After ten years together, Chloe and Joe tied the knot in May at Homme House in Herefordshire. This lovely couple were inspired by the garden parties they love to host at home when planning their wedding and chose Love My Dress recommended photographers, Marta May Photography, to capture their day.

Chloe looked divine in the ‘Jean’ gown by Theia, which she paired with a bespoke lace bridal cape by Laura Fray. Seasonal British flowers brought the feel of an English cottage garden to their celebrations, with the ceremony taking place in front of the 17th-century summerhouse in the walled garden.

A roaming brass band that encouraged guests to make their way from the garden to the indoor reception brought all the gorgeous energy to the proceedings, guests enjoyed a cake Chloe had baked herself and the family’s VW campervan, affectionately named Tom, transported the bride and her bridesmaids to the ceremony before becoming a photobooth for the evening. Enjoy!

The Venue & Location

When we visited Homme House , I could immediately picture us getting married there. The whole place felt peaceful, quintessentially British, and had the warm, homely character we had been looking for in a wedding venue.

I think, above all, we fell in love with the relaxed and welcoming atmosphere we felt when we visited Homme. Charlie and Sarah, who live at Homme and run the weddings there, made us feel instantly at home and their passion for both weddings and the property itself really shone through. We hope to return to stay in the summerhouse we married in front of.

The Ceremony

My dad walked me down the aisle. As we waited to walk down, we had a beautiful view over the garden and countryside beyond, whilst standing underneath wisteria listening to bird song and enjoying the sunshine on our faces. It was so special.

I wrote a poem I titled ‘Littlest Of Love’ which my mum read. We also had a reading by my Auntie, which was a poem we found on a card in my Grandad’s house after he passed away, titled ‘The Art of Marriage’, by Wilferd Arlan Peterson.

Littlest of Love

‘Love is in a coffee or a cup of tea
A splash of milk, two sugars, it’s in simplicity

Love is in the logs we place on the fire
Nurturing the embers to kindle desire

Love is in the silence after a long hard day
Comfortable in company with nothing to say

Love is in the balance of give and take
Shared responsibility, compromises we make

Love is subtle and so easily missed
It’s not fireworks and fanfare; it’s gentle and modest

So cherish all love, no matter how small
For it’s the littlest of love that sustains us all’

How They Met

Joe and I met when I was 18, and by the time we got married we had been together for 10 years. I had been waiting a long time for his proposal, which did not disappoint!

We had spent time living in Sydney, and the city held so many special memories for us, so Joe surprised me with a trip back there, even contacting my boss to arrange time off, so the whole office was in on the surprise too! He planned the most incredible proposal, asking me to marry him on a private chartered boat in front of the Opera House at sunset.

There were many more thoughtful touches too, it really was worth the wait.

The Reception

I created all of the signage myself, as well as a ‘wedding newspaper’ which was handed to each guest when they took their seat for the ceremony. For the place cards we used a photo of us and the guest, and wrote a personal, heartfelt little note on the back specific to each guest.

We loved our florist, Hannah from Bride and Bloom, who created my vision of an English cottage garden with seasonal flowers. She was so passionate and excited about creating the vision, she made the process so fun and kept me updated with ideas and photos. I’ve never seen such beautiful bouquets and displays! Hannah also sourced Lily of the valley for the table displays, and a year later we have our namesake beautiful daughter, Lily.

I baked the wedding cake myself, which was assembled then decorated by my parents and friends on the morning of the wedding. The layers were lemon and elderflower / rose, pistachio and cardamon / lavender and white chocolate. We located it framed underneath the spiral staircase, and cut the cake just prior to the wedding breakfast so that it could be served as dessert.

For each guest I made a gold wire wine glass charm of their name, which also doubled up as a place card.

Our first dance was ‘My Girl’ by The Temptations, and was played by the band to kick off the evening celebrations. It’s cliche, but it’s a song that has always felt like “our song”. The lyrics ‘when it’s cold outside, I’ve got the month of May’ hold more meaning now, as we got married in May, and our beautiful daughter was born in May the following year.

Words of Wedded Wisdom

I would really recommend considering the flow of the day, how guests will move from one part of the venue to another, and how to make this a moment in itself. We used the brass band to escort guests in a procession, and later we did a conga to move guests inside. 

If you have time, include personal touches, and make each guest feel thought about. 

I wouldn’t change a single thing, except perhaps not drinking so many espresso martinis! 

Save this wedding to your favourites

Create a FREE user account and save all your favourite content to your own personal dashboard.

Register here, it will only take a few moments – you’ll then be able to save all your favourite Love My Dress content, including real weddings, shop items, ceremony readings, inspirational editorials and recommended supplier / vendor and venue listings. Enjoy!