If you’re a bit of a flower-perv, prepare to be blown away by the epic attention to detail in Faye and Chris’ Cumbrian wedding!
“We were inspired by a lot of different literature but heavily Lord of the Rings“, began the bride. “Our theme was kind of like storybook fairytale. I wouldn’t say anything we did was specifically to be alternative, but we know we wanted to do things the way we wanted. We spent the night before the wedding together sat up finishing bits and talking long after everyone else had gone to bed.”
Faye walked down the aisle to Many Meetings from the Lord of the Rings soundtrack. “My dad had started me teary eyed before I even went in so hearing it almost sent me over the edge! I didn’t look up once until I got to the end of the aisle. I left my dad and youngest daughter at the end of the seating and walked the last bit alone as I didn’t want the traditional giving away. Our florists were amazing the room was incredible and the aisle lined with ferns and moss which fitted in perfectly with the tree arch I had made as a backdrop to the ceremony.”
The bride’s dress came from Allure Bridals. “For the ceremony I was a barefoot and afterwards I wanted to wear my beautiful Irregular Choice shoes but during setting up the venue the day before I hurt my ankle so I threw on a gorgeous pair of gold Doc Martens that I had laced with black ribbon and I loved them so much! My headpiece was my great grandad’s watch chain and I wore a locket given to me by my late great aunt that had pictures of my great-grandparents in it.”
“I wish we’d known before we started planning how long all those DIY details would take!” she laughed. “I made a lot, probably more than I should have, but it was worth it. I made a huge arch that I had modelled to look like tree trunks and branches (they are now being used by a grateful amateur dramatics society) that we covered in ivy, fake flowers and fairy lights. The cake stands were made from candle holders and wood slices. I also made the coloured table cloths and napkins, and Chris helped me fold the book art table numbers. I made all the signs, paper goods and a large gold sequinned heart prop. Scarily, there is probably more that I’ve forgotten but I really couldn’t have done it without Chris and my parents who even when they couldn’t understand why I was doing something would always be supportive.”
“Apart from the venue, which was a big chunk of the budget, the flowers were our next biggest expense”, she explained. We definitely spent over the average but flowers are hugely important to me and I thought well if I can’t get my woodland wedding (a whole different story), the woods will have to come to me and it really did feel like that!”
“The best thing about planning the wedding was having full creative freedom to do things the way we wanted and really show what we can do together”, Faye concluded. “Going from inspiration stage and watching it come together is really satisfying. We would not have changed anything apart from time management. I wish I had avoided the last minute stresses and taken more time to get ready and relax!”
