We have such a special, family focused wedding to share with you today! Located in the beautiful South Downs countryside, Jasmine was married at her family's business, the stunning Upwaltham Barns in West Sussex. Starting with a blessing in the 'church in the field' St Mary The Virgin, Jasmin and Kyle then went on to have their ceremony and reception at Upwaltham Barns. Special touches included a drinks reception in the bride's grandmothers private walled garden which isn't usually available for bookings, and an epic surprise Tipi in the valley behind the barns.
Jasmine wore Jesus Peiro 927, which she customised with a polka dot tulle panel to the back. Read on to see more from her beautiful wedding day, with images by Gemma from Cotton Candy Photography.
Jesus Peiro 927 polka dot wedding dress
I chose Jesus Piero 927, but modified the back. I loved the Polka dot tulle as I felt it softened the more modern lines of the 927 dress. I initially thought I would be in something floaty, boho, beaded etc, but just didn't feel special enough/always felt a bit frumpy. Decided I wanted something a little more simple and structured but again didn't want it to look to 'heavy' so opted to have it made in the softer polka dot which suited an 'English country garden' and then asked to have the back amended with a sheer panel with the polka dot replicated here and a feminine bow. I also LOVED that I had pockets and on the day actually carried a little note from my mum and dad which they had hidden in my shoes before I got ready.
Dress Shopping
It was def not a say yes to the dress moment! I went to a few shops with my mum and sister who I trust the most but didn't enjoy the experience at all and got quite despondent and downhearted. Then I went with them to Miss Bush and it all changed! I loved the feeling in the chapel and Rosie was a superstar and put me completely at ease. I think I tried on about 10 dresses that first appointment! I put the 197 on right at the end and didn't get an amazing reaction from my family, but when I left, I kept thinking about it so asked my mum if I could go back again with her and one of my bridesmaids.
I put it back on and loved it, however when I walked out neither of them really said anything and I burst into tears. I so wanted them to like it more!!! However, the sample didn't fit me, and I was rather squashed in on the boob front!
After my mum saw I was crying she sensibly sat me down, asked for the dress to be undone so we could look at what it could be like if it fitted and then talked through what we could do with it to make it even more special! it was a def work in progress dress! I had seen a 'real life bride' on the miss bush blog post which I loved but didn't think the style of dress would work for my wedding, but there were elements of her dress (the sheer polka dot section and bow) which we decided we could add into the dress to make it a little more 'me'. I only saw it finished fully 2 weeks before my wedding and fell completely in love, we had made the right decision!!!
My favourite part of the dress shopping experience was the chapel! it just felt so different to all the other shops we had been in. No grey plush carpets with no space to move/try the dress on. Rosie was also just a dream, there was no fluffing around the bride... she had suggestions and recommendations, she listened, she knew when to chip in and what to say to reassure me and my mum!
Styling
Most importantly I wanted to look like 'me' on my wedding day. I’m not a ‘done up’ girl, I am relaxed and a little rough around the edges, but I still wanted to feel like I looked my best. I went with a very simple long veil which didn't take away from the dress but still added to the softer romantic side I was looking for. I had simple white satin sling back shoes from Monsoon which also had a little bow on the heel which mirrored that on the back of my dress. My favourite accessory was the earrings my younger sister gave me for my wedding day. I had seen them in a blog post featuring a Jesus Piero dress and thought they were stunning, however a friend offered to lend me some beautiful diamond earrings so I thought I would take her up on that, however my sister secretly bought these for me as she thought they were much more me and she couldn't have been more right. They were beautiful bespoke white ceramic 'Bud and Bloom' earrings from PSWITHLOVE. Final touch on the day included some Jasmine Flowers in my hair which my bridesmaids secretly picked form the garden the morning of the wedding and asked if they could add into my hair as well as theirs and in the evening I took off my veil and had a stunning flower crown from 'Rose Cottage Flowers' and added my favourite silver bangles back onto my wrist and my husband gifted me with a pair of hand-painted Superga trainers so that I could have a boogie!!
An Upwaltham Barns wedding
Having parents who work in the wedding industry and home being at a wedding venue I’ve forever been absorbing different influences and deciding on things I did and didn't like! However, when it actually came to deciding it was hard!! The dream was to have an English country wedding that fundamentally felt relaxed and fun. If we were to have not got married at home we would have chosen a more 'festival' themed wedding in a Tipi but we decided we could bring some of that relaxed vibe to the barns.
As a couple we are in the middle of wedding season, this year alone we have been to 12 weddings, so we wanted ours to feel like us full of memorable little moments that reflected us and we decided the best way to do this would be to try and do as much of it ourselves so it felt unique.
My mum is incredibly creative and with an 18month engagement threw herself into making it incredibly special. She hand printed table runners for 80metres of table, she sourced approximately 300 little vases and bud pots to put down the middle of the table, she did all the flowers with the help of her best friends the day before the wedding (other than button holes, bouquets and flower crown) she handmade the elderflower, my dad re-laid a whole lawn, my grandmother replanted the whole walled garden that year to have flowers that complimented our day. it really was a family wedding!
We went with a lot of flowers around the venue which could be moved from location to location (so flowers from the church were moved to the reception and then finally to the tipi in the evening). We loved the wild nature of country/meadow flowers, so we did our best to make bigger wilder flower displays rather than little neat ones so that when I walked down the aisle it felt like I was walking through the field. Guests had to step over flowers to get to their seats, my dress bashed into them as we walked down the aisle but it was perfect!
Having grown up by the coast I wanted a touch of seaside without having a nautical theme - so we hand built a photo booth using an old boat me and my siblings used to sail in as kids and a bit of DIY.
It was honestly the most hands on deck all-encompassing family wedding known to mankind! The catering company is run by my aunties and cousins, the venue by my parents, the bar by my uncle the gardens by my granny. We are a large family of approximately 36 people, and I honestly think every single one of them was involved or contributed in some way.
The best bits
Kyle and I met 10 years ago as students at St Andrew university in Scotland. Kyle is also half Scottish and we wanted a little 'nod' to this in amongst everything. We therefore asked one of our good friends if he would play the bagpipes at our wedding. As 90% of the guests were either family or have been to a family event (wedding/birthday/christening/new year’s party) at the barns, everyone thought they knew how the day would run having done it before. However, we secretly planned to have a Tipi hidden at the top of the valley behind the farm for the party. After the meal finished, we asked everyone to gather in the courtyard for a photo and then asked them to follow us. Our friend 'piped' us all the way up the field with all our guests behind us. We could hear them all asking what was going on? Where were we going? And then they saw the Tipi.... it was the best feeling in the world knowing we had pulled it off! The sun was just setting and we had that perfect 'Golden Hour' for the backdrop of our first dance and we then had 2 hours of band and a further 2 hours of DJ, so a proper little rave in the valley into the small hours.
Jasmine's Advice
Make it your own. Ask for help. Remember that although it's your day, it also means the world to a lot of family around you. Involve them, don’t fight them - ask them to contribute even if in a small way, it will mean a lot to them.
When it comes to the dress - do NOT expect a yes to the dress moment... that’s just unrealistic. Ask for opinions but trust your gut. Rosie and the team at Miss Bush know what they are doing, ask for advice, listen to their suggestions, trust them!
Suppliers
Venue: Upwaltham Barns
Videographer: Sam Sutterlin
Photographer: Cotton Candy Photography
Flowers: Mum!
Grooms Suit: Edit Suits
Button holes, Bouquets, flower crown: Kerry at Rose Cottage Flowers
Hair & Make Up: Charlotte Polka Dot
Tipi: Tentario
Bridesmaid dresses: Maids to Measure
Earrings: PS With Love
Catering: Nibbles2Nosh
DJ: Toast music
Band: The Child