They wanted their wedding to to reflect the time of year that they got married – November. So Emily and Andrew decided to have lots of autumnal touches at their wedding. They didn’t have a theme or grand plan other than than seasonal flowers and a few woodland thrown in!
“The first thing I bought before deciding on a venue, dress, or anything else, was the cake topper from Melabo Wed on Etsy as we both loved it”, said Emily. “This was the starting point for our inspiration! I think we surprised ourselves with how many traditional elements we included in our wedding day – however there were things which we knew we didn’t want. I didn’t have an engagement ring, we didn’t want a first dance, to throw the bouquet, or full 3-piece suits for the men. Andrew had always told his mum that he would get married wearing trainers, which he did!”
“We were both very apprehensive about the ceremony”, she continued. “Neither of us are keen on standing up in front of people, and I think my legs were shaking the whole time. To make us less nervous we asked Emma, our photographer, if she would take the photographs of the two of us together before the ceremony, and we had our bridal party photographs taken then too. This worked really well as it meant that we had more time with our guests following the ceremony and we got to see each other beforehand to steady our nerves. Emma was fantastic with us – despite the fact that we are both usually averse to having our photos taken she made us feel completely relaxed.”
“We also opted to put a little note on each of the ceremony seats, requesting that people don’t take photos or videos. We were in two minds about this during the planning, however we are really glad that we did decide to, we love our ceremony photos and they’re made even better as people are visible and there’s not a phone or camera in sight.”
The biggest expense was the food and venue. “We had always said that we would have a small wedding, however when it came to write our guest list we knew that it just wasn’t going to happen, and so we needed somewhere that could accommodate everyone. We did get a cheaper rate for the venue by opting for an autumn date rather than summer, and a further reduction by paying the venue cost in full. We had done a lot of online research into venues, and Styal Lodge was the one that really stood out to us. As soon as we went to go and view it we knew that it was the place for us, each time we visited it felt so relaxed, almost like being on holiday.”
The Gallery
Suppliers
- Photography: Emma Boileau
- Venue: Styal Lodge, Cheshire
- Bride's Dress: Jarlo London
- Make Up: Emma Williams
- Groom's Attire: Next
- Bridesmaid Dress: Hell Bunny from TigerMilly
- Bridesmaid Accessories: Crown and Glory
- Catering: Pink Pepper Catering
- Flowers: Brown Sugar Blooms
- Band: The Ship Band
- Reception Decor: Special Days