Garden Party Glamour

Wild flowers, lanterns, cocktails and Champagne gave Jo and David's summer wedding a relaxed yet glamorous feel...

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Early days…

David and Jo met through a mutual friend Clare, who later became one of Jo's bridesmaids: "I was supposed to be going on a date one evening but Clare wanted to meet for drinks so I cancelled and went out with her," recalls Jo. "Lucky I did - Clare called her friend David to ask him if he wanted to meet us. He did and he and I just clicked."

The proposal…

"One evening we had a lovely meal together and that night David dreamed about us getting married," recalls Jo. "He woke up early, thought about it and decided that we should just go for it! He asked me in bed that morning. It was so unplanned that while I slept he made me an engagement ring out of paper and a yellow trivial pursuit cheese!"

Hen and stag parties…

Jo and David planned separate trips abroad to celebrate their final single days. For David, a weekend in Belgium was arranged, to include the Rock Werchter music festival while Jo made for Ibiza with her sister and nine girlfriends. "The weekend was fabulous and as it was the weekend before the wedding day it really added to the sense of excitement."

The venues…

Jo and David officially became husband and wife at a registry office two days before their wedding celebration and blessing - a relaxed and glamorous event held at Jo's aunt's house.
A large sitting room was chosen to conduct the blessing. "We hired chairs and arranged them to create an aisle down the middle of the room and lined the large windows with beautiful flowers in glass jars."
Held on a hot August day, Jo and David held their reception outside by a swimming pool and guests ate their wedding breakfast in a marquee in the garden. "We decorated the marquee with patchwork bunting and paper lanterns and chose simple white table clothes and chairs," says Jo. "When it got dark we lit large 'fire pits' along the pool. It was beautiful."

The attendants…

Jo's bridesmaids were her sister and three close friends, all of whom wore full-length coral dresses, adding a bright summer look to the wedding party. Jo's three cousins were flower girls and wore white frilly dresses with pink flowers in their hair, picked from the venue's garden.
David, his best man and two ushers all wore dark suits, and David added a touch of colour with a soft pink tie.

The dress…

Jo chose a 'floaty relaxed boho' dress from Monsoon; a full-length white gown, embellished with gemstones. She accessorised with silver Indian-inspired diamanté earrings and a diamanté tiara, worn upside down, all bought on the high street.

The flowers…

Jo chose flowers that evoked a relaxed countryside style, choosing bright colours to add a touch of glamour. "I wanted flowers that looked like they were from a traditional country garden so we used sweet peas and roses," she says. "The flower girls' posies where also picked from the garden on the morning of the wedding."

The decorative touches…

The couple combined flowers from Bristol market with lavender and rosemary, picked from the garden, to create table centrepieces. "They were placed in mismatching jugs from my aunt's house to add to a country vibe," says Jo.
To cool down their hot summer party, Jo and David hired an ice cream van to provide desserts for their guests.

Top tips…

"Remember that you don't need to spend a lot of money to create something fabulous. We organised our wedding in five months on a very small budget spent wisely. We did alot ourselves and utilized the talents of friends and family," says Jo.

The honeymoon…

With the party over, Jo and David retreated to the Yorkshire Dales and Lake District for two weeks, staying in cosy English cottages.

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