Kerry and Dan didn’t have a pre-determined theme, they just wanted to include little bits of everything they love. Little nods to lots of different elements came together to produce a wedding that felt totally ‘them’. From the Star Wars posters as table markers, to the homemade cake, DIY flowers and all the decor that they did entirely themselves. They were massively inspired by the weddings featured on Rock n Roll Bride and of course, good old Pinterest.
“The colours were initially going to be white and copper/rose gold”, began the bride, “however the bridesmaid dresses everyone fell in love with were navy and we had Star Wars posters that were in completely different bold colours so we scrapped the strict colour scheme in the end! We’ve been together so long we just wanted it to be fun and relaxed for everyone including us.”
Their budget was £5000 (although they spent closer to £8000 in the end) so they did pretty much everything themselves. They even decorated the venue all day the day before. “It was exhausting but worth it”, Kerry said. “I hand-wrote all the place names and signs, a friend made the copper piping frame for the table plan and I did the rest. I also put together the groomsmen and bridesmaid boxes as gifts. A friend made our order of the day post and I wrote on it. I also printed loads of Polaroid style pictures from Photobox and used them as a timeline of our relationship around the room, everyone had plenty of laughs at them!”
“We saved money on the cake and flowers as my mum made the cake and my step-mum offered to do the flowers, she’s not a florist but really enjoyed putting them together. There were literally flowers and vines everywhere, it was beautiful. The one thing I wanted and fought Dan for was the glitter table! I really wanted it to have a festival feel and for the guests to look a bit different in the evening compared to the day. I’m glad I got it in the end as everyone loved it!”
They had a late ceremony, kicking off at 4pm, which heightened the nerves somewhat, but as soon as she saw Dan waiting at the bottom of the aisle all Kerry’s nervous energy disappeared. “I had to wait ALL DAY to see Dan as our ceremony didn’t start til 4pm, by the time it was time I couldn’t wait to see him! As I walked down the aisle I looked up to him mouthing ‘wow’ at me. I’ve never felt more beautiful than I have in that moment. I couldn’t wait to get to the end of the aisle and marry my best friend.”
“I’d collected so many glass vases and candles for down the aisle which looked beautiful. My dad walked me down the aisle and my cousins, sisters and best friend were my bridesmaids. I had one of my friends read an extract from the film Chasing Amy, one of my cousins read an extract from Addams Family Values and another cousin wrote us a poem that she read aloud. I was an absolute mess and had to ask someone for a tissue! It was even better than I could have imagined.”
They hired Jenny Macarè Photography to shoot their day, who ended up being the biggest single expense of the wedding, but to them, it was TOTALLY worth it (and we agree!) They originally budgeted £800 for the photos but decided it was worth investing more to get a photographer they really loved. “Jenny wasn’t in any way a huge expense but as we were on a budget and we were supposed to keep it under £800. However it took me weeks of trawling through Instagram, websites and wedding fairs to finally find her and we both fell in love with her style. When we met her we both knew she was perfect for us. She completely understood what we wanted and captured so many beautiful moments. My family and friends loved her too, saying she made everyone feel so comfortable, like she was a guest rather than a photographer. For what she gave us we would have paid twice over!”
“The only thing I regret is not having a videographer. I’d love to be able to watch it back now but honestly the day was beyond perfect and we’ll always have those memories. My advice for other brides and grooms would be to be yourself! Don’t compare any of your plans to anyone else, if you learn one thing from our wedding or any wedding on Rock and Roll Bride it’s that it’s YOUR day. Do it however the hell you want and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise!”
The Gallery
Suppliers
- Photography: Jenny Macarè Photography
- Venue: The White Hart Inn, Moorwood Moor, Alfreton
- Bride's Dress: Wed2B, ‘Ophelia’
- Bride's Shoes: Dune
- Make Up: Hannah Louise Makw Up
- Groom's Attire: Moss Bros
- Bridesmaid Dresses: Debenhams
- Chair Backs: Polly & Me
- Star Wars Posters: Ciaran Monaghan
- Light Up Letters: The Word Is Love