Whether you’ve got a sparkler on your finger and are looking for inspiration for your wedding in Suffolk or you just love having a nosey at a beautiful real wedding, you’ll love this real wedding that took place at the simply stunning Elms Barn country wedding venue just outside Beccles this summer. Scroll on for the prettiest flowers and country garden ceremony, plus a wow-factor barn reception, an adorable dog and cool entertainment ideas from the wedding of Hannah and Grant, now know as Mr & Mrs Fish!

Hannah (27) and Grant (31) tied the knot in June at Elms Barn where they took over the venue and accommodation for a full weekend of celebrations. As it was the height of summer and the gardens were looking top notch, the couple opted for an al fresco ceremony and decorated their day to match with a colour palette of pastels and rustic luxe touches throughout.

The wedding day was captured beautifully by Norfolk-based photographer Sarah at White Woodland Photography showcasing cute candid moments with bridesmaids and the couple’s dog as well as all the stunning personal details that the couple worked so hard on in the run-up to the wedding.

All images ©White Woodland Photography

The couple

The couple had known each other for many years through Hannah’s friendship with Grant’s sister. Four years ago they got much closer and then during a special holiday to Disney World (Hannah’s favourite place in the world) to celebrate Grant’s 30th they got engaged.

“Grant panicked that he would get stopped at security and ruin the surprise so got down on one knee in the hotel before we flew,” says Hannah.

The venue

The couple chose Elms Barn in Suffolk, a countryside venue that offers exclusive hire for three whole days, which is exactly what the couple opted for.

“We knew that we wanted a venue with pretty outside gardens for our ceremony and for our guests to enjoy and we also wanted something close to home,” says Hannah. “Most of our guests are local and Elms Barn is only 20 minutes away. It’s the first venue we viewed and didn’t bother viewing any others – it was perfect for us and had everything we wanted and needed.”

“The team were amazing throughout the entire planning process,” says Hannah. “Ruth was always there whenever I needed anything and the staff on the day couldn’t do enough for us and our guests – they were brilliant and even ended the night having a dance with us at our last song. A special shout out to Sarah who was our front of house… she made sure our ceremony and day ran smoothly and was so helpful. Also Amanda – she was the most helpful person, she bustled my dress as she was a seamstress and just made everyone smile.”

Hannah, her four bridesmaids, flower girl, ring bearer and mum and dad got ready together in the beautiful Bridal Suite and Stackyard Lodge, next door to the main venue. The accommodation at Elms Barn caters for up to 24 guests, which meant the preparation and after partying could all happen on site.

“We used all the accommodation on the Friday night and Saturday night. I stayed at Stackyard Lodge on the Friday night with my bridesmaids, parents, close family friends and Grant’s mum and sister. We had a BBQ, some drinks, played beer pong and chilled all evening. We Grant and I stayed together in the bridal suite on the wedding night.”

Grant and his four groomsmen got ready at his home and then they travelled to Elms Barn for the ceremony in style in a beautiful sage green VW campervan that went perfectly with the colour palette!

The outfits

Hannah fell in love with a Maddison James dress from Adella Bridal (just outside Norwich). “As soon as I put that dress on I knew that it was want I wanted,” she says. “I felt amazing in it and knew that was my dress. I also wore my nanny’s veil that she wore for her wedding in 1961. She passed away in April 2023 so this meant a lot to me.”

Hannah finished off her elegant look with a necklace gifted by her mum, some earrings from Grant and shoes from Rainbow Club.

The bridesmaids wore matching sage green dresses with a sequin detail top from Monsoon with their choice of shoes to ensure they felt comfortable. The groomsmen wore the same as the groom, but with matching waistcoats.

Grant and his groomsmen hired navy suits with a white stitching detail and Grant stood out from the rest of the party by opting for a brown waistcoat that worked perfectly with the rustic country vibe. Grant’s accessories included some Harry Potter cufflinks and a watch that Hannah gave to him on the morning of the wedding. “He also had a pin on the inside of his jacket which his mum gave him,” says Hannah. “It had photos of his nanny and grandad who have passed away.”

The ceremony

The gardens at Elms Barn are spectacular so luckily the sun came out for Hannah & Grant (despite some ominous looking clouds in the background) and they were able to hold their ceremony outside.

“It was beautiful,” says Hannah. “The roses and flowers were out which made the most perfect aisle. We had a string quartet called Kavolini perform our ceremony music. Disney is a big part of our life so we walked down to Can You Feel The Love Tonight from The Lion King and Grant loves Harry Potter so we walked out to Hedwig’s Theme.

The reception

After the ceremony guests were in for a treat with Pimm’s and bottled beers on the lawn with the string quartet playing in the background. To keep guests entertained the couple hired some garden games and love-themed 9 hole mini golf from Belles and Beaus in Norfolk that went down very well with guests young and old!

Elms Barn’s caterers took care of the food for the couple serving up a three-course sit down meal in the beautiful fairy-light strewn barn. Guests could choose between starters of pea & mint soup, prawn cocktail or a chicken Caesar salad followed by mains of beef Wellington, a chicken roast or vegetable wellington. For dessert it was vanilla crème brûlée or salted chocolate cheesecake as well as sharing cheeseboards.

After the speeches the party got into full swing thanks to dance floor fillers from local band Elevation 4 and fun entertainment such as a Photo Booth and polaroid guest book.

And all that dancing makes for hungry guests, so Hannah and Grant had three food trucks in the evening – Bella Ciao serving wood fired pizza, The Bucket List serving loaded fries and The Food Dude serving waffles and crêpes.

The details

It’s the small details that really make a wedding stand out and Hannah and Grant spent a lot of time and effort personalising every detail of their country wedding. “We knew we wanted a green theme throughout with colourful florals so we hired sage green napkins from The Banqueting Hire and Teena, the in-house florist took care of the flowers,” says Hannah. “We had some low table flowers with candles and some taller. Then we had a spray on the top table with some bud vases.”

To help them make the barn as wow-factor as possible Hannah and Grant enlisted the help of Sam Race Venue Decoration for lighting and drapes. Sam also provided the green lanterns in the marquee and the groomsmen’s transport to the venue.

“Our cake was from Sam Osbourne, The Tattooed Cake Lady,” says Hannah. “She was recommended by a close friend was amazing. The cake tasted lovely, it was decorated perfectly to match our decor and colour scheme and she added a little fondant model of our dog. She also made some biscuit favours to match for the children.”

To capture of these details for posterity the couple chose photographer Sarah at White Woodland Photography. “We know Sarah because she lives close to us and have seen all her amazing work before so we knew she would be perfect for capturing our day,” says Hannah.

Favourite moments

Apart from Disney and Harry Potter the other love of Hannah and Grant’s life is their adorable dog. One of the most magical moments of the day was when their furry friend turned up at the end of the ceremony. “We were surprised by my parents who arranged for our dog to be there after the ceremony, which was a big big surprise to us both and definitely a highlight,” says Hannah.

For Grant though the best part of the day was seeing his bride for the first time when she walked down the aisle.

The happy ending

After an amazing wedding weekend the couple still had lots to look forward to as they set off on honeymoon. “We went on a Greek island cruise for seven nights. It was so nice to see different parts of Greece in one holiday and just relax after all the wedding chaos.”

Find out more about Elms Barn wedding venue here.

Real Wedding: A chic country garden celebration at Elms Barn, Suffolk

You may also like