Josh and Kat’s rustic, romantic, celebrant-led wedding ceremony was held at Bradstone Manor on Saturday 24 September 2022…
…. And it was a fabulously big celebration for two people who are simply perfect for each other! It’s always such a privilege to be asked to create a ceremony for another wedding professional, but this was our first for an artisan florist, which certainly added to the excitement! Let us introduce you to the incredibly talented Kat of Milli Fleur and her super supportive other half Josh. And what a fabulous journey we enjoyed together! Kat contacted us some five months before their big day, having already booked a registrar to attend their wedding ceremony. But the more she and Josh thought about it, the more they felt they wanted something more personal and meaningful than a registrar could offer. So understanding that they would need to complete the legal paperwork at the register office before holding a celebrant-led wedding ceremony, they emailed us with crossed fingers to see if we were available. And yey, we were!! We caught up with our gorgeous couple a few months before their big day to work on some of the finer details of the ceremony, and we were delighted to learn they were looking for a very relaxed and romantic vibe, with surprise readings from two of their family, and the chance to create their own wedding vows to one another. And with a bridal party of nearly 20 and a guest list of 120, this was to be one big party! Having known each other since school, their paths crossed again a little later in life, and it wasn’t long before Kat and Josh they were inseparable. A highly supportive, compatible and fun-loving couple, their positivity and enthusiasm were highly contagious, thus significantly helping the creative process of writing their ceremony!
When the day of the wedding arrived, we were blessed with fair September weather, which ensured we would be enjoying the beautiful grounds of Bradstone Manor for the ceremony. Not one of our usual venues, it is located just over the border into Devon, and features a particularly stunning 15th century gatehouse, in front of which the wedding would take place. The Manor also has some stunning barns for dining and entertainment – here you can see just how talented and artistic Kat and her team are – having undertaken all the decor themselves!
Having chatted with Kat and Josh’s guests, and spending a little time with her readers, who’d we talked at length with to find the perfect pieces for our couple, it was time to welcome our bridal party. As the music played, Kat’s entourage of 7 bridesmaids, 3 flowergirls and a page boy walked down the cobbled path of the aisle, before an exquisite-looking Kat arrived with Dad Barry; meanwhile Josh, who was supported by his best man Jonny, and Kat and Josh’s four brothers as ushers, was looking and feeling very relaxed but excited about the arrival of his gorgeous girl.
Big smiles all round, it was a ceremony which moved smoothly and joyfully through the story of Kat and Josh meeting, their happy memories, and the much anticipated marriage proposal. But the high point, without question, was the beautifully worded promises they had written for one another. Without fail, we have the greatest of respect for couples who write their own vows, because it really is no easy thing! But added to this, Josh and Kat displayed such authenticity and honesty in their words to one another, there really wasn’t a dry eye in the house. It’s a moment we’ll remember for some time to come.
And with rings exchanged, certificate signed, and confetti thrown with great abandon, Kat was whisked away on a vintage tractor driven by Josh to make their grand entrance to their reception where they danced the night away with all their guests, before enjoying a short honeymoon with Dora the dog, and returning home the following Saturday in time to attend a friend’s wedding!
It was so wonderful to have feedback only days after the wedding – and this time we had emails from people other than the couple, which shows you what lovely people Kat and Josh are surrounded by:
These included Josh’s Uncle Tim,
Thank you for your reassuring presence and guidance yesterday – even though I clearly need more practice holding a microphone while reading! I thought your leading of Katherine and Josh’s wedding ceremony was just so right in so many respects. I appreciate the enormous amount of work you must have undertaken to prepare and present everything so well. You made it all look easy! We had a lovely day – thank you.
And Kat’s Mum Fiona contacted us:
I wanted to say what a wonderful job you did for our daughter Katherine and her now husband Josh on Saturday the 24th September at Bradstone Manor. You were so friendly and professional. The ceremony was beautiful with the right combination of seriousness, love and laughter. The elderly, who are often resistant to change were very moved and impressed, so for that I am grateful. We all had the best day so thank you so much.
And very kindly, Kat and Josh themselves, who left us this fantastic review:
Lisa was absolutely amazing throughout the whole process. We cannot thank you enough! Before booking Lisa, we had arranged for a registrar to come out on our wedding day and marry us. However we couldn’t push out the thought that we felt this was quite impersonal and we wanted our ceremony to be unique, special and not rushed.
From the moment I spoke to Lisa, I immediately felt at ease, she talked me through the process of how she worked and how she would work with us both leading up to the big day, getting to know us and would then write our ceremony.
The pair of us really enjoyed the whole process of working with Lisa, she was super friendly, kind and professional and when it came to the big day, she had our guests ‘eating out the palm of her hand’. We had fantastic feedback saying how personal it was and how much they enjoyed the ceremony. There were even tears in the audience! We had readings by my Auntie and Josh’s uncle which were beautiful and Lisa helped guide them through this and was on hand with any help they needed.
Thank you again Lisa for all your hard work and help, you were so brilliant! We would highly recommend having a celebrant take your ceremony, once we made the decision we never looked back! We hope to keep in touch. Love Kat and Josh (newlyweds Mr and Mrs Hughes) xx
Apart from these gorgeous souls (thank you SO MUCH for your lovely words!) it was also such a treat working on the day with photographer Paige Grace (all photo credits are to her!) and also videographer Sean Hodge – if you'd like to see a little bit of video footage from the day - it's here!
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