Today’s beautiful bride Alexandra describes her wedding to Elikem as “a collage of vintage pastels, silver screen, Motown and total euphoria!” – don’t you just love that?! Their day was themed around Motion Pictures. “El and I are huge film fans so our invites looked like movie tickets and each table was named after one of our favourite films.”

Due to the time of year I researched and suddenly came across the idea of having dried flowers which were so different. I had never seen a Bride before with dried flowers and the bouquets on The Artisan Dried Flower Company‘s website were stunning. The flowers really complimented El’s tweed suit too.

Wedding photographer’s website:

www.teddypigphotography.com

We wanted our wedding photos to be as natural as possible and to reflect our personalities. Kerry’s previous shoots from various occasions were original & fresh but with a vintage twist.

We were over the moon with our photos. We were particularly lucky because we had stunning bright autumnal sunshine to accompany our proceedings on a mid-November day. Kerry caught the colours beautifully as a backdrop for our pictures. She has fantastic expertise & an easy going style. She was totally in control of the day which meant it was beautifully captured.

We were blown away and haven’t stopped looking at them nearly one year later! Kerry makes sure she sends the images over at the best possible time so that you don’t have any distractions and we sat there viewing a gorgeous gallery of all the great moments of our day just totally reliving it. We were also bowled over by all the details we just did not take in on the day.

https://teddypigphotography.com

www.instagram.com/teddypigphotography
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Wedding venue:

The Warren in Bromley
www.mpthewarren.com

Wedding month:

November

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

Lots of online research and recommendations.

What’s your top tip for saving money?

Avoid wedding shows. I found I was so tempted to buy things at the wedding fairs that looking back I know would not have made it to the wedding day. I was definitely a no fuss type of bride so definitely wanted to make pressure free purchases that I had sourced through my own research. With the help of all the amazing wedding blogs, websites out there I was able to fill my evenings researching, budgeting and collecting ideas for OUR perfect day.

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

I feel we spread the cost quite evenly. It was important that our friends & family were looked after! However we definitely loved the VW camper which was definitely a treat just for us.

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

We were so lucky to have friends who were talented graphic designers who helped us design the invites and table decorations. There was a strong DIY element to our reception as we were inundated with friends who wanted and had the talent to help.

Did you fall in love with your wedding dress?

Absolutely! As soon as we got engaged I knew I wanted to visit a wedding dress shop that I used to walk past as a young girl. So it was very pleasing to incorporate a supplier from my home town. I always remembered how much I used to think about the day I could try one of the beautiful dresses on.

Wedding dress designer and bridal boutique:

Anne Marie Bridal wear, Bexhill on sea.

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

All my jewellery was previously owned gifts from friends and family and I managed to source some Rachel Simpson shoes I had fallen in love with. They were definitely a reward for the time I spent researching online for the right items.

And what did the groom wear?

As we were marrying in November we felt it was fitting for El to wear something more wintery and a tweed suit was the answer. He purchased it from Walker Slater in Covent Garden and it was complemented with a bow tie which suited El’s style down to the ground.

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

Hair and make up was an area we needed to source professionals on. As we had organised a fab photographer I knew it was worth a section of the budget to make sure I was camera ready. I definitely feel this is an element of the day that just makes you feel so pampered as a bride.
Hair- Christine Beadle, Sidcup
Make up- Beauty Addicts, Sidcup.

General styling – did your venue need much decoration?

Not a huge amount, it was a blank canvas but as it was an intimately sized room it did not take a huge amount of decoration. We mainly worked on the table decorations to make the room look special and carry off the Movie themed table settings.

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

My mum played a huge part in the decoration, she is very creative and a keen gardener. In the run up to the wedding she grew loads of Periwinkle foliage which was then picked and used to wrap around the entrance to the room and also placed in glass jars on the tables. She also handmade ring cushions for our little nephew and niece to carry the rings on at the ceremony

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

We left the cake to be a complete surprise from my sister in law. So we did not see it until we entered the reception on the day.

Entertainment: any musical recommendations, surprises or treats?

My dad has DJ’d for over forty years and entertained us with his vintage disco using his beloved vinyl collection which included a whole lot of Motown! My brother and a friend then gave a more modern twist which was purely digital. Both he and my Dad made sure they played songs they knew were special to El and I.

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

Stay calm and don’t get caught up in the hype!

What’s the best thing about being married?

Being able to call my soul mate, my husband!

Favourite supplier web links for other brides and grooms:

www.teddypigphotography.com
www.mrsbowtie.com
www.artisandriedflowers.co.uk