Crazy Little Thing Called Love.

Jenna and Ryan married in the Summer at possibly the best named pub ever – The Crab and Lobster in Thirsk.

It may well be one of the most kooky and interestingly decorated venues that I have ever laid my wedding blogger eye upon too. Jenna and Ryan found a venue that reflected the look and feel that they were after, and so it only required a bunch of candles (and a few other bits and bobs) to give it that touch of W-day romance… Job done…

The sensational images that commit all that W-day romance to print are by RMW fave Anna Hardy.

Showing Off The Curves.

My dress was from a lovely shop called limelights just down the road from my mums in Huddersfield. The staff in there are amazing and so helpful, they made shopping for a wedding dress such a relaxed lovely experienced. I knew that I wanted vintage looking lace but other than that I didn’t really have a clue. I chose a dress designed by Stewart Parvin called “The best is yet to come”, I thought the name was really romantic!! I never thought in a million years that I would choose a fishtail dress!! I’m constantly in floaty clothes but loved the way that this dress showed off my curves and Ryan was also very suprised, he loved it!! I knew it was the one as it was the first dress i’d tried that i didn’t want to take off! I also wanted a dress that wasn’t too heavy and that i’d be able to dance in, it was comfortable all day.

Vintage parkle.

I wore a beautiful headpiece by Jenny Packham called acacia iii it was perfect with my short hair. I wanted something vintage looking with some sparkle. A friend and I went to the Jenny Packham accessories shop in Knightsbridge and we both fell in love with it instantly, but it was a bit more than I wanted to spend. However a couple of glasses of wine later and a lot of justifying to myself (“well I could always wear it again”, “friends could borrow it”, “it will look amazing in the photos”, “i’m not buying a viel, “I can save in other areas” etc) I was back in the shop handing over my money and i’m so glad I did.

I also wore a pair of pearl earrings that my dad had bought my mum for their pearl wedding anniversary, these were really special.

Looking For A Bargain.

After over spending on my headpiece I decided to try and save money on my shoes. I wanted something comfy but also with a bit of height (Ryan’s 6ft and i’m 5ft 1). I found some lovely ivory shoes with a bit of sparkle and a 3.5inch heel in the dune sale and then saved even more by buying the display pair, bargain!!! They were perfect, vintagey looking and I managed to keep them on all day which is very unlike me. I’m normally the first one on the dance floor with bare feet!!

Keeping It Short.

I’ve had short hair for about 3 years now and as soon as I got engaged people kept asking me if I was going to grow my hair…… NO!!! I like my hair short and wanted to look like myself! Dean Atkins came to do mine and the bridesmaids hair. Dean is a family friend has been my mums hairdresser for years. He did a great job and had us in stitches all morning!!

A lovely lady called Sam did my make up. She was recommended to me by a friend and she was great. I wanted quite a natural look but also wanted to wear my favourite hot pink lipstick, I feel a bit naked without it!! Sam also applied some individual fake eye lashes a few days before the wedding and they were fabulous!! I didn’t want to wear mascara as I knew the day was going to be emotional and there would be a few tears, I wasn’t wrong!

Wild An Natural Blooms.

Lovely Helen and Steffi from The Flower Shop were our fabulous florists. As soon as we met them we knew that we could completely trust them 110% and the flowers were going to be really special. They have such a passion for what they do and were really excited by our ideas. For the bouquets I wanted them to be really wild/natural, like we’d just picked them on the way to the wedding. I wanted them to be all different and in a mixture of colours. I also wanted forget-me-nots in my bouquet, in memory of my wonderful dad. My dad also loved herbs and so we wanted herbs incorporated into the button holes and table decorations. We let Helen and steffi work there magic and the result was amazing. The bouquets were out of this world, I couldnt have asked for anything more perfect. Rosemary was incorporated into the button holes, which smelt amazing. The whole place was filled with lavender, rosemary and candles, it looked fantastic. I also asked them to make a heart out of lavender (also for dad) for the entrance to the service which was beautiful.

Grey And Apple Green.

My brother and Ryans best man wore lovely grey suits hired from limelights. The ushers wore their own suits. I decided on apple green for the bridesmaid dresses as it fitted in well with the natural feel of the flowers and herbs. I wanted the dresses to be floaty and found the perfect ones from Dessy. I took a chance and ordered them online from house of brides in America as they were half the price to ordering them from the UK. It paid off and the dresses arrived in plenty of time in perfect condition. They just needed a few alterations. Out of my five bridesmaids one had a 2 week old baby, one was 8months pregnant and one had a broken leg. They all looked beautiful!!!

It’s All Gone Heart Shaped.

My gorgeous husband also wore a hired grey suit from limelights with a grey waistcoat and silver tie. I’d also given him some heart shaped cufflinks from Paul Smith as a gift for the wedding. He looked lovely and it was nice to see him looking so smart as he’s normally very casual (top hat and tails was his worst nightmare!!) The grey looked lovely against the apple green and colourful flowers.

The Most Beautiful Wedding Photo’s Ever.

For us the photographs we’re so important as apart from the memories there the one thing that once the day’s over you can treasure forever.

We chose Anna Hardy as our AMAZING photographer. Anna was recommended to us and as soon as we looked at her website we instantly fell in love with her work. We loved the way she seemed to capture so many special moments and also the way she wrote so beautifully about peoples weddings. We didnt want to spend hours on our wedding day having lots of formal/group shots so Anna’s relaxed style was perfect. We cannot recommend Anna enough. The moment we met her for our engagement shoot we instantly got on and she felt like an old friend, she made us feel so much more relaxed about having our photos taken on the actual day. Having Anna at the wedding felt like having a friend who just happens to be the most AMAZING photographer. The photographs are more than out of this world and she captured so many special memories that we’ll treasure forever. So many of our friends and family have commented that they’re the most beautiful wedding photos they’ve seen. We’ll never be able to thank her enough.

Three Is The Magic Number.

Our cake was made by the lovely Clair at Just Darling Cakes. We had 3 tiers fruit, chocolate and carrot. Ry, myself and my mum chose a flavour each. It looked beautiful and more importantly absolutely delicious. Clair also gives a 10% discount to NHS workers which is very handy when you’re on a budget, Thanks Clair.

Free Beer!

We wanted the day to have a really relaxed and fun feel to it. The venue had a pitch and putt golf course so after dinner Ry and his friends went for a quick game which was fab. The venue also had a hidden beer pump that entitled guests to free beer if they could find it, not suprisingly this proved very popular. Even a few of my very girlie friends were spotted drinking pints!! We also had a table full of bits of fancy dress and props, just so guests could take some silly pictures. We didn’t want to have too much going on as it was important to us that people just got to chat and relax. In the evening we hired a band Sophie Garner and the new breed. We found them through a website called alive network (alivenetwork.com) who were very helpful. The band performed a mixture of jazz, soul, rock and some modern songs. They we’re great and had everyone dancing.

Something To Swing To.

We chose “Crazy little thing called love” by Queen as our first dance. Ry and I love dancing but aren’t very good at it so we just wanted something that we could swing each other around to and have a bit of fun with. That song always gets it on the dance floor. Also towards the end of the evening our family and friends formed a big circle and the band played our favourite snow patrol song. Ry and I danced in the middle with everyone singing around the edge. During this Ry said to me “Look around everyone we care about is in this room”, it was a really special moment.

For A Good Cause.

We made a donation to cancer research instead of having favours. Each guest then got a little card telling them what we’d done with a cancer research pin attached to it. I lost my dad to cancer, therefore this charity is very poignant for both of us. It was lovely to see all the guests wearing their badges after dinner. It’s such a great way to support a good cause and when it comes down to it who really needs a bag of sugared almonds!!!

The Crab And Lobstrer.

One of the reasons we chose the crab and lobster was because of its unique decor. It’s an amazing venue full of vintage bric a brac and therefore didn’t really need much extra decoration. We lit lots of candles during dinner to create a romantic atmosphere.

Originally we wanted an outdoor wedding but due to the laws in the UK this isn’t possible. When we saw the amazing conservatory at the venue with the sun shining in and the doors wide open we instantly knew it was perfect.

All The Special Bits.

My family, friends and myself all got ready together in a beautiful big barn, a close friend drove me to the wedding in his amazing vintage car, Our sister in law sang as I walked down the isle, friends chose their own readings, we had beautiful speeches outside in the sunshine, Ry had a game of golf with his friends. We wanted to share our day and it was these personal touches that made the day extra special.

My biggest piece of advice would be to ALWAYS remember the reason why you’re planning this special day. Of course the little details are important but on my wedding day I married my best friend and whether it had been in a castle or a car park, whether i’d worn a bin bag or a designer dress, it would always have been the best day of my life xxx.

Oh and don’t have a meltdown that you forgot to rub out the pencil lines on the table plan, people don’t even notice!!!

Venue The Crab and Lobster

Dress Stewart Parvin

Boutique limelights

Accessories Jenny Packham Acacia iii

Shoes dune

Blooms The Flower Shop

Photography Anna Hardy

Cake Just Darling Cakes

Yay! I love this wedding. Anna Hardy has a brilliant knack for capturing emotions and this set of images is certainly testament to that.

Despite the fantastically off-the-wall venue, this wedding is all about the people… you can see joy in every singe image.

Also, can I just say that a hidden beer pump somewhere on the course may just be the motivation I need to take up golf.

Adam.