Amelia and Tobias were married at Cissbury Barns in West Sussex on a soft spring day in May. Captured beautifully by Bowl of Corks Photography, their wedding was relaxed, personal and full of thoughtful detail, reflecting their shared love of the South Downs and its natural beauty.
They wanted their celebration to feel like a garden party rather than a formal affair, and Cissbury’s setting offered exactly that – open countryside, rustic barns and room for guests to enjoy the day at their own pace. Amelia wore a dress with statement puff sleeves from The Wedding Studio Berkshire, and her bridesmaids each chose pastel-toned gowns, including designs by Rewritten.
The couple’s evening entertainment came courtesy of Super Soul, booked through Fix The Music, who brought everyone to the dancefloor. With homemade touches, locally grown flowers and a relaxed approach to styling, Amelia and Tobias created a wedding that felt authentic, joyful and completely their own.
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We knew we wanted a more relaxed garden party style wedding day rather than something too formal, as this reflects our personalities.
Venue/Inspiration
We both love walking in the south downs and its natural beauty. We had previously attended a few weddings in the surrounding area with the barn aesthetic and loved the feel of the days. When we first saw Cissbury it instantly felt right.
The Ceremony
My dad accompanied me into the ceremony, to the sound of ‘I Giorni’, by Ludovico Einaudi.
We wrote our own vow’s and promises together and both read out the same to each other.
Our rings were from Reve Diamonds London. I found this company when looking for an engagement ring, as I was looking for a jewellers that could provide a bespoke service. It was a great experience, so felt natural to return when looking for our wedding bands together.
Photography
We chose Bowl of Corks after a recommendation from Amelia’s sister, who had seen their amazing photos online. When we first met with Archie and Abigail, you did not feel like just another client in their busy wedding calendar but that actually cared and were interested in our day.
They provided the right amount of contact and support prior to the wedding day without overwhelming us. On the day itself, Archie was a calm and friendly presence, able to direct guests as needed for photos and helped make our day flow without making us feel we were missing out by constantly being pulled aside for photos.
We received multiple compliments from our guests about Archie’s professionalism and friendliness on the day. When we received our professional photos they really captured the day and all the moments that mean so much to us. We would 100% recommend Bowl of Corks to others.
How They Met
We both met ten years ago at Southampton University through mutual friends.
I had planned to propose to Amelia on hiking trip to the Dolomites, Italy. However, this did not quite go to plan as unfortunately Amelia broke her foot just before the trip.
We changed our plans last minute and had the week in a remote wooden cabin by a lake just outside of Cambridge. I didn’t have the proposal in mind as we were worried about the broken foot. That week we had a lovely relaxed time and perfect weather, so after dinner in the sun one evening it felt like the right time to propose.
The Reception
We used paper lanterns for the stretch tent outside to add pops of colour.
Tobias is known for making mango chutney, alongside other condiments and marmalades, for Christmas to give as gifts to friends and family, so as wedding favours, I made small jars (190ml) of mango chutney for everyone.
We designed and printed all our own stationery, with the help of Canva for the designs.
Our first dance was to ‘This Will Be (an everlasting love)”, by Natalie Cole. I loved the movie ‘Parent Trap’ growing up – and this felt like the perfect song for us to dance to. We had Super Soul, hired via Fix The Music, as the band for the evening entertainment and loved them.
Words of Wedded Wisdom
Try not to get too bogged down and stressed by the planning. Allocate time to do wedding planning and time to not do any planning, otherwise it can feel like it is taking over.
Also, we do wish that we’d Stayed an extra night the day after the wedding so that checking out did not feel so rushed.
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