From a cheese wedding cake to sloe gin favours, Ben & Charlotte’s Country House Wedding of understated elegance was perfectly crafted to encapsulate what mattered most to them. Using a colour scheme of blush pink with golden hues, they built on the natural decoration at Pynes House to create a contemporary romantic scene. We have to admit, we simply love the timeless style they created. If all this takes your fancy, read on to hear more about how they created a truly memorable and bespoke wedding day.
Some Words From the Bride…
Charlotte Says
From the moment we drove down the stunning driveway, it was clear how special Pynes House is. The tree-lined driveway reminded us of Italy, which is our favourite place to go on holiday. The whole place is beautiful both inside and outside, with such a relaxed, calming and intimate feel. We loved how this would provide the flexibility to host our ceremony and reception in a variety of places, which ended up being very handy due to the covid restrictions! From the stunning entrance to all of the exquisite bedrooms, we knew it would be the perfect setting for us to celebrate for a few days.
The Outfits…
My dress was the ‘Amine’ by Charlie Brear. I loved the simplicity and unusual neckline of the dress as well as the way it swooshed (which was very important!). I accessorised with a Charlie Brear gold chevron belt, gold shoes by Bobbies and some sparkly Kate Spade earrings, a gift from my bridesmaids. My make-up and hair were by the extremely talented Grace, from Lips & Locks. We went for a soft, natural look but then added a red lip and gold sunnies to glam up for the eve!
Ben wore an Italian linen navy blue suit by Paul Smith and Paul Smith shirt. His blush pink wool tie was from Dickie Bow. We carried the blush pink theme through to the bridesmaids, who all wore their own dresses to ‘mix & match’ each other. Their dresses were from Coast, Warehouse & ASOS.
The Day…
We spent the morning getting ready with our bridesmaids and groomsmen. Everyone kept remarking at how relaxed everything felt, which was lovely. Our original plan was to get married in the Entrance Hall. On the morning however, we decided to have the ceremony in front of the house, as the sun was shining on us.
After the ceremony, we held our reception on the front lawn for drinks and canapés. Then we moved into the ballroom for our delicious wedding breakfast. Our evening reception was outside the front of the house. This was where we served platters of cheese and had our DJ playing into the night.
The Look…
We wanted to keep the decoration complementary to the house. Pynes is so beautiful it only needs a little touch here and there. We introduced soft, blush pinks for a romantic feel, with little pops of gold for a contemporary finish. Our florist (The Good Florist) created an incredible installation of flowers by the front doors, which looked like they had organically grown overnight. Then the same soft coloured, natural arrangements were used for the bouquets and tables. We had little handmade and personal touches throughout. These included gold & blush handwritten place names, handpicked flowers for the place settings and bottles of sloe gin for the favours.
“Concentrate on the things that matter most to you and not what tradition dictates. Making decisions based on this makes the day more special and personal to you as a couple. We also made sure we carved out time for each other throughout the day”.
The Food…
Food was a very important part of the day for us. As soon as we saw Pickle Shack’s menus, we knew we were in the best hands! We always love to share our meals when we eat out, so we really wanted to incorporate this into our wedding breakfast. We chose to have sharing boards of baked camembert to start. This was followed by delicious hake with a samphire emulsion. We finished with sharing boards of mini desserts, including lemon possets & chocolate brownies. Judging by everyone’s empty plates, it went down a storm! We are both cheese lovers, so Pickle Shack made us a Cheese Wedding Cake. We served it in the evening with homemade chutneys and crackers – the perfect end to the day!
The Entertainment…
We had a cellist (Lydia cellist) for the ceremony and drinks reception, who played a combination of classical and modern covers. Our DJ (Zac – The Wedding Deejay) kept the music going into the evening under the marquee.
Most Memorable Moment…
The ceremony was very special, having all our friends and family surrounding us by the entrance to the house….and of course the amazing food throughout the day!
Something to Add…
All our suppliers and Pynes House were incredibly kind, thoughtful and accommodating throughout our wedding planning and day. We were so grateful for this, given the challenging circumstances we all had.
If you’re looking for some more real wedding inspiration for your big day, check out our recent blog posts on Ben and Frankie’s Autumnal English Country Garden Wedding or Jodie and Josh’s Summertime Wedding with a Scottish Twist for something a little different. While you’re there, be sure to have a look at our guides to South West Bridal Boutiques and Wedding Cake Suppliers. Any other questions? Please do get in contact, we’d love to chat.
Supplier List
Flowers: The Good Florist
Photographer: Taylor-Hughes Photography
Cellist: Lydia Cellist
DJ: Zac – The Wedding Deejay
Hair and Makeup: Lips & Locks
Caterer: Pickle Shack