Goldie The Bride: I knew exactly all the features I wanted from a dress; lace, delicate detail, long sleeves, fitted, low back. All the dresses I loved were way out of my price range as we wanted to keep our wedding low budget and relaxed. But I struck gold and found my dream dress second hand, and only a few basic alterations were needed. The dress was everything so I kept everything else simple, wearing shoes and earrings I had already.
The most important take out for us was that the wedding was relaxed and joyful, so we chose to host the reception in a pub. We both have busy jobs, plus did not want to use a wedding planner, so hosting in a pub where all the amenities were already there was perfect for us. The staff at The Londesborough were amazing. They organized so much for us at no extra charge, and were relaxed with it. We did splash out a little extra on the ceremony venue though. We’ve lived in very characterful apartments together, including a church, and thought The Asylum was a little decadence and character to make the day that extra bit special. It’s such a beautiful place and we both knew we would be heart-broken if we didn’t get married there.
Nothing in particular as with such a beautiful ceremony venue it wasn’t needed. Overall we added a natural touch here and there with beautiful flowers. They make everyone smile.
Flowers are something loved in our lives, but we didn’t want to spend too much on extras, so found the ideal middle ground. We had the bouquet and button holes made and the rest of the flowers for the aisle, bridesmaids bouquets and the dinner tables we did ourselves. Researching flowers, learning to make bouquets, and getting up at the crack of dawn to go to the wholesale market was one of the most fun things! Plus making them with our American friends the night before who had flown over. Great excuse to get together. Bouquet and button holes; Wild Renata Aisle flowers, bridesmaids bouquets and table flowers; by the bride & friends (the night before!)
We didn’t want anyone to feel uncomfortable on the day by making them all wear the same clothing, being different shapes and sizes and having different styles. So we stuck to navy blue for the bridesmaids and had different dresses for each person, and asked the Groomsmen to wear whatever they preferred. We tied everyone together with the same button holes for the guys and bouquets for the gals.
We had a reading by one of the bridesmaids at the ceremony, as well as a special rendition of a song dear to our hearts at the ceremony by Ricks uber talented cousin, Joe Jackson, who is a Jazz musician. The registrar was the surprise entertainer of the ceremony, providing some laughs to lighten the nerves. The star of the whole wedding was Ricks sister, and all 3 of us got to share the first dance at the reception.
All music was provided by friends or ourselves, making playlists for each part of the day. Taking advantage of the fact we have lots of talented friends, some who are DJs. Was lots of fun to do before the wedding and they're great for dinner parties afterwards!
All food was provided by The Londesborough and was truly really delicious. We had a lot of compliments. The round of bacon sandwiches at 10pm were very much appreciate and gobbled up - an idea by the pub! The cake was a giant triple tiered pork pie from Nelson Butchers ‘up North. Another good late night snack to re-energize the dancing.
We had seen David Jenkins on a wedding blog and absolutely loved his style and knew he was perfect for us. His photography is natural and conveys so much laughter, intimacy and fun all in one. He’s an extremely talented and creative person, and a joy to know and have at the wedding. Everyone complimented the photos, and we have so much love in our hearts when we look at them as they preserve our gorgeous memories.
We are very fortunate to have a dear friend, Ed Sayers, who is a talented Director and founder of Straight 8, so the master of super 8 filming. He filmed and edited our ceremony and the bus trip to the pub. A few tears with smiles were shed on watching it.
Our advice to others would be to do whatever kind of wedding that ensures the day is all about love and laughs, nothing else matters.