A Woodland Wonderland

A natural, woodland theme was the perfect fit to this intimate spring wedding.

The Perfect Venue

Nicola and James were searching for a barn style venue where they could marry under one roof and found the perfect place in Bassmead Manor Barns.

“James is a carpenter and I love interior design and the countryside, so we couldn’t have found a better venue,” says Nicola. “The beams and brickwork in the Rickety Barn were stunning and we felt that Bassmead Manor Barns had everything we could possibly need in the most incredible setting.” With just over 60 guests for the ceremony and wedding breakfast, the couple were planning a romantic, intimate celebration.

The couple celebrated their wedding day in the beautiful countryside wedding barn

Themes and Colours

With their love of the great outdoors and passion for working with wood, a woodland theme was the obvious choice for this special day. “I chose natural, neutral colours with lighter flowers to bring the venue into spring,” explains Nicola. “I have a creative background so wanted to style my own wedding more than anything else I have done.”

Nicola spent almost a year collecting and making decorations from the place settings to the centrepieces and even the wedding cake, while James also used his creative talents to make tree slice cake stands and pallets for the top table flower arrangements.

The stunning Rickety Barn looked beautiful for the couple’s wedding ceremony

The Moat Barn was the perfect light and airy space for the couple’s woodland themed wedding reception

The beautiful Cambridgeshire wedding barn has a moat run around the outside - wedding venues Cambridgeshire

What’s in a Theme

Nicola spent almost a year collecting and making decorations from the place settings to the centerpieces and even the wedding cake, while James also used his creative talents to make tree slice cake stands and pallets for the top table flower arrangements.

Bunches of sprigs tied with blue ribbon and rustic logs decorated the ceremony barn suiting the rustic wedding theme

A table is decorated with framed wedding photos and a chalkboard outlines the order of the day

“I wanted our friends and family to see James and I reflected in everything they could see,” explains Nicola. “We wanted people to smile at everything they saw and see that all the personal touches were created to make them feel special too.”

Nicola

All Dressed Up

“I had strapless in my head but when I tried my dress on, my mum, bridesmaid and I knew it was the one,” smiles Nicola. “We fell in love with the dropped lace waistline and the bias cut skirt and I felt amazing in the dress on the day.” Nicola accessorised with a rose gold and diamond necklace from her parents and a rose gold bracelet. Struggling to find shoes, she finally found some perfect sandals from New Look.

“They were in the sale for £6.20!” she laughs. “I also made my hair comb from some of the flowers I used for the table decorations.”

The bride gets ready in the Boudoir wearing her beautiful wedding dress as her bridesmaids help

The bride gets ready in the Bridal Boudoir wearing her beautiful wedding dress

As for the Groom and the Bridesmaids…

The groom and his ushers wore matching suits from Aston & Gunn at House of Fraser, along with green tweed waistcoats which they managed to hire.

Nicola’s two bridesmaids wore sequin and net dresses from Maya at ASOS. One of the bridesmaids wore taupe while the other wore a sage green, each with their own accessories and heels.

The groom and his groomsmen walk around the pretty country wedding venue wearing matching grey suits

The bride and her two bridesmaids stand together in the wedding ceremony barn – grey bridesmaid dresses

The bridesmaids were gifted personalised mugs as a thank you present

Beautiful Blooms

Country garden flowers were the order of the day with roses, ranunculus, hypericum, freesia and foliage used for the striking bridal flowers. Nicola carried a rustic bouquet with a hand-picked style, finished with hessian ribbon and pearl headed pins. When it came to Bassmead Manor Barns, Nicola used her creative talents placing artificial flowers, foliage and berries in gold vases on top of a wooden log on each table. “I also used fresh roses, gypsophila and freesias to decorate small jars around the barns,” she explains.

A wedding bouquet and the top table adorned with wooden boxes filled with flowers – rustic wedding ideas

Wedding flowers sit in wooden crates to decorate the top table – wedding ideas

A close up of the wedding table centrepieces – white flowers and succulents

The Wedding Breakfast

White peach sangria and elderflower sparklers were served alongside delicious canapés at the drinks reception, with guests mingling in the bar and outside. As guests moved in to dine, the Bridge Barn looked wonderful with the floral decorations and fairy lights as well as the greenery, vases, photo frames, candles and wreaths.

The expert on-site catering team served an amazing smoked bacon Scotch egg to start, followed by grilled supreme of free-range chicken and vanilla cheesecake with raspberry coulis.

A table is set up with wedding reception drinks including champagne and other wedding drinks

A speckled vase contains white flowers and green stems and stands upon a tree stump – rustic wedding ideas

Pine cone baubles were used as wedding favours and matched their woodland wedding theme down to a tee

Let Them Eat Cake!

Having decorated cakes for years, Nicola decided to make her own wedding cake.

“I knew I would have to do this close to the wedding date so decided to make it slightly easier for myself,” she explains. “Of the four-tier cake, three were polystyrene and the forth was a fruit cake, so I could make and decorate them in advance.” The woodland theme continued with royal icing covering the two tiers, one covered in sequins and another tier made to look like a tree trunk. A heart design, tree trunk stand and artificial wreath completed the look.

The couple surprised guests with a stunning woodland wedding cake stood upon a tree stump – rustic wedding theme

The bride wraps a shawl around her shoulders as she enjoys a moment with her new husband

Evening Celebrations

In the evening, a singer, Neil Morris, entertained with two 45-minute sets and a fantastic range of music.

“James’ dad is a great singer and sang our first song as well as the ‘father daughter’ song afterwards,” smiles Nicola. “He sang ‘Crazy Love’ by Michael Bublé having practiced every day in his van on the way to work!”

A dessert table with cakes and sweets was available throughout the evening. Nicola made an array of delights from lemon cupcakes to chocolate orange cookies, tiffin truffles and a Victoria sponge cake. Delicious!

Guests were treated to a dessert table adorned with cakes decorated to suit their woodland themed wedding

The groom’s father sings the couples first dance song at their evening wedding reception

Favourite Moments

“Sitting at the top table and looking around to see all our friends and family who we love. It gave me a moment to take it all in, how the room looked and seeing everyone enjoying themselves.”

Nicola’s Top Tip

“No matter how organised you are, everything gets hectic closer to the big day. Go with it and don’t stress. Enjoy the planning process because then it becomes so much more than just the wedding day.”

For more real wedding inspiration from Bassmead Manor Barns, check out Nicola and Daniel’s beautiful day at this remarkable Cambridgeshire wedding venue.

The bride and groom walk along the driveway with their bridesmaids and groomsmen

Nicola and James' real life wedding at Bassmead Manor Barns

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