John and Charlotte giggled their way through their wedding day which was held back in May at The Old Deanery, North Yorkshire.

Charlotte looked stunning in a dress by Naf Naf, with her hair in a pretty updo, while John looked dapper in pale grey by Reiss. They had an indoor BBQ and wanted a relaxed party atmosphere and so scrapped the table plan. I adore the rustic cake with heart topper and the mismatched bottles Charlotte collected to display flowers. Super gorgeous.

Thanks so much to the brilliant James & Lianne Photography for sharing their images with us today.

 

The Proposal… We went to Castleton, Derbyshire for the weekend and were out walking in the beautiful countryside! No one-knee proposal and not a glass of champagne or a rose petal in sight…it was this that made it perfect for me! A pint of beer and a packet of crisps in the local to celebrate instead and we chose the ring the following day – together.

The Vision for the Day… Relaxed with no formalities (no seating plan, BBQ style meal etc) – more like a big party and lots of FUN!!! I did want to keep some traditions though, so we had a cake, a first dance and i wore a garter!

The Planning Process… I was told on many occasions that i was the most relaxed bride people had worked with – I think my laid back approach shocked a few but i was adamant I wouldn’t get stressed out as I wanted to enjoy planning. I had plenty of time and used this to make sure it was right, researching and discovering the things i liked and what would or wouldn’t work on the day. God bless Pinterest and Etsy for inspiration…

Budget… We didn’t want to spend a lot, not only because we didn’t have the money but we couldn’t justify it for one day! I felt it wasn’t necessary to spend a fortune to get the day we wanted – it was more about the people and the promise we were making to each other! I designed and created all the stationery  etc myself which helped to cut costs and sourcing the bottle collection for the flowers too. We wanted to spend more on things that everyone could enjoy, like the band (thanks to Agent Smith, Manchester! You rock!).

The Venue… The Old Deanery, Ripon. A boutique hotel, in the heart of Ripon, North Yorkshire, overlooking the Cathedral. We knew it was right as soon as we stepped foot in the place – small, intimate with a beautiful garden at the back! 11 individual rooms, which meant we could take over the whole venue – this made it extra special as it felt just like a house party! It was perfect! (Even if we didn’t get the outdoor BBQ we had hoped for, due to the weather…yes it rained but you can’t have everything can you…)

The Dress + Accessories… Dress: Naf Naf, Avignon, South of France. Headpiece: Doloris Petunia, Los Angeles, CA, United States. Something Old: Tiffany bracelet (only 7 years old but it was the first gift John bought me!). Something New: The dress. Something Borrowed: My mums pearl earrings (also leant to her on her wedding day by her aunty). Something Blue: The bow in my garter.

Finding the Dress… After trying on all the designer dresses, Amanda Wakeley, Ian Stuart, Jenny Packham etc I discovered that the style i thought I wanted all these years, didn’t actually suit me and I really struggled to find anything I liked. I was also reluctant to spend this amount on a dress for one day – again i don’t believe you need to spend a fortune to look and feel a million dollars!

Looking back now, the dress was even more perfect than i initially thought as it was perfect for housing a little bump! A couple of months before the wedding we found out we were expecting our first baby – a very unexpected but fabulous surprise! Massive thank you to my mum who spent hours adjusting the dress to make it fit perfectly on the day, which thankfully, after a lot of panic, it did!

Groom’s Attire… Suit: Reiss, Leeds. Shoes: Reiss, Leeds. Tie: Reiss, Leeds.

The Readings + Music… The Band: Agent Smith, Manchester – playing anything from The Kinks to The Lumineers (which was our first dance song – Ho Hey by The Lumineers). Best mans speech. John Coleman (a stand-up comedian / singer) played a few really funny (if not a little rude) songs with his guitar. My dad thought it would fit well with the wedding style for him to perform instead of the standard ‘dad / little girl’ speech! There was also a connection to John’s dad who sadly passed away 2 years ago – he had been in a band for years and also worked as an entertainment’s manager for Warner Hotels. It really worked well with the relaxed theme of the day – it helped lighten the mood and everyone was howling with laughter!

Beautiful Bridesmaids… My sister Lucy and Johns sister Lucinda – also known as ‘the terrible two’! Very mischievous but couldn’t have gotten through the nerves with out them! They both looked amazing.

The Flowers… Amy Fenwick, The Greenhouse, Ripon. Couldn’t have wished for better flowers – Amy was great and actually knew what i wanted better than I knew myself! They were beautiful!!!

I wanted them to be as close to wild flowers as possible in order to fit with the relaxed feel of the day. I had an idea to have lots of random bottles/jars for the flowers to sit, some decorated some just left simple. I collected the bottles over a year with help from family and friends, they came from all over the world including Denmark and France and also car boots sales and the like. It was so exciting collecting the bottles and getting packages arriving all the time…it also made it feel really special as they all meant something individually.

The Cake… Richard Metcalf, The Little Cake Cottage, Calverley. Massive thank you to my sister in-law Lucinda Gittins and her partner Adam for buying the cake as a wedding gift! It was absolutely beautiful and suited the day perfectly…there was a funny story behind the cake on the day…

Your Photographer… James and Lianne, Leeds. Couldn’t have asked for better pictures of the day – it was captured exactly as it was, very ‘real’ and lots of fun! We have had massive compliments about the pictures and this is something we get to keep forever to remind us of such a wonderful day.

The Details + Decor… Fingerprint Tree – Rather than a guest booked we opted for a thumbprint tree, where all the guests printed there thumb on to a tree to make the leaves. This was a great idea, as not only was it good fun and an icebreaker for the guests, it is something we get to keep forever and it now takes pride of place above out bed!

Flowers – These were probably the main decoration on the day as I had collected so many bottles, there were plenty to have around the venue. They covered the tables, mantelpieces and were dotted around everywhere. They sat so well with the bunting…

Bunting – Bought from a shop on Etsy the bunting was just simply white with all different materials and laces – beautiful!

Fancy dress & polaroid camera – Just for an extra bit of fun on the evening we had a few fancy dress items and a polaroid camera for people to get creative with! It was so much fun and the pictures are hilarious…brilliant memories to keep forever!

The Honeymoon… South of France & St Tropez. After discovering our little surprise of having a bun in the oven we decided not to go extravagant with the honeymoon, instead we took a trip to stay with my parents in the south of france which is like a second home to us. We went for two nights in between to St Tropez, which was a lovely relaxing break and just what we needed!

Memorable Moments… John’s brother Barry, also the best man made the most amazing, funny speech just after the ceremony. We couldn’t thank him enough for lightening the mood with some hilarious quotes which are very personal to the family…it really was perfect and there wasn’t a nerve in sight! Well done Barry!!

Another hilarious moment came about when we discovered that the chef was the first person to cut the cake…apparently he was asked to cut the cake from the base and put it on the plate but as the chef was a little hard of hearing he mistook this for ‘cut the cake and put it on the plate’!! So next thing we knew the cake was in pieces on a plate, pride of place next the Eton Mess and Chocolate Brownies! Many people would have hit the roof and maybe we would have too if there hadn’t been such a funny story behind it…I was determined not to let anything spoil the day and after all it could have been something a lot worse!

Advice for Other Couples… Remember what the day is all about, make it fun and don’t be frightened to let go of some of the formalities!

Credit Where Credit is Due…

Flowers: http://www.greenhouseflorists.co.uk/

Band: https://www.facebook.com/agentsmithband

Photography: http://jamesandlianne.com/

The Cake: http://www.thelittlecakecottage.co.uk/

The Venue: http://www.theolddeanery.co.uk/

 

What a fun day. I so love how happy everyone was all day. Thanks so much to John and Charlotte for sharing their gorgeous wedding with us today XOXO Lou