A botanical glam theme at Bassmead Manor Barns

Nicola and Daniel wanted rustic with a modern edge for their wedding and found that and much more at Bassmead Manor Barns in Cambridgeshire

Bassmead Manor Barns wedding

Nicola and Daniel chose botanical glam as their theme at Bassmead Manor Barns, with a colour scheme of lush greens mixed with blush pink, cream and gold accents. ‘Our aim was to bring the outside in. We chose this particular colour palette as the wedding took place towards the end of November, when winter was just setting in,’ says Nicola. ‘We wanted to keep the colours quite muted with lots of gold and glitter for a touch of luxury.’

Dream Dress

‘I fell in love with my ivory, embellished fishtail gown by Justin Alexander on Pinterest. And after searching far and wide for it, my local wedding boutique managed to get it in for me!’

All About the Fun

Flowers and fun were the order of the day and, in keeping with the botanical theme, Nicola’s bouquet consisted of lots of trailing green foliage with white roses, blush pink David Austin roses, white anemones and silver brunia. The finishing touch was a white and pink ribbon hanging from the stems and her “something borrowed and old” – a locket from her nan containing photographs of her late grandad.

But alongside the sentiment of the day, came the fun. ‘We wanted the atmosphere to be really relaxed and fun, so we had a magician in the day to entertain our guests, a ‘guess the length of the speeches’ sweepstake, a photobooth and complimentary beer barrels to keep the party going long into the evening. Sparklers at the end of the night also added to the magic.’

Fabulously Floral

‘Our ceremony arch and aisle chair ends featured eucalyptus and rosemary with white and cream roses, hydrangeas and anemones.’

DIY Touches

‘We handmade the decorations ourselves over a number of weekends – the order of service, place names, menus and even personalised matchboxes.’

Signature Drinks

After the ceremony in the Rickety Barn, the drinks reception was held in the Moat Barn. ‘It was great to have the whole day in one place,’ says Nicola. ‘It meant our guests could settle in and feel at ease from the moment they stepped out of their cars. We chose to serve his and hers signature drinks. My signature drink was my favourite cocktail – Aperol Spritz –and Daniel chose mulled wine, which reminds us of the many amazing festive getaways we’ve had.’ We handmade the decorations ourselves over a number of weekends – the orders of service, place names, menus, even personalised matchboxes.’

Dancing Shoes On

Their first dance was Kiss Me by Ed Sheeran, which was mixed into You Make My Dreams Come True by Hall & Oates halfway through to get everyone up on the dance floor. ‘It took us ages to find the perfect band, but we eventually decided on a four-piece called After Party. They were the highlight of the evening! We even got guests to send in their favourite tracks before the big day, so we could draw up a playlist, and which After Party incorporated into their set list. Nobody left the dance floor all night!’