Hannah’s wedding to Angus is so very pretty – the artistic styling touches are wonderful and give their day a unique look which I adore. The colour palette is fabulous, and I’ve fallen head over heels for their delicate floral arrangements. They married in Yorkshire back in June, and took their county as inspiration for the theme of their day. I love this!

We made all our wedding stationery. A very talented friend of ours had drawn a beautiful picture of us, which we soon adopted as our ‘wedding logo’. We used this when designing our invitations, order of service, table and place name cards, and more!

Wedding photographer’s website:

www.annawoodphotography.com

I researched online- I’d looked at a few different photographers’ websites, but saw Anna’s on Facebook and was really impressed. Her photos were of such a great quality and her prices were the most reasonable I’d found. I messaged her and she arranged to meet us to answer our questions, gather more information and to create a picture of how the photography would work on the day. We got on really well and we were so happy with what she was saying, after that meeting we booked her!

We were beyond pleased with Anna’s photography! So many people who attended the wedding were saying how unobtrusive Anna was, how they didn’t even notice she was there- unlike some other weddings they’d been at. Yet she managed to get so many beautiful photographs of so many of the guests.
Each meeting we had with Anna was so positive, she really took on board what we wanted from the photographs and also had some brilliant ideas. She was so open to what we wanted, and even trekked round with us to different moorland locations so we could find the perfect place!
We couldn’t be happier with the photos, they have given us the best memories of the day.

Anna had sent us the link to all of the pictures when we were driving back from seeing friends. Angus was driving and I was so excited I couldn’t wait to look at them! When we looked at them together we were absolutely blown away with how she captured all of the tiny details, all of the guests, and Angus and me so beautifully! We knew she’d do an amazing job but we were still stunned with how beautiful she made the day look.

Wedding venue:

Ceremony- Oakes Baptist Church, our church where I grew up and where we are both members
Reception- The Huddersfield Ukrainian Club

Wedding month:

June

Can you describe your wedding in fewer than 10 words?

A joyful Christian DIY wedding with over 250 guests.

Your wedding style or theme:

It was a mixture of traditional and DIY, and for the reception we had a Yorkshire theme!

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

Mostly online and at wedding fairs.

What’s your top tip for saving money?

Think about what you would be capable of doing yourself- such as decorations and favours. Also, enlist the help of talented family and friends! Many people were happy to help with things for the wedding, and generously offered that as their wedding present.
We chose a reception venue that was very DIY, so it provided more work but also saved us thousands!
Also, consider buying a dress from an outlet store- they’re the same quality and a fraction of the price!

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

The photography! For a professional photographer, Anna’s prices were the best we found, but obviously would be more expensive than asking a non-professional to take our pictures. We have no regrets about spending that money, as the photographs are what you use to remember the day, and our photographs have brought us so much joy!

Did you fall in love with your wedding dress?

Yes! I’d actually had a bit of a nightmare dress-wise as I initially bought one on a snap-decision and later regretted it and needed to buy another. Although I hated having to do that, it was so worth it as I adored the dress I wore, and wouldn’t have felt the same about the first.
I absolutely loved my dress, and felt so special all day!

Wedding dress designer and bridal boutique:

Anna Sorrano- Wed2B

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

I wore my late Granny’s necklace, which meant a lot to me. I got my earrings and my bracelet to match my necklace. The earrings I got from Warren James, and my bracelet was from a stall at a wedding fair. I bought my belt from Wed2B, which really added to the dress! My veil was an Ellis veil, but I got it second-hand from Heavenly Reflections, a bridal boutique in Huddersfield (who also did my alterations). My shoes were from House of Fraser, I needed a 3.5 inch heel height so I didn’t have to have the hem on my dress taken up, and I wanted some more sparkle!

And what did the groom wear?

He wore a tailcoat suit from Youngs suit hire, with a silvery waistcoat and a rouche that was the same colour as the bridesmaids dresses.

Beautiful bridesmaids: what did your best girls wear?

Our 4 adult bridesmaids wore floor length dresses from Little Mistress, and our 2 younger bridesmaids wore delicate John Rocha dresses.

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

Hired a professional! This was something else I was glad I spent money on. Pure Bliss Boutique did mine, my bridesmaids, and my mum’s hair and makeup. They came to my house on the morning of the wedding, and did a great job.

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

We had roses, eucalyptus, and gypsophilia- they were beautiful! The florist was Inspirations Florist at Salendine Nook.

General styling – did your venue need much decoration?

Yes, our reception venue was a blank canvas. We used Making it Perfect for our chair covers, sashes, and table runners- they really made a difference to the room. We sourced our table cloths and all other cutlery/crockery from Event Hire UK.
We used A LOT of bunting, most of which I found online, from Ebay!
My talented mother in-law arranged flowers from her garden, in jars that we’d decorated, for our centre pieces!

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

I enjoyed designing the invitations- however putting them together took a lot of time! We also made the favours, my mother in-law makes elderflower cordial so we had a little bottle each for the guests, with a handmade label. I had a lovely craft day making these with my mum, my mother in-law, her sister and a family friend. I also enjoyed decorating the jars with my mum for the centre pieces.
I made the seating-plan board with inspiration from pinterest, and a family friend made the name cards and table name cards.
My mum made a brilliant quiz, as we had a Yorkshire theme then each table was named after a category relating to Yorkshire, and each table then had a quiz about that category!
I also put together a ‘Rejuvenation Station’ for the toilets with help from a friend, with things like combs/hairbrushes, deodorant, and all other things you’d need to freshen up!
I enjoyed all the homemade elements of our wedding, although at points the sheer volume made things a little stressful!

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

One of our amazing friends made our wedding cake! She designed it all because she’s much better at that than me! We had a 3-tiered cake, 2 tiers were lemon sponge and 1 was orange sponge, it was gorgeous!

Entertainment: any musical recommendations, surprises or treats?

Our wonderful church worship group provided all of the music for the ceremony; they had violins, a piano, guitars, a flute, a cello and a trumpet!
We had an incredible 8 piece band at our reception, called Elements Function band- they were great!
As for surprises, my Aunt and Uncle have an art business (Bonker*s Clutterbucks) and created an amazing Aunt Sally board of Angus and me (and my two cats/his budgie!) for the guests to pop their heads through and have a picture! They did an absolutely incredible job, and the guests loved it!

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

Although the big day is important, remember the reason that it’s happening. Don’t get caught up on the wedding and forget about the marriage!
That said, it’s important you enjoy the big day- take the time to pause and take it in.

What’s the best thing about being married?

For me, it’s probably living together. We didn’t live together prior to getting married, and for most of our relationship we’ve lived in different cities, so it’s lovely to be able to be able to see each other every day!

Favourite supplier web links for other brides and grooms:

http://www.annawoodphotography.com
https://bonkersclutterbucks.com/aunt-sally-boards-for-weddings/
http://www.elementsfunctionband.com/
http://www.makingitperfect.co.uk/Chair-Covers.html
http://www.inspirationsflorist.co.uk/
http://www.pure-bliss.co.uk/
http://huddersfieldukrainians.co.uk/huddersfield_ukrainians_bookings.php
http://eventhireuk.com/
https://www.wed2b.co.uk/