How was your weekend? We’ve had the loveliest time despite it being a little on the misty side up here in the Lakes! We went for a little explore to Brockhole near Windermere with family and some of us (not me, I’m a wimp!) did a tree top trail… you know where you swing from perch to platform to net and so on? I’d totally recommend it if you’re on holiday in the Lake District anytime and have kids to entertain 🙂

Now, to ease you into the week I have a very special wedding I’ve been so excited to share with you. Suzie and Jonny’s styling is elegant and timeless, with simple white florals and beautiful foliage setting the tone for the day. The gorgeous couple were married at West Tower in Ormskirk, and our lovely friend and English Wedding Directory member Rachel Joyce Photography captured their day beautifully. I hope you love it all as much as I do!

“My dress was so simple but felt really elegant with the veil. I tried on bigger dresses but didn’t feel comfortable moving around in them. My dress fit perfectly and I was happy in it all day and night and for dancing too! Both my dress and veil were from David’s bridal and all alterations done at the Wedding Rooms in Formby.

Jonny wore a custom tweed three piece suit from Jennis and Warmann in Stoke Newington, and my maid of honour wore a beautiful dress from Hobbs.

The wedding rooms in Formby did all the flowers and bouquets. I wanted very simple white flowers with green foliage, and the results were perfect. Especially the eucalyptus and the hydrangeas. I wanted everything to be quite classic and clean, and all we really brought in was the flowers and the menus and favours for the tables. The church was beautiful as is, so we only had the flowers at the altar and on the end of the pews.

Wedding photographer’s website:

http://www.racheljoycephotography.co.uk/

We found Rachel on google, and liked the look of her website and the other weddings she had photographed. We also wanted a photographer who understood what we wanted (and didn’t want) and after we spoke to Rachel and met her to walk our dogs in the park, we knew she’d be spot on for our wedding!

Rachel was excellent, start to finish. She even helped organise us on the day, keeping things moving! She made us so comfortable and we could really have a laugh with her when it was just the three of us, which made a part of the day that Jonny particularly was dreading, actually fun and we got an amazing set of pictures to show for it. Would recommend Rachel to everyone.

The wedding was such a happy day and it was so fun to relive it again looking at the photos. And seeing bits of the day that we missed and finding those gems of pictures of family and friends enjoying themselves. Rachel managed to capture some really special reactions.

Wedding venue:

St Luke’s Church Formby and West Tower, Ormskirk

Wedding month:

July

Can you describe your wedding in fewer than 10 words?

A sunny, happy day with the best family and friends.

Your wedding style or theme:

We wanted it to be simple, classic and timeless, with fresh white and green flowers.

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

Mainly local recommendations. There are some excellent wedding suppliers in North Liverpool, and everyone we used was wonderful.

What’s your top tip for saving money?

Avoid anything that’s branded “wedding”. Rather than searching for wedding favour boxes, just look for boxes. Also, we had a friend design our wedding invites, menus and order of service and printed them locally. Saved money and looked amazing!

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

The only thing I really wanted, was an arch of flowers over the gate at the church. I was so pleased to spend the money because it looked beautiful.
Also I couldn’t have done my hair myself so was happy to pay there!

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

DIY makeup but pro hair. Didn’t like the thought of being overly done up and got makeup trial and walkthrough at Bobbi Brown and hair by local hairdresser Walnut Salons

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

We put together the wedding favours ourselves, the boxes were from eBay and we filled them with Scottish tablet (my favourite) and White Chocolate brownies (Jonny’s favourite). Went down really well with all guests!

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

The cake was from vanilla nova in Southport, and was delicious. Lemon cake with butter cream icing.

Entertainment: any musical recommendations, surprises or treats?

The bagpipes! We had a piper lead us in to dinner and play when guest were arriving. With both have Scottish families so it was nice to have something Scottish.

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

Get flip flops for the dancing.
Pick a point the day before and decide you can’t change anything from there on so just enjoy it!

What’s the best thing about being married?

Being a team.

Favourite supplier web links for other brides and grooms:

http://www.racheljoycephotography.co.uk/
https://www.weddingrooms.co.uk
http://chocbrownieco.co.uk
http://www.westtower.com
http://vanillanovacakes.com