In an English country garden

A coral pink and ivory colour scheme complemented Sarah and Adam's country-vintage affair perfectly

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Images courtesy of Claire Evans Photography

Early days…

Sarah and Adam work as hospital pharmacists, and the pair met when they were both asked to give a presentation to first year diploma students at Keele University. "Adam was running late and I was early as usual," recalls Sarah. "As he ran in, he threw his bag at ma and asked if I could hold it while he nipped to the toilet! Although we kind of recognised each other from our time at Aston University, we hadn't actually ever spoken. Later on that day we went out for lunch and the rest is history, as they say!"

The proposal…

After two years together, Sarah decided to surprise Adam with a trip to Prague for his birthday. Little did she know he had a surprise of his own up his sleeve. "After we had been together for a year, Adan bought me a watch for Valentine's Day and told me that it symbolised the fact that he would propose within a year," says Sarah. "The clock was literally ticking! Sure enough, one year later to the day, he popped the question while we were in Prague. We visited the replica Eiffel Tower and Adam proposed to me in the gardens. Despite his previous promise, I didn't expect it at all, it was a complete surprise," she adds.

The venues…

After deciding on a chic country-vintage theme, inspired by Cath Kidston prints, both Sarah and Adam decided that Packington Moor was the perfect location for their wedding reception.
"The venue is set in beautiful grounds, and the whole atmosphere is very relaxed," says Sarah. "The barn and the pretty courtyard suited our vintage theme really well, and there were so many great places for photo opportunities.
"There was some lovely accommodation too," adds Sarah," There was a cute little cottage for Adam and I, and another cottage next door that slept eight people. The following morning the staff made us all a farmhouse breakfast, which was a lovely way to start the day."

The attendants…

Sarah's sister Emmawas her maid of honour, and she had three other bridesmaids - her friends Bryony, Joanne and Blair. Sarah also had her cousin's daughter Poppy as a flowergirl. The bridesmaids were dressed in a very striking coral pink. The gowns were designed by Blair and later handmade by a family friend. "I wanted all the bridesmaids to wear the same colour, but different style dresses," says Sarah. "It made sense because they all have different body shapes. However, we decided to link them all together using pretty bows, which were positioned in different places on each dress. Flowergirl Poppy wore a dress from Next that also had bow detailing on the back."

The dress…

Sarah's gown was 'Manhattan' designed by Suzanne Neville. It was an ivory silk strapless design with a pretty sweetheart neckline. The bodice had ruching around the waist and hips, which finished on the left hip with a bow.
She kept her style very minimalist with a real flower in her hair which matched those in her bouquet. She finished her look with a Swarovski crystal bracelet, which was given to her as a gift from her sister when Sarah was her bridesmaid, and a pair of stylish ivory sling-backs from Rachel Simpson shoes.

The flowers…

As the bridesmaids all wore pink, Sarah didn't want too much of it in her bouquet, so she opted for ivory vendella roses with hints of peachy-pink. The bouquets were kept very simple but they smelt wonderfully of rosemary and lavender. The flowers in the venue looked very similar to the bouquets but were placed in cream tin jugs to tie in with their country-vintage theme. "I felt the simpler the displays, the better," says Sarah.

The transport…

"Our transport was something that was very personal to us," recalls Sarah. "We both really really love Volkswagen Beetles and have always dreamed of owning a camper van one day, so these seemed the perfect choice." The bride travelled to the church in a 1973 white Volkswagen Beetle Karmann Cabriolet, while her bridesmaids arrived in a white 1969 Bay Volkswagen camper van. To keep with the VW theme, Adam travelled in his red 1983 Golf GTI.

The decorative touches…

To bring their theme into the reception, the couple named their tables after herbs, and the cards described their medicinal uses. "Some of the examples were funny, and proved quite a talking point for guests," laughs Sarah. The couple also decided to turn their favours into place names - which they made themselves. "We bought mini jam jars, filled them with boiled sweets and finished them off with mock jam labels with the guests' names on," says the bride. "The selection of colours looked great on the tables."
Like much of the big day, the couple's wedding cake was inspired by Cath Kidston prints including hearts, bows and spots. They opted for a four-tiered design made with fruit cake on the bottom, and three tiers of vanilla sponge with pink butttercream.

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