From a traditional church ceremony to bouncing around the lawn outside Morland House to dancing the night away to the boogie-woogie sounds of Alex Graham and the Concords, Sarah and Bren’s playful English wedding was everything they ever dreamed. Sarah looked like an English rose in her Maggie Sottero gown, embellished with a vintage belt and Justin Alexander straps. The English garden party was brilliantly captured by Sansom Photography, who snapped the most captivating portraits of the newlyweds frolicking in the sunset.

The Couple:

Sarah and Bren

The Wedding:

Morland House, Cumbria, England

The Inspiration:

I’d always dreamed of having a Secret Garden-style wedding. Rustic, relaxed and natural, with a few unusual twists. We were lucky enough to borrow a family friend’s country house and gardens – the quirky house, croquet lawn and converted barn (where we had the after-party) were the perfect setting.

We used a colour palette of sage green, pinks and florals with lots of rustic decor – Bren built the bar out of palettes, we used all our vintage French homeware, then I added a contemporary twist with candy-stripe confetti bags and bright rose, peony and wildflower displays.

I wore a lace Maggie Sottero dress (Britannia) and added a vintage style belt and Justin Alexander straps. It was fitted, feminine and I loved wearing it. Bren wore a slim-fit airforce blue three-piece suit from Reiss with a sage green tie and floral pocket square. The overall theme was florals, botanical prints and garden party style – relaxed, natural and informal.

The Moments:

For Bren, it was our band – we asked Alex and the Concords to play for us (after spotting them busking) and they were incredible. After our first dance, virtually everyone was up on the dance floor – mums, dads, friends – and they played a set list of rock-n-roll and boogie-woogie tracks. The perfect soundtrack for the celebrations.

For me, aside from the bouncy hoppers (which were ridiculously fun) it was probably walking from the church into the garden for our Pimm’s reception. After months of frantic planning, everything had come together so perfectly – the sun was shining, our friends and family were happy and we were finally married. I caught Bren‘s eye and we were both like ‘Yup, nailed it!’

The Couple Recommends:

For both of us, it was our photographers. Vicky and Chris are a husband and wife team and such an awesome couple. Bren was pretty unsure about having his photo taken, but after our engagement shoot (scrambling around Ambleside in the Lake District) he was completely sold – it’s impossible not to relax and be yourself when it feels more like a day out than a photoshoot! And the photos themselves – what can I say? The cornfield photoshoot has to be one of our favourite memories.

Congrats to Sarah and Bren on their playful English wedding! For more English weddings by Sansom Photography, check out Gael and Pete’s whimsical West Yorkshire wedding on a farm.