So today I’m going to share some beautiful things with you, and then tomorrow I’m going to share even more. We’re talking hydrangea bouquets in a rainbow of colours, a gorgeous UK bride and groom, a quirky dream wedding venue, a cathedral length veil and a wedding dress by Romantica of Devon. Bev and Nath’s wedding also features individual bridesmaid styles, tons of ideas for reception decor (coming up tomorrow!) and the most sublimely romantic wedding photography…
Photographer Emma B says she was “in wedding heaven” with Bev and Nath at Walcot Hall — and I can really see why this gorgeous day made such an impression. I know you’ll love it too. Remember to come back tomorrow for more!
Photo credits: Emma B Photography, based in Lancashire
Bev and Nath: a vintage, DIY wedding at Walcot Hall
In July last year Nath & I (Bev) took a lovely holiday to Tuscany. We travelled around a bit and for my actual birthday Nath was in charge of booking the accommodation. He continued to tell me we were staying in a hostel (!) right until we pulled up to an amazing castle! He proposed wearing only a towel (it was boiling hot and the castle had no air con!) and I was delighted to accept.
We spent the following 14 months planning all the little details. I was a very lucky bride as I had a fiancé who was very keen to be involved in the organisation! We have been to so many weddings so we had in our heads the things we definitely wanted to have at our wedding, and also the things we wanted to avoid! We decided at an early stage that we wanted a fairly relaxed, laid back and personal wedding. We are not sure we could describe it in one word but a vintage, DIY party with family and friends was the general idea.
Walcot Hall wedding venue
Finding the venue was the first job. We knew we wanted somewhere where our family and close friends could all stay but one of our main requirement was having the ability to bring our own booze with no corkage charge! We stumbled across Walcot Hall (www.walcothall.com) on an internet search and it was completely perfect. We immediately fell in love with the venue due to its stunning location and its quirky nature.
We also couldn’t get over how flexible the place was compared to so many other venues. Set close to the England / Wales border it was also a perfect location for our English-Welsh wedding! Picking the venue on the basis of somewhere we liked rather than being ‘tied’ to a location was also a great way for us to find a part of the UK we had never previously been to. At Walcot Hall you are essentially hiring the venue for the weekend and it was then down to us to sort everything else out (caterers, bar etc), whilst this meant a bit of extra work for us it was just what we wanted because it meant we could put our own personal stamp on the entire day!
Emma Be wedding photography
The next task was the photographer. Every one told us that the only thing you have left after the wedding is the photos(!) so better get a good one!
We stumbled across Emma after a friend of mine had recommended her. She was so relaxed and instantly got exactly the type of vibe we were after. One key piece of advice we would give is to make sure you like the people who are going to provide the key services for your wedding and Emma was so easy to get on with and incredibly helpful. We cannot thank her enough for the beautiful engagement and wedding photos we have as a perfect memory.
The ceremony was held in the main house of the venue, we had a harpist and two readings– I’ll be there by Louise Cuddon and My True Love Hath My Heart by Sir Philip Sidney. To finish off the service we had everyone sing I Got You Babe by Sonny & Cher. Everyone belted it out & even the registrar was singing along!
I always knew what kind of wedding dress I was after. As I was to walk down a grand staircase a long train was always on the cards & I was inspired by K-Middleton to embrace the lace!
The dress was Virginia by Romantica of Devon & I bought it at Cheshire Bridal in Altrincham who were very helpful. A lovely local lady at ‘Dream Veils’ (www.dream-veils.co.uk) made me a beautiful cathedral length veil which was stunning on the day. For me the dress came second to the shoes. I bought the dress on the first day I tried it on. I must have tried the shoes 4–5 times! In the end I treated myself to a non-weddingy pair of glittery Jimmy Choo skyscrapers which I managed to wear almost the whole day! The outfit was topped off with a beautiful handmade headpiece made from old jewellery again by a local designer at Ivory Tuesday (www.ivorytuesday.com).
My beautiful bridesmaids are all very different characters and as such I decided to have them all in different dresses. We went high street and they all chose something they would wear again. The silvery-grey theme was tied together with matching hot pink shoes from Aldo.
My gorgeous husband rented his light gray tails from Groom in Manchester (www.groomhire.co.uk) they do a great selection of suits and have a bespoke fitting service. As he continually reminds me, his shoes were hired for £10 so that I could have my Jimmy Choos (!) oops!
I hope you’ve loved reliving Bev and Nath’s wedding ceremony with them — I think they make the loveliest couple! Just a quick mention of the harp in this last photo for today… I love how a crowd of people chatting, milling around and talking about the wedding is interrupted by the curvy top end of a harp poking out from the crowd!
Shall I share a quick peek of what’s coming up tomorrow? Oh, go on then… one photo and then you’ll have to pop by in the morning (11am) to see more! It’s worth it, I promise… ideas a-plenty!