Daisy and Alex met when they were introduced by a friend. "We arranged to meet for lunch," Daisy tells us. "We both lived a few hours apart but regularly made time to spend with each other and the rest is history!"
The couple became engaged during a holiday in Canada. "Alex asked me to marry him at the top of Sulphur Mountain as we exited the gondola," Daisy says. "It was a beautiful day and a wonderful surprise."
The couple viewed a few barn wedding venues before walking into Cripps Barn. "We both instantly knew that we wanted to get married there," Daisy tells us. "We adored the rustic-inspired, romantic setting and the open fireplace was perfect for our winter wedding," Daisy explains. "We were inviting 60 guests in total so the barn provided an ideal intimate setting."
Daisy and Alex chose a personalised wooden board as their table plan. “It featured a watercolour stag design with burgundy touches that matched our invitations and welcome board,” Daisy tells us. “My uncle made the table numbers using horseshoes placed in the centre of each table on oak slabs and my father has a collection of restored post boxes and lent us one to use as a wedding post box which he drilled on to a wooden board and positioned on the side next to our guestbook.” The couple gave each guest a personalised wooden coaster with their name on it, which doubled up as their place setting and favour and provided a wonderful keepsake.
Daisy and Alex's choice of flowers included white blooms with a hint of pink mixed with plenty of foliage. "Our bouquets and buttonholes looked perfect," Daisy tells us. "Our florist collected the arrangements the following day and we loved being able to hand bunches out to our loved ones and keep some ourselves. Our buttercream cake was also decorated with fresh flowers along with a personalised wooden cake topper."
"We didn't have space in our budget for an official wedding car so we asked my stepfather and our best man if we could use their vehicles to transport us - it was a laugh for the gents to decorate their vehicles with bows and ribbons!" – Daisy
The couple chose the British feast menu for their wedding breakfast. "It created a relaxed, social atmosphere with everyone helping themselves from large platters of food," Daisy says. "Because our families are from different parts of the country, it got everybody talking which was lovely to watch. For the main course, we chose roast lamb with all the trimmings which was the best lamb we've ever had, and many of our guests said the same! Everything from the canapés to the pork baps served in the evening tasted delicious."
Daisy wore a plain satin A-line gown featuring a pearl and diamanté belt that she teamed with a faux-fur cape and a satin-lined veil. "The shape of my dress was very flattering and I finished my look with some subtle diamond jewellery."
Alex wore a grey morning suit, the same as the groomsmen, but teamed his with an ivory waistcoat while the others wore grey waistcoats. "The men wore matching pocket watches and cufflinks along with buttonholes made with pink roses and foliage plus burgundy ties and pocket squares to match the burgundy bridesmaids' dresses," Daisy tells us. "Our bridesmaids also wore fluffy cardigans with their full-length dresses that looked stunning."
The couple hired a string quartet who performed a selection of classic tracks and modern covers. "Our guests said it was great having musicians to watch rather than just listen to as they arrived at our ceremony," Daisy tells us. "After the wedding breakfast, we booked a live band called The Sweet & Lowdown who played for three hours during the evening and sounded fantastic. They performed a good mix of party hits and 80s songs, which is our favourite kind of music, and our guests loved it, everyone joined the dancefloor at least once!
After they finished at 11 pm, we had a party playlist pre-made for those still dancing! We're fans of the rock band called Elbow and have always loved their song Mirrorball so we asked The Sweet & Lowdown to play a version because it held so many memories for us, and for the first few minutes we slow danced together in front of everyone. We had asked our best man, Adam, to get people dancing during the instrumental halfway through the song, which he timed perfectly, and for the last few minutes of the performance, the entire barn was filled with all of our nearest and dearest dancing in pairs or small groups which was magical to see, and a part of the day that neither of us will forget. A friend was recording it on his camera and we're so glad we have that to keep forever."
Top tip: "Write a list of everything that needs doing – it feels great as you tick tasks off!" – Daisy
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