Photography by Watkiss Photography
Megan and Patrick tied the knot at Chalk Barn on a glorious September day. Cast in a romantic rose and gold glow and filled with beautiful flowers, their barn wedding was a beautiful celebration. We couldn’t be more excited to share it with you today.
A surprise proposal
Popping the question is usually a moment with months of planning behind it. So when Patrick whisked Megan away for a spontaneous weekend at Celtic Manor, she didn’t suspect a thing.
“When we entered our room I saw Champagne on ice and rose petals on the bed spelling out ‘will you marry me?’. At first I thought we had the wrong room, but when I turned around Patrick was on one knee! Of course I immediately said yes,” smiles Megan.
Close to home
Newly engaged, Megan and Patrick set out on the search for their perfect wedding venue.
“I wanted our wedding to be local, but I wasn’t keen on using a venue I had been to lots of times before,” explains the bride. “We went to view Chalk Barn, which at this point was still under construction. It was a bit of a gamble but I liked Rachel’s vision and Patrick was friends with the family behind it, so we booked!”
Wedding day wardrobe
The bride looked effortlessly elegant in her Enzoani gown – the ‘Margot’ design.
“It was very fitted, with a low back and lace bodice. I loved it! Patrick and his ushers wore three-piece navy suits from Hawes and Curtis.” Pale pink geometric ties and white textured shirts were stylish accents.
Six bridesmaids joined Megan for her walk down the aisle, wearing blush gowns with
The ceremony
“Seeing Patrick waiting for me at the end of the aisle and the stunning view at Chalk Barn were highlights of the ceremony. I also loved the readings,” reminisces Megan.
“Choosing the photographer to capture it all was easy. I’d seen Dan Watkiss in action a couple of times at friends’ weddings so I knew he was the type of photographer I wanted.”
Just rosy
This couple brought romance and elegance to their barn wedding by the bucket load, inspired by a loosely pink theme.
“Three floral chandeliers and reams of fairy lights hung from the ceiling, as well as some lovely floral arrangements dotted around the venue.”
“Each table centre had crackle glazed candlesticks and lovely orchids and roses, alongside a laser-cut, gold-sprayed table number. One of my bridesmaids created calligraphy place cards for each guest in gold ink.”
“One of my best friends is the florist behind The Blossom Tree Flowers, so she created all our wedding flowers. My bouquet was a mixture of roses and trailing orchids.”
“We also had a silver birch arch, adorned with blooms and with fabric woven across the top. This was used to hang a large photo frame prop to become an evening photo booth.”
A sharing feast
Favouring feel-good food that you could pick and mix between, Megan and Patrick enlisted Sally Bodman Catering to create their barn wedding menu.
“We had a selection of rare roast beef, salmon with dill, coronation chicken and Wiltshire roast ham, accompanied by quiche and lovely mixed salads. Dessert was a trio of chocolate and raspberry brownie, a banoffee shot and a raspberry cheesecake.”
Joining the sweet line-up was the couple’s three-tier wedding cake. “We opted for fruit, red velvet and lemon and poppy seed layers. It was iced in buttercream with gold leaf detailing and a personalised wooden topper. Patrick’s mum made it for us!”
Party tunes
“We booked an amazing band called Truly Medley Deeply – they play sets of medleys and DJ in between. You can choose the genre you want.”
“We asked them to play Ed Sheeran’s ‘Thinking Out Loud’, before mixing it into Justin Bieber’s ‘Despacito’. No one knew it was going to happen and expected a cliched, slow first dance from the beginning. Instead, our first dance lasted the entire track and was a salsa!”
American dreams
After their dream barn wedding, newlyweds Megan and Patrick jetted off to the USA on honeymoon.
“We spent a few nights in LA and hiked up to the Hollywood sign. Then we drove to Malibu, West Hollywood and Newport Beach, before taking the coast road to San Diego through Laguna Beach. We did lots of shopping and sightseeing, before flying to Mexico for another week in the sun!”
Find out how you could celebrate your dream barn wedding at Chalk too.
VENDORS
Venue: Chalk Barn
Photographer:
Dress: Enzoani
Suit: Hawes & Curtis
Flowers: The Blossom Tree Flowers
Catering: Sally Bodman Catering
Entertainment: Truly Medley Deeply
