Kitty & Nick

If you are still searching for floral inspiration then I think your search may be over when you see the stunning creations by RMW recommended supplier Mrs Umbels. I just couldn't resist sharing all the pretty florals for you to pore over. From big bloomsey wild bouquets, to single stems in vases, not forgetting the delicate flower crown and wrist corsages for the little ones. All in the sweetest pastel shades using seasonal spring blooms of ranunculus, grape hyacinths, roses and eucalyptus, and all looking incredible. The fashion is also spectacular. Bride Kitty allowed her bridesmaids to pick their own gowns from Look Book members Ghost, which although in different hues and styles compliment each other perfectly. Then there is Kitty who is the picture of elegance in Charlie Brear. Opting for a Haliton dress with Catroux lace skirt. It couldn't have been a more perfect choice for their idyllic classic country wedding at Norwood Park in Nottinghamshire. Matt Horan Photography has captured all the details as well as the emotive story of this wedding in such a beautiful way. The last portrait in the slider above literally made my heart ache, my eyes well and my face beam.

The Wedding

Kitty the Bride: I first came across Charlie Brear in a boutique near my Parents home and swiftly booked an appointment at her stunning showroom in London. I would honestly have been thrilled to wear any dress from the collection. A wedding stylist gave me some very sound advice and said I would most likely find myself imagining wearing one dress more than any other and sure enough she was right. I was soon back to buy “the one”. My accessories were simple; borrowed vintage sapphire jewellery from my Mum and a pair of sparkly L.K Bennett shoes, which I stumbled across in the sale.

The Grooms Fashion

Nick left suit buying until quite late in the day, but luckily the suits in Reiss were a perfect fit for him and he quickly settled on a pale grey. A white Hugo Boss tie in the same material as my dress and some slightly eccentric green shoes from Selfridges completed his look.

The Venue

We decided we wanted to get married in the Midlands close to where I’m from in order to save a bit of money. Norwood Park was the first venue we visited and suited our day perfectly. There was enough bedrooms for the entire wedding party to stay there. The beautiful Georgian house was exactly to our taste, it had the wow factor without being pretentious, and we loved that the party could take place in a less formal outbuilding where everyone could totally let go. The team at Norwood were very efficient, on the day we could totally relax and know everything would be taken care of.

Colour Scheme/Decor

We chose colours that were inspired by the interior of Norwood Park. There was a Spring element with lots of greens in the décor. I had a few worries that everything might clash terribly. Nick, in an attempt to be helpful, applied his scientific mind to the dilemma resulting in a totally ridiculous evening spent analyzing our colour choices using hue matching algorithms. We did lots of DIY work. I really enjoyed creating lots of blackboard signs that we used all over the venue. We brought cheap old frames for them from Ebay which I painted and distressed. I also made table runners and lots of bunting. Nick designed menus and labels for the homemade honey and jam favors and we created our own photobooth and popcorn bar.

Florist

Lovely Sarah from Mrs Umbels was great fun and instinctively understood the wild and wonderful look we wanted. We gave her a relaxed brief of seasonal flowers with lots of foliage and she worked her magic! For the table arrangements I collected lots of aqua glass bottles from eBay which Sarah (Mrs Umbels) filled with stems and foliage. For the Church, my Mum grew loads and loads of Narcissus and other spring flowers in the garden, which we embellished with foliage brought from the local market.

The Wedding Party Fashion

I always wanted the bridesmaids to be in different dresses that suited them individually but had synchronicity. I gave the girls a fairly free reign to choose any Ghost dress they felt comfortable in which looked amazing against the bouquets from Mrs Umbels. The younger bridesmaids wore dresses made by my Mum. I found searching for shop-brought dresses for 11 – 15 year olds very tricky. My Mum also made ties for all the best men and ushers from the same material. The best men & ushers wore their own suits in different shades of grey and navy.

Ceremony

The day before the wedding we had a rehearsal which was incredibly beneficial particularly as I got hysterical giggles and couldn’t get an intelligible ‘I do’ out. Luckily on the day I managed to hold it together even when Nick said ‘I Kitty’ instead of his own name.

Entertainment

I come from a family of classical guitarists so it was important to me to have a classical guitarist play during the service. It was very comforting to hear the same pieces of music my Dad used to play when I was growing up. In the evening we had a band called The Fanatics. They were brilliant, the dance floor was full all night and Jim, the bands guitarist, also kindly accompanied Nick’s nephew who performed a couple of numbers.

Cake

I’m a keen weekend baker and love macaroons. I was thrilled to find L’Almandier locally. In the run up to the wedding, Janet created lots of different flavors and colours for us to try. In the end we settled with all ivoy shells with different flavor fillings – they were delicious. I wanted the challenge of baking something so made a small cake as well.

Photographer & Videographer

We loved the artistic and relaxed style of Matt’s work, he was an instant choice for us. His wife Rach also made a lovely film of the day. It was a joy to have Matt and Rach at the wedding, they were very unobtrusive and guided us through the photos effortlessly. It really felt like having a couple of friends there.

Beauty

I did my own make-up following a lesson with a wonderful make-up artist I know through work. She gave me some brilliant tips for all-day make-up and advised on the best products to buy. Laura from L.H. Professional did mine and the bridesmaids hair, she interpreted the style I was looking for perfectly and all our hair stayed in place throughout the day.

Stationery

Nick’s sister designed a bespoke N&K monogram and floral wreath pattern featuring hummingbirds from the wallpaper in our bedroom. This appeared on all our wedding stationery.

Advice

I found the advice of other brides featured on RMW invaluable and followed many of their tips. My Sister gave me some very practical advice for walking in a long dress – remember to “kick-walk” (a little kick before taking a step to avoid tripping over your dress) and if you have a train remember you can’t reverse or turn tight corners – it definitely helped to keep me upright throughout the day.