I bet you’re here because you are wondering what a whimsical and modern Giraffe Shed wedding really looks like right?!
Well here we are. Let’s do this with a post throwback to one of last years weddings at the amazing Giraffe Shed. This venue is for me a true alternative wedding venue perfect for those super special modern weddings! Designed by a wedding photographer and her husband, Han and Neilo completely understand what’s required to give drama, vibe and atmosphere to a modern wedding
Now i’m not going to talk too much about the Giraffe Shed itself, purely because i have another blog post all about here which you can read right here.
Let’s move on to our Jenni and Matt and tell you all about this gawj couple.
Picture this!
Their wedding should have been in covid and yeah they postponed, well when i say postponed, they did actually decide to do their legal bit in 2020 and in 2021 held their actual wedding. What a way to do it right!? that’s some way to celebrate their first wedding anniversary. I’m slightly curious to see what they come up with for their second anniversary!
Let’s hand you over to Jenni and Matt to tell you more about them and this amazing day!
The proposal
Matt proposed at Powys Castle. The day before he’d run the London half marathon and was worried he wouldn’t get back up off his knee… least of his worries as as he went around a corner to propose, Jen decided it was the perfect time to hide in a bush to try and jump out at him…. it was a miracle the proposal ever happened!
We ended up having our legal wedding 14th August 2020 – we didn’t want lockdown to stop our plans for the next chapter together, so had a intimate ceremony with only Matts mum and dad, and Jens mum present – the only other person who knew was Jens dad who was unfortunately stuck in Australia unable to travel back.
After the wedding, we surprised the rest of our families and friends, alongside revealing that our postponed wedding date would now be our first anniversary…. more of a reason to party (if we ever needed that!)
The Vision
We wanted our day to be “us” – no traditions because we “should”, and for us (and our guests) to be comfortable and truly celebrate!
We wanted bright and colourful, whilst still having a bit of an alternative feel, and more than anything “fun”
The Outfits
Jenni tried on loads of dresses with frills, lace, bling etc…. after all of that she decided she much preferred something plain and classic but with a mini modern twist with a cape veil, and whilst she wanted to feel bridal, she also just wanted to feel herself and comfortable!
Dress was from Shropshire Country Brides, by Stella York.
Cape Veil was custom made by W Collective, and was ombre turquoise to match the tulle on the bridesmaid dresses, with a teeny bit of bling on the shoulders.
When it came to suits, Matt didn’t want to settle for traditional heavy three pieces! After a lot of searching for what suited us best, we went for the checkered jackets, with black chinos from Next so that we didn’t have to conform to the standard “wedding suits”.
Ceremony and Music
We HATE registrar weddings…. the one thing we knew immediately is that we wanted our ceremony to represent us as a couple, and why we wanted to choose marriage. We also wanted it to play a big part in our day, not just something people sit through before the party. Sophie our celebrant captured our relationship so perfectly, and so many guests commented on how different it was having never been to a humanist wedding before…. plus, not every wedding ceremony is able to have peardrop gin shots halfway through!
For reception music and our first dance, we had the pleasure of one of our friends Josh with his guitar! Music is really important to us, so we also wanted to have a little nod to us singing on car journeys or in the kitchen, so had an “Emo Hour” for us to scream and headbang to our hearts content taking us back to our teen years!
Styling and Decor
Decorations were kept low key – we had DIY copper arches with some hired copper accents (cake stand, menu stands).
We wanted our cake to tie in the with polished concrete of the Sheds floor, and our cake maker did an insane job…. as well as throwing in a nod to Harry Potter much to matts happiness!
Our flowers were AMAZING – we asked for jewel colours with interesting florals, and gosh did Denise deliver! The arch was amazing and the floor pieces were perfect as they played well with room turnaround – from framing the aisle, to the top table, and hiding DJ – versatile and just beautiful!
Theme itself was to allow the smaller pieces to become focus and speak for themselves, rather than having big pieces, tying in the pastel pink of the Shed, with our chosen turquoise, and some bold bright colours.
Signage was plain and simple, designed by Jen to allow the small accents to stand out.
Advice for other couples
Do what YOU want… the day is for you so don’t settle to please anyone else, or “traditional” values!
Suppliers
Here’s the suppliers who made this a whimsical and modern Giraffe Shed Wedding day!
Venue – The Giraffe Shed
Photography – Me, Jade Maguire Photography
Videography – Amy Bellamy
Are you planning a modern Giraffe Shed Wedding or let’s be fair, any type of wedding at the Giraffe Shed? If so i need to hear from you!
Get in touch by clicking here to check availability for your wedding date.
