Good morning beauties! Welcome to today’s real wedding, brought to us by the super talented Martin from Makowski Photography. Sarah and Daniel were married at the ever-so festival barn venue Camp Katur. We’ve previously featured a couple of weddings from this gem of a venue, situated in North Yorkshire. As far as outdoor glamping venues go, this one is right up there, as it allows couples to play out their unique festival vision for their wedding, and have them stay over ‘glamp’ style in their beautiful onsite pods and log cabins.
Sarah and Dan wanted to steer away from tradition, despite their church ceremony. All they really wanted was to host one big party for their nearest and dearest….
We wanted the day to feel like one big informal party. We had a temporary tattoo station, homemade biscuits imprinted with song lyrics and giant panda and bear heads for dancing! Décor wise, we went for lots of green leafy foliage – everything from the cake to the flower arches were made by friends or family….we wanted everything to have a personal touch.
The couple chose some divine festival features when it came to the styling, catering and overall vibe of the day; acoustic music, DIY decor, Fish + Chip van and BBQ food….throw all that into a rustic, countryside barn setting and voila, the perfect festival wedding was born. Along with all of their guests, they traveled to the glamping camp in a red double decker, a VW Camper and a seriously cool old-skool Ford Mustang. Sarah wore her auburn locks free and loose upon the shoulders of the prettiest Grace Loves Lace gown. We ADORE GLL – these dresses always add a plump ‘cherry on top’ when it comes to a festival style wedding!
Let’s hand over to beautiful bride Sarah to tell us more about her DIY barn wedding last summer….
Barn Venue with Glamping Pods and Log Cabins
Dan proposed on a trip to Budapest with friends at the top of Fisherman’s Bastion. We then got married in 2018 in St Mary’s which is a local church in Nunthorpe, Middlesbrough, followed by a beautiful barn setting reception in Bedale called Camp Katur. We were keen to have an outdoor feel to our wedding and wanted a bit of a blank canvas to work from. Camp Katur was the first venue we viewed and we immediately fell in love. There were glamping pods at the venue which immediate family stayed in, as well as a set of log cabins with outdoor and indoor communal area for friends.
Gypsophila, London Bus, VW Camper and Ford Mustang!
We had a church ceremony at our local church in Nunthorpe. The church was dressed with gypsophila, so very simple. We travelled to the reception (around 40 mins away) in a range of vehicles. With the main party in a London Bus (Dan and I lived in London for a few years so Dan’s Mam and Stepdad had hired the bus as a surprise!), a VW Campervan for the Bridesmaids and a vintage Ford Mustang for the bride and groom!
Eucalyptus, Ferns, Acoustic Vibes and Glitter Ball
The venue was dressed with foliage by us and our family. We used lots of eucalyptus and fern, we had copper arches made and a big white ‘HELL YEAH!’ sign, all made by my Dad. The cake was made by my mam, and each guest had a homemade shortbread biscuit with tie dye icing and a song lyric specific to them printed on the biscuit…it took DAYS but was worth it, a real personal touch! We had a disco ball installed in the barn which completely changed the look of the venue.
We used The Green Florist in Norton – I wanted all green foliage with very few flowers. They were brilliant and recommended different things. I completely put my trust in them and it paid off. My bouquet was really unique!
Summer BBQ, Fish + Chips and Personalised Biscuit Wedding Favours
Muse Catering provided the most amazing summer BBQ full of local produce from the area, and then fish and chips in the evening. It was hands down THE best fish and chips we’ve ever had! For wedding favours, we made personalised shortbread biscuits for everyone and also donated to Centrepoint Charity for the Homeless on behalf of our guests.
Grace Loves Lace….
I wore a beautiful yet simple lace dress from Grace Loves Lace. I’ve always loved this brand, so I didn’t shop around for much else! They are so comfortable, and totally perfect for a more relaxed wedding. I also wore some arm cuffs from GLL – they were actually anklets but I used them for my arms. I wore white patent wedge sandals by LK Bennett and the Gabriella Veil, also from Grace Loves Lace.
Sage Green Bridesmaid Dresses
I didn’t wear much jewellery – I had a pair of simple, two hoop earrings from Not on the High Street which featured my new initials. Dan wore a Paul Smith Navy Suit with tie and pocket square from Mrs Bow Tie, along with Clarks Originals Shoes. The bridesmaid’s wore TFNC Sage Green Dresses, (in the same colour but all different styles), along with bracelets from Lisa Angel Jewellery. The flower girl dresses were from Monsoon.
All the singing, dancing and fun caught on camera
We hired the wonderful Martin from Makowski Photography to capture our day. Martin caught every single moment and all the fun elements of the day which is exactly what we wanted. We want to look back in 40 years time at our photos and remember the fun times everyone had – dancing, singing and having a good time! He made us feel comfortable and didn’t intrude on the day in any way. He’s a true professional who we had an absolute blast with!
First Dance
We hired My Wedding Jam to play at our wedding and they were great! We also had the uber-talented John Gatenby play acoustic guitar throughout the ceremony and right through to the evening. Our first dance was to Bob Marley’s ‘Is This Love’. Dan and I were at Glastonbury Festival and this song was playing….we just knew that moment was going to stick with us forever! Plus, it’s upbeat, as we’re really not the soppy kind!
Favourite Moment
It’s hard to pick one moment, but I’d say my favourite moments were watching everyone sing, dance and laugh. Everyone from the youngsters to the grandparents had such a good time which of course was our absolute aim of the day. It was great to see everyone smiling and enjoying the day. My 83 year old Grandma even got a temporary tattoo!
Any Advice?
My advice is just to enjoy it all and take in every moment. It was important to us that the day be as relaxed as possible. We just went with the flow on the day, and I can assure you that you will enjoy it much more if you do that!
The Line Up
Photography: Makowski Photography; Venue: Camp Katur; Bride’s Dress: Grace Loves Lace; Bride’s Shoes: LK Bennett; Hair: Pin Up & Go Hair; Jewellery: Lisa Angel Jewellery; Bridesmaid Dresses: TFNC; Flower Girl Dresses: Monsoon; Groom’s Outfit: Mrs Bow Tie / Paul Smith; Groom’s Shoes: Clarks Originals Shoes; Catering: Muse Catering; Florist: Norton Florist; Band and Vocalist: My Wedding Jam / John Gatenby
Awesome stuff! Massive thanks for the feature guys!
My husband and I were priveliged to be invited, was the best wedding we’ve ever been to. Fantastic day from start to finish. Wish we could do it all over again xx Julie n Mark xx