Hey lovely! Happy Wednesday and I hope you have sunshine!! Prepare to be literally glued to your screen though, because right now I’m sharing one of the PRETTIEST weddings as we join Sarah and Greg at Dorfold Hall, with images by Joasis Photography – this is just SO beautiful! It’s wonderful to read such fabulous words about The Little Paper Shop too – they’re a glorious little stationery boutique in Nantwich, and where I’ll be teaching calligraphy workshops this September! Cheshire brides – do check it out as I would LOVE to meet you there! 

“I had never been one of those girls who has their wedding planned in advance, but once I started I knew what I wanted it to look and feel like. I have a creative streak, and wanted to design as much of it as possible so the invites; table placing and orders of service all used my script and drawings. Cara at The Little Paper Shop designed some loose leaf florals for me in a muted pink (to match the bridesmaids dresses that I had already bought!), which we put with rose gold and the theme grew from there. The styling of the day was all muted pinks, ivories, and delicate flowers with beautiful scents – such as roses and peonies – and with lots of texture and sage green. I loved the flowers – and in particular my bouquet – which blew me away! It was such a beautiful shape!

Wedding photographer’s website:

https://www.joasisweddingphotography.co.uk

We booked Jo after seeing the incredible work she did on Neal and Leanne’s wedding! Greg was an usher and found her very easy to work with. I loved the non posed artistic style of her work. We booked a second shooter as we wanted to get candid shots throughout the day.

Jo and Raf were a pleasure to have there – super discreet, very friendly, helpful with bridal needs! We had three couple shoots in effect – as we did a daytime one, one before the first dance and an evening shoot. And having seen the results we are so impressed and love the contrast of styles and the different times of day.
I would not hesitate recommending booking them. Their work is better than any wedding photography I’ve ever seen – it’s spectacular!

We were in Canada on Honeymoon when we saw Jo’s 20 picture previews. We were blown away with how she had captured the essence of the day, the mood, the beautiful venue, and all our emotions! We couldn’t stop looking at them and couldn’t wait for the rest!

Wedding venue:

We visited a few venues near where we live in Surrey however I soon realised that having the wedding near where I grew up was important. We viewed a few places in Cheshire but both fell in love with history of Dorfold Hall when we saw it, as it reminded Greg of Army life, and Sarah of Cambridge colleges. We loved the fact that we could do everything on site, but have different elements in different locations – e.g. using the 200 year old coachhouse for the ceremony, then the gardens, hall and the marquee. We also liked that we could customise it all however we liked and avoid a cookie cutter feel.

Can you describe your wedding in fewer than 10 words?

The best day of our lives (do it again, please?!)!
Otherwise; English, elegant, blush, fun, emotional, poignant, thoughtful, memorable, traditional, beautiful.

Your wedding style or theme:

The whole style was designed to be elegant and beautiful. I had never been one of those girls who has their wedding planned in advance, but once I started I knew what I wanted it to look and feel like. I have a creative streak, and wanted to design as much of it as possible so the invites; table placing and orders of service all used my script and drawings. Cara at the Little Paper Shop designed some loose leaf florals for me in a muted pink (to match the bridesmaids dresses that I had already bought!), which we put with rose gold and the theme grew from there. The styling of the day was all muted pinks, ivories, and delicate flowers with beautiful scents – such as roses and peonies – and with lots of texture and sage green. I loved the flowers – and in particular my bouquet – which blew me away! It was such a beautiful shape, with lots of texture, and smelt divine!
I love the elegance and beauty of blush pink, and the pop of metallics. We added lots of ivory to keep it all muted and avoid saccharine!

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

I used pinterest a little bit for inspiration but mostly the day was a figment of my imagination! I took little touches from the different weddings I had been to. Some suppliers were recommended by my venue and then I found a bit of a snowball… my stationer I met at the venue’s wedding fair, who knew my dress maker, and my florist, who knew and recommended my make up artist… and so on! I had a lovely group of Cheshire ladies helping bring the ideas to life!

What’s your top tip for saving money?

I think we failed on this one… I would say don’t over the alcohol. I think we overdid it a bit 🙂 At least everybody had a good time!

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

Buying a second dress! My shoes. Having a few different musicians during the day. And spending a fortune on peonies ?

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

I wanted to design as much of the invites myself as possible – so I did the illustrations and scripting myself in black ink. Cara then helped turn these into proper invites, table plans, orders of service with her magic… It took a lot of time to get it all right but it was worth it as I really wanted that personal touch. And the table plan is now used as a piece of art in our lounge!
The Little Paper Shop
https://www.thelittlepapershop.com/

Did you fall in love with your wedding dress?

My first dress didn’t work out – so with less than 3 months to go I was in a real quandary! However I came across Kate from Mariee in Nantwich who in fairy godmother style said she could make me a bespoke one in time! So we set upon designing it ourselves based on all the bits I had liked from other dresses, and I LOVED it! The dress was covered in tiny lace motifs which we chose the placement of, and I loved the trumpet shape which was held by a big net skirt. The lace veil was my favourite accessory – the lace edging matched the dress, and then for the evening we created a Coco Chanel style cape to add a bit of structure. I loved the whole thing, and had so much fun wearing it! Thank you Kate!

Wedding dress designer and bridal boutique:

Wedding dress designer (Kate) and bridal boutique http://mariee.co.uk/

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

I decided some silver Manolos were a must. Why not!? These were so fun to wear. Manolo Blahnik Hangisi Silver
I loved the classic look of these Liberty in Love earrings https://www.libertyinlove.co.uk/
My bracelet was a wedding present from Greg and matched my wedding ring! It arrived on the morning!

And what did the groom wear?

The obvious choice for Greg was a traditional morning suit which he had bespoke made at Cad and the Dandy Tailors on Saville Row, London. He loved the perfect fit and felt super smart, particularly as it was accompanied by Army cufflinks! Greg did a quick tie swap before dinner, taking off an ivory tie and switching it up for an army one!
The Cad and the Dandy https://www.cadandthedandy.co.uk/
Loake Oxfords
REME cufflinks

Beautiful bridesmaids: what did your best girls wear?

The bridesmaids wore blush pink from Phase Eight – I saw these straight after we got engaged and knew they were a must! The girls all loved them.

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

Bridal Hair and Makeup In Cheshire
http://www.themakeupcheshire.com/
Vicky and Anna were incredible. So lovely to have around. Anna made me a crown of hair that didn’t budge and Vicky’s make up was transformational!

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

Jacqui O Fairytale Flowers
https://www.jacquio.co.uk/
The bouquet was a highlight of the day. It was so beautiful, smelt wonderful, and captured exactly what I had asked for. She blew me away!
Jacqui did some jaw dropping table displays in the marquee. They were so beautiful!
She did most of this via conference calls from London, and me sending pictures on what’s app – well done you!

General styling – did your venue need much decoration?

We loved the fact that we could do everything on site, but have different elements in different locations – e.g. using the 200 year old coachhouse for the ceremony, then the gardens, hall and the marquee. We also liked that we could customise it all however we liked and avoid a cookie cutter feel.
However this meant quite a lot of work in terms of styling as thre coach house and the marquee were pretty much a blank canvas! This presented a challenge, but one I was well up for! We did a lot of decoration!

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

I did most of the decoration myself, and spent many a weekend drawing pictures for the table plans and spray painting easels copper colour!
My mum’s friend Liz helped create some wonderful ivory bows to accompany the dove grey table cloths.
And I had some ladders made on Etsy that held pictures of Greg and I – which was a fun process to create.
Cara at The Little Paper shop helped turn my pictures and script into real cards and menus – she was great! I enjoyed hanging out in her Nantwich studio.

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

Devonshire Bakery Frodsham
http://www.devonshire-bakery.co.uk/about/the-cake-studio/
We had a white iced cake with some blush pink petals. It was lemon, carrot and chocolate – and so delicious it was all eaten!

Entertainment: any musical recommendations, surprises or treats?

We had a music fest of a day – all three were great! We had a string quartet for the traditional ceremony, some background singing for dinner which was beautiful, and then a huge dance party to Undercover in the evening. They were so good I danced for four hours solid and thought my feet were broken the next day ?
The Solo Players http://www.soloplayers.co.uk/
Samantha Murphy https://www.samanthamurphy.co.uk/
Undercover undercoverlive.co.uk/
We had a magician who came and did some card tricks with the non dancers in the evening and kept everybody entertained.
And we had fire pits with marshmallows and sparklers in the evening which took everybody back to childhood.

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

We absolutely loved our day. It is crazy how after a year or so of planning the whole day goes so fast – so make sure you make time for yourself and invest in a photographer you trust to both take great pictures and who you would want to hang out with for 12 hours! Make whatever decisions feel right to the two of you. Changing my dress with 3 months to go felt like a crazy thing to embark on but was the best decision I made… I felt a million dollars!

What’s the best thing about being married?

Spending every day with your best friend deep in the knowledge of the huge commitment you have made to each other. Making the good days great, and the bad days infinitely better!

Favourite supplier web links for other brides and grooms:

Wedding photography: Joasis Photography

Venue: Dorfold Hall – Candice and Charles Roundell

Celebrant: Julie Spencer, Cheshire East

Dress: bespoke wedding dress by Mariee

Bride’s wedding shoes: Manolo Blahnik Hangisi Silver

Bride’s jewellery: Liberty in Love earrings

Hair and makeup artist: Makeup In Cheshire

Suit: The Cad and the Dandy

Groom’s shoes: Loake Oxfords

Groom’s accessories: REME cufflinks

Catering: Catherine Skates / Escapade Bar /

Wine provided by Define wine

Invitations/ Stationery: The Little Paper Shop/ co designed by Bride!

Bridesmaid dresses: Phase Eight

Groomsmen outfits: Cookham Formal Hire

Florist: Jacqui O Fairytale Flowers 

Cake: Devonshire Bakery Frodsham

Music: The Solo Players / Samantha Murphy / Undercover

Drone photography: Missiondrones

External venue lights: www.Lightech.co.uk