Emmie and Geoff's pretty pastel wedding had me swooning from the very first image. It's just bursting with gorgeous details and wonderful ideas that you could definitely recreate yourselves.

The baby pink and blue tin cans used as table centre pieces, the photo frame table plan, the chalkboard sign welcoming guests and the wooden signs directing guests to ceremony were all made by Emmie and Geoff, and their wonderful family and friends.

I think it's fair to say that at RMW we LOVE shoes and Emmie's something-blue pair are seriously gorgeous. Her lace, deep V backed gown is stunning too and continues the pretty colour scheme with that beautiful dusky pink bow.

Honestly, I'll never tire of satin ribbon tied up in a bow.

If you're inspired to recreate any of Emmie and Geoff's ideas, then don't worry - Emmie explains how she did it all below. (And if anyone makes a flying saucer or marshmallow tree - please make an extra to send to RMW HQ).

And if you're feeling creative don't forget all of our DIY projects can be found here.

PIN THE GALLERY

Emmie the Bride:The only thing I knew I wanted in a dress was lace. For me, lace is elegant yet sexy, romantic and a classic and timeless material. Prior to dress shopping I had images of a full skirted 1950's short number but soon realised it wasn't for me. I only visited two different shops, trying on a total of around 12 dresses. I had no idea what I wanted so it was with huge relief that when I tried on Essense of Australia's Style D1367 dress I instantly knew it was The One.

It is a stunning low back dress in Luxe Taffeta with a removable lace overlay and a beautiful V-neck design. The figure-flattering trumpet silhouette style coupled with the delicate lace made me feel so pretty. Kasane and her team at Bride To Be literally had to coax me out of it as I didn't want to take it off. Needless to say, it was the very last dress I tried on!

I teamed my dress with Dune's Abode blue court shoes, a gorgeous flower hairclip and a cathedral lace-edged veil which complemented the look and style perfectly. I loved my unique blue shoes but after trying to wear them in for several weeks I knew I wouldn't last the whole day in them.

Geoff must have seen the pain in my face when strutting around the house, as on the wedding morning a crate (yes, literally a crate!) full of presents arrived which included the most fabulous pair of bejeweled high top converse. They were adorned with sparkly blue gems, blue satin laces and inscribed with 'Mrs Harrison'. The attention to detail and thoughtfulness of the gift blew me away (despite also receiving in the same package a book titled 'The Good Wife Guide'!) As soon as the first dance was over, the high tops were on and I rarely left the dance floor.

I sourced my jewellery from Emma at Emroy Jewels, an independent online jewellery designer. I chose a pearl and crystal drop-back necklace that would highlight the deep v-back design of my dress, together with matching drop earrings. I don't tend to wear a lot of jewellery and I prefer dainty discreet pieces and Emma's designs were just perfect. Emma was very accommodating and even made a stylish bespoke father of the bride pin badge which I presented to my Dad on the morning of the wedding (he is an avid collector and it was the perfect gift for him).

Geoff didn't want a traditional morning suit but instead something more informal and relaxed. We found his smart 'bright blue' suit with matching waistcoat in our local Next store. He added a crisp white shirt and blue leather shoes (also from Next) and a cornflower blue tie from Dessy to complete his attire.

We had chosen our venue even before we were engaged! We had attended a wedding at Lillibrooke Manor back in 2011 and had both agreed then that it was the perfect setting for such an occasion and should we ever get married it would be top of the list. We were in awe of the rustic look and feel of the Barn and its attractive grounds. The same day Geoff popped the question we had decided on a date and venue- it was just a question of availability and affordability.

In keeping with our laid-back, fun and informal approach to the day we knew we didn't want anything too grand and stately (that is not to say however that Lillibrooke isn't grand - it is, but in a more understated and charming way). Lillibrooke is a quaint and picturesque estate with enchanting scenery, hidden courtyards and enticing doorways and it served as an idyllic haven to celebrate our special day.

There were no limits as to what we could do at the venue and we were encouraged to maximise its potential. The other great selling point for us was that Lillibrooke maintain a strict 'no corkage' policy. This meant we were able to supply our own drinks package which helped to keep costs down.

Initially, we had chosen to have a pastel palette spring wedding and envisaged a summer fete/garden party atmosphere. However, it soon became apparent that we were choosing soft shades of pinks and blues over any other colours (from dresses and suits to stationery and decorations) and so the colour scheme, rather accidentally, became a mixture of the two.

We had decided to do much of the decoration and venue dressing ourselves (with HEAPS of help from the bridal party) and we set about busying ourselves with fun and creative projects.
Our very talented and creative bridesmaid, Hayley, decorated a wooden A-frame blackboard welcoming our guests on arrival which later, when turned around, also thanked them on departure.
As our ceremony and reception were to be held in separate parts of Lillibrooke, we built a signpost to help direct our guests to the key places. Geoff dismantled an old crate and once sawn and painted nailed the slats to a wooden post. It was then cemented into place using a tin bucket and post mix.

To decorate the ceremony barn we decided to make a decorative arch to stand at the end of the aisle. We used a garden arch and tied what seemed like a thousand pom poms covering every inch. We made two sizes of pom poms in three different shades. My bridesmaid's and I spent a tiresome weekend fluffing tissue paper, threading cable ties and knotting ribbon but the end result was magnificent and the arch created the perfect backdrop when exchanging our vows. We also used the excess pom poms to hang on the end chair of each aisle to enhance the walk way.

We also decided to make our order of services. We sourced pretty patterned backing paper and glued to craft sticks to create fans. On one side we displayed details of what our guests could expect from the day and on the reverse we presented our favours - scratch cards placed in envelopes sealed with a shiny penny.

We had chosen to provide confetti but were having some trouble in deciding how to display the cones until we were struck by the idea of using a pushbike. We spray painted the old and rusty frame white, adorned with a rose garland and placed the cones in the basket attached to the front. We then positioned the bike outside the ceremony barn so our friends and family could collect on their exit.

We had found a large white wooden 16 shot photo frame in a local boutique which was an ideal size to use as our table plan. We added a cute blue sign to the top and used the same patterned card as our order of service fans as a backdrop to each window. We stood the frame on a large easel provided by Lillibrooke at the entrance of the Great Barn. The frame was a particularly good purchase as not only did it serve as our table plan but it's now the perfect place to showcase our wedding photos.

Being a couple who are at times big kids, we decorated our tables with sweet trees made of liquorice allsorts, marshmallows and flying saucers. The trees stood in tin watering cans and were handmade by our friend Chloe Hough. We also added fresh flowers to the table, arranged by our florist in recycled tin cans (thanks to our pet cat and a couple of cans of spray paint!).
Instead of a guest book, we had a guest canvas which our good friend Laura kindly painted. She asked for our colour scheme and created a beautiful oil on canvas design leaving plenty of space for our friends and family to write messages.

Another good friend of ours, Rebecca (The Little Daisy Chain) made two time capsules to capture words of wisdoms, advice and predictions, one which we will open on our first anniversary and a second on our fifth. She made pretty signs with bespoke poems explaining their purpose.

Our florist, Daisy Janes, an independent local business, was recommended to us by more than one person. We knew very little about flowers but after popping into the shop one afternoon Jane introduced us to an array of options. We had also obtained inspiration from Pinterest and showed Jane pictures of the styles we liked and she managed to create the desired look flawlessly. The bridal bouquet included soft pink roses, blue hydrangeas and gypsophila and the bridesmaid's posy's were of a similar yet smaller design.

Daisy Janes also arranged flowers in our 50 homemade tin cans to use as table decorations and made the helpful suggestion of using wild, inexpensive yet effective, varieties. We really were very lucky to find Daisy Janes; our florist was so accommodating, helpful and extremely creative whilst also being mindful of our budget.

Our bridesmaid's wore Dessy style 2053, tea length strapless lace dresses over matte satin in a gorgeous cornflower blue with matching wide sash teamed with lace ivory shoes from Next. The lace detail in the dresses off set the bridal gown to perfection and the exquisite colour complemented the groomsmen's attire immaculately.

The Groomsmen wore the same suit and tie as the Groom with the exception of the waistcoat. The ties were also by Dessy so as to exactly match the colour of the bridesmaid's dresses.

We opted for a civil ceremony as neither of us are particularly religious and felt it would be hypocritical to marry in a traditional church. We devised a service unique to us, including readings from favourite books, artists and poems and using music we loved. I walked down the aisle to an instrumental version of Over The Rainbow composed by our family friend, Adrian Silver. We asked several friends to recite an extract from Captain Corelli's Mandolin by Louis de Bernieres; a quote by Bob Marley and a favourite anonymous poem. We also asked our registrar to include a passage from Union by Robert Fulghum which she was more than obliging to do. Our service was relatively short and sweet and there was laughter from beginning to end which set the tone for the remainder of the day.

There was some controversy when it came to entertainment; I wanted a band and Geoff wanted a DJ. Geoff won and I couldn't be happier that he did. Our DJ provided soft background music for our wedding breakfast and slowly built up throughout the day to create a huge party ending. As Geoff had rightly argued there were no 'lulls or breaks between sets' and our DJ catered for every guest. B & E Entertainment focussed on filling the dance floor, reading the crowd and even accommodating requests.

We are both 'foodies' so when it came to choosing our menu we wanted a variety of items that both we and our guests would enjoy. We didn't want anything fussy or ostentatious, just good old fashioned tasty grub! Immediately after the ceremony we provided cocktails and canapés. We served peach Bellini's and bottled beers alongside honey glazed sausages; mini beef burgers; mini frittatas topped with roasted pepper pesto; mini cottage pies; smoked salmon and trout roulade and Yorkshire puddings with rare beef and horseradish.

To continue the casual approach to our special day we decided to serve afternoon tea as our wedding breakfast. Our tea party included a savoury selection of herb and feta scones with a pepper mayonnaise; black olive & goats cheese puff pastry tartlets; mini sausage croissants; avocado drop scones with caramelised balsamic shallots & crème fraiche and smoked haddock and welsh rarebit tartlets. Of course, we also had a selection of finger sandwiches in our favourite flavours - smoked salmon & cucumber; egg, mayonnaise & cress; honey roast ham & rocket mayo and roast beef and horseradish.

For dessert we decided to give our guests a vast assortment of cakes to choose from, after all, afternoon tea is not complete without copious amounts of cake! Our good friend, Ann Lightfoot, very kindly agreed to make a dozen or so cakes for us (her baking is notoriously delicious) and we decided to incorporate the cakes into a deserving decorative feature. We had a cake table displayed alongside the top table for our guests to drool over. During the planning process I had collected an array of cake stands and nic nacs to add to the exhibition. Our cake
selection was extremely indulgent including carrot cake; lemon drizzle; coffee & walnut; Victoria sponge; fruit cake; chocolate cake; mini macaroons; chocolate profiteroles; puff pastry palmiers and mini doughnuts.

Our wedding cake, a simple three tiered white chocolate encased sponge from M&S, stood in the centre decorated only with a silhouette cake topper purchased from Etsy. Although the tallest of all cakes, it was rather outshone by my bridesmaid, Hayley's intricately decorated fruit cake! I received so many lovely comments about our cake table and how delicious it looked.

For the evening, we had chicken kebabs with a salad garnish and garlic mayonnaise and traditional fish n chips, all served in individual boxes - unfortunately we never got to try any of these dishes but have since been assured they were a hit and exactly what was needed to fuel a night of dancing.

Our photographer was by far the easiest decision we made. We knew of Kelly's work way before we were engaged and had always admired her signature style. We loved the natural and intimate moments she managed to capture. Kelly's un-intrusive approach coupled with sheer talent and a magnificent eye for detail guaranteed outstanding results. We rarely noticed the camera's presence and so were amazed to look back on our shots only to realise that Kelly hadn't missed a moment - the whole day was documented to perfection. We could (and would) sing Lola Rose's praises all day long, but we don't need to; the photographs speak for themselves.

Photography by Lola Rose
Bride Essense Of Australia | Boutique Bride To Be | Shoes Dune | Jewellery Emroy Jewels | Groom Next | Florist Daisy Janes | Bridesmaids Dessy | DJ B&E Entertainment | Cake M&S