The Buttery and Glasshouse blog

The venue

How did you choose your venue? 

We knew we wanted to get married fairly locally to my parents as my Dad is unwell so we researched wedding venues in Kent. The Bull was the first venue we visited and I fell in love with it straight away. I am a bit impulsive with decision making and Doug is more measured so wanted to take a bit more time to make the right choice. 

Did you see many venues before deciding?

We actually only saw one more venue before I managed to convince him regarding the Bull!

Why was it the perfect venue for your wedding?

We loved the layout and having everything we needed in one place. The Buttery has a lovely rustic feel to it while the Glasshouse is light, modern and airy. Having the pub and restaurant space as well was a real bonus as we knew our older guests would want to congregate there in the evening. It was a great space for guests to have a drink pre ceremony as well. 

The outfits

Tell us about your wedding dress/outfit - where did you buy it, and how did you know it was ‘the one’?

I bought it from Victoria’s Bridal Boutique – they were amazing throughout. They had a system where you could only have two “favourites” saved at any one time so it really helped to focus your decision making. My best friend and maid of honour and I had gone to see Adele the night before my first appointment and I think I was unconsciously inspired by her timeless glamour in my choice. I thought I would go for a boho style with detailed beading and thin straps, but my choice couldn’t be further from that!

Did you have any special accessories or shoes to complete your look?

I chose a tiara (why not?!) and a veil from VBB. I found a pair of sparkly wedges online from Carvela. 

How did you choose the suits?

The groomsmens’ suits were very easy as we were walking through M&S and its navy suit for the World Cup was on display and it ticked the boxes for what we wanted. We went shopping for Doug’s suit in the city and were considering getting one made when we found exactly what he was after in the sale at Hawes & Curtis. 

Tell us about your bridesmaid and groomsmen outfits.

The groomsmen wore navy suits, white shirts, brown shoes, light pink ties and pink buttonholes. 

Two bridesmaids wore silver floor-length dresses with thin straps and low v necks while the other two wore rose floor-length dresses with high necks – all dresses were embroidered with sequins and from Lipsy.

Hair & makeup

Who did you use for your hair and/or makeup for your wedding?

Charlotte Stone (Charlotte Makeup and hair) did our make up

Our hair was done by The Blowdry Artist (Rianna Henry) – although I had a curly cut and style by Kizzy at Kinson Hair Studio the day before. 

How did you decide on the style and look you wanted for the big day?

I was going to have my hair up but then I had a curly cut a few months before the wedding and that changed the whole approach as my hair was a lot shorter! I decided I was going to go for a natural, loose style. I also decided to make my eye make up a bit more dramatic from my test to match the hair. 

The ceremony

What was your favourite moment of the ceremony?

Our six year old son announcing he was thirsty at a pivotal moment in the ceremony! Ha in reality, for me it was seeing Doug’s face as I walked up the aisle. 

Did you pick any special music to walk down the aisle to, or have any readings?

I walked up the aisle to One Day Like This, Elbow. I actually wrote a reading as a surprise for Doug and his sister read it out. 

The reception

What food did you have, and how was it? Was there a favourite dish that stood out?

We had the smokehouse feast but chose to have butternut squash soup to start as we wanted a sit down starter. Both were absolutely delicious, as was the brownie and ice cream that followed. 

Tell us about your wedding cake. Who made and designed it for you?

Our wedding cake was made for us by a friend. It was four tiered sponge with fresh berries and mascarpone. To go with our dinosaur theme (Hugo’s choice) we had a dino bride and groom cake topper and my friend had sourced edible ferns/foliage to decorate it. 

What were your speeches like? Any standout moments?

The speeches were emotional! Because my Dad is very unwell, he kept his short but very sweet and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. Doug’s speech was funny and heartfelt and his brothers as best men did a great job of highlighting some of their little brother’s highs and lows!

The decor

What was your decor/colour scheme, and how did you decide on it?

Well the dino theme was a way of including Hugo in the wedding. He chose the table names after his fave dinos and each table name was in a gold dino clip. The page boys also had dino ties. 

As we had the playful element already, and we hoped for sunny spring weather, we opted for bright colours – pinks, yellows, corals offset with lots of green. 

Who did your wedding flowers? 

Kelly at Normas – she was exceptional!

What did you have in your flower arrangements/bouquets?

Pink, yellow and white roses, peonies and lots of foliage

How did you add personal touches to the look and feel of your day?

When the gold dino table clips arrived I thought they were a bit small. I had a load of small boxes from a beauty box subscription, so I wrapped them in gold paper and stuck a dino on each one to give them a bit more height.

I also bought some pink textured ribbon and we tied the personalised menus (rather than placenames) with the favours and napkin, which looked really nice.

Our favours were bee pins from Macmillan Cancer for the ladies and scratch cards in personalised envelopes for the men. I also had personalised activity packs for the two page boys and flower girl.

Did you use any local suppliers for things like lighting, accessories and props?

Yes Confetti Hetti made us a welcome sign and Mr & Mrs hoop which looked amazing on the decking 

We hired the light curtain and lanterns from Etsa, which looked magical for the ceremony

We hired yellow candles, gold candlesticks and rose goblets from Black Saucer – these looked so great on the tables.

The entertainment

Did you have a DJ or a band? How did you choose them?

The DJ came as part of our package and he was great – contacted prior to the event to discuss music and was very patient with all my drunk friends’ requests on the night!

We had been keen on having a live band but it didn’t really work with the set up (we would have had to have them in the bar and we wanted that as a quieter area for guests to sit down and chat in the eve). We can honestly say we really didn’t miss it – the music and DJ in the Buttery was perfect and most of our guests danced the night away while scoffing pizza!

What was your first dance, and why was it special to you?

Our first dance was Your Song by Elton John and we chose it because Doug had proposed when we went to see him perform at Hyde Park the previous summer. 

The photography 

Who was your wedding photographer, and how did you choose them?

Colin Miller was our photographer. We chose him as we worked together years ago at a local paper and I had seen his work over the years, since setting up his own business and I loved his style. 

What style/look did you want for your photos?

We wanted as few posed photos as possible with a focus on natural shots

Do you have a favourite photo from the day?

We are still waiting for the official photos but there are definitely a few that are already dear to me. 

Did you have a videographer?

No we decided against it but we asked two people to video the speeches for us and they took their roles very seriously producing some wonderful footage to treasure. 

And finally

What was your absolute highlight of the day?

I can’t pick one because it was literally one huge highlight – seeing my beautiful bridesmaids cry when they saw how utterly stunning they looked; seeing my dad’s reaction when he first saw me and him being able to walk me down the aisle; holding Doug’s hand and saying our vows to one another; the speeches, food, dancing (especially our first dance), seeing my mum so happy with her siblings in the evening (she is one of 10 so getting them all in one place doesn’t happen very often!). 

Do you have any tips or advice for other couples having a wedding at the Buttery and Glasshouse? 

It really is an incredibly special venue, but what really makes it so dear to us are the exceptional team. There aren’t enough words to describe how remarkable Leigh Anne is at what she does, which is everything! From the first moment I saw her lovely smiley face to when we hugged goodbye the morning after, she did everything she possibly could to make our day so very special – and she did it all with such a calm, kind friendliness. I honestly miss not emailing her anymore! But also the entire team was excellent – they were professional but you could also tell they loved working at the Bull and that really came across in how they interacted with our guests – we had so much positive feedback – which was thoroughly deserved. 

Suppliers:

Confetti Hetti https://www.instagram.com/confettihetti/?hl=en, https://www.facebook.com/confettihetti/?locale=en_GB

Norma’s https://www.normas.uk/

Charlotte make up and hair https://www.charlottemakeupandhair.com/

The Blowdry artist https://www.instagram.com/theblowdryartist/?hl=en

Kinson Hair Studio https://kinsonhairstudio.com/