Industrial venues don't come much better than The West Mill. It's such a striking space with oodles of personality, but it's also very much a blank canvas for couples. Laura and Joe filled the rooms with colourful rainbow tassel bunting, macrame and brightly coloured blooms. They wanted to bring a festival vibe to their wedding, which I think they most definitely did. The final result is so beautiful and just brimming with joy. Look out for Laura's incredible engagement ring, which I've been swooning over and the universally popular (and flattering) Maya bridesmaids dresses, which must be THE dresses of 2018 weddings. And for good reason - they are just beautiful.

Enzoani Backless Lace Wedding Dress

Laura & Joe: Believe it or not I fell for the first dress I tried on, and stuck with it even though I had a year and a half to go until the big day! I found my Enzoani backless lace and tulle gown at Allison Louise Bridal in Belper. I couldn’t recommend her enough as she really does make you feel incredible, and that’s what we all want on our big day isn’t it!? On my feet I opted for a nude stiletto from Dune, embellished in pearls and studs – I lasted up until the meal in these until I had a quick swap into a comfier substitute, I was too happy to care about what my feet looked like but I did want to be able to feel them the next day! My makeup was by the very talented Tabitha worked wonders and gave me right balance of glam and natural.

Industrial Wedding Venue The West Mill

Where do you start, this place really does have it all. Originally we wanted a festival outdoor wedding but soon got scared off when I had weather nightmares. From there, Joe and myself visited The West Mill purely because it was a fairly new venue at the time and we live a 5 minute drive from it so thought we had nothing to lose but to go for a nosey. As soon as we pulled up I had a funny feeling this was going to be the one. Unsurprisingly enough the industrial brick work, open spaces with festoon lighting and quirky touches all set by the river sold itself to us and we had to have it.

Rainbow Tassel Bunting

We knew we were never going to have a colour scheme as such however, festival, brights, boho and wild came up quite a lot in our discussions of what we were going for. Joe is one of those that if I see something in a shop, he will say ‘Don’t buy that, I’ll make it for you’ and never does, it’s a running joke, but I love him for it. Hats off to him though as he worked SO hard on creating all of our wedding decorations and he did an amazing job, they’re so personal. I think he should be most proud of the tassel bunting he created and hung from the breakfast room ceiling. Another favourite has to be the macramé hanging he made with his Nan, which we were able to get married in front of.

The Flowers

Twisted Willow Florist really did work her magic and gave us the brightest, wildest bouquets possible. Full of succulents, poppy heads and colour - I couldn’t have been happier with her creations. Myself and bridesmaids all had a range of single stems scattered in our hair too, which complimented the theme of the day, which I absolutely loved. Our centrepieces were organised on metallic plates which included our favourite band names, a terrarium, old quirky bottles with candles and faux flowers popping out of them.

Sequin And Tulle Maya Dresses From ASOS

My lovely bridesmaids wore the Maya high neck sequin dress from ASOS. My maid of honour was pregnant at the time, so after a few panic buys we opted for the maternity v neck version which meant all my girls were still in the same style which was perfect. My niece stole the show as my flower girl. She wore a champagne tutu from the Etsy store Flowers and Confetti and rocked her flower crown which she’s now dried out to keep forever.

The Ceremony And Readings

I think this may have actually been one of our highlights of the day, which is surprising considering I was a bag of nerves before I walked down the aisle. The excitement completely took over once I saw Joe. We both say it was almost a relief that the day was now finally happening and we could enjoy it together. My nephew Jamie had surprised us both by writing his own Disney themed reading, which was so adorable as Joe had proposed at Disneyworld, so 10/10 for cuteness.

The Entertainment

Sticking with the festival theme we wanted a band that would play our indie favourites but also classics that gets everyone on the dance floor, The Leathernecks definitely did that. I couldn’t imagine our reception without them, they really did keep the dance floor busy all night, exactly what we both wanted. Much to my annoyance England were playing in the world cup that night so I agreed to play the match next to a football table. Snap Candy made sure guests still made the most of our vintage photobooth which was busy all night long along with our tattoo stand.

The Food

Jenkinsons, The West Mill's caterers were perfect for us. They were super flexible and they were so helpful in deciding on our wedding breakfast. When we booked our food on a rainy November morning we decided to think positive and go for a summer menu considering we were going to be married in the June. Our canapé choice was actually a selection of ice cream that went down a storm in the sunshine. Our main wedding breakfast was the ‘Do BBQ’, which included the tastiest bbq food ever. This was followed by a trio of desserts because there was no way we could pick just one from the options. In the evening we had a selection of pizzas that I’m told were delicious - I was too busy dancing the night away. Our cake was made by the lovely Cook29. She created a gorgeous semi naked cake with chocolate, lemon and victoria sponge layers. Our two cats were our cake toppers – we couldn’t resist!

The Photography & Film

Carla Blain – just wow. From the minute I saw her work online I had to have her shoot our wedding and oh my goodness, did we make the right choice! I love how relaxed she made us feel and we completely trusted all of her ideas and they have most definitely paid off. We have the most incredible photos that captured our day so beautifully we are so happy she could be there. The amazing Camera Hannah completely lived up to and exceeded our expectations, and we knew she’d be amazing before booking her! I have watched our wedding video a ridiculous amount of times and I’m not ashamed, it’s perfect! Hannah and Carla worked so well together and made our whole wedding day that extra special we can’t thank them enough.

{Watch The Film}