If you’ve ever lived in a little English village, you’ll get how perfectly these images capture the spirit of such a place. I’m a village girl – I grew up in a tiny Cumbrian village, moved away, moved back to another Cumbrian village and put roots down here – I just love village life! So Clare and Phil’s day leapt out from all of the submissions in my inbox for today’s real wedding feature. My fave pic is the one with the whole bridal party sat by the wall… it reminds me of the lyrics to Pulp’s Disco 2000…

Discover more from Andy Hudson Photography here:

www.andyhudsonphotography.co.uk
Instagram.com/andy_hudson_photo
Facebook.com/Andy-Hudson-Photography-175562035858487

“Clare & Phil were married in Clare’s home village of Felton, a small rural village about 10 miles outside of Alnwick in Northumberland.  They had their ceremony at the local church before moving to the village hall for their reception.

“The village hall had great memories for Clare as she used to be a girl guide here when she was younger and so it had a lot of significance, although I think it probably looked a lot different on the wedding day!!!?? Pretty much everything was done by Clare & Phil (plus family members), there were a few frills such as an excellent catering company, a fish and chip van, a yellow taxi and a ceilidh band… however these were complimented with a dress bought 2nd hand from Oxfam and bunting made by a family member.

I think the reason why I wanted to share this wedding was because of how personal it was, how much effort the couple put in to their day and just how lovely it all turned out.” ~ Andy Hudson Photography

Wedding photographer’s website:

www.andyhudsonphotography.co.uk

How did you choose your photographer?

We found Andy online – we were looking for relaxed style photos and Andy’s portfolio really stood out. By a funny twist of fate, after we booked him it turns out he’d photographed a friend’s wedding who was really pleased with him so we felt that that was a positive sign.

Were you pleased with your wedding photographer? Do tell… we love a brilliant review!

Yes! Andy was fun, relaxed, made us feel at ease, and really captured so many special moments of the day.

Tell us about the moment you saw your wedding photos for the first time?

We sat down to look at our photos and I (Clare) promptly burst into tears! The photos were beautiful and had caught so many moments on camera – we’ve looked at them so many times since with huge grins on our faces!

Wedding venue:

Felton Village Hall (Northumberland)

Wedding month:

April

Can you describe your wedding in fewer than 10 words?

Fun, relaxed, local, DIY,

Your wedding style or theme:

No specific style or theme – we just wanted the day to feel relaxed.

Where did you find your suppliers? (Blogs, magazines, recommendations?)

Recommendations – Clare’s Mum’s friend did the flowers, a friend did the food, we got recommendations for marquee, bar and staff from our caterer.

What’s your top tip for saving money?

Buy your wedding dress from Oxfam!

… and which elements of your wedding are you glad you spent more on?

The bar – people really let their hair down and partied hard.

Where did you buy or source your wedding stationery – or was making it a labour of love?

Phil is a graphic designer and made the beautiful orders of service, the invitations and table names – and his Dad made the table plan and place names.

Did you fall in love with your wedding dress?

YES! As soon as I tried it on, it felt like “the one”

Wedding dress designer and bridal boutique:

Oxfam

Tell us about your accessories: jewellery, shoes and anything else!

Earrings – jade drop earrings which were my grandmothers
Shoes – flat pumps from New Look!

And what did the groom wear?

Navy three-piece suit

Beautiful bridesmaids: what did your best girls wear?

Gorgeous pistachio dresses from Asos – we had one shortened and they looked perfect together

Hair and make-up – did you DIY or hire a professional?

A family friend did our hair and we hired professional make-up artist Emily Emmett to do our make-up (another GREAT recommendation)

Describe your wedding flowers. Who arranged them for you? (florist details would be lovely please)

Wild flowers from Fern Flowers in Northumberland. Julie, one of the owners of the business, is a family friend.

General styling – did your venue need much decoration?

It did! It was a village hall so it needed a lot. My mother-in-law made about 80 metres of bunting, we put up festoon lighting, hung photographs all around the walls

Crafts and makes – tell us about any homemade elements of your wedding… did you enjoy them?

Bunting, table plan, table names, place names, cake, friend made our guest book, jam jars of flowers

The wedding cake: what kind of cake did you choose and why?

Very clever mother-in-law made the wedding cake!

Entertainment: any musical recommendations, surprises or treats?

A ceilidh then the groom’s brother-in-law was the DJ!
We also had a fish and chip van for evening guests

Words of wisdom: share your best piece of advice for other couples:

Try not to panic. Easily said, hard to follow – but it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and this can cloud the experience. Delegate as much as you can.

What’s the best thing about being married?

Being together! Having time to enjoy each other – and not talking about how on earth we’re going to make a wedding work in a village hall!

Favourite supplier web links for other brides and grooms:

http://www.oxfam.org.uk/shop/bridal/wedding-dresses

 

Photography – www.andyhudsonphotography.co.uk
Florist – Fern Online
Dress – Oxfam
Makeup – Emily Emmett
Wedding cake – Groom’s mum
Caterers – Running Fox Bakery & The Flying Fryer
Ceilidh – Stakeford Folk
Reception venue – Felton Village Hall
Wedding car – The Yellow Taxi