Not everyone wants an intensely formal wedding, with stiff suits, crippling shoes and identical bridesmaids. This is especially the case in the summer, when it's just too hot for black tie and long gowns. The summer months are perfect for a rural or rustic wedding - you can spend more time outside and you also have the perfect excuse to do away with collars and don a pair of wellies (or even go barefoot) instead!

Here's some great ideas to make your rustic wedding one to remember.

Relaxed bouquets

A rural wedding needs artfully tatty and imperfect bouquets. You should aim for an arrangement that is loose, asymmetrical and looks like you put it together yourself a few minutes beforehand.

If you're using wildflowers, leave the stems loose, rather than wrapped in tinfoil or plastic. Tie them together with lengths of jute or muslin.

Dress style

Your bridesmaids could wear simple printed smocks or shift dresses - matching or not - teamed up with sandals or wellies.

Photo ideas

Fashion some large heart shapes out of twigs and branches and use them to frame you and your new spouse. If you're getting married on or near a farm, walk through the fields and along the fences for some great snaps. If you've chosen a beautiful wedding venue in Cheshire, you're onto a winner.

The ceremony itself

You could greet arriving guests with directions, order of ceremony, menus, activities and so on, all written on chalkboards leaning on haybales.

Your flower girl could sport an ivy crown and a mossy basket to hold her flowers. She could scatter petals as she walks along, too.

Transport

Find an old pick-up truck or tractor-trailer to arrive in, as well as to transport your guests around the site in. You could even hire a horse-drawn carriage for the day - for yourselves and for the children.

At the reception

Use a rough and rustic wooden sign to guide guests along to the reception venue.

Inside the venue, make sure your rustic look has a touch of glamour by adding lots of twinkling lights, twig and branch-themed centrepieces and candles.

If you're holding your reception in a big barn or hall, forget the florals for a while and have a line of cut tree trunks, festooned with jute or gingham, holding up smaller, understated flower arrangements. Jute is an under-rated fabric so read this to find out more about it.

Tree ring slices are becoming popular at weddings and many people are using them instead of glass or metal chargers at place settings.

It's a sign of the times, but many of your guests will be tweeting photos and messages from your wedding, so place small chalkboards displaying your hashtag on each table.

Table centrepieces

Get some old wooden boxes - the tattier the better - and place a mismatched collection of bottles and tealight holders on them. Don't forget the jute, twine and gingham.

Use old wine bottles or Mason jars as table numbers - you'll need to get creative with the paints here, to make the numbers stand out, but once done it looks great.

Featured Image by Linus Moran Photography