“Our wedding was in Sorrento so it was only right for us to go with an Italian style. Our tables were named after Italian landmarks and our wedding cake was decorated with local Sorrentine lemons. We served locally made wine and limoncello shots and our venues were decorated with olive branches and eucalyptus leaves.

Our colour scheme was sage green and white. The bridesmaids dresses were silk sage and we chose white flowers of different textures, with olive branches and eucalyptus leaves. We chose silver jewellery / accessories and everything blended effortlessly. We were delighted with how our vision was brought to life.”

Wedding photographer’s website

https://jossdenham.co.uk

Wedding photographer review

Joss was an incredible photographer. There really aren’t enough words to express our gratitude to him for being an all round fabulous person. He felt like a friend from the outset, gave us encouragement and guidance when we needed it and was such an asset to our day.

We chose to do a pre-shoot with Joss a few days before the wedding and this was an invaluable experience. It made us more comfortable with the camera and also allowed us to meet Joss and get to know one another. The photos also turned out great!

Joss kindly attended a dinner the night before our wedding and captured some special moments of us greeting our friends and family. He made an effort to talk to people and lots of our guests commented on what a lovely guy he is.

Joss returned over 700 beautifully edited photos and they capture every element of our day perfectly. He found and captured little moments that we ourselves missed and it’s wonderful that we can relive our wedding from different perspectives. He also returned all of the photos within just a few weeks which is unheard of!

We would without a doubt recommend Joss to anyone getting married, he was one of the best decisions we made and we will cherish our photos forever.

We wanted our photos to be natural and ‘in the moment,’ with as little posing as possible. Even for our portraits we wanted a fairly relaxed vibe. We were so lucky with the surroundings that we had a multitude of incredible options for shoot locations. We got some stunning ceremony photos at the Cloisters along with the portraits with our families and wedding party. We got some romantic photos of just the two of us on the windy path down to La Marinella beach. Golden hour was fairly muted for us but it didn’t matter at all, the photos came out perfectly! We also have some amazing drone footage.

Venue name + review

We got married in Chiostro di San Francesco (The Cloisters) in Sorrento, Italy. It is a 14th century town hall with a rustic court yard, classic archways, draping vines and a bell tower. It is a truly stunning and romantic space, as soon as we set eyes on it we knew this was the place!

For our reception we chose Hotel Mediterraneo for its incredible sky bar with panoramic views over the Bay of Naples. Both venues were a dream and we would 100% recommend them to anyone wishing for a Sorrento wedding.

Tell us a little about your outfits – both of you!

My dress was a simple shape but covered in sequins. I chose it because it was comfortable, weather appropriate and felt glamorous! It sparkled in the light and in photos, which was what I was going for. I chose a plain waterfall cathedral length veil.

Tom wore a 3 piece navy tux with a bow tie. He chose it because it was timeless and was surprisingly not too hot on the day! We both felt great on our wedding day.

Flowers

We found it difficult to choose flowers initially but after a visit to the Florist in Sorrento it all fell into place. We went for white avalanche roses, white lysinathus, white hydrangeas, cotton flowers to add some texture, olive branches and eucalyptus leaves. We had two flower columns next to the ceremony table and these were transported to the reception venue and used as table decorations. We were both delighted with the flowers.

Entertainment, music and dancing!

We had a Guitar & Mandolin duo play during the ceremony and they created a romantic atmosphere. The mandolin particularly is an instrument we don’t hear very often and it felt authentic and special.

For entertainment in the evening we had a DJ and saxophonist do joint sets. Together they really brought the party vibe and it was a surreal experience dancing to a live sax on a rooftop with everyone we love! One of our most cherished and special memories to date. The DJ opened with Earth, Wind & Fire – September, and so many people commented 21st night of September.. oh that’s today! This song will now always hold a special place in our hearts.

The post Eleanor & Tom’s magical Sorrento wedding, with Joss Denham Photography appeared first on English Wedding.

Wedding photographer’s website

Alex Beckett www.alexbeckett.co.uk

Wedding photographer review

Alex was incredible, he captured everything we wanted on the day and blended into our guests effortlessly. Some of the shots he captured on the dancefloor, I don’t know how he did it, he’s magic! Made everyone feel at ease and even managed to get the most beautiful shots of my rather camera shy Granny. So glad we went with Alex and his team to get the best photos from our day.

Tell us a little about your outfits – both of you!

I had tried on a few dresses but none of them felt right in terms of the wedding we were planning aesthetically. Then when I tried on my dress I just knew. With delicate botanical wild flower motifs on the top half of my dress it really reflected our English countryside wedding day and felt perfect. The dress had beautiful different layers of tulle with embroidered flowers on different layers and an a-line shape.

Sam’s suit was bespoke with cloth chosen and cut by himself as he’s Head Cutter at Paul Smith. Sam also chose and cut the male wedding party suits; Best Man, Father of the Bride, Father of the Groom and our two brothers who were ushers. Sam wanted all the suits to be natural earthy tones that again reflected our English countryside wedding. Sam’s suit was a dark olive green colour and the other suits were a dark beige, navy and a dark teal colour.

Dress or suit shop name + review

Wedding dress was from Anna Kara, found in a local boutique called Blackburn Bridal near where we live in Blackheath, London. Blackburn Bridal looked after me so well and highly recommend. They made the experience so joyful. Groom’s suit bespoke by Sam Sleath.

Florist name + review

Niche Flowers
Libby and her team did the most incredible job of decorating the church (inside and out), the lychgate, the floral arch we created as well as the marquee and all the bouquets. The marquee looked magical with greenery on the ceiling intertwined with starry lights in the evening.

Walking from the church across the road to the reception at the house there was a huge floral arch to walk under that was decorated with so many wonderful colourful flowers that was in theme with our vibrant pink, orange and green colour scheme. The bouquets actually made me cry they were so beautiful with dahlias (my favourite flower) and other flowers that mixed together so beautifully in the same bright colour scheme.

Your best moment or memory

Our best wedding moment has got to be our incredible band, XS Showband. Every time we see our friends & family they are still saying how amazing the band were, none of us can get over it! The dancefloor was full the entire time and I loved how the band interacted with the guests. They had us on stage singing ‘Marry You’ by Bruno Mars changing the lyrics to our names. The father of the bride got up on stage and played the piano with the band which is a special memory to cherish. Best band ever!

Tell us anything you did differently – we love hearing about NEW traditions (or none at all!)

Instead of having the usual reception of all the courses sat down and then dancing, we mixed it up and went straight into the band starting and dancing, followed by the first course and a speech. Then more dancing followed by the 2nd course and a speech and so on. It meant the day lasted longer, we got to dance all night long and enjoyed every aspect.

Videographer name + review

Amber Moon Video
Amber and her team were perfect on the day, made everyone feel at ease and the videos are just so beautifully edited. Makes everyone emotional watching back because it really makes us feel we’re re-living the day all over again.
Gecko Films provided a beautiful aerial film of the wedding day as well.

Venue name + review

Church ceremony was at St Mary The Virgin Church in Swardeston village, Norfolk. Reception was at the bride’s parent’s house with a marquee on the front lawn.
After the church ceremony, our guests walked to the house with a drinks reception on the front lawn and Joncan Kavlakojlu a Spanish guitarist providing very talented background music. For some guests we provided Glamping festival style teepees that were located at the back of the house in the field which then meant the wedding continued for an entire weekend and it made it so special.

Cake maker name + review

Sassas Bespoke Cakes
Such a fantastic company who took our cake design inspirations and made it come to life. We wanted a traditional cake but with botanical wildflower meadow colourful flowers decorated on the outside. Everyone keeps talking about how beautiful the cake looked!

Stationery maker’s name + review

Norfolk Art Studio Created the most beautiful stationery with a bi-fold invitation including an illustration of my parents house on the outside and on the inside an illustration of the church. The stationery had a colourful dahlia and rose inspired border following the pink, orange and green colour scheme.

Any crafty projects or homemade styling touches?

The marquee was decorated with Edwardian antique furniture brought over from the house. Including pink velvet Edwardian chairs for the bride & groom to sit on. A painted antique writing desk for guests to write in the guestbook and an antique piano for the father of the bride to play a song on as part of his speech. All the red wine served on the tables were in antique decanters from the family’s collection. The wedding favours were little matchboxes in pink with again the same illustration of the house as on the wedding invitation. The tables were decorated with colourful mismatched candlesticks again in keeping with the pink and orange colour scheme.

Wedding readings?

Father of the groom read in the church Colossians Chapter 3: verse 12-14.

First dance song? Playlist recommendations?

Our first dance was Simply The Best, a twist on the classic Tina Turner song, which was originally sung on our favourite TV show Schitts Creek. It was sung on the acoustic guitar by family friend Christian Young. In the church we had a gospel choir with members from XS Showband who sang Songbird by Fleetwood Mac for the bride’s entrance and Your Love Keeps Lifting Me by Jackie Wilson for the exit. For our entrance into the marquee our guests were already on the dancefloor with the band playing This Will Be by Natalie Cole for us to run into the marquee and immediately start dancing with our friends & family cheering.

Wedding planner name + review

Our wedding planner for the day was Emily Andrew Events who did an amazing job of making sure the day went smoothly. Emily juggled everything with all the suppliers which is an even harder job with our slightly more complicated reception timeline with food and dancing mixed in.

Hair + makeup name + review

Hair by Melissa – Melissa was amazing on the morning, very calm and steady and did a wonderful job on my up do that stayed in all day. Makeup by Sophy Jane Makeup – Sophy did the most amazing natural glow makeup which is exactly what I wanted. Again so lovely and kind and calm on the morning of, there was absolutely no stress and was really enjoyable. My makeup stayed perfect all day.

The post Harriet & Sam’s glorious, joyful Norfolk wedding, with Alex Beckett Photography appeared first on English Wedding.

Wedding photographer’s website

https://jossdenham.co.uk

Wedding photographer review

We felt very relaxed with having Joss part of our day and felt very comfortable with him taking our photos. We are absolutely in love with the images and feel that Joss has captured the day so well.

We would highly recommend Joss, he was just amazing from our first meeting we had with him. He genuinely felt like a friend and it was great having him at our wedding. Joss was so organised from when we first booked with him and throughout. He has given us the most amazing photos to treasure for years to come.

Venue name + review

The Venue Bowers Mill

We got married at the Venue – Bowers Mill. This was the only venue we looked round, we walked in and instantly fell in love with it. The venue was so different with its industrial feel and very relaxed vibe and we just knew straight away it was the right place for us to get married. We would definitely recommend this venue, everything was perfect and the staff were amazing. We had eaten here on a few occassions before our wedding day and we knew the food was going to be fantastic which it was.

Tell us a little about your outfits – both of you!

I visited Off The Peg Bridal a couple of times, the first time I didn’t quite find the right one but on the second visit I found my dress. All I can say about that is that I tried it on and just instantly knew that I loved it and still felt like me.

Florist name + review

The Flower Box Meltham

I walk regularly past our local florist and so one day just popped in and spoke to the florist about our wedding. I explained what I like/don’t like but then said that I would leave it up to her to put together what she thinks (as she’s the expert, not us). Our florist was amazing and I couldn’t have been happier with the flowers. They felt elegant and looked beautiful and got lots of complements.

Cake maker name + review

Well Vicky and her family have an obsession with M&S Colin the Caterpillar cakes (who wouldn’t), James has also got on board with the love of them. So we just thought, why not.. a giant Colin and Connie beat a fruit cake anyday. We had loads of complements on the cake and we’re so pleased we went for them, it was another talking point.

Any crafty projects or homemade styling touches?

We bought charity badges for Dementia UK for all our guests in lieu of favours. This felt a special touch to both of us due to personal circumstances. We used place names for our tables that were special places to us, we put a photo of us at the place on the table and either a funny story or why that place was special to us.

Wedding entertainment

We felt that our venue cried out for a band due to the size of the space there. We had ‘Southwest Band‘ who were amazing! Again, like we’d said to other suppliers we left it in their very capable hands of what to decide to play as they’re the experts after all. They were absolutely incredible and the dancefloor was full all night.

The post James and Vicky’s rustic, romantic Yorkshire wedding, with Joss Denham Photography appeared first on English Wedding.

Wedding photographer’s website

Hannah Hall-Beddoe www.hannahhallphotography.co.uk

Wedding photographer review

I do not even know where to start with words of praise for Hannah! I had been stalking Hannah’s Instagram for several years, before Bry and I got engaged. I’m not even sure how I found her! Most likely, it was from one of her many collaborations with one of my other epic wedding suppliers. I had been quietly assembling my ‘dream team’ for about 4 years before the engagement – Bry and I have been together for years and had two children. The wedding was purely a formality, but one we were going to make the absolute most of! While following Hannah on Instagram, I loved her candid, relaxed style and talent for capturing the moments that couples would laugh along with, smile with pride at and, most importantly, treasure forever! Hannah only takes a very limited set of staged group shots. Just enough to please the trad family members, without making the couple feel like they are a set of shop window mannequins!

Hannah was an absolute pleasure to spend our day with. She was there to see the bridal party getting ready and slotted right into the relaxed, chatty atmosphere that I wanted for the morning. Chilled, no drama! Hannah is a pure professional and knew exactly which shots to take and when, ensuring that all of our lovely suppliers would have gorgeous photographs that showcased their work. What’s even better is, when you hire Hannah, you don’t just get a photographer, you get a lovely friend too! We share a similar sense of humour and still chat on Instagram.

Onto the main event, Bryan and I are certainly not naturals in front of the camera, we’re reasonably socially awkward, particularly around public displays of affection! Hannah knew just how to give us gentle guidance to get the best photographs without making use feel nervous.

When we opened our full gallery, it was like reliving the best day of our lives all over again! Every moment captured, even things that we had no idea about! The photographs are just perfection, I don’t think we will ever stop looking at them daily, hourly!! Thank you Hannah for being an absolute legend!

Your best moment or memory

This is so difficult to choose! I think seeing family and friends happy and together! Particularly our two daughters who had the time of their lives! My youngest daughter screamed, “I’m so excited!!!” throughout the ceremony and melted everybody’s hearts twirling unashamedly on the dance floor during our first dance. While our eldest daughter was filled with emotion and burst into tears as we sat down to sign the Register. We got her over for a cuddle and she just said, “I’m just so happy!” What more could you ask for in a wedding day! Also, the Registrar acknowledging Bryan’s parents, who had joined the wedding over video call by necessity, and getting all of our guests to say bello to them! So simply, but such a lovely touch.

Tell us anything you did differently – we love hearing about NEW traditions (or none at all!)

We wanted our wedding to have three key feautures: 1. Brilliant Music 2. Delicious Food 3. A chilled but totally extra and colourful vibe. We wanted everybody to feel comfortable and have a tonne of fun and laughter. Children were absolutely welcomed, our own girls were going to be in attendance, so we knew they’d like other kids to play with. Plus, I’m a primary school teacher, so a wedding without at least one random moment from a child would have felt bizarre to me! My dress featured two cartoon characters and I wore gold sequinned trainers. The speeches were before the meal and were also more like quick toasts. All designed to keep allow Bry and I to relax and enjoy our day. There was no bouquet toss as there was zero chance that I was going to let that beautiful bouquet be ruined! We basically kept the traditions that meant something and threw out anything that didn’t feel like us!

Venue name + review

Dodford Manor, Northamptonshire

We visited a few barn venues before choosing Dodford Manor. Again, I had been following the venue on Instagram for a while and had heard great things from friends and family who had attended weddings there. On the day we viewed, it absolutely hammered it down with rain but we still thought the venue looked incredible! As we were planning an October wedding, with all the inclement weather that the month can entail, this seemed like a sign!

The venue staff know exactly what they are doing. Weddings are their business and every detail was handled professionally and with genuine care. We felt so looked after as we booked, organised and experienced our Wedding Day. Not detail was too small or insignificant to be considered! The day ran without a hitch and this is down to the incomparable professionalism of the staff at Dodford.

I’d also like to praise Dodford’s approved caterers, Jenkinsons, who provided the most delicious and generously portioned food! The sausage and mash will live on in infamy for all time! They produced the most extraordinarily inclusive menu that we could have imagined! Everybody’s dietary needs were catered for with the same finesse as the main menu courses.

Tell us a little about your outfits – both of you!

The wedding dress was so fun to wear and was designed and made couture, just for me! Kimono style champagne silk with full floaty sleeves, intricate appliqués, a gold sequinned underdress and a corset for the shape I was after. I also had a beautiful belt with my daughter’s favourite cartoon characters, Sarah & Duck (Quack!) embroidered amongst the flowers.

I styled it with a drape veil for the ceremony and an epic flower crown from the hugely talented Bombini Studio! To finish off the look I wore turquoise tights, from a company called Snag, (my favourite colour and such a lush inclusive brand) and of course sequinned gold trainers, with turquoise soles and personalised ribbon laces, from a lovely shop I found on Etsy called BeccisBridalDesigns

Bryan wore a gorgeous indigo suit from Marks and Spencers. A coral pink tie and pocket square and a white shirt from Charles Tyrwhitt.

Dress or suit shop name + review

The Couture Company

Being a plus sized bride, your options in regular boutiques can often be seriously limited and depressing. I hated the idea of trying on samples that were 6 sizes too small! Enter, The Couture Company! Jo and her team are Couture magicians!

I shared a few photos with Jo online and then travelled over to Birmingham for a design appointment. The studio is a treasure trove of bridal jems! There is a dress to suit literally every style! Jo immediately started pulling together a range of elements from different dresses and soon we had our final design. It was more unique and special than anything I ever would have imagined being able to wear! We looked at fabric samples too.

I had at least 4 more visits to The Couture Company and it was so exciting seeing my dream wedding dress being created! Jo’s attention to detail is incredible! She even embroidered my daughters’ beloved Sarah & Duck characters onto the belt! These were a huge hit with both children and most of the adults on my wedding day! Thank you Jo for making me feel like a bride but also still like me!

Florist name + review

Rockabilly Rose Cat from Rockabilly Rose was another of my wedding, “Dream-Team” suppliers. I love Cat’s eye for colour and use of both traditional and more modern flowers, within her arrangements.

Cat listened enthusiastically to all of my visions for colours and style. We shared some photos back and forth but ultimately I knew Cat’s work well and trusted her judgement.

Nothing could have prepared me for how beautiful the flowers looked on the day! All of the colour and vibrancy was shining out from every arrangement. Autumn weddings often have a more muted, earthy pallet, which can look gorgeous. Not for us though, we wanted ALL the colour, which Cat delivered in spades! Could not have been happier!

Cake maker name + review

Amelia Rose Cake Studio

Leann makes the best cakes, bar none. Light in texture, utterly delicious and meticulously decorated, to perfection. I gave Leann creative freedom and she ran with that. The resulting cake was really something to behold! The other guests loved it too judging by the sheer amount consumed in the day. The best compliment a baker can get, I reckon!

Any crafty projects or homemade styling touches?

Justine from Beau Bright Events was in charge of the decor and styling. I would say that for people who have the time, some of the elements, such as the ribbons draped on the ceremony room chairs and the coloured candles in gold coloured candlesticks could be recreated by a crafty type.
Confetti!! We bought loads and made sure it was super colourful! The supplier was Proper Confetti and the photos show just how important that often forgotten detail can be! Plus it was free entertainment for the kids! Some were even seen making confetti angels!

Wedding readings?

Yes, I’ll Marry You! – Pam Ayres Love by Phoebe Waller-Briggs (the hot priest’s speech from Fleabag)

First dance song? Playlist recommendations?

First Dance: We Found Each Other in the Dark – City & Colour.

Bridal entrance: Let’s Stay Together – Al Green

Signing the Register: You’re All I Need to Get By – Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell One Day Like This – Elbow

Exit song: I Got You (I Feel Good) – James Brown

Music was so important to our day. We both have a love for live music, so a live band was a non-negotiable! We chose Apollo Soul as our wedding band. They play a mixture of classic Motown and Soul, along with a range of generation spanning floor fillers. We opted for their six piece band which gave us Male & Female Vocals, Sax, Guitar, Bass/Keys and Drums. The music was outstanding and kept us all dancing and singing along to the end of the night!

Wedding stylists name + review

We had the wonderful Beau Bright Events as our Wedding Stylists!

I would highly recommend Beau Bright Events! From start to finish Justine was a dream to work with! She listened carefully to my wedding vision and used her creative flair to share ideas and make suggestions. All meetings were done virtually, which really helped to fit around my lifestyle as a busy working Mum.

Justine consulted me on every element of the design, I knew I was in safe hands. Justine also suggested a fantastic graphic designer, the wonderful Hannah from H Design, who was able to create unique, beautiful signage and stationery for the wedding. The close collaboration between Hannah and Justine meant that the finished look was cohesive and well considered!

The venue looked utterly incredible once Justine had worked her magic, dressing the whole place with colour and candlelight. Not to mention the awesome light up DANCE letters! Every detail was perfectly placed! Justine is talented, creative and knowledgeable, do not hesitate to work with her!

Hair + makeup name + review

Hair – Love Laura Hair Design

I have known Laura, on an off, since Primary School! We grew up in the same town and share friends. However, this was not the reason I chose her. Laura is a genuine genius at wedding and occasion hair! There was nobody else I would ever choose or trust!

Laura gave me an epic up-do for my sister’s wedding, which I received so many compliments about. I nearly cried when I had to take it down the next day! (Yes I slept in the up-do!). Laura has done the hair of so many of my friends as they became bridesmaids, brides or just wanted a great look for a special occasion! Fast forward to my engagement, on my 40th birthday in 2021, and Laura was one of the first people I messaged – to get my booking locked down! I had a trial, of course, but I knew I didn’t really need to. Laura, knew exactly what I wanted based only on my vague descriptions and the random Pinterest images that I showed her.

Laura makes everyone feel relaxed and happy. Chatting with ease, sharing lots of laughs, calming any nerves, all while meticulously creating the most epic hair creations! Laura also styled the hair of our two bridesmaids, my Mum and our beautiful daughters, who were extremely excited to be flower girls! Laura even gave my youngest daughter her first ever hair cut, on the day! I let everyone choose their own hairstyles, and everyone looked absolutely stunning and more importantly were happy with how they looked!!! My hair was everything I had wanted and more!! Laura made me feel so special and beautiful, I can never thank her enough for that!

Makeup – Features by Courtney Jane

Courtney was recommended to me by my hair stylist, Laura. They had worked together closely on a large number of weddings, so I knew I was in safe hands. Courtney is the queen of beautiful skin! She made my usually pale and palid skin shine, as if lit from within!

She listened attentively at the trial and fully got my ‘old Hollywood glam vibes. She helped me to choose the perfect red for my lips and the most luscious lashes! Courtney is friendly and professionals. She has luxurious brands in her kit and, my goodness, she knows how to use them! However, she also always puts the needs of the clients first. My Mum has very sensitive skin and Courtney was more than happy to use Mum’s tried and tested products to ensure that she felt comfortable, as well as beautiful! My make up lasted all day, bar a quick swipe of lipstick here and there! I loved my bridal look and working with Courtney was fantastic!

Special mentions need to go to two other suppliers, who did the ground work for my bridal look. Firstly, Emma from Rockabelles hair salon – who has taken my hair from mouse brown/grey to radiant copper! I’ve always wanted auburn hair and with Emma’s help, I have finally found my perfect shade! Secondly, Lucie for BrowWow Beauty! Lucie has brought back my brows from over plucked 90s style tadpoles, to the full and fluffy beauties I am proud to own today! She is a legend and beautiful person, inside and out!

—-dance

The post Laura & Bryan’s amazing Dodford wedding, with Hannah Hall Photography appeared first on English Wedding.

Our wedding was everything we had dreamt it would be, one of my youngest bridesmaids had a gorgeous little bespoke dress made for her, I bought a small size from where I got the other dresses, and took it to a local woman in Stamford who created a mini version of the big girl dresses. A rust velvet dream!

Wedding photographer’s website

Amanda Forman Photography https://www.amandaforman.co.uk/

Wedding photographer review

Amanda was incredible. Shes such a wonderful person and really enjoyed her being around on our wedding day. I’m not so good when it comes to having my photos taken, but Amanda knew what to do to help us feel relaxed. Her photos when we received them were outstanding! Absolutely love them and can’t wait to have them printed in the house.

Any crafty projects or homemade styling touches?

We did all of the styling on our wedding day ourselves. We made two large ivy rings which were suspended up into two of the peaks of the tipi, we made our own place names, our own wedding favours, which were small corked glass bottles full of toffee vodka and whiskey, we decorated the tables ourselves, sorcing mix match lanterns and candle holders from eBay, local stores and car boots, we went and hand picked our own pumpkins from a local pumpkin farm, and used some small wooden cut tree trunks on the tables to put the food on.

Your best moment or memory

I don’t have a particular favourite memory, I loved the whole day. It was everything I had dreamt it would be. But if I had to choose, it would have to be our first dance! We had a friend of ours choreograph the dance for us, and with a lot of practise (my husband has two left feet) we cracked it and we couldn’t wait to show everyone the dance! It was beautiful – pretty good for two people who can’t really dance!

Tell us anything you did differently – we love hearing about NEW traditions (or none at all!)

I feel a fair amount of our wedding was quite different really. We didn’t use very many suppliers, quite a lot of it was done ourselves even when it came to the catering. Curry is our favourite food, especially from a local restaurant in one of our local towns, so it didn’t feel right to hire a caterer and get them to make a curry. So we asked 10 Dining Street in Oakham off they would cater for us and they gladly accepted! (As you can imagine we are regulars and they know us quite well) they provided tasty Indian canapés, poppadoms, starters, 4 different curries, rice and naan! It was so yummy. They just didn’t supply staffing and cooking equipment so we went to friends from local pubs and restaurants to see if they’d be interested in helping staff our wedding. Which they did! It was perfect.

Venue name + review

We didn’t have a specific venue, we had a tipi in a field borrowed by a friend of ours in the village we got married in, the village my husband grew up in, Harringworth. The field had the gorgeous viaduct going through it which created a stunning backdrop for photos and a view while us and our guests all ate their wedding breakfast. The tipi was from Serentipi, who were absolutely perfect, even after we had to postpone our wedding twice due to the glorious covid.

Tell us a little about your outfits – both of you!

My dress was incredible. If I could get away with wearing my dress everyday, believe I would! I never wanted to take it off. It was timeless, simple and so elegant! the complete opposite to what I ever thought I would go for. It was the back of the dress that caught my eye, but wasn’t keen on the front so I put it off. It turned out to be the very last dress I tried on in the shop, my mum forced me to put it on. The moment the lady in the shop was doing it up, I already knew it was the one.. oh and it really was! Suzanne Neville what a dress! My husband’s suits were navy blue, with a rust coloured tie, which worked really well with the rust velvet bridesmaids dresses

Dress or suit shop name + review

Serendipity Brides – Northamptonshire. These ladies are wonderful! It was the second wedding dress shop I ever went to. Not only were the ladies there lovely, warming and welcoming, the shop was beautiful and the variety of dresses they had were great, so many different styles. I highly recommend them to any bride recently engaged.

Florist name + review

Pickleberry Flowers
Isobel from Pickleberry is such a talented florist! She brought my autumnal floral vision to life. The huge arch at the entry of the church was one of the show stoppers, it was full, bright and screamed autumn! The next piece she did was in the church, it was the only floral part on the church, it was like a wild autumn meadow. Stunning.

Cake maker name + review

Our cake maker was yet again another friend of ours, she used to live in Oakham and I had used her a few times for birthday cakes, and it didn’t feel right not to use her for our wedding cake. We had three different layers. Victoria sponge Chocolate And lemon! SO GOOD!

Stationery maker’s name + review

Stationery was all done by ourselves, the menus on the tables, the table plan and welcome sign was designed by us and ordered online. The place names were cut from trees by yet another friend of ours, he’s a local tree surgeon.

First dance song? Playlist recommendations?

Our first dance was to Michael Buble – Everything

Hair + makeup name + review

Mine and my bridesmaid hair was done by my hair dresser, she’s fantastic! She created the look I had dreamt of, she has a salon in Market Harborough- Steph Guadagnini
Mine and my mums make up was done by one of my oldest friends – Zoe Clarke! She’s a talented self taught make up artist also based in Rutland.

The post Chloe & James gorgeous autumnal tipi wedding, with Amanda Forman Photography appeared first on English Wedding.

Over to Leanne & Callum to tell you about their wedding day, with images by lovely wedding photographer Tom Hodgson, based in the Peak District.

Wedding photographer’s website

Tom Hodgson https://www.tomhodgson.co.uk

Wedding photographer review

Tom was just amazing! We were truly blown away with how he managed to capture every little detail of our day. The shots were so natural and they are the perfect memories of all of the love and laughter of the day. From the very first time we met Tom at our pre-wedding shoot, he made us feel so at ease. He took away all our worries about having our photos taken and it was lovely that we had been able to meet and get to know him as it meant he was a friendly and familiar face on the day! Lots of our family and friends commented on how warm and friendly Tom was.

We were also really grateful that, even though the typical Lake District weather made an appearance, Tom was still up for coming down to the lake with us to get some beautiful scenic photos! We absolutely loved the photos and had such a laugh in the process! We received so many more photos than we expected, I’m still looking through them and finding new favourites! Tom’s documentary style of photography was perfect and captured the little moments throughout the day that we would have missed!

Your best moment or memory

This is so hard as we both genuinely loved every single second of the day! I think the fact that we got to share such a special day surrounded by everyone we love in our favourite place was just magical and a feeling that we will hold with us forever! It was so lovely to see everyone having so much fun all day. We were smiling from ear to ear all day and had the time of our lives!

Tell us anything you did differently – we love hearing about NEW traditions (or none at all!)

Callum’s cousin plays the bagpipes and we were so excited to have him play at the wedding. After the ceremony, all of our guests gathered outside ready for the confetti throw and Bobby led us through the ceremony room and out to our guests playing ‘Flower of Scotland’ on the bagpipes.

We are both F1 fans and wanted to pick something unique to walk into our wedding breakfast. We walked in to the F1 theme tune with all of our friends and family cheering us on!

During the wedding breakfast, just before our dessert, we did a photo challenge with all of our guests! We played ‘Flash, Bang, Wallop! What a Picture’ from Half A Sixpence. We raced round the room with our photographer, trying to get a picture with every table before the song finished! This meant that we got some great photos with each table, with all of the tables competing to create the best picture! In between the ceremony and wedding breakfast, we had lawn games for all of our guests to play. These went down really well, for big and small kids alike! There were some very competitive games and bets were placed!

Videographer name + review

Taylormade Videography

We are so glad we went with Patrick from Taylormade videography. The videos we received from him were so special and covered so much more of the day than we imagined! We received shorter highlight film and a fully edited feature length film including the whole ceremony, speeches, father daughter dance and first dance along with all of the other footage they had taken on the day! We were expecting it to be about 40 minutes long, but it is almost 2 hours! We re-lived the whole day watching it back and love that we have so many brilliant moments from the day to keep forever! The films are very cinematic and really tell the story of the day.

Venue name + review

New House Farm, Lorton

New House Farm is the most amazing venue! From the very first time we visited , we knew it was the perfect place for us to get married. We had our ceremony in the newly built ‘Cow Shed’, a beautiful room with a stunning backdrop of the mountains and fields. The lawn and grounds were perfect for drinks, canapés and lawn games after the ceremony.

We had our wedding breakfast and evening reception in the Hayloft, which just looked magical all decorated with fairy lights.

One of the best things about the venue is the people. Every single member of staff at New House Farm was so friendly and helped to make our day perfect! We especially have to thank Hazel, who truly is a Wonder Woman! As soon as we met Hazel, we immediately felt at ease and welcomed. She was so enthusiastic and never stopped! She was there to help us every step of the way. Everything about the venue was perfect and we had the most amazing day! So many guests commented on how fabulous the venue was. We loved that we were able to completely personalise every part of our wedding, making it unique to us. Everyone at New House Farm helped our day to run smoothly and we can’t thank them enough! We would 100% recommend New House Farm if you’re looking for a beautiful venue with stunning views and the most friendly and fun atmosphere.

Tell us a little about your outfits – both of you!

Beautiful Brides Liverpool

I am so so glad I found Marissa and Beautiful Brides Liverpool. It’s safe to say I was feeling very nervous about trying on wedding dresses, but after doing a bit of research and reading lots of positive reviews, I decided to book in an appointment with Marissa.

From the minute I stepped foot in the door, Marissa made me feel completely at ease and I knew I had chosen the right place!

There were still some covid restrictions in place when I first went and so Marissa asked me a few questions about what I was looking for in a wedding dress and (after a good chat) picked out 5 dresses that I just loved. Putting on the first dress, my anxiety about trying on dresses disappeared and I had the best time trying them on. As soon as I put on one of the dresses, Marissa said straight away that it was the one I would pick, and she was right! I just felt amazing in it, it really was the dream dress! The fact that I could chose and customise the sleeves and details on the dress was the cherry on top!

Marc Darcy

Callum and the groomsmen all wore suits from Marc Darcy. Callum wanted the suits to reflect the rustic Lake District venue so picked a tweed style material in a navy blue.

Florist name + review

Cumberland Flower Farm

We had a rustic wedding theme and wanted the flowers to reflect this. We wanted wildflower/ meadow style flowers with lots of greenery. We looked at quite a few florists but as soon as we saw Cumberland Flower Farm’s website and read about their unique approach to wedding floristry, we thought it was just what we were after!

Harriet was brilliant from start to finish, helping to make our vision for meadow style flowers a reality. They were more than we could ever have hoped for! Cumberland Flower Farm grow their own flowers, not far from our wedding venue and all of the flowers they use are grown in the UK!

We discussed the style and colour scheme we were after and requested that we had thistles within the bouquets and button holes (Scottish family links and we got engaged in Scotland), and sweet peas in the arrangements. We were blown away on the day with how beautiful the flowers were!

The flower arch that they created was the centre piece of our ceremony and was a beautiful wildflower meadow! Cumberland Flower Farm also do DIY flower buckets. We chose some of these to be delivered the day before the wedding so we could create our own wildflower centre pieces for the tables. We had so much fun with our family and friends arranging these the night before!

Cake maker name + review

Sweet Times cake Design

Emma at Sweet Times Cake Design made our beautiful wedding cake. It was a stunning two tier buttercream cake decorated with mountain and tree designs to complement the setting in the Lake District. This was finished off with flowers from our florist. The flavours were amazing and all of our guests loved it! One tier was white chocolate, mango and passion fruit and the other was white chocolate and hazelnut.

Stationery maker’s name + review

Paper Swan Stationery

We loved our stationery from Lucy at Paper Swan stationery! Lucy was brilliant and came to our house for an initial consultation to discuss our ideas. We knew we wanted a floral theme to our stationery and were able to personalise one of Lucy’s beautiful designs to suit the theme and colour scheme of our wedding. We also really liked the idea of having an illustration of the venue incorporated into our stationery and Lucy was able to commission an original sketch of the venue which she also framed and gifted to us which was a lovely surprise! We carried the theme from our invitations through to our ‘on the day’ stationery (menus, name cards, welcome signs etc.).

Any crafty projects or homemade styling touches?

We really enjoyed creating some personal touches for the wedding in the lead up to the wedding, with the help of our families! We had decided that we wanted to name each table after a location we had visited together. For the centre pieces, we collected different shapes and sizes of jars and decorated these with hessian and lace and filled them with wild flowers. We placed these on large log slices and added tea lights and fairy lights. We chose our favourite photos from each location and added these to create our centre pieces. The photos also made great conversation starters on the tables! Other home made touches were a personalised post box, rustic lawn games, confetti cones and lots more!

First dance song? Playlist recommendations?

For our first dance song, we wanted something up beat and fun! The day Callum proposed, this song came on in a shop we were in and we both immediately said it would be a great first dance song. We chose ’This Will Be an Everlasting Love’ by Natalie Cole. It was a great choice as it really set the mood for the night and was followed by ‘You Make My Dreams Come True’ by Hall and Oates.

Before we had our first dance as Bride and Groom, I had a Father and Daughter dance with my Dad. This was such a special moment and my Dad chose ‘I Loved Her First’ by Heartland.

For our evening music we had the amazing Funtime Frankies band! They had the dance floor packed all night! We really enjoyed picking music for our ceremony as we really wanted the music to reflect us as a couple. We both love The Beatles, and had an instrumental version of ‘Here comes the Sun’ for the bridesmaids and flower girls to walk down the aisle to.

I’m a massive Disney fan and so we had an instrumental version of ‘At Last I See the Light’ from Tangled as I walked down the aisle. We picked three songs to play as we signed the register, one each from our favourite bands. An acoustic version of First date by Blink 182 and All About You by McFly (which all of our friends and family sang along to!). The third song was one that had started to play as we were driving to see our Venue for the first time, ‘Better Place’ by Rachel Platten, and we knew straight away we wanted it as part of our wedding. As we were leaving the ceremony, we had ‘Good Day for marrying You’ by Dave Barnes which set the tone for the rest of the day!

The post Leanne & Callum’s creative & DIY Lake District wedding, with Tom Hodgson Photography appeared first on English Wedding.

Some fab reviews and heartfelt words of advice from the happy pair below, plus supplier recommendations for couples tying the knot in Kent. Enjoy!

Wedding photographer’s website

Hannah Hall https://hannahhallphotography.co.uk

Wedding photographer review

Hannah is great! We chose her because her photography style really brought out the joy and excitement of the day. She captured moments that we may not have seen behind the scenes and also brought back memories of special moments in her quirky style.

Your best moment or memory

The whole day was prefect – even the weather! It was warm and sunny for October and started raining the day after our wedding! If we had to choose, the Chinese door games and ceremony were my favourite part. The western ceremony was outdoors, making the most of the warm sun. It was a surreal, unique moment for us to be surrounded by our friends and family all in one place. Definitely a moment to remember.

Tell us anything you did differently – we love hearing about NEW traditions (or none at all!)

The Chinese door games is a tradition that puts the bridesmaids against the groom and groomsmen. The idea is that they hide the bride so that the groom, with help from his men, has to face challenges to get to her. Thus proving his devotion.

Venue name + review

The Gardens Yalding. If you’re looking for a venue that’s beautiful, relaxed with a large outdoor space and a rustic vibe – this is the place! Staff were friendly and helpful and put our mind at ease on the day. The food here was also lovely! https://www.thegardens.co.uk/

Tell us a little about your outfits – both of you!

Our outfits they were quite understated and they just fit well with the autumn theme and look of our venue.

Dress or suit shop name + review

Bride’s Chinese dress – Toni Bridal: Staff was friendly and helpful. Unfortunately I didn’t find my white dress here but I did find the Chinese dress to suit me here!

Bride’s western dress – David’s Bridal. A large selection of dresses to suit different budgets. It can get pretty busy here so personal one-to-ones is more limited. However I was able to find ‘the one’ here!

Groom’s suit – Hawes and Curtis: Fast and catered to our needs!

Florist name + review

Anthologie Florist – Ellie was super helpful and knowledgable. I don’t know a lot about the types of flowers and what goes well with my theme, but she helped stick to my budgets, find solutions and put our minds at ease. The final results was beautiful and incredible! https://www.anthologiefloristry.co.uk/

Cake maker name + review

We had a friend and 1 of my bridesmaid to help with the cakes!

Any crafty projects or homemade styling touches?

Welcome sign, table decorations, seating plan, placecards, Polaroid table, card box all DIYd!

Props and hire items

Bay Wedding Props – We hired a decorative arch for our outdoor ceremony and it was beautiful! It went well with the gazebo that was already there along with the outdoor garden. https://bayweddingprops.co.uk/

First dance song? Playlist recommendations?

The few things – JP Saxe, Charlotte Lawrence

Hair + makeup name + review

Alex hair and makeup artist – Alex was my hair stylist. She was very friendly, approachable and opened to feedback to ensure I was happy with my hair style. It didn’t take her long to do my hair and she did a fabulous job on the day! https://www.alexhairandmakeup.com/ Jamie Lee makeup and brows – Jamie Lee was my makeup artist. She has a relaxed vibe and very easy to talk to. I went for a natural, soft look as I don’t usually wear too much makeup. She nailed it pretty quickly and I felt super comfortable all day! https://www.hitched.co.uk/wedding-beauty-hair-make-up/kent/jamie-lee-make-up-artist_51468.htm

The post Sonya & Batsirai’s vibrant and joyful Yalding wedding with Hannah Hall Photography appeared first on English Wedding.

Wedding photographer’s website

We chose Lake District-based wedding photographer Hannah Hall Photography

Wedding photographer review

Hannah was fantastic, from our first meeting with her she helped and guided us, with her wedding expertise. Hannah answered all my silly questions too. On the day she was so helpful, making sure we got all the pictures we needed and that the day ran smoothly! The photos are everything we hoped for, fun and full of love!

Your best moment or memory

The confetti for me, I just thought omg we Did it!

Tell us anything you did differently – we love hearing about NEW traditions (or none at all!)

We snuck off with Hannah and had a hand fasting ceremony performed. It was so special, under a big tree with the wind blowing like crazy.

Videographer name + review

Patrick Taylor / Taylor Made Videography

Venue name + review

The great Barn, Aynho. Gorgeous venue In the countryside. Helpful staff on the planning stage but on the day we felt a little let down, with a new wedding coordinator who had no clue what we wanted. I would recommend, but ask for the same person throughout.

Tell us a little about your outfits – both of you!

Bride wore Lillian west dress, forever sole shoes and carat London sustainable diamond jewellery. Groom wore – Mark Darcy and his grandfathers pocket watch.

Dress or suit shop name + review

Silver six pence in Towcester. Those girls are geniuses! They helped me find a dress so quickly with zero stress. Highly recommend.

Florist name + review

Annie Johnson, grooms sister.

Cake maker name + review

Cakes by kit. Everything we ever hoped for. A beautiful 4 tier dream cake with pink and gold accents covered in fresh flowers.

Stationery maker’s name + review

Handmade by Bride and groom.

Any crafty projects or homemade styling touches?

We made a Homemade archway and homemade giant photo frame with pictures of us as babies.

Wedding readings?

We read our own vows and both siblings did a reading. They both tweaked them to be personal, they were perfect.

First dance song? Playlist recommendations?

Brand new, by you me at six. We went old school with the playlist lots of songs everyone knew, to get them dancing! Think blink 182, teenage dirtbag. Signature moments DJs are legends!

Hair + makeup name + review

Natalie Marie wood. Natalie was brilliant, made me and my bridesmaids look and feel fantastic!

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