The other thing I love is when a groom shares his wedding story. Rob’s wedding report begins with a romantic proposal story which brought a tear to my eye — and he tells the story of his wedding to Jayne so beautifully — so this wedding blogger is now handing over to a better writer, just for one day! Rob…
Enjoy!
An Alice-inspired wedding in Lancashire: Rob & Jayne
Who proposed, and how?
(Rob) I proposed on a frosty Christmas day night. I had obviously bought the ring a few days earlier and had been psyching all day to ask. We’d been together for 5 years at this point so I never doubted her answer, however this didn’t help the nerves, and as I took her for a Christmas night walk I was basically walking direction-less.
The sound of crunching snow underfoot pervading the otherwise silent night. trying to stomach the ‘asking’. When the moment finally arrived it was anything but romantic as I blurted out something like “Well…I’ve got this ring…and I’d like to ask you to marry me”!
I like to think my lack of composure was made up for by the fact she knew me so well that any kind of grand gesture or bending of one’s knee would come across as insincere.
Jayne wore the most incredible figure hugging fishtail dress from Dan Kerr Brides in Preston, and a killer pair of bright red heels! I wore a black frock-coat and top hat with a very loud red & white retro-style polka dot shirt. Ringo Starr would be proud!
How would you describe your wedding style? … Quirky & fun with Alice in Wonderland as the loose theme, but still retaining a traditional element.
The wedding ceremony:
Religious or civil? … Religious, St Peter’s Church, Scorton, Lancashire
Which readings did you choose?
A brief poem I had written for Jayne the day I met her. We also had the Beatles’ ‘And I love her’ as a Hymn and The Beatles’ ‘Real Love’ & ‘Across the Universe’ played while we signed the register, before walking out to one of Jayne’s favorite songs ‘Everyday’ by Buddy Holly.
What were your wedding day highlights?
Picking out highlights is difficult because without sounding clichéd we loved it all! However, that split second I turned my head and saw Jayne walking up the aisle in that stunning dress for the first time! You know that WOW! moment in my own head before my brain has even had time to respond with a smile. I will remember that moment forever.
Also, getting out of the wedding car at the reception like two giddy 10 year olds on Christmas morning.
My final really fond memory is of my 3 year old nephew Zachary picking up the microphone for an impromptu speech of his own following the ‘proper speeches’ “Thank you for coming Robert, thank you for coming Jayne” it began. Cute just doesn’t cut it!
We had the service at St. Peter’s Church in Scorton, Lancashire. It’s a beautiful old country village church close to our homes, and the reception was at Chipping & District Memorial Hall, a fantastic modern village hall with great facilities! The hall is a fair way from anywhere, in the heart of the picturesque Ribble valley. The journey from the church was around 25 minutes of winding, twisting lanes.
Wedding photographer: Jonathan Bean (Beanphoto)
Jayne and I found Jonathan on the internet after lots of searching, he has a modern vintage kind of style and his pictures always look like everyone is having a lot of fun! Jayne met with Jonathan and knew straight away he was the right guy for the job. Unfortunately, due to work, I was unable to meet with Jonathan before the wedding day itself, so I was still a tad worried. After all, photos are a very important part of the day and let’s face it everybody else at your wedding is a familiar face so for someone to attempt to blend in without being noticed represents a challenge of the highest order. Johnny was great from the outset and immediately put me at ease. Once I was at the altar I was (a little) nervous Johnny quickly reassured me with a smile & a joke. And the resulting photos were amazing. We could not have been happier! I joked to Jayne when we saw just how many great photos we had that “We are going to need a bigger wall!“
Wedding venue styling and details:
As I mentioned above the venue is quite ‘out there’ in terms of geography and with the guests all experiencing some sort of magical mystery tour to get there we very much made it our aim to create a similar fantasy/wonderland element inside.
We kept to the loose Alice in Wonderland theme by having a sweet & exotic soft drinks table, and Tim Burton-esque forest style table centrepieces. The tables themselves were decorated sporadically with vintage playing cards, quotes from ‘Alice’ and favour boxes each decorated with a small tag inscribed ‘Open me’ and some fantastically refreshing wine by ‘Some Young Punks’ which also just happen to have the coolest labels on the planet! Our guests loved them.
Music and entertainment:
For our music we couldn’t decide on a DJ or band so we did both! The band we chose are friends with Jayne’s brother, called ‘The Everly Beats’ they are a 50’s/60’s tribute band whom also play some of their own music too.
We also had a DJ from whom we specifically requested no rubbish or cheesy numbers, and which he duly delivered on. Our first dance was ‘Then I kissed her’ by the Beach Boys, one we both love and has sentimental meaning to us.
Memorable wedding day moments:
My younger brother (& best man) Lewis doing this legendary Michael Jackson dancing surrounded by a crowd of clapping (and bemused) guests a la David Brent, and the moment when Johnny (the photographer) asked Jayne to ‘drop the bouquet a little’ and Jayne just dropped it to the floor!
Wedding day advice:
If any grooms-to-be out there decide to go for a wedding morning pint to settle the nerves, my advice would be to remember to use the little boys room after! Getting married, posing for pictures & talking to lots of well wishers whilst desperate for the loo is not good! Nor, in fact, is asking the wedding car to stop at your Mother’s house en-route to the reception to go!
Recommended wedding suppliers:
- “The Wineyard & Deli” Fulwood, Preston
- Flowers from “Another Bouquet”, Fulwood, Preston:
- “Pipers Restaurant”, Garstang (Best wedding meal I’ve ever had!)
- “Jonathan Bean Photography”, Lancaster
- “Broughton wedding cars”, Preston:
- Jayne’s dress from “Dan Kerr Brides”, Preston
- “Creative Cakes”, Lancaster
- “Philipa Whiteside Ceramics” for name settings