Steve and McKenna’s wedding started out by with a Victorian hothouse theme but over time evolved to focus on dark and moody florals. The bride’s dress, made by Eve & Adam, played a big part in setting the overall look of the day.
“I’m a bit of an art history nerd and have always loved the Pre-Raphaelites so I would say that our general aesthetic was inspired by them”, said the bride. “The romantic revamping of classical and medieval imagery in a more modern, playful way, with intense colours and moody, dramatic scenes. Originally I had picked out a very classic, ivory ballgown for my dress but when I saw the dress I ended up with, I felt like it picked me.”
The ceremony was full of special moments. “Our wedding was on our 7th anniversary. It turned out to be a beautiful, sunny day and there was even a gap in the clouds shaped like a 7, I’m not kidding!! Steve walked out to Local Hero by Mark Knopfler and the second I heard it I immediately burst into tears. I had been so peaceful and excited all morning but in that moment I was so completely overwhelmed by the enormity of it all and the culmination of every little decision we had made leading up to that moment. Thank God for my bridesmaids rallying around me! By the time the doors opened and my processional (Teignmouth by Patrick Wolf) started I was more excited for anything than I’d ever been in my life.”
“Steve cried throughout the entire ceremony (which I found really helpful because I was more concerned about looking after him than my own tears!) and all our guests said they’ve never been to a more emotional wedding. We wanted to do something a bit different and as we bonded over our love of bourbon on one of our first dates, we boxed a bottle of Buffalo Trace with letters we wrote to each other and slips of paper all our guests had written their names on to remember all the people who brought so much love and support to us then hammered the box closed together to be opened in another 7 years.”
“We also chose Andrew WK’s ‘Party Hard’ as our recessional and chose our DJ specifically because of his eclectic collection. Steve lives and breathes metal so there was good mix of Metallica, Megadeth, Pantera and for me, The Cure, New Order, Arcade Fire and feel good classics like Jimmy Eat World.”
The reception continued the dark floral theme. “Most of the wedding had some sort of DIY element”, she continued. “Gold spray paint became my best friend! We collected lanterns for two years and various candle holders and odds and ends. I also spent months making the wedding favours: gold and white personalised teacups and saucers that doubled as name cards for guests. We also made the embroidery hoop drapery at the entrance and the giant seating plan. If a dessert table counts as well then that too: each of my bridesmaids made a cake and one of them, Stacey, made 21 different recipes in the week before!”
“My advice to other brides would be that when you’re struggling with the stress of planning, try to try not to lose sight of what it’s all about. Use it to grow together, not fall out. Use your gut instinct, especially when choosing vendors. I could not have done any of this without Vicky from Floral Quarter who just understood me completely and believed in our vision from the beginning. Even when we lost sight of it, Vicky never did and she was our cheerleader throughout the process.”
