Oh gosh do I have the sweetest, most intimate and imaginative vintage inspired wedding for you today! A wedding that proves it most definitely is possible to have a special and memorable day without spending a fortune – all you need is a hint of creativity, the support and time of those you love, plus a bit of hard work. Today’s bride and groom Jo & Mike never lost sight of what was really important on their big day…..

From lovely photographer Haley Guildford ‘Mike & Jo, not only two very sweet and loving people, but two unique and creative people. Jo, a lover of all things vintage and Mike a Comic fan from way back! Combining these two imaginative minds made for a really fun day of shooting! Handmade comic strip and doily bunting, thrifted serve ware, fizzy pop and one pretty cool spiderman-topped polka dot cake, wonderful!’ Oh and I just know you are going to love Jo’s style – from her short and sweet wedding dress, that is more than a little Audrey-esque!, to her fabulous headpiece and fun blue polka-dot shoes, she is vintage inspired perfection from head to toe!

Now I am going to let Jo tell you all about her big (in all the important ways) day…… ‘When we first got engaged in October 2011, Mike and I started planning a very big wedding. We gave ourselves two years to save for it, and started booking all of our venues. A few months later though, I changed my mind about the big wedding. Me and Mike decided that having the most fancy day wasn’t what we wanted, and we would rather spend the equivalent money on a house deposit than just one day – so we cancelled it! We reprioritized – what was more important to us was sharing our special day with our close family and friends, so we cut our budget down by two thirds and gave ourselves six months to organize it.’

 ‘It was the best decision we made! Giving ourselves a strict timeline and budget made us really think about what we wanted. We didn’t want a very formal afternoon, so we opted to have our ceremony in a local park that we decorated with bunting in our favourite colours. Our guests sat on vintage picnic blankets. We had a couple of benches for family members, but it meant on the day we didn’t have to worry about hiring lots of chairs and setting everything up. We had crates of Foxton Fizz lemonade for our guests to enjoy before the ceremony started. My family is Welsh, so I carried a Welsh love spoon tied to my bouquet and amazingly, we even found a Welsh celebrant!’

‘The ceremony was so special, and we wrote our own vows. Mike is a 2D animator and loves superheroes and I like crafting and collecting all sorts of vintage stuff. We knew we had to include these in our special day. My parents kindly offered to host our wedding reception in their back garden, which made the afternoon very personal and gave us free reign with the decorating! We spent a few weekends making bunting out of comic books and paper doilies, and I trawled op shops for a few months to find vintage plates and lace table cloths. We have amazing friends who really helped out to make our day perfect. Our friend, Kate, made our red velvet and vanilla cake, and our friend Carl manned the bar. My mum and a family friend made all the food – catering for 65 people in a domestic kitchen can’t be easy, and it was delicious!’

‘Most brides opt for an amazing long dress for their weddings, but I wanted something a bit different and easier to run around in. I knitted my red shrug for the evening, as well as gifts for my lovely bridesmaids. Mike wore a grey suit with a black knitted tie – his choice, he thought I’d appreciate the crafty touch!’

 How cute is that Spider Man groom cake topper!

‘The best thing about our wedding was that the day was really intimate – our closest friends and family who know us best as a couple – and that we didn’t need to have a big, extravagant wedding to still have the perfect day!’

Jo is a girl after my own heart – planning her intimate backyard wedding in just 6 months! And such a truly intimate, family affair, it is surely impossible not to love it? The family backyard reception venue, DIY details and relaxed atmosphere, captured so perfectly by Haley are just super sweet. Are there any other brides planning a backyard wedding? (if so, I hope you have checked out my Bella Figura Trendsetter’s Pack – The Vintage Garden) Or are there any brides, like Jo, going to wear something a little different, perhaps a tea length wedding dress?

A huge thankyou to fabulous photographer Haley Guildford – it was such an honour sharing your wonderful work on Chic Vintage Brides, thankyou! And to Jo & Mike for allowing us a glimpse into their intimate wedding. I wish you both every happiness – there can be no better way to start life as man and wife than with a new love nest!

Amy

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Photographer – Haley Guildford // Wedding dress – Made Overseas // Hairpiece – Arden Farm // Bridesmaids’ dresses – Stax // Hair and Make-up – Sox Teng Makeup and Wardrobe // Bouquets – Bethany Gardens // Engagement ring – Bespoke (vintage sapphires, opal and silver Wedding band) //Groom’s suit – Euro Style // Groomsmen’s suits – Frank Casey Suit Hire // Ties – Hallensteins // Groom’s wedding band – Gear Ring from Kinekt Design // Ceremony venue – Wainoni Park, Greenhithe // Cake – Bake with Kate // Cake toppers – Itty Bitty Wood Shoppe