We love a festival wedding, and this nautical Sparkford Hall wedding with a festive vibe is awesome. Sarah and Dan created a relaxed and fun wedding with fab nautical details throughout; the ship knots on the tables, nautical wording thrown in at every opportunity, whale cufflinks and even the master of ceremonies in old fashioned crew wear!
For us the best thing about this wedding is the relaxed day everyone had, with the guests enjoying fun and games on the lawn, including a tug of war and sack race.
Our thanks go to Brian Robinson Photography for sharing these amazing pictures.
Rustic, Nautical Theme
“Dan and I work as yacht crew so we spend most of our lives at sea. We therefore don’t get to spend much time with our friends and family. Our Sparkford Hall wedding took place over the whole weekend, which meant we could spend some quality time with our loved ones.”
“We wanted the wedding to reflect our personalities, so we chose a rustic, nautical wedding theme with a fun, festival vibe. There were lots of activities for the kids and, of course, lots and lots of rum for the adults!
Sparkford Hall Wedding
“Sparkford Hall was the perfect location. It’s a country manor set in beautiful grounds, with twelve bedrooms, a cottage, space to camp, and yurts and airstreams to hire. It was somewhere we felt everyone could feel at home and relaxed.
“Sparkford is a licensed venue so we had our ceremony on-site in the hall, followed by a reception in the garden with canapés, drinks and games.”
Crew Area
“We rented a marquee in the garden for the wedding breakfast, and had a bar, barbecue and large chill out area outside with hay bales and a firepit. The library was turned into a ‘Crew Area’ where guests could ‘log in’, and we asked them to sign the log book and wooden anchor (made by my father as a gift), get a tattoo and take their own photos.
“After the wedding breakfast we had our first dance to ‘I’m Yours’ by Jason Mraz, and music by our band, ‘Duke’. They were fantastic and got everyone up on the dance floor.”
Hidden Nightclub
“But the best part of the evening was the hidden nightclub in the basement. It had been converted into a Rum Shack for the evening, with serving wenches, pirates and DJ. We’d kept it a surprise, and after the band finished we led our guests down through a cupboard under the stairs which was the entrance to the hidden club. Here the celebrations continued long into the early hours.”
Photography: Brian Robinson Photography
Venue: Sparkford Hall, Yeovil, Somerset
Bride’s Dress: Maggie Sottero ‘Glenda’ with Lace Top
Bridesmaid Dresses: Zara
Flowers: by Sprout and Flower
Bride’s Bouquet: David Austen Roses, Peony, Garden Roses and Spray Rose
Bride’s Hair Flowers: Supply Wired Majollica Rose Buds
Flower Girl’s Pomander: Gypsophila
Wedding Cake: Layered Cheese Cake from The West Country Cheese Company
Catering: The Queens Arms, Corton Denham
Styling Details and Finishing Touches: Most of the wedding decor, table decorations and table plan were homemade. Colours included dusky blue and cream, with lots of natural rustic decor and rope
Planning and Styling: Assisted by Sparkford Hall’s Laleh Dastegerdi
Marquee: Over The Moon
Lawn Games: Made by Dani, a Bridesmaid
