So today is the day I’ve decided to wear a red dress when I get married. I’ll have to un-blue my hair a little, but it will be so worth it. I just love how incredible Liz looks in this red dress. She is absolutely captivating, beautiful – everything a bride should be and then some. And the colour flows through the entire day with pretty florals and accents of red dotted around the decor and styling for this beautiful Pencoed House wedding. Definitely one of my favourite weddings of the year, and I hope you love it as much as I do!

The flowers were amazing and created with such love. My mum did them and she spent months gathering small vases from charity shops to build up colour collections. Some flowers were from a florist, but others we picked together.

We actually removed some decoration from the venue. We liked the simple approach, and wanted to simply use the flowers and our own touches. I’m also not a fan of hearts and like many venues there were initially a lot of typically love signs. Our laughter was enough for us. We made the favours ourselves, the table plan signs and map. Our friend who is a music producer created our playlists so no need for a DJ after our celidh.

Wedding photographer’s website:

http://www.hannahmilesphotography.com/

When we began searching for a photographer we knew what we wanted. Someone who could take natural images, merge into our day not take it over, but weren’t sure where to go, and really struggled to find a quality portfolio.

Hannah and I went to photography college together and we invited her as a guest. Though since our college days she had always been the only photographer I knew who could paint with light through her photography. We were over the moon when she offered to be our photographer for the day.

We couldn’t be more happy. All our friends and family commented on just how much she put them at ease, and bonded with them. When we saw the pictures we were over the moon too as it’s the perfect mix of natural, posed and creative. We never thought we’d become those people with our own pictures across the house, but Hannah’s work has become our art.

It’s so scary when you see the images for the first time. But even more so when you know the photographer. We needn’t have worried, I’ve never felt so pretty as Hannah made me look. My husband has never enjoyed being in front of the camera, these pictures made him smile right away.

www.hannahmilesphotography.com
www.instagram.com/han.goes.click.click
www.facebook.com/Hannah-Miles-Photography-131491100231901

Wedding venue:

Pencoed House, Cardiff

Wedding month:

April

Can you describe your wedding in fewer than 10 words?

Relaxed, small and sweet.

Your wedding style or theme:

None, we just wanted it to feel like us.

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

Hannah helped us with a few suppliers, many things we did ourselves for example my mum did the flowers and my cousin Lydia made the cupcakes. The venue gave us the caterer options.

What’s your top tip for saving money?

Don’t be afraid to do things yourself

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

Thinking through what we really wanted and ensuring each decision matched us not tradition. We didn’t want to cut a cake or have a first dance, so didn’t. But we needed to think through the day to get these elements right

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

An amazing artist designed our invites and we did everything else ourselves. http://www.rowantreecards.com/

Did you fall in love with your wedding dress?

The dress was hard as I really didn’t like any wedding dresses I tried on and felt I was doing it more for others than myself. When I finally found the dress, that I could dance in and wear again it just felt right.

Wedding dress designer and bridal boutique:

It was the one and only time I would get to buy something expensive like this, so it was from Selfridges and by Armani.

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

All stuff I owned.

And what did the groom wear?

Dan’s suit was made for him (and still cost less than my dress)

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

An amazing hair and make-up Emma Kidby did mine and close family too.

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

We had cupcakes only. My wonderful cousin Lydia made them in three flavours. We didn’t want to cut anything and wanted to involve our talented family. Plus neither of us like traditional wedding cake, this way we both got to have our favourite flavours.

Entertainment: any musical recommendations, surprises or treats?

We had a ceilidh band – George Buchanan. I’m Scottish so this was important for me.

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

Whatever you do, keep in mind it’s your day, and you’ll look back on it. So, don’t do anything becuase you think it’s the norm or feel you have to make others happy. Equally it’s only one amazing day at the beginning of a lifetime of amazing days, so don’t put too much pressure on perfection.

What’s the best thing about being married?

Spending every day with the person you love most