were all saying it was some of the best beef they have EVER tasted.
Food was so important to us, because most weddings you go to, the food is just ‘’okay’’ and you want to feel full. I hate to blow our own trumpet but I think we got it spot on, 100% with the caterers, so a MASSIVE thank you to Alan and his team.
What made your day feel special and set you apart from other weddings you’ve been to? I can’t wait to bring you our other instalments of the big day, it is keeping the memory alive for me.
When Cloggs UK asked me if I would like to work with them again, I jumped at the chance. I had free reign of what style of shoe I could request and review.
After choosing a really clumpy pair of Doc Martins last time (see post here!) I wanted something a little more feminine and girly, especially seen as the season of Summer is upon us.
I was really drawn to the low, block heeled sandals that are on offer at the moment and when I saw these white, floral sandals from Qupid I just knew I had to have them. They are such a delicate pair of shoes that you can dress up or down, without feeling too overdressed. They retail at £30.00 and are currently in the sale so be quick at catching these before they sell out.
So how did I style them? I chose my pink, gingham skirt from Primark which I found in the sale for a mere £5, along with my oversized, scuba top from Topshop, that I managed to pick up on eBay for a mere £1.99! (Yes, I do love a good bargain!). No look like this is complete without a cute wired headband, which again was a topshop find. My necklace is a Vivienne Westwood globe which was a gift from my now-husband. My sunglasses were a free gift with the most recent edition of Tatler!
I can see these shoes becoming a bit of a staple this Summer and I can’t wait to give them an outing. Perhaps to the Yorkshire Bloggers meet on the 12th July 2014? I’d love to hear if you are coming along as this will be my first official Bloggers Meet and I’d love to see some faces.
So, what are you waiting for head over to Cloggs UK and get shoe shopping!
We are currently house & dog sitting for James grandma and grandad.
I have to say, I feel like I am on my second honeymoon. You can very rarely keep us away from his grandparents house. They love looking after our dog, Skye, they always have a cold beer on tap, grandmas cooking is amazing and their house…. Is an amazing vista!
We’ve spent every night on the garden, watering plants, cutting sweet pea flowers, picking raspberries, BBQs,walking the dogs… Just general, lovely, nice things!
It seems so simple but that’s the beauty of it. This is the lifestyle I want and crave.
Now that June is slowly coming to an end I thought it was only right to post a Lust List.
June has been an exceptional month for me as it was the month of the wedding & honeymoon and we couldn’t be happier with how everything panned out! Some people have even said it was THE BEST wedding they had ever been to, which was testament to the hard work that James & I put in to the making of the day.
So we will now have money! Which means one things… SHOPPING. I am a free woman with no constraints on my purse strings (except for my driving lessons) so I can spend, spend, spend!
Coco Chanel Mademoiselle: I had always dreamed of wearing this delicious scent at our wedding but sadly at £98.50 a 7.5ml parfum bottle that would have paid for a few bits & bobs. You can find it here at The Perfume Shop along with lots of other beautiful perfumes too!
Links of London XS Sweetie Bracelet: I have teeny tiny wrists (I wish I could say that about my hips!) so this bracelet is perfect for my delicate little wrist bones. Priced at £120 on Links of London you will not be disappointed with the selection of jewellery on offer here.
H&M Floppy Hat: What’s a sunny day without a super elegant floppy hat that oozes Hepburn-esque style? A really rubbish one that’s what! It’s in the H&M sale for £9 which is a steal, find it here at H&M
New Look Co-Ord: Who doesn’t love this co-ord style at the moment? It’s chic & sassy at the same time. Everyone on Capri Island was wearing them. So if it’s good enough for the super rich Italians its good enough for us. I love the vintage, floral design! Each piece shown is priced at £17.99 and can be found in store or online at New Look.
Birkenstocks Madrid Style: Ahhhhh, my lovely Birkenstocks! Having started suffering with a “dropping in step” I have had to act quick to find a few pairs of shoes that help lift it & these are just perfect. Especially for just slipping on and off on a Summers day. I for one, will always be buying these sandals from now on! Stylish and orthopaedic (see that big word I just threw in there, yeahhhhh enjoy it!). You can buy your Birkenstocks at Cloggs UK where you will find an array of brands and unknown footwear that will keep your eyes entertained all night!
John Lewis Picnic Hamper: What’s a picnic without a picnic hamper? Well it would not be a picnic. FULL STOP. Now we have a super duper new John Lewis at York Retail Park & we have John Lewis vouchers I can see myself getting sucked into that middle class values type of life! Everything is just so pretty and beautiful that you can just stare at everything 24/7. Not good for the bank balance, but totally ok for the picnic scene! This hamper along with the cutlery and glasses etc it is priced at £100 but so totally worth it, right? You can find it in store or online at John Lewis
So what would you wear for a picnic or why would you pack for your day out in the glorious sunshine. It would have to be ham salad and tuna & cucumber sandwiches and then plenty of strawberries/raspberries with lashings of cream and sugar (plus a bottle of prosecco!) PERFECT!
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