Colour Scheme: Soft Cream and Pale Pink
Style: Neutral, Minimalist, Classic
Season: Autumn
Ceremony Location: Front Courtyard of Pynes House
Reception Location: Rose Terrace of Pynes House
Entertainment: Saxophonist throughout the day
Extra Touches: Pizza Party and Cocktail Reception for the Night Before the Wedding, Saxophonist for Ceremony Entrance, Mexican Style Evening Food
Number of Guests: 80
A wedding photographer himself, we’ve had the pleasure of working with groom Josh at Pynes House on a number of occasions over the years and it was such an honour to be able to host his and Sarah’s classic minimalist wedding last autumn. From the saxophonist playing Sarah down the aisle to their timeless neutral and minimalist style with soft cream and pale pink tones, this was a truly beautiful celebration! For more on their outdoor ceremony, wedding planning advice and minimalist wedding décor inspiration, read on.
Sarah & Josh on their Classic Minimalist Wedding
We originally looked to get married abroad, however we went into a second lockdown shortly after we got engaged in September 2020. This made us quickly decide that we wanted to get married in the UK, to take any pressure off with covid restrictions.
Josh is a wedding photographer himself, so he had already shot a wedding at Pynes House and instantly suggested it. We always knew that we wanted our wedding at a venue where our closest friends and family could stay on site. As my family are originally from Newcastle and Josh’s family from Devon, even our parents had only met a handful of times, so the evening before the wedding was really important to us – for all our guests to meet and break the ice before the big day.
The Outfits…
I wore a simple and elegant dress by Savannah Miller. A lot of people told me that you end up going for something very different to what you have in mind when you start looking for your wedding dress, however this was pretty much exactly the style I had in mind as soon as we got engaged.
My bridesmaids wore sage dresses from Pretty Lavish in different silhouettes to complement their style. I got changed in the evening into a white halter neck sequin dress from Rotate Birger Christensen, which was perfect for dancing.
The Look…
We kept our colour scheme very neutral, focusing on soft cream and pale pink tones to ensure that it felt very elegant and timeless.
We kept our decoration very simple with beautiful candles and flowers suggested by our wonderful florist, Laura from The Flower Sessions. She suggested placing flowers down the stairs at the grand entrance which we loved, especially as our second option was to have the ceremony in the stone Entrance Hall if we were unable to have it outside.
Try not to compare yourselves to others or to take on too many people’s opinions. All elements of our day felt really special and truly ‘us’, which allowed us to really relax and enjoy the day.
The Day…
Our wedding started on the Friday evening with a pizza party and cocktail reception. We originally wanted to keep the evening before the wedding to our closest family and bridal party, but we quickly decided that we wanted to invite all guests. This was the best decision that we made all weekend, as it meant that we got to welcome all our guests, so we could relax during the wedding on the Saturday. The weather had been awful all week but as soon as we arrived at Pynes House, the rain stopped and we were able to have guests in the rose garden before moving inside for drinks, dancing and more pizza.
We both couldn’t have been more relaxed on the day itself; I had two of my best friends from university who are make up artists, do my hair and make-up on the day. We had so much fun getting ready, dancing around the venue to our favourite songs. The date of our wedding was very significant for us as it marked 10 years to the day, since we met on our second day of university.
Guests were greeted in the rose garden and sat outside the main doors to Pynes House for the ceremony. We had a saxophonist entertain our guests whilst they waited for the ceremony to start. He then played me down the aisle which was one of my favourite parts of the day – we both couldn’t stop smiling.
Once the ceremony was finished, our guests moved into the rose garden where they were entertained again by our Saxophonist (which many guests said was one of their favourite parts of the day). The whole day went so fast, so it was lovely to have this time to relax and have fun with our guests before moving inside for our wedding breakfast and speeches. Josh and I then had some time alone to reflect on the day and have photographs with our amazing photographer, Elena Popa. Despite it being September, the evening was very mild so we welcomed guests outside again for Espresso Martinis whilst the sun set, before moving inside for dancing.
The Food & Entertainment…
Josh had worked with Pickle Shack quite a lot at weddings throughout Devon and so knew straight away that he wanted them to cater at our wedding. The food was incredible and so many of our guests commented that it was the best wedding food they had ever had!
The whole process was amazing – we chose buffalo mozzarella as our starter, followed by rump of beef and chocolate tart for dessert. Mexican food is one our favourite cuisines, so we were delighted to have the pulled chicken and halloumi tacos for our evening meal – they were absolutely perfect.
Daniel Costin, our saxophonist kept our guests entertained throughout the ceremony and drinks reception which was one our favourite parts of the day.
Most Memorable Moment…
With Josh being a wedding photographer himself, he really wanted to take some photos himself on the day. He brought a vintage black and white film camera and after the wedding breakfast, he took some photos of me at the entrance of the house. These are some of my favourite shots and will always hold a special place in my heart.
Something to Add…
We can’t recommend Pynes House enough, the whole process was completely seamless and the day couldn’t have gone smoother.
Sarah & Josh’s classic minimalist wedding has been such a special celebration to feature and we hope that you’ve enjoyed looking over it just as much as we have. For more real wedding inspiration, have a look at Abi & Theo’s Autumnal Country House Wedding, here. If you’re after some wedding planning guides too, we’ve got plenty of useful tips and tricks for you over on the blog – have a look at our recent feature on outdoor wedding venue inspiration here, or a room tour of our exclusive use wedding venue with accommodation here, if you’re interested.