RUTH + DAVID

It is no secret that the team at Sophie Voon love colour! So when we heard about David and Ruth's wedding day we just had to share it with you! Featuring a stunning natural backdrop, tipi venue, and a ceilidh, this wedding is just bursting with personality and fun!

David and Ruth's wedding was a real family affair. As they both hail from the UK but live in New Zealand, they naturally called in on family and friends to help them prepare for their special day back in the UK's Lake District. "The whole day was amazing. But in particular I was blown away by the effort that our family and friends put into helping us make the day a success. We were trying to stick to a relatively small budget so our families and friends helped out with the preparations and on the day itself. Our family put a lot of effort into making decorations: signs, tablecloths and jam jar lanterns, even a willow arch for the ceremony decorated with dried flowers, and my mother in-law sewed 100 metres of bunting!"

"I didn’t have a specific theme for the wedding at first, but I fell in love with the idea of having a giant tipi, so a festival/rustic country theme slowly grew from that. We made choices about the wedding decorations, food and music which would help to make the day relaxed and informal."

"The ceremony was also a very special part of the day. All of our guests commented on how intimate and personal it was.We had a fantastic celebrant who put a lot of effort into making the ceremony special and unique to us. At the last minute we decided to incorporate a hand fasting (tying the knot) which was a real point of difference from other weddings we’ve attended and was a nice way to include our parents in the ceremony."

"On the Friday evening we had a wood-burning pizza oven so hungry guests could make their own pizzas as they arrived. Most of our friends set up their tents in the field around the tipi. The tipi was decorated with fairy lights, colourful paper lanterns and jam jars full of wild flowers. We also had a firebox in the centre which people could relax around in the evening. The village hall was decorated with handmade bunting and fairy lights and we had a ceilidh dancing in the hall on the Saturday evening."

"I didn’t have much of an idea about what sort of dress I wanted beforehand and all of the dresses I tried on were so beautiful in their own way it felt like an impossible choice. I went back several different times to try on different styles and brought different friends with me for feedback each time. The staff were really helpful and encouraging. I felt that they gave me honest advice and personalised help which wasn’t just a standard sales pitch. One of my favourite things was the number of options they gave you for personalising the dresses with obis and straps in a huge variety of styles, fabrics and colours."

"I found Sophie Voon dresses to be simple and elegant and there was no pressure to buy when I went in to try on some different styles. The service I got was so friendly and laid back it made it an enjoyable experience, whereas other dress shopping experiences had left me feeling stressed out."