This English Countryside Wedding Inspiration Will Make Your Jaw Drop

A Meaningful Table for a Simple Wedding

This story was originally published in 2017 under Cottage Hill.

Photography by Taylor & Porter

Your wedding day will be filled with moments you hope to be captured as if they were a painting. This inspiration piece was inspired by just that, the slowness and meaningful moments that take place throughout your wedding day and in particular the intimacy between yourself and your family.

In the UK there is a big emphasis and pride in the Sunday meal as well as using local produce and bringing together the family in a humble and simple manner. It’s just about a homemade meal and being with your loved ones. This meal usually means creating something filling, hearty and definitely warming. British food and meals along with our harvest is best in the autumn. With the luscious countryside playing home to some of the most delicious ingredients, British meals are filled to the brim with root vegetables, roasted potatoes and often can infuse the delicacy of our neighboring European flavours. Often these recipes are passed down through families and cooked again and again at these Sunday meals or special occasions. You’ll often hear stories of “Mother’s cookbook” and “Mum’s secret ingredients” – this goes without saying, the making of a meal is something enjoyable and something we learn from our elders. For the particular meals prepared in this story were adapted from Ottolenghi’s Plenty recipe book, Emma Knowles of the Gourmet Traveller, Dolly and Oatmeal and Heinstirred.

The table in itself is a celebration of the humble meal, painstakingly prepared by the Bride and her Mother-in-law to be. Our Sunday meal is sympathetic to its surroundings with all the elements handmade from the ceramics to the tapered candles within the walls of one of the oldest buildings in the Somerset countryside. It doesn’t boast elegance but tells the story of a setting brought together in love of two families becoming one.

Marriage in an important moment for any person’s life and it’s by bringing in others around you that will ease and bring comfort to not only yourself and your partner but your family whom like you, are also going through changes.

Take purpose in intertwining your new family within your wedding plans by adding in a small dinner where you all make the meal together. It’ll create moments of laughter and lightness in a time when typically things can be a little tense in the lead up. You can see these moments nurtured and delighted in our story as we brought to life in an traditional 16th Century setting with the Mother and her Daughter-in-law to be. It is a relationship of honesty, simplicity and intimate understanding.

Sometimes it truly is the every day basic tasks that allow for such freedom and calmness together for two souls. Bring them into the celebrations as they bring you into their family.  There are also other tasks you can take part in to further grow this relationship such as painting beautiful favours or foraging locally for flowers or homegrown fruit to use at the dinner reception. All of which you can revel in together knowing you have taken the time to be with your In-laws to be as well as bringing an personal level of detail to your wedding design.

We all knows words have stood the test of time, there are certain pieces of writing which mean the world to some of us and teach us so much about love and joy. Think about how you can use this in bringing your family into your wedding day, whether it’s using a beautiful piece of literature or poetry that your Mother-in-law loves; this brings them more intimately into the ceremony.

In our particular story, women are our champions and for centuries they have been in art and history. We took inspiration from the artist Vermeer, who more often than not, used woman in movement as his inspiration in simple performing daily tasks. His eye always drawn to the detail of her clothing, her actions and her emotion.

Our woman and champion of this story is the Mother. She is taking the time to dress her daughter-in-law to be, she is preparing the ingredients with her, she is the one dressing the table with foraged florals for the wedding guests and couple to enjoy and celebrate at after the ceremony. She truly is the champion of this couple’s relationship and you can feel the excitement and anticipation.

With this we intertwined the emotional words of Lang Leav’s “Soul Mates” to set the tone and emotion of this intimate celebration. The Mother reads these words to the beloved couple during their ceremony and even helps the writing the rest of their vows to one another in the tranquil and ancient setting. The poetry words of Lang Leav represents the couples personal love story along side by being spoken by the Mother subtly shows her bringing them both together closer and being an integral part of their own love story by having such an important role to play during the ceremony.

Finding a short and emotional piece that represents your relationship can be used during your ceremony, in your invitation suite and can then become a memento for your own home. Consider finding unique pieces such as songs, excerpts from your favourite book or even consider writing your own piece.

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The Feast

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Story Credits

Photography by Taylor & Porter 

Film Development & Scanning by Richard Photo Lab

Planning & Coordination by Always Andri Wedding Design 

Design & Styling by Sundari design 

Hair & Makeup by Emma Jane Walsh 

Florist, Jo Flowers 

Paperie Design by Bureau Design 

Poem by Lang Leav C

ake Maker, Wildflower Cakes 

Tableware from Nom Living

Cutlery from Helene Millot 

Dress by Cortana via Morgan Davies 

Bridal Accessories from Nicola Ruby 

Model, Camillaa Moraes via Leni’s Model Management 

Silk Ribbon from Silk and Purl  

Shoot Assistant, Occasion Queens 

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