Now, some of our loyal followers will know that we're long-time fans of wedding venue, Wasing Park & Estate, and specifically their majestic Woodland and Secret Walled Garden is just everything a festival bride could dream of! So when they sent over Ting and Kee's beautiful real wedding (photographed by Valo Studio) we simply had to share, but we wanted you guys to hear it from Wasing themselves, as their space is just so special!

A magical venue that seems to speak straight to the hearts of those couples that visit it, let's get chatting about this gorgeous space and all of its incredible potential, shall we?!

The Woodland and Walled Garden became wedding venues almost by mistake, we had an enquiry for a marquee venue where they could do everything themselves and our events executive suggested that although it wasn't "technically" a wedding venue how did they feel about hiring our Secret Walled Garden... That was 7 years ago!

Soon after enquiries started coming in for venues with a festival feel, so we introduced the Woodland glade.

The Woodland and Secret Walled Garden are 'DIY' venues, so they're perfect for the creative couple looking for an outdoor wedding.

You can hire either the Woodland or Secret Walled Garden as your reception venue, including use of the Folly, which is licensed for outdoor civil ceremonies and the Bothy, a Honeymoon cottage set with in the walls of the garden.

On Wasing Estate there is also a Farmhouse which can host up to 12 guests, on a self-catering basis.

I did the show-round for Ting and Kee, they both had lots of creative ideas about how to dress the woodland wedding making it very personal to themselves.

Unusually, they didn't use the Folly which is licensed for a civil ceremony, but chose to have a blessing in the Woodland. Unlike other weddings that want a blessing they didn't use the stage area in the Woodland, they wanted it amongst the pines and planned to hang decorations and lights from the trees, creating a really magical environment.

When the day came it was as natural as I expected, rustic but with some very traditional elements. Ting's dress was beautiful satin with long train and chapel style veil, very different to what other woodland brides have worn, but it complemented the day and venue perfectly as she teamed it with a floral head dress and very natural bouquet, both with a lot of greenery. Ting's floral accessories suited the natural venue and fitted in with their favours (potted succulents) and decorations which were mainly foliage and gypsophillia (Baby's Breath).

We knew we wanted an enchanting and rustic environment and a woodland was ideal. Wasing Park Woodland was the second venue we saw and it was the perfect layout for our day; the tall forest trees for our ceremony, and the open fire pit and huts to lay out our reception.

We wanted to marry amongst nature, especially in a forest.

We chose a focal tree to say our vows in front of, decorating the front with white hanging decorations, which blew gently in the wind. We created our own rustic aisle with wooden benches, vintage stairwell posts and white petals and as Ting walked in, we wanted the dramatic acoustic of 'Now we are free' to envelop the forest.

We thought late summer to early autumn would suit the theme and mood of our wedding, we married on the 5th September.

The Woodland and Secret Walled Garden wedding season starts in early May as does the buzz in the wedding office... 'What do you think we'll see this year?'

Being 'DIY' venues, there's always something different at each wedding, and we love that! In 2015 we had dodgems in the Woodland and a bake off in the Walled Garden!

The organisation and planning of the wedding is very much down to the couple, they have control over the suppliers they use and how they are going to design the venue.

During the planning process our team are always on hand to offer advice and experience to ensure the setup, break down and wedding day runs smoothly.

We have a fantastic list of wedding suppliers including marquee companies, caterers, florists and photographers all who love working at these unique venues. These suppliers are a great asset, as the couples are secure in the knowledge that the suppliers know the venue and are trusted by the venue.

Here's a little testimonial for you:

Thank you so much for all your help in supporting us with our wedding in the Secret Walled Garden - we had an amazing day. We have had so many compliments from our guests about the gorgeous old farmhouse as well as the beautifully manicured gardens. We were able to realise our vision because of your venue!

- Lauren and Brett 22 ^nd August 2015

Our couples just seem to know when they walk in to either of these venues... They tend to feel at one with the space.

Be prepared to be flexible on dates. Find your perfect venue and then find a date otherwise you will think you're comprising! After all, what is a date if the venue is the one!

Just gorgeous isn't it?!

There's something so atnospheric about marrying beneath cathedral-like tall trees, it's absolute magic.

Wasing Woodland and Secret Walled Garden is just a fantastic outdoor venue and you can find them in our directory now!

We'll be chatting 10 Ways to Make Life Lovely tomorrow on the blog, so be sure to get your booty back over here for some bank holiday loveliness! Until then...

Peace + Love

Clare XO