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Jamie and Tom's intentionally imperfect forest wedding

willowandsagebotan
Feb 4
3 min read

It all started with a swipe right! Tom and I were brought together by the power of a dating app in the depths of a COVID lockdown while we were both living in London. Because of lockdown, our first two dates were over Zoom, but we quickly bonded over our shared love of travel, music festivals, and our antipodean similarities.

As soon as restrictions lifted, we had a “socially distanced” picnic in Battersea Park. Fuelled by gin and tonics in a can, that distance didn’t last long and we shared our first (not so socially distanced) kiss. From that first picnic, everything just clicked. We spent the next year and a half experiencing London together and jetting off to Europe whenever we could.

Our vision was very much inspired by the grounds of our venue, Bridgewater Estate, and we wanted a garden themed wedding. It was the first venue we visited and we were absolutely blown away by the gardens and forest ceremony area, so we wanted to build on that natural beauty rather than compete with it.

The overall feeling we were drawn to was relaxed, natural, and intentionally imperfect. We didn’t want anything to feel overly styled or too perfect. The forest ceremony space was beautiful on its own, so the florals were designed to enhance it with soft greenery and a wild, organic feel.

That carried through to the styling with mismatched bridesmaids dresses in yellow tones with different fabrics, cuts, and patterns, unstructured bouquets, and a beautifully wild floral arch. For the reception, we wanted it to feel like we were bringing the garden inside, which Jade did beautifully with the hanging floral installation, bud vases with fruit scattered throughout, and also relocating the ceremony florals inside.

Flowers played a huge role in our day and were one of the things I chose to splurge on because I absolutely love them - I am some what of a crazy plant lady in my personal life. I remember seeing the exposed beams in the reception space and thinking how badly I wanted flowers hanging from them, and so a hanging floral installation quickly became one of my non-negotiables.

Jade had also posted a stunning wired lily bouquet, and since lilies are my favourite flowers (Tom buys them for me every birthday), I knew instantly that had to be my bouquet. It went so beautifully with my dress and felt incredibly special and personal.

Tom and I didn’t want our wedding to feel like a big production, but rather a celebration of our love and a big party with all of our favourite people. Many of our guests had travelled a long way, so it was important to us that we were fully present throughout the day, spending genuine time together and with everyone there.

We also wanted our guests to feel connected to us, so personal touches were really important. From handwritten messages on each place card to simply making the effort to spend as much time with our guests as possible.

Unfortunately, I lost my mum to cancer just two months before the wedding, and the lead-up was an emotional time. Planning a funeral and a wedding in the same year was not something I ever expected, but on the day, surrounded by our friends and family, I was able to find so much joy. Even with everything else going on, it was still one of the best days ever.

There are so many little moments it is hard to pick just one. Seeing our ceremony space for the first time, with the floral installation Jade had created, absolutely blew me away, and I kept staring at it throughout the ceremony. Catching up with friends and family during cocktail hour was incredibly special. I had also made our wedding cakes myself and asked Jade to decorate them, and they looked and tasted delicious. Hearing Tom's vows for the first time was special, and everyone's speeches - OMG the speeches - every single one was amazing with so many laughs and tears. Then singing and dancing the night away with all our friends and family to our live band - it was pure magic.