Steve and Vicky married on 30th April 2011 in the church of St Cynog’s with a reception afterwards in the 16th Century Llangoed Hall – the site of the first Welsh Parliament. Both are nestled on the floor of the Wye Valley at the foot of the Brecon Beacons National Park in the heart of beautiful and rugged Powys. Photography is courtesy of The Barbers. We don’t need to tell you how much we like The Barbers… and by the end of this report you’re certain to like them too…

A Nod Towards tradition.

My Dress was called ‘Georgia’ by Pronovias – traditional strapless ivory full gown with crumb-catcher top, button-up back and a beautiful 5-foot train.

The following day I got on the internet and found it was stocked at Harrods, London; a quick phone call and we arranged an appointment for that afternoon. The bridal department was quiet, cool and relaxing, the staff brought us champagne and didn’t rush us, and we immediately felt at ease – the service was exemplary. I tried on the dress that I’d seen the previous day and fell in love with it. Trembling in trepidation, I asked the price, expecting a significant premium associated with buying in Harrods and had the most wonderful surprise – the dress was no dearer than any other stockist. I was amazed – and delighted!

Bargain Hunting.

Having hunted for suitable jewellery, I was really struggling to find something pretty enough to complement my plain dress whilst not being too ‘showy’. I found Lori through Etsy and fired off a request to her, describing (poorly!) what I hoped to find – and was gobsmacked when I received an email back with a photograph showing a sample design – it was exactly as I’d imagined it to be! I was nervous with ordering from a woman in Texas whom I’d never met but was reassured by the feedback of others, as well as the speed with which she replied to my enquiry. I decide to place a small test order and this was fulfilled perfectly; I ended up ordering a necklace, bracelet, earrings and hair clip for myself, along with matching necklaces for all the bridesmaids, all at a significant saving over the cost of buying a simple necklace alone in a Jeweller’s in the UK. Beautiful, bespoke and a bargain – I was thrilled!!

Choosing my veil took me far longer than I’d expected. Although I’d tried a number of places, I had my heart set on a veil from Pronovias I’d tried on when choosing my dress. The price was the issue, however – I decided that it just wasn’t worth paying £380 for something so plain and simple. My initial plan was to set about making my own. After many hours work, I decided the hassle just wasn’t worth it, and the finish just wasn’t acceptable – I’d have needed access to an overlocker machine which I didn’t have. So… eBay! I found a veil originally purchased from Harrods and for the grand sum of £55.00 it was mine!! It was absolutely perfectly – over 5 foot long, wide and ribbon edged – and oh! how I loved it!

The Very Latest Style.

I’m 5ft 11 and, with Steve being an inch or two shorter, neither of us were particularly keen for me to tower over him in our photographs, but Steve was equally adamant I should have my bridal heels! I met Rachel Simpson at a wedding fare where she was previewing her new collection and immediately fell in love with an ivory pearlescent leather design called ‘Violet’ with a low heel. Not even released, the pair on display were simply a mock-up but I pre-ordered them there and then and, 6 months later, was absolutely delighted when the shoes arrived. They were absolutely perfect!

Supermodels, Celebrities And Film Stars.

One of my best friends and chief bridesmaid, Lara-Zee also happens to a hairdresser – not that you’d necessary believe that when you see the photos of her at the wedding with her wild mop of hair! Lara’s not your regular work-in-a-salon hairdresser, mind you (she doesn’t do things by halves!) but is a groomer and hair stylist to the great and good, having styled everyone from supermodels, celebrity film stars, the Prime Minister and a certain very-famous British Prince! Following the announcement of our engagement, Lara quickly laid down the ‘hair law’ – she, and no-one else would be doing my hair! Lara turned up the night before the big day armed curling tongs and a mountain of hairspray and, after a 30 minute blitz, I found myself with a head full of hair extensions.

Regarding my makeup, I’d spent quite a lot of time trying to find a makeup artist whose images didn’t look like an 80’s throwback and which fitted in with the image I hoped to achieve on the day – one of understatement and simple elegance. Sascha was recommended in an online forum and, having reviewed her website and chatted via email, I arranged for a trial at her studio. The trial did not go well – I don’t wear makeup very often and wasn’t confident in explaining what I wanted and so, when Sascha asked “how do you like this”, I simply nodded meekly in agreement. It was not till I got home and spoke to Steve that I realised how unhappy I was with the look, which was very sculptured and defined, like something from a catwalk, and not at all what I wanted. Steve insisted I speak with her and tell her honestly what I thought – and Sascha was amazing. She immediately arranged a second trial and, this time, I went accompanied with a number of cuttings from wedding magazines that reflected the look I was after. Sascha absolutely nailed it and I came out of the second trial beaming with happiness. Sascha replicated the look again perfectly on the day, the make-up was exactly as I hoped it would be, lasting through to the very end of the night, and I was delighted I’d finally plucked up the confidence to tell her what I wanted.

Keeping The Budget Down.

We really struggled with this; where with other suppliers we knew what we were getting for any particular price, we felt uneasy picking and negotiating with a florist as it’s not something that you get to see until the big day itself. We met with a few different florists but all were either out of our price range or felt a little unprofessional, slap dash or cheap. I saw an advert for Alison in a magazine and, having seen examples of her work both on her website and at other weddings that we’d attended, we decided to meet with her and so set up an appointment. On arriving at her wonderful home I was struck by how professional, open and helpful she was; we were working to a very tight budget and Alison worked tirelessly to accommodate our requests.

To keep costs down, I decided against hiring vases for the tables and decided, instead, to try and source them myself (with the intention of selling them afterwards). I’d found some 12” high cast-iron urns on eBay and thought they would make the basis of some wonderful table centres. We ordered two as samples and, when they arrived, we both loved them – they were absolutely ideal. There were, however, two issues – the weight (they weighed a few kilos each, and we needed 16!) and the colour – they were powder-coated black. Undeterred, we ordered another 15 and decided to go and collect them directly from the merchant. Steve and my father spray-painted them in ‘Ice Cream ivory’ and the cost of each came in at less than half the cost of hiring a vase. We showed them to Alison and she immediately started suggesting ideas for them; as we had a few spare, Alison even created a few additional displays for the venue for the day. Four of the urns were used in the church on the window sills and Steve’s groomsmen collected these after the wedding and took them to venue as further decoration. The flowers were far better than I had hoped they could be; pale pastel lilacs that complimented the venue, dress and the all-important urns! Alison is a wonderful florist and, since booking, has been voted as one of the Top 50 florists in the UK. A well-deserved accolade, I’d say!

Local Produce.

I actually picked the bridesmaids dresses before my wedding dress! Having dragged Steve around many fabric shops and wedding fairs, we eventually settled on a beautiful dusky lilac satin, and I spotted a design I liked in a magazine. I met Brenda at a tiny wedding fair – picture five people exhibiting in a small room – in the Welsh valleys. A little nervous about using a lady who made dresses in her home in her spare time, my fears proved unfounded. Brenda was simply superb – the dresses cost less than half of what an off-the-peg gown would have cost, and were truly bespoke, made to measure for each of my bridesmaids. My flower girls wore contrasting ivory dresses with a lilac sash, and all looked truly beautiful.

Ironing Out The Creases.

We hired suits from Austin Reed for Steve’s Best Man and three ushers, all four of our brothers, both of our respective fathers, our four nephews and Steve himself. We’d decided against hired cravats, instead purchasing traditional formal ties to match the material of the Bridesmaids dresses; we thought it a nice idea if the groomsmen were able to keep these as a little memento of their involvement in our day. We were badly let down by the hire company, however; Austin Reed got nearly every order of the 15 suits wrong; wrong size, wrong waste-coats etc, and we ended up having to make multiple trips to a tailor ourselves to get them altered right up to the day prior to leaving for the wedding. Despite fully acknowledging their fault, the company were most unapologetic and offered no discount despite a hire bill in excess of £1,000. We’d not recommend them but, having said that, when we did finally sort out all of the problems, the groomsmen and page boys all looked absolutely stunning on the day.

Keeping An Eye On The Time.

We decided to hire traditional black tail coats, pin stripe grey trousers and ivory waistcoats from Austin Reed; as we’ve already mentioned, the hire company let us down badly and caused us a great deal of stress in the two weeks prior to the wedding but on the day Steve looked absolutely dashing in his black tail coat, grey pin-stripe trousers and plain ivory waistcoat. Steve decided all groomsmen (himself included), should use their own shirts and shoes as he felt that was something quite personal and would be the most comfortable option for the wearer. To differentiate himself from his groomsmen, Steve chose a patterned lilac parsley tie and a white shirt with a discrete pattern within the material. As I arrived at the aisle and Steve turned to face me, my heart skipped a beat – he looked absolutely dashing. He grinned – and pulled his sleeve cuff back a little, revealing a little something for which I’d been saving fervently since we got engaged – a Breitling watch that I’d had delivered to his room that morning as a surprise! It was a perfect moment, one in which all of our preparation came together.

More Than Photographers.

Photography was absolutely key to our day – we’re both hugely keen amateurs who are rarely seen without a camera to hand. We knew that we wanted a mix of old and new, traditional and contemporary, but equally wanted someone who we could have fun with, and who wasn’t afraid to take risks. Having travelled the UK (including a road trip to Glasgow!) to meet with various candidates, those few photographers that we liked were hugely outside our budget. It was then that we met The Barbers, and the second love affair of our marriage began..!

We absolutely, truly, adore their work, and they’ve become good friends – even prior to the wedding they’d come on holiday with us, and we’d both been to visit each other for fun (and alcohol-) fuelled weekends! A young husband and wife team, their pricing was keen and their work wonderful. Most importantly of all, we liked them and felt relaxed in their company. That would be our golden rule – if you don’t like your photographers on a personal level, keep looking. An engagement shoot served to reinforce how much we loved what they did and how they worked and, having now seen the final shots, we’re absolutely thrilled in our choice. We could have chosen no better!

Welsh Cakes.

We found a local lady who made cakes professionally and, having met with her on a few occasions and having described what we’d like, we had some idea of what to expect… but the cake that greeted us left us as we arrived at the venue after our wedding rendered us speechless. A four tier traditional fruit cake with a cascade of sugar flowers from top to bottom, it dominated the table in the middle of the huge sitting room. The standard of the work was absolutely incredible – it was everything that I had hoped for and more. To this day, I still cannot cut the top two tiers, such is the beauty of Janet’s work. We intend saving the top two tiers, the second for our first wedding anniversary, whilst the topmost will be saved for… well, everyone knows what you save the topmost tier for, don’t they?!

Get Into The Groove.

We used a local DJ recommended by the venue, having decided that a band would be too overpowering in the small, cosy rooms of our 17th century country house. Pete Stead was excellent – he allowed our guests to pre-submit requests via his website from what seemed like an endless selection of songs. Our friends had great pleasure in selecting memorable tunes from our youth, and the evening entertainment proved an absolute hit.

The highlight was a ‘silly space’ booth that our Photographer’s set up, whereby our guests could wear various props and masks. With the Royal Wedding just the day before, Kate and Wills featured in a number of shots!

I’ll Stand By You.

When I first moved to London, a friend of a work colleague was trying to make it as a professional artist, and I went along to the odd gig – the chap in question was Tom Baxter. When Steve and I got together, I played Tom’s debut album to Steve and he loved it, particularly the song ‘Better’. The lyrics sum up our relationship perfectly, and captured how we felt on the day at aisle; “I’ll stand by you, If you stand by me…”

Commemorative Tea Towel.

Steve was initially against the idea of favours – “I’m not buying someone a gift to say thank you for letting me buy you dinner!” he exclaimed. However, we found beautiful glass tea-light / candle holders for 39p each in Ikea. With a candle lit at each place setting, the effect was truly magical, each throwing a circle of light onto the table. We encouraged our guests to take these away -both a favour and cheap – but beautiful – way of decorating our tables! In addition, although we had no intention of doing anything else, when the Royal Wedding was announced for the day before our big day, we both agreed that we couldn’t let the occasion pass without paying homage to such a big event. I suggested we produce a novelty souvenir from our day, in the same style as a Royal Wedding souvenir. My best friend Oliver is a graphic designer and produced a suitable ‘cheesy’ design for a tea-towel which we had professionally screen- printed, with one for each couple attending. The towels were incredibly well received and we hope our guests enjoy using them. Who knows, maybe they’ll be worth something on eBay one day!

Some Advice.

Before The Day:

• Make sure you properly compare the prices of different venues. Llangoed Hall seemed very expensive on paper but, when we took into consideration the price of the evening buffet, the terms and conditions (some venues insisted we took a certain number of buffets in the evening – Llangoed did not) and so forth, Llangoed Hall actually worked out no more expensive than many other ‘cheaper’ venues.
• Check the terms and conditions! Some of the venues we looked at had the most horrific Terms & Conditions in relation to minimum bar spend, numbers or cancellation policies.
• Ask for a discount! Virtually without fail, we never paid more than 90% of the quoted price of anything. We often offered a larger deposit or to pay in cash and this worked wonders. If you can’t afford something but really want it, offer what you can afford – you’ve nothing to lose. Most suppliers are keen to do business and, if you treat people with honesty, openness and integrity, it can pay dividends.

On the Day:

• Everyone says it flies by, and it does. The best thing we did was disappear straight after the church to spend what turned into nearly two hours with our photographers. It was fantastic to have that time away with each other, and it’s one of the most memorable parts of the day. Also – we’re so glad we got the day professionally filmed. We very nearly didn’t, but now we know we’ll be able to recapture the magic of our day over and over again – we’re waiting with baited breath to see the results.
• Having worked so hard on making our day perfect for our guests, we knew how much we’d value the chance to see all of the photographs that they’d take, all of those magical moments that our wedding photographers couldn’t cover. Having attended previous weddings, we were aware of how hard it was to effectively share such photographs and hence Steve came up with a cunning idea…

  Register a Flickr account. We printed cards with the username and password to the account and left these at each place setting. Our guests were encouraged to upload their photographs and it worked a treat – we had literally hundreds of snaps uploaded, some the very next day after the wedding. It was absolutely wonderful to be able to so quickly see photographs of our special day and, more importantly perhaps, to be able to share them with both our guests and those unable to attend.

Venue Llangoed Hall

Photographer The Barbers

Dress Pronovias

Boutique Harrods

Shoes Rachel Simpson

Florist Alison Bentley

Cake Designer Cakes By Janet

DJ Pete Stead

Wedding Car “The Old Girl” of Hereford

All good advice, but that Flickr gem is a little tidbit of genius for you lucky peeps this morning.

Who would have thought it eh? – Two days in a row two Pronovias dresses. Just shows how different and diverse a designer can be.

This is a no holds barred account of Steve and Vicky’s day and as you will have read sometimes things can go wrong. On this occasion it was issues with the suit hire – by the sounds of it they had a fair bit of grief along the way but it turned out alright on the day its self.

Hang on a minute… Who’s to blame for Steve’s “wardrobe malfunction” then eh?

Adam.

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