Hollie and Shane met 10 years ago. They went to the cinema for their first date where they saw the psychological thriller 'Taking Lives'.

"Not the best choice for a first date with someone you don't really know!"

The Proposal

Hollie and Shane got engaged in July 2010. Shane surprised Hollie with a long weekend in Venice, and after a day taking in the sights he proposed to Hollie back at the Hilton where they were staying. That evening they celebrated during The Festa del Redentore, one of the Venetians' most treasured festivals.

The Hen and Stag Parties

Hollie and 25 of her friends and family enjoyed a lipstick, powder and paint night at Stock Brook Manor, where Butlers in the Buff were a particular highlight.

Shane and his stags enjoyed a long weekend in Edinburgh which involved lots of beer and activities including a mini Highland Games.

The Wedding Theme, Styling and Details

Hollie and Shane did not have a specific theme or colour scheme for their wedding, and instead wanted to use the venue as much as possible and complement its style. They went for a rustic look and wanted the season to be a big feature with lots of hessian, twine and lace/doilies. With no fixed colour scheme the wedding flowers were the key to bringing colour to their day, and using flowers which were in season helped them achieve this.

Hollie's mother made 60 metres of lace bunting which was used to decorate the barn, and Hollie's grandmother dried confetti in the 18months running up to the wedding day. Hollie made other decorations including twine lanterns, a 'welcome to our wedding' sign, hessian runners, and even the lavender bundles used for the chair sashes. Hollie also made all the wedding stationery, with the help of Shane.

As their venue, Gaynes Park, doesn't have outside furniture during the winter months, Shane used his skills as a joiner to make chairs from old pallets, and a table which he engraved their initials into as a surprise for Hollie.

The Bride and Groom's Outfits

Hollie's dress was "something out of a fairytale", and the complete opposite to what she thought she would go for. It had a ruffled satin band and was adorned with lace and sparkles, details also picked up by her veil. She found her dress in Precious Moments Bridal Wear in Rayleigh, Essex.

Shane wore a navy blue two-piece suit by French Connection, which he bought from Freeport Braintree.

The Bridal Party

Hollie had one bridesmaid, her younger sister Lucy, who wore an ivory and taupe full-length Kelsey Rose dress and Jenny Packham shoes.

The groomsmen all wore charcoal with plum check Racing Green two-piece suits bought from Debenhams.

The Wedding Flowers

The wedding flowers were arranged by Claire at Lily and May. Hollie's bouquet was made up of secret garden, ocean song and Toulouse Lautrec Roses, pale pink ranunculus, pale pink and white sweet peas, gypsophila, lavender syringa, white and lilac stocks, astilbe, freesia, dried lavender and thlaspi. Hollie's bridesmaid had a smaller version of the same bouquet, the men's buttonholes were made from white spray roses, eucalyptus, rosemary and thlaspi, and the mothers' corsages consisted of white freesia, eucalyptus and rosemary.

Flowers in lanterns were hung from shepherd's crooks along the path of the walled gardens, each of the five guest tables were decorated with individual jars and vases filled with roses, stocks, ranunculus and sweet peas, and the top table had a twine and cherry blossom arrangement with groups of the same flowers featured.

The Wedding Ceremony and Reception

The ceremony and reception both took place at Gaynes Park in Essex. Gaynes Park was Hollie's dream venue, with the barn and grounds exactly what they wanted for their wedding.

The ceremony, attended by 48 guests, took place in the Orangery, where Hollie walked down the aisle to an instrumental version of Kissing You by Des'ree. The reception was held in the Mill Barn, where everyone enjoyed a three-course wedding breakfast.

The Wedding Cake

Hollie and Shane chose a 'naked' cake made by Cynthia from the Pretty Gorgeous Cake Company. It was three tiers with lemon at the top, vanilla in the middle and Oreo at the bottom, and they displayed their cake on a whisky barrel they'd bought from Ebay. Hollie and Shane cut the cake in the evening and then asked the venue to serve the cake to their guests throughout the evening

The First Dance

Hollie and Shane's first dance was a traditional slow dance, to Endless Love by Luther Vandross and Mariah Carey, which they chose because they liked the idea of a duet rather than a "one sided" song.

The Wedding Photographer

Hollie and Shane chose Voyteck Wedding Photographer who'd been recommended to them by a close friend. After viewing the photos on his website and meeting him they knew he was the photographer for them, and they had a fantastic engagement shoot in advance which put them at ease before the big day.

"Our favourite photo is when Voyteck caught me being cheeky and sticking my tongue out at Shane, although there where so many fantastic photos to choose from."

The Honeymoon

Hollie and Shane enjoyed a seven-night honeymoon at the Ritz-Carlton in Sharm El Sheik, Egypt, where they stayed on an all-inclusive basis and had fantastic weather.

Memories

"We have so many great memories, but for me it was walking down the aisle, looking to my dad and seeing a tear in his eye, along with all the expectant faces, especially Shane’s.

"The food and the staff at the venue were amazing and had everything covered so we did not have to worry at all throughout the day.

"Everyone dancing to the Old Skool Garage hour we asked our DJ Geoff Grove to play and reliving our early years together."

The Wedding Community

"I loved looking at other couples' real weddings and getting ideas and tips from their big days. I also found the wedding advice articles were great reference points; you can never have enough advice."

Tips and Ideas

"Stay true to your ideas; anything is possible. Make a scrapbook with ideas from magazines and websites which will help you when speaking to suppliers. Also, use your own skills to make your day more personal."

Bride's Top Tips

"Delegate on the day; your wedding party are there to help and support you, and it will make your day more enjoyable."

Groom's Top Tips

"Get involved as much as possible; you are in this together."

Best Buy

"My favourite buy was our cake topper which I bought from Etsy and was sent from America. I fell in love with the crochet birds as soon as I saw them."

Money Saving Ideas

"If you see something you like and think you or someone you know could make it you will always be able to save money. Just plan well and don’t be too adventurous; the simplest ideas are usually the most effective.

"Save by not having an evening buffet and serving your wedding cake instead; everyone loves cake. Just be sure to warn your evening guests."

Bride's Beauty Tips

"Exfoliate regularly in the run-up to your big day. Also, plan your beauty treatments in advance as you may need 2-3 to get the full benefit."

Too see more beautiful pictures from this wedding view the 'A Rustic Wedding at Gaynes Park' post on The Wedding Community blog.

Photography: Voyteck Wedding Photographer

Read more Real Wedding stories