Today we have the lovely Carly Turner Photography sharing one of her recent weddings with us today. Laura & Nick organised a fabulous, relaxed and rustic style wedding back in July and are here to tell you all about it.
What was your budget?
£7,000
How would you describe your wedding theme?
Rustic/relaxed
What was your favourite part of your wedding?
Standing at the Isle with Nick saying our vows in front of friends and family.
Tell us about your Wedding Dress
I ordered my dress online from Etsy.com from a lady based in Turkey called Esra Bridal. The dress was a Waters inspired dress. It cost £250 including delivery! I felt uncomfortable at the thought of spending a lot on a dress I’d only wear for one day and was amazed at the quality of dress for the money,it was perfect. I loved my experience of ordering my dress online, I was able to have my dress tailor made to my taste without the fear of debt. This was only the 2nd dress I tried on, so luckily it was perfect.
Who did you pick as your bridesmaids &/or best man and why?
I had my two best friends from school as my bridesmaids and my 84 year old grandmother as my maid of ‘dis’honour. She’s such as character, naughty and full of laughter and cheekiness! She made the wedding extra special. 
The best man was Nick’s childhood friend Jamie, who became friends over their love of snap bands and causing havoc at the age of 9, when Nick moved from Hereford to Cardiff. Jamie was Nick’s first cardiff friend.
Why did you choose your venue?
We chose Radyr golf club in Cardiff. It’s a pretty venue. There are no rooms at the golf club, which I liked. I didn’t want a grand hotel, just something pretty and simple.
Tell us about your photographer
Our photographer was fantastic!! She was a friend of mine from work. She’s a Nurse by trade but photographer at heart. She’s extremely talented lady, who even managed to get flattering photos of the most camera shy bride and groom. Carly took some lovely candid photos of the day, which we loved as it captured the day as it unfolded naturally. She’d also gone to the effort of having a wooden box customised (in the style and colours of our wedding) where she’d put Polaroids of the day and the memory stick containing 750!! Photographs. The memory stick was custom made, to look like a message in a bottle. Carly Llewellyn went above and beyond for our big day. I can’t express highly enough how important a good photographer is at your wedding…For us Carly wasn’t a good one, she was fantastic.
How did the proposal happen?
Nick had spent 6 months in Afghanistan, and as soon as he’d left I knew he was the one I couldn’t be without. Once he was safely home, he’d planned to propose on Christmas day, our first Christmas living together. However 10 days before, we had been out for a few drinks. Once home, we’d decided to break into the Christmas biscuits we’d bought someone as a gift. Inside was a ring shaped chocolate biscuit. Nick joked and placed it on my finger, pretending to propose…he then asked me properly with the ring he’d picked out himself. It was perfect and the size was exact. By the time I’d said yes and placed the ring on my finger, he’d eaten the biscuit!! To this day I still think the only reason he proposed early was because he wanted that biscuit for himself.
Any DIY stories/tutorials you’d like to share?
Between myself and my mum and dad, we made everything for the wedding. The favours, table plan, centre pieces the lot. My Dad was suprisingly good as making all the pretty extras for the wedding. 
Our first dance was Ed Sheran ‘thinking out loud’ because it said everything we felt at the time. A line in the song was about loving you since 23 and that was my age when we got engaged. 
In hindsight, was there anything you would have done differently?
Not a thing! I’d do it all again tomorrow
Do you have any advice for future couples?
You really don’t have to spend a lot to have a good day and more importantly don’t stress the small stuff. The day will come and go in a heartbeat and you’ll waste the best day of your life stressing over insignificant things. We wanted our day to be relaxed and fun and that it was. 
What’s the best piece of marriage advice you received?
The basis of a good marriage is good friendship. 
What was your favourite thing about planning a wedding?
Definitely all the smaller details, such as the favours and the bouquets etc. All the finer details that make a wedding unique to you as a couple. 
The Suppliers
Ceremony Venue: Christ Church Radyr Cardiff
Reception Venue: Radyr golf club
Bride’s Dress: Etsy
Bride’s Shoes: Blue shoes (from Newlook…shhh!)
Bride’s Jewellery: My mother’s
Groom’s Outfit: Slaters
Bridesmaid’s Dresses: BHS
Cake: Devoli cakes
Flowers: Flowers I Do by Lucy
Make Up: Done myself
Stationery: Prostate cancer charity pens
Transport: Vintage Dubs
The Wedding Album
