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Although I’m officially “off duty” today – my first Sunday being busy doing absolutely nothing in quite a while bloomin’ ages, and for quite a while bloomin’ ages to come – I couldn’t resist popping in to share this beautiful Real Wedding sent to me by bride and groom Claire & John and Brides Up North Featured Supplier Damian Hall Photography.
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As a blogger (and avid consumer of anything pretty) I frequent lots of blogs myself – a very mixed bag of the wedding, celebrity, news, humour and lifestyle varieties – and I’m always saddened by the general weekend down time. Us bloggers do need weekends off sometimes too – a twice daily feature schedule, busy freelance schedule and nearly twenty Brides Up North wedding exhibitions and Brides Up North events in 2013 to organise does not a lot of free time make – but I do like to keep things interesting around here on a Saturday and Sunday.
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So without further ado, lets get stuck into today’s lovely celebration and meet our bride and groom (who make a rather cute comedy duo in their interview)!
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Claire says: We got engaged in St Paul’s Bay in Rhodes in August 2010 and were married on 6th October 2012 at Crow Hill Cottage in Marsden. We wanted an exclusive use venue where we wouldn’t bump into other people getting married on the day. We really liked Crow Hill when we first went to visit- it is a unique venue in a lovely location and has a marquee outside. Our families stayed at Crow Hill the night before and after the wedding, which really made the weekend special.
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John says: It was quite near me mam’s house, and the catering staff offered pie and mash as an option for the wedding breakfast.
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John: Our wedding coordinator Rebecca offered lots of different themes for the day (though you were free to design your own if you were feeling creative)! We opted for a clean, contemporary theme with crystals and candles and a silver and teal colour scheme.
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Claire: My dress was long and white with one shoulder strap. It was from Gorgeous Brides in Wakefield and designed by Venus Bridal.
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The bridesmaids wore silver dresses from Coast, with home-made white bands to match the wedding colour scheme.
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Claire: I chose to carry a bouquet of silk flowers from Ups A Daisy Bridal Flowers. They also made buttonholes for John, my Dad, John’s Dad and the best man, and a matching cake topper.
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Claire: We arrived by Ford Fiesta the night before.
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John: Which was a magical experience.
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John: Seeing Claire in her wedding dress for the first time took my breath away.
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Claire: Entertainment wise, John’s friend Leavon played acoustic guitar and sang during the ceremony and drinks reception and Damian Hall Photography helped us to set up a fancy-dress photo booth for the evening, which was a lot of fun.
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Claire: Damian and Charlotte Hall were our photographers on the day. They did a fantastic job!
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Claire: We had some absolutely amazing food! Tracey at Crow Hill did two options for the wedding breakfast; pie and mash, and Mediterranean grilled chicken. The canapés were lovely, and bacon sandwiches in the evening were a great touch!
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Claire: I am allergic to eggs and dairy so cakes are kind of difficult! Mum made some lovely dairy-free cupcakes and a big cake on top to cut.
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Claire: My favourite part of the day was when we entered the marquee and everyone was upstanding to welcome Mr and Mrs Barnard!
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John: After the wedding we had a mini-moon in Venice, and stayed in a very cute (and tiny) hotel near St. Mark’s square. It was a great first holiday as husband and wife!
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Claire: I’d definitely recommend picking a venue where you can stay the weekend as it prolongs the celebrations a little bit! Having a couple of meal options is a good idea too, to make sure everyone is happy.
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John: Though obviously, pie and mash will do that for you.
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Brides Up North UK Wedding Blog – Images © 2013 Damian Hall Photography
Damian Hall Photography is a Brides Up North Featured Supplier, but this is not a sponsored post
Contact Brides Up North to submit your business as a Featured Supplier
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