The Bride
Rachel The Bride: I wore the
Orvieto dress by Ronald Joyce. This was the last dress I tried on with my bridesmaids present and I had bespoke alterations done by Liz Metcalfe at
Orchid Designs, Clitheroe. Liz was amazing and knew exactly what I wanted. I had a clear and lace back put in, lace cap sleeves, belt and lace to the neckline. I was amazed by the end result and it made it extra special to be bespoke! My mum added my "something old" into my dress by sewing my late great grandmothers wedding band into my dress which was a lovely touch.
I'm not a big jewellery wearer, which my bridesmaids knew! In fact I hadn't sorted any jewellery out so was delighted when my sister Rebekah gave me some
Thomas Sabo pearl earrings on the wedding morning! And to match my bridesmaid had also bought me a Thomas Sabo pearl bracelet! They complemented the dress & completed the look.
I got my shoes on a shopping trip to Rackhams in Skipton with my Mum and Edward's Mum! It was by chance I came across them and immediately knew they were the ones! They were by "untold" and I loved them. My veil was my "something borrowed" from my sister Rebekah - she married a year earlier so I felt thrilled when she offered me her veil. My headpiece was from Orchid Designs at Clitheroe. I saw it shining in the cabinet when I had a dress fitting and loved it. It was by "Liza" and had Swarovski elements to the rose gold band the embroidered flowers and detail to the side. It was incredibly easy to wear and so comfy.
The Flowers
I immediately knew I wanted
Voilà Florist, Clitheroe. They did my sisters wedding the year previous and were amazing. They didn't let me down! Myself being clueless with flowers, Janet & her team made it so easy and the flowers were soon sorted. The end result was amazing and people commented all day and weeks after! We also had 2 milk urns full of flowers which were done by my Mum's best friend Maggie Inskip - they were matched to the brides bouquet and looked incredible. It also tied in our farming theme and we just loved what Maggie achieved.
The Decor & Styling
The styling was done by myself and Edward! I had loads of ideas and Edward was quick make what we pictured! Being a joiner by trade he made the canapé bar and the bar effortlessly and they looked amazing! I added the "girly" touches and between us we made the centrepieces which were reclaimed pallets cut down to mini crates and mini palettes! To continue the farm theme we had Percy Pig and milk bottle sweet favours and I spray painted around 150 cows and sheep in Matt cream! We tied in hessian and bunting around the marquee and for the table runners!
The Wedding Party
Bridesmaids dresses were quite easy to choose as all the bridesmaids were easy going! We wanted a full back and lace to complement my dress! The colour was found by chance as Emma was trying a different style in that colour! But we both loved it and the other girls agreed! They were a muted cappuccino colour and looked lovely on all the bridesmaids -Rebekah, Emma, jane, Katy and Trudy, and seemed to work well alongside the grooms party! I let the girls wear their own shoes as wanted them to be comfy enough all day so they could dance the night away with us! They all wore a simple pearl bracelet to match me.
The Ceremony
Readings were done by Jonathan Carter (brides brother) who read "The passionate shepherd to his love" by Christopher Marlowe. I found this on the Internet and really loved the words so it was a must! We had a second reading by a close friend Gemma Dobson who read "a love poem between two lovers" Song of Solomon, chapter 2. Again we loved the meaning and words behind this.
We opted for 2 hymns...Lord of the dance! And Jerusalem - this had always been a favourite of mine and was also played at Edwards late grandma Emma's funeral who unfortunately passed before our wedding. It meant a lot to both of us to have this hymn as it had a special meaning for us. We had my sister Rebekah and Edwards brother Matthew be the witnesses for signing of the register and were privileged for them to do it.
The Food
The Striped Pig were incredible! We decided on the food after little discussion...we needed something that would not only be tasty but keep plenty of farmers full! We choose canapés on arrival which were gorgeous!
The Entertainment
I love the sound of a string trio. There's something magical and it certainly felt like that as I walked into church on my Dad's arm to Canon in D. They planned through the ceremony and we walked out to "All you need is love" by the Beetles. They then followed on to the reception to play further.
At night we had
Kings Of The Dancefloor - they were amazing!! From the first song to the last the dance floor was full and rocking! They planned sets and took on requests and got the whole crowd going. Definitely a good choice of band! I keep saying we need another do to book them again! Our first dance was Walk the Moon "Shut up and dance". We didn't want anything slow and slushy! We weren't keen for all eyes on us on a dance so picked this so we could get everyone involved and up and dancing! Which it definitely did! It set the tone for the night - awesome music and dancing "til the cows came home!