Fox Fest was the name Sián and Grant gave to their wedding, a nod to their surname and the fact it felt more like a festival than a wedding. Their day was held at The Dreys in Kent, a magical woodland venue with tents and music running late into the night. “There are no words immense enough to describe Jackie and Dave who own The Dreys”, the bride said. “Their energy together with nature herself has created perhaps the most special, beautiful corner of the universe. Their venue, nestled in the woods, became the most perfect festival spot in the sunshine and so we didn’t need to do tons to it.”

The couple wanted a celebration packed with glitter, dancing, and no absolutely rules. Their dress code was Elton John meets Ziggy Stardust, and their guests fully committed. Sequins, sparkle, floral headbands, gem-studded faces, and tattoos from the DIY station transformed the crowd as the night went on.

The DIY spirit ran through every part of the wedding. Sián’s dress was a £25 Vinted find, layered with a robe sourced from old film costume stock on Etsy. She customised her shoes and kept her total outfit spend to just £271. Flowers came from the reduced aisles of Morrisons and Asda, with a handful of special stems from her local florist, The Bloom Room. She and her bridesmaids built their bouquets the night before and in total the cost came to only £60 for all the bouquets!

Their families pulled together to bring Fox Fest to life. Grant’s dad made the wooden signage, while Sián’s mum created all the festival signs and baked their wedding cake. Grant’s step-mum added chocolate brownie logs and trays of other sweets to the feast.

Instead of a sit-down meal, a nacho wagon arrived at 3:30pm so that the dancing could start immediately. “We prioritised how we wanted to feel, rather than how it would look or how other people ‘think’ weddings should be”, Sián said. A band and two DJs kept the soundtrack going until 1.30am with a drum and bass set that tore through the woods as the grand finale.

Planning took just three months, and they kept it light-hearted. “We made an effort to make planning really joyful – so we’d schedule cute coffee dates or evenings with bubbles and go through stuff.” The seating plan for the registry office was the most stressful detail, and even that turned out fine. The hardest part, Sián admits, was navigating guest list politics. “I didn’t imagine people would be so upset about our guest list. There were a number of instances that I had to remind family that it is our wedding and our decision who we invited.” The couple were firm about only inviting their favourite people, keeping the energy of the day exactly how they wanted.

And her advice to other couples? Try not to get overwhelmed with options. “Its very easy to focus so much on the and details that you lose sight of why you’re getting married (and ultimately, your budget). As soon as you start planning, it’s easy to get over-excited about all of the bells and whistles. But keep coming back to how you want to feel on your day, and what needs to happen for you to feel that way. There is not a thing we’d change about our wedding, not one a moment of it – it was the most perfect day!”