So after 10 months of planning and preparation, I can finally breathe a sigh of relief as our wedding was a corker!
We decided early on that we wanted a relaxed and informal day with a lot of personal touches, which we achieved by making the majority of our decorations. This also helped us to keep our wedding fairly low budget, another stipulation as we are still trying to buy our first home. The colour schemes and matching maids and groomsmen, typically associated with weddings, didn't seem to feel right as we wanted everyone to feel comfortable in their outfits. This really added to the atmosphere of the day which has been described to us as "one big hug!" Cheesy but true.
THE BRIDE
I got my dress from the boutique of designer Katya Katya Shehurina a Latvian designer with a flagship store in Soho, London. Her dresses had captivated me the year before when looking for my sisters bridal gown. We have since recommended to every soon to be bride we cross paths with. The woman just knows how to make a dress and the selection at this shop is on another level. I hadn't really thought about the dress I would wear prior to being engaged but had always loved a blush 'Reem Acra' gown I had spied on Pinterest. Knowing I couldn't afford that particular gown I looked into other blush dresses. However, upon trying a blush gown at the only other store we visited I knew it wasn't right on my skin tone. We were torn between the 'Floriana' gown and another equally beautiful dress but decided that this was more of a showstopper. My sister suggested the blue slip underneath the lace and I was initially dubious but it really made the lace stand out and I was instantly convinced.
The lady at the shop suggested the veil and belt as accessories which just put the finishing touch on the look.
I wore flat shoes as I am tall anyway and wanted to be comfortable for the duration of the day. I found the perfect pair on Etsy from a designer called Esme handmade they were styled with satin ribbon that wrapped around the leg so they looked like stylish ballet slippers.
I kept the jewellery to a minimum as the dress was already so detailed opting for some simple studs from 'Anthropologie' and some old arrow studs I've had for years.
THE GROOM
Lee found the perfect suit in the Ben Sherman store in Covent Garden, London. He looked incredibly handsome (but I would say that) styling his suit with a classic white shirt and claret red tie, both from Debenhams.
We found him some dark brown shoes from 'H by Hudson' at Office which finished the look off beautifully.
THE WEDDING PARTY
The bridesmaids, best men and groomsmen were told they could choose their own outfits as we know they are all so different and we thought they would enjoy the day more in their own style. My mum found her dress on the Matches website from designer 'Nina Ricci' she looked blooming incredible. One hot MOTB.
THE VENUE & DECOR
We decided early on to not spend too much on decorating the venue, for one thing it's a beautiful building with no decoration at all. We had both our ceremony and reception at 'The Reid Rooms' in Essex and we couldn't recommend it enough. We chose 'The Reid Rooms' as it had such a laid back feel and we felt so comfortable there, it was actually the only venue we looked at. You can do any decorating you want and provide your own catering and alcohol for the wedding breakfast, which is a big cost saver.
Most of the decorations were made by us and everything was sourced cheaply on Ebay or Amazon. It was definitely more work doing it this way but it meant we could really put our own stamp on the venue. We even found some of our decorations hanging in a 'Monsoon' window display and asked to have them once they were due to change, making a donation to their charity.
We're lucky to be related to some very talented artists so they designed not only our invitations but our table plan and welcome sign.
Lee has a passion for classic Fords and I for flamingos so we incorporated that into our decorations. I found a flamingo bride and groom cake topper, again on Etsy, and Lee wanted to name our table names after cars sourcing a model of each one on Ebay.
THE CEREMONY
Our ceremony was truly amazing I don't think we'll ever forget it. My Grandad gave a reading that he had written himself and it got everyone near to or in tears. He was responsible for a lot of make up reapplication afterward.
THE FLOWERS
We went with a local florist 'Springfield Florist' in Chelmsford, Essex as they have always had beautiful displays in their shop. They did a fantastic job, especially as I didn't give them much to work from. I was quite happy for them to take control as I don't know a great deal about flower arranging so once I told them a few flowers I like and that I wanted a wild bouquet I left them to it.
THE FOOD
We wanted to continue with the relaxed feel with the food and our guests tucked into a hog roast catered by 'Roamers' based in Essex. We later had fish and chips to soak up the alcohol!
Our amazing cake was made by a client of mine, Liz, who has her own company, 'BuBakes' I knew the sort of style I liked but left the flavour choice to her. She did not disappoint with peanut butter, salted caramel and chocolate orange which really tasted as good as it looked.
THE PHOTOGRAPHER
Our photographer as you can see was out of this world. Jez Dickson is renowned in his field and it is easy to see why. He was great company on the day and captured beautiful moments we didn't even know had happened. Everyone needs a Jez!
THE MUSIC
The Ceremony - Billie Holiday, The Very Thought of You. Rupert Holmes, Escape (the pina colada song.) Jimi Hendrix, Bold as Love. Dr Feelgood, I'm a Hog for you Baby.
First Dance - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, You Really Got a Hold On Me.
We put together our own playlist on spotify for the dinner and evening music which went down a storm.
SUPPLIERS
Photography by Jez Dickson
Bride Katya Katya Shehurina \ Florist Springfield Florist \
Cake BuBakes \ Venue The Reid Rooms \
Catering Roamers \
