Newlyweds Rachael and John at their summer wedding at Tower Hill Barns, North Wales wedding venue. In the background, rolling views over the Welsh hills.

Real Weddings

The Wedding of Rachael & John

9th August 2019

A beautiful summer wedding featuring an abundance of pink avalanche roses and gypsophila for playful couple Rachael and John.

This couple planned their big day in just eight months after falling head over heels for our gorgeous countryside wedding barn.

Despite facing wildly unpredictable weather conditions on their big day, Rachael and John remained upbeat, prioritising laughter, fun and creating beautiful memories. Naturally, this uplifting summer celebration culminated in an unforgettable banger of a party – THB style!

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Bride prepares for her summer wedding in the farm house at Tower Hill Barns countryside wedding venue.

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Groom talks to his guests on the outdoor terrace at Tower Hill Barns ahead of his outdoor wedding ceremony in the glorious summer sunshine. In the background: rolling hills of the North Wales Countryside.

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A landscape image of Tower Hill Barns North Wales Wedding Venue taken on the day of a summer wedding. The weather is fine and sunny.

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Bridal party pose for a photo in the hair and makeup room at Tower Hill Barns countryside wedding venue.

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The outdoor ceremony area at Tower Hill Barns decorated with pink avalanche roses.

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The Engagement

Like all the best engagement stories, Rachael and John’s proposal didn’t go quite as originally planned: 

On the morning of the proposal we were both feeling the full effects of jet lag, after landing in Mexico the night before. After waking early, John decided to make the most of the early morning by heading down to the beach to take some photos of the beautiful Mexican sunrise. I had just got out of the shower, but it was still dark, so I decided to join him. Donning a pair of pyjamas and a rather fetching towel headpiece, off we went. Sat on our own private stretch of beach with nobody else around, waiting for the sun to come up. In hindsight, it seems pretty obvious what is about to happen. But I honestly had no idea…and neither did John for that matter – he hadn’t even brought the ring out with him! He had to make his excuses and run back to the room to get it. On his return, he got down on one knee and – spoiler alert – I said yes! 

Love At First Sight

Many people grow up dreaming of their wedding day and know exactly what they want, and how they want it. I was completely the opposite. I had honestly never given it much thought. All I knew was that I wanted somewhere that would be exclusively for us and our guests on the big day. 

We came across Tower Hill Barns after having already put down a deposit on a different venue. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that something just wasn’t quite right. On a whim, we booked a viewing with THB. I can’t even begin to describe the way I felt as I walked in. It was the most beautiful venue I’d seen – very us. I was totally overwhelmed. The actual viewing is a bit of a blur, all I remember is standing in the main barn, surrounded by the most stunning countryside views thinking WOW, can I really get married here? To this day I am so very grateful we booked that viewing.

summer wedding of Rachael and John at Tower Hill Barns

The Delicate Summery Theme

With only 8 months from booking until our big day, we had to get organising. I did most of the planning in terms of styling and décor. While John was in charge of the music for the day. After many hours spent scrolling through Pinterest, I had fallen in love with pink avalanche roses and Gypsophila, which inspired our blush theme with creams and greens complementing the summer season and the rustic barn setting beautifully.

Handily, my Auntie Lesley runs her own cake making business and made us a beautiful naked cake with cream buttercream. Our florist added a final finishing touch to the cake with the florals to used in my bouquet and table decor. It was the perfect, tying everything together beautifully.

A Stunning Pronovias Wedding Dress

I had tried on a fair few dresses before booking our wedding at THB. But once we had set the date, it seemed like everything else fell into place. I found my dress, designed by Pronovias at Emma Bridal Boutique. It was exactly what I had envisioned for my summer wedding.

For my wedding shoes, I decided to treat myself to a pretty expensive pair of Sophia Webster Bridal shoes. They are gorgeous. However, we all know too well the burden of heels – I spent most of the day in a pair of 90p Primark flip flops. Money well spent!

An Relaxing And Fun Start to The Day

The day started off as it should – with a pop of the champagne bottle (of course)! And this pretty much set the vibe for the rest of the morning. The Bridal Prep Room at THB is amazing – me and my girls had the most relaxing and fun experience, it was (unexpectedly) totally stress free! The breakfast supplied to us by THB was also delicious, and a lovely touch. It certainly helped to soak up the bubbles as we laughed our way through the morning!

Naked wedding cake decorated with pink avalanche roses and gypsophila sits atop a rustic old barrel cake stand at Tower Hill Barns Countryside Barn Venue. Surrounding the cake a floral arch.

A Slight Change Of Plan

Thanks to the good ol’ British summer weather, we had a last-minute change of plan and had to move the ceremony indoors. The Old Barn was warm and atmospheric, and our ceremony was so relaxed and full of laughter. Typically, we walked out of the ceremony to blue skies and sunshine! But even though an indoor ceremony wasn’t exactly what I’d had in mind, I honestly wouldn’t change it now. It was perfect in every way. 

During the ceremony, we had my brother read the lyrics to ‘All You Need Is Love’ by the Beatles (a bit of a private joke) and our Scottish friend stood up to read the lyrics to ‘choose life’ from Trainspotting. John –  being the lyrical master that he is – had rewritten the words. Renaming the title ‘choose married life’. It was brilliant and so personal to us. If you can get those creative juices flowing, then a civil ceremony doesn’t have to be basic. 

As John chose our music for the entire day, I walked down the aisle to a version of Joe Cocker ‘You are so Beautiful’ – a heartfelt touch.

The Photographer and Videographer

Choosing the right photographer was incredibly important to us. We had attended friends’ weddings in the past, and noticed that they seemed to miss out on their entire wedding due to having photos taken. Who wants to miss out on all the fun? We really wanted to find the perfect balance between getting beautiful shots while also being able to enjoy time spent with our friends and family.  Luckily we’re a fan of more natural, candid photography styles anyway. And Suze from Perfect Moments really got us and understood exactly what we wanted. In the end, our wedding album is perfect. Our pictures are what keep the memories alive. Our only regret is not also hiring a videographer.

The bridal party relax beside the fire pit on the outdoor terrace at Tower Hill Barns. In the background: blue skies, glorious summer sunshine and the manicured grounds of Tower Hill Barns.

The Main Event (Food, naturally!)

Around 6 months prior to our wedding day, we were invited to the Barns for a food tasting evening. It was February and it was also the first time I’d seen the Barns at nighttime – oh my gosh, it was magical!! From the festoon lighting to the fire pits, I was head over heels all over again!

The tasting menu offered several different choices from the full seasonal menu, and we were asked to choose a starter, main and dessert to enjoy on the evening. Myself and John opted for different dishes for each course so that we could sample various things between us. The whole evening was amazing, from the top notch food & drink to the fantastic service and ambience. It truly was a beautiful and unique experience, completely but wonderfully different to what I had envisaged a tasting event to be.

Our food on the day of the wedding was – as expected – also incredible. All our guests raved about it, with many saying it was the best wedding food they’d ever had! The Manchego Cheese & Chorizo Croquette is  to this day the nicest thing I’ve ever eaten. Along with the homemade bread. I could have eaten baskets full! 

We opted for Medallions of Welsh beef sirloin as our main (delicious). But unfortunately a few weeks before the wedding, my mum had an accident and managed to break both of her wrists! Thankfully, Tower Hill Barns came to the rescue. Allowing us to switch my mum’s main meal to a beautiful Salmon dish, as we thought this would be easier for her to manage on the day. Just another example of THB going over and above for their couples. 

The First Dance and the party

We decided a first dance wasn’t really our thing, so we did away with tradition and didn’t have one. When the band was ready to start, I was already way ahead of them – first up on the mic and drums! Our ‘after party’ was quite honestly the best I’ve ever been to. Everyone was in the mood to celebrate and we had a wonderful time. The band and photographer even decided to stay later and play longer because everyone was having such a great time.

The Standout Memories

One of our most memorable moments would have to be being told off by the Registrar officiating our wedding for messing around during the ceremony! You really can’t take us anywhere – but it did give our guests a good laugh!

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