The Wedding of Morgan & Josh

An epic celebration with an uplifting colourful, eclectic theme for Cheshire-based couple Morgan and Josh who were blown away by the idyllic location of our rustic countryside wedding barn.

Morgan and Josh from Tarvin tied the knot in a highly-personal church ceremony. Before heading back here to the barns to celebrate with their loved ones in style. Theirs was an uplifting day full of colour ℅ their bright, wild and fun theme. Which perfectly encapsulated their uplifting, carefree vibe.

The Engagement

It was June 2020, and we were heading out for what I thought was just a casual dog walk – nothing unusual there. Luckily, on seeing me about to leave the house with greasy Miss Trunchbull-like hair, Josh thought on his feet. Inventing a family BBQ that we needed to attend after the walk, spurring me to have a shower and throw on some makeup before leaving. (Brownie points there). 

Josh being the most amazing, thoughtful partner suggested we go to Talacre Beach, a place very close to my heart. As my dad is buried above the beach, at Coed Bell. It was honestly the biggest shock of my life when Josh got down on one knee – we always joke that I know everything, but hand on heart, I didn’t have a clue he was about to propose!

Love At First Sight

As we stepped over the threshold into Tower Hill Barns, it was immediately apparent that this was ‘the one’. We were simply blown away. The phenomenal views over the rolling hills of the North Wales countryside, the gorgeous expansive gardens, the friendly yet professional staff, and the laid-back, super chilled atmosphere – it was love. And after drooling over the sample menus and experiencing first-hand how personable and accommodating the THB team are, any doubts disappeared. We both drove home from our appointment, grinning from ear to ear! We just *knew* it was perfect!

The Colourful, Eclectic Theme

I love bright colours, whereas Josh, while quite traditional, is partial to a little bit of funk – so being in harmony about our vision for the day turned out to be surprisingly easy. It was important to us that the theme and colour palette represented us as a couple, so we went with bright, wild and fun décor. Taking A LOT of inspiration from THB’s social media pages and recommended suppliers – it truly helped our vision come alive!

The Vibrant Floral Displays

The couple’s florist, Vivid Floral Design did a wonderful job of bringing their vision to life. Incorporating an abundance of vibrant, colourful blooms into their floral displays. The end result was quite breathtaking with the vibrant bouquets, complimenting the bridesmaids deep emerald green, floor length gowns perfectly. And a special mention is needed for Morgan’s beautiful flower crown – the wedding album is simply spectacular!

A Wedding Cake Too Good To Eat

Our traditional 4 tier wedding cake, made by the Red Rose Cake Co was also a deep emerald green colour, accented with flecks of edible gold leaf. In the centre, we incorporated a tier of colourful flowers in-keeping with my bouquet to tie everything together. Of course, we couldn’t leave Gilbert out. So towards the back of the cake, we added a little Golden Retriever figurine with a party hat on!

Its tradition to keep the top tier, and IF we can control ourselves, we are going to cut into it on our first-year anniversary!

An Amazing Relaxed Start to The Day

I was lucky enough to stay in the Farmhouse the night before the wedding with my very excited bridal party. As well as being a wonderful way to celebrate my last night of freedom, it worked perfectly, giving our hair and makeup team plenty of time to work their magic ahead of our 12pm church ceremony, 45 minutes away! 

Before having my make up done (I had no doubt I would be crying), I opened a little gift box given to me by Josh to open on the morning of the wedding. Inside was my wedding perfume, plasters, paracetamol and a heartfelt, handwritten letter. It was the perfect start to an emotional day. A pivotal moment in realising that it was actually my wedding day! After that, the excitement set in, the bubbles were flowing and at points I was feeling quite giddy. Lucky we went for a 12pm ceremony after all!

A Traditional Church Ceremony

The couple married in their local village Church, in Tarvin – a place that they both hold dear. Morgan walked down the aisle dressed in a breathtaking white, embellished, mermaid cut wedding gown from My Funny Valentine Bridal accompanied by her mother. As a string quartet played a beautiful rendition of Pachelbel’s Canon in D.

The moment I saw Josh at the end of the aisle settled all the emotions I was feeling. I couldn’t wait to embrace him. We handed over the very important job of ring bearer to our dog Gilbert. He is our pride and joy, the best boy, and he executed his job perfectly!

Everything went perfectly to plan. Although I did struggle to get Josh’s ring on his finger, which was swollen due to the heat and nerves, providing our guests with some much needed entertainment. Thankfully it went on in the end! And our first kiss as a married couple will forever be my favourite moment, and my favourite kiss.

An Exquisite Dining Experience

During the drinks reception following our church ceremony, we opted for 3 canapes per person which was perfect, giving our guests a taste of what was to come. We chose the crab cakes, polenta coated halloumi, and the duck filo parcels, which were all ridiculously delicious! Going down a treat with our blackberry and passionfruit bellinis, which we chose against the traditional prosecco post ceremony drink. 

We also took THB up on the opportunity to create our own bespoke signature cocktails. I chose the Bramble, Josh chose the Caiprinha, and not to be left out, our dog Gilbert chose a Pina Colada (totally independently of course!). Everything was amazing, but we had every confidence it would be after attending the food taster experience!

The Photographer and Videographer

We chose a THB recommended photographer – Willo photography to capture our big day. Their style is perfect for us, and their upbeat, funny, chilled personalities put us at total ease throughout the day. Our talented videographer, Matthew Lloyd also came highly recommended by THB. Both suppliers were around all day and became such a big part of our experience, we wouldn’t change a thing!

The First Dance

In good old Morgan fashion, something was bound to not go right! Just as were about to start the first dance, my wedding dress strap snapped! Thankfully, my mum’s bestie is a seamstress. And knowing what I am like (and because I’m an over-preparer) I had a sewing kit packed in my emergency ‘on the day’ bag. The show must go on!

Once the sewing emergency was dealt with, we had our first dance in the Old Barn, to a version of ‘Simple’ by our live band ‘the tonics’. We came prepared – having thought it best to take a couple of dance lessons prior to the monumental moment since we’re somewhat ‘coordination challenged’ and therefore not the best dancers. On the day we carried out a beautifully choreographed routine, and Josh didn’t drop me once during some pretty ambitious lifts, so all in all I would say it paid off!

The Special Memories and Touches

It was incredibly important to me (Morgan) to ensure my late father was a part of the day. I had a heart, made from one of dad’s old blue shirts stitched into the inside of my dress, to serve as my something blue. And I also travelled to the Church in his beloved classic defender – it made me feel at ease, and I really feel like he helped me get there safely.  THB were more than happy for us to park the car outside the barn. A beautiful and meaningful touch as I could see it from the top table, and I truly felt that he was there, close to me all day. Watching over us all.

In the end every single one of our guests commented on how beautiful the venue was; which was lovely to hear. Both the grounds and the barns are truly impeccable. 

Final Thoughts and Words of Wisdom

Que sera, sera. When it came to the big day, I was very much of the opinion ‘que sera, sera’ and wanted to just take in each and every moment. If something goes wrong on the day, try not to sweat it – funny stories make the best memories!

Discuss your vision. When you start your wedding planning journey, the most important thing you can do is make sure you both agree on the fundamental aspects of your special day – it’ll save you so much time and discussion later, when it comes to selecting your suppliers!

Don’t leave it all until last minute! I would also suggest not leaving your wedding planning until last minute. We spread the tasks out so that we wouldn’t feel overwhelmed or too stressed as the big day approached. And I feel this really allowed us to enjoy the experience.

Book a mini moon. Finally – if like us, you aren’t planning on a honeymoon straight away, I would definitely recommend booking a mini moon! We loved our little getaway, it was lovely to stay in our bubble a little bit longer before having to return back to work!

Heading for more real #THBWeddings