Rain didn’t spoil the day for these newlyweds in their lovely intimate wedding venue. Our WED2B Real Weddings feature reveals more…

Evie and Theo standing outside next to thieir wedding car with an umbrella to sheild theim from the rain

Evie-Mae and Theo met in 2015 when they worked together while they were both studying at university. “Although we worked together we didn't start dating then,” says Evie-Mae. “But, as I was new to working in a bar, Theo always went out of his way to help me."

Evie;s straples wedding dress hanging up on the curtain pole by the window

"Fast forward a few years to 2018, and Theo messaged me happy birthday and, by chance, we were both out at the same place. I was with my parents and Theo was with his work friends. We met up and talked all evening. "

"He even met my parents, and we had strangers tell us we would get married one day. "

I felt extremely happy to have met him and we began dating.”

Close up image of Evie's strapless wedding dress, hanging up on the morning of their wedding day
Evie on the morning of her wedding having her wedding dress fastened at the back.

A garden proposal

Theo proposed four years later at his family home in Kent. “He had set up his professional camera on a tripod in the garden,” says Evie-Mae. “It was facing a beautiful archway with lots of flowers and he had put a blanket on the bench underneath. On a sunny Sunday morning in June 2021 he walked me outside and proposed in front of his mum. I felt surprised and excited."

"The day with beautiful and we were so happy to spend it with his family."

Front view of Evie in her organza wedding dress
Evie in her strapless wedding dress posing with her bridal bouquet

Shopping for the dress

Evie-Mae was on a trip to Manchester with her mum when they decided to nip into WED2B to have a browse. “The consultant was lovely and the experience was fantastic,” she says.

“The store was beautiful and the consultant was patient and allowed me to try the dresses on at my own pace."

"The whole afternoon was very relaxing.”

Evie on the morning of her wedding in her convertible wedding car

“After looking at the dresses, I chose three to try on and my mum chose the fourth dress. I had chosen three fitted gowns, as I was sure that was what I wanted. My mum chose the beautiful Georgina gown and I tried this one on last. As soon as I tried it on I knew it was ‘The One’. The corset back was stunning and it pulled my waist in perfectly.

"The dress was simple and elegant and I felt free to move and ready to walk down the aisle."

"I decided to buy it that afternoon.” (For similar styles take a look at Elton, Amabel or Annika)

Evie walking down the aisle with her arm linked with her dad.

An intimate wedding venue with a rustic feel

“We found our wedding venue online after a brief search,” says Evie-Mae. “I always wanted to get married in a beautiful rustic barn and I loved the area where my husband lived in Kent. When we visited The Barn Yard in Upchurch, we were taken back by its simplicity. We wanted an intimate wedding venue, and it wasn’t too big and it didn’t need much decorating. We both loved it as soon as we saw it and looked forward to our wedding date on the 17th August 2022!”

Evie and Theo kissng at the end of their wedding ceremony,

The big day

“I got ready at a beautiful hotel and spa in Kent called Hempstead House, with my mother and bridesmaid,” says Evie-Mae. “We stayed over the evening before with all of my family, who had travelled from Derby, and enjoyed breakfast together. Once we were ready, a traditional Morris Minor drove me, my mum and my dad to the wedding venue with the roof down. Luckily it didn’t rain, however it did when I arrived at the venue!” 

Evie and Theo posing together outside amoungst the vines
Evie laughing and smiling with Theo on their wedding day whilst holding her bouquet

A slight change of plan...

“Due to the rain, we had to get married in the barn, instead of outside” says Evie-Mae. “So, I had to walk up the aisle while my guests covered their eyes so that they didn't see me before the ceremony! This was so I could go into the dressing room and look in the mirror beforehand! My father walked me down the aisle and our live singer sang ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love’ for us. Some members of our family also read poems during in our ceremony. The most special moment was when we said our personal vows."

" It was as though nobody else was there and all of our guests cried."

It was beautiful.”

Back view of Evie  walking outside holding her dress up and Theo holding her train from the floor

Drinks and canapés

“After the ceremony, our live singer sang for our guests while they enjoyed drinks and canapés outside (luckily the rain had cleared up),” says Evie-Mae. “It was great catching up with each other. During this time my husband and I also went to have our photos taken in the apple yard next to our venue. We climbed a very wet, steep hill to get some amazing photographs. Our first dance song was danced under the stars to Nat King Cole’s ‘LOVE’. It was magical.”

Evie and Theo staring at oneanother with their arms around each other with the local fields visible in the background

Sage greens, light pinks and handpicked flowers

“Our theme was rustic with lots of wild flowers that were handpicked by the groom’s family,” says Evie-Mae. “We had sage green, light pink and lots of pearls as decoration. We served a three-course wedding breakfast, including a Thai fish cake starter, vegetarian main and a tasty chocolate fudge cake dessert." 

Evie and Theo's family made wedding cake
Evie and Theo holding the cake knife ready to cut their wedding cake

“A family friend made our cake and it was decorated with lots of daisies,” says Evie-Mae. “The flavours were white chocolate and raspberry and salted caramel. We decided to have white sugared almonds as our favours (five of these almonds are a Greek tradition for weddings). Then we played music, danced all night and had fun creating photographs with sparklers!”

Evie and Theo dancing outside with the fairy lights twinkling in the background

The best bits…

“The most memorable moments were saying our vows, the groom’s speech and dancing in the rain!”

Evie and Theo performing their first dance oustide on the evening of their wedding
Evie and Theo performing their first dance outside their rustic barn wedding venue

My top tips…

“Stay calm and just go with it,” says Evie-Mae. “Don’t get caught up with things that you can’t control, like the weather. It’s actually so much fun dancing in the rain. Also, make sure you eat. It’s really easy to forget to enjoy the food when you're busy socialising and taking photos!”

Evie and theo sitting outside on the evening of their wedding under a wood gazebo
Evie and Theo posing for photos with some of their wedding guests with sparklers in their hands

Evie-Mae and Theo’s Dream Team

Photographer: Daniel Luke

Venue: The Barn Yard

Makeup: Emily Povall Makeup Artist 

Hair: Kayleigh Wood Hair and Makeup Artist

If you would like us to feature your big day, like this couple and their intimate wedding venue, then please click here to share your story and photos with us and we’ll be in touch. Your nearest WED2B is closer than you think, click here for your nearest store and here for what to expect when you visit.