This morning’s Real Wedding is full of heart and soul. From home made food to DIY decorations – not to mention her bright red wedding dress and the fact that the groom arrived by canoe – Rachel and her new husband Will made sure that their wedding was all about one thing: having fun. And isn’t that exactly as it should be?
With images by Live Imagery.
Rachel says: We got engaged at the top of Cairngorm Mountain on New Years Eve 2011. Will disappeared when we got to the top and then reappeared with a ring in the box. It was so windy I was scared to take the ring out the box!
We got married on 1st June 2013 at Kelham Hall, Newark, Notts then a marquee in the village of Bathley where we live as our friends lent us the use of their field. I lived in Kelham from when I was born to 18 and my Dad still lives in the village so it holds lots of memories for me.
The theme was red (very red!), and the idea was to have fun!
I wanted a red wedding dress & found a perfect dress in white from a local dress shop called Eternally Yours, Newark. They made the dress for me in scarlet red with a few personal touches.
Will and his groomsmen wore morning suits with grey jackets chosen by Will. These were from the dress shop, Eternally Yours. I had the bridesmaids’ dresses made by a family friend, Sandra. They wore strawberry print 1950’s style dresses.
We hired a horse & cart for the bridesmaids and I to get to the wedding, then for us to go to the marquee.
Will and 15 friends canoed to the wedding, a 6km trip including a weir to navigate down. They did get changed before the ceremony but all wore their Sunday best for the canoe.
I carried a bouquet of white roses created by my bridesmaid Hayley, Will’s sister.
I loved the whole day but had a great time with my new husband when we were travelling to the marquee in the horse and cart, with a bottle of champagne waving to the cars going past.
We made all the food ourselves with family & friends & sourced local meat and bread from Newark for the BBQ.
Grandma, Mum & I created many decorations: bunting galore, material flowers and hangings to dress the marquee.
We made our own cake. I made the fruit cake and Will iced it into a mountain scene with Will & I in our ice climbing gear plus a few sheep on the lower tier!
For the daytime entertainment we hired a bouncy castle, crazy golf course & a giant twister.
In the evening we had DJ Jason Parnell from Mansfield & then a friend’s band that played rockabilly. They were a big hit and had everyone dancing.
After the wedding we spent two weeks in the South of France, touring around in a hire car. We spent one week in the Pyrenees mountains, we did a trek to a mountain hut & via Ferreta, then a week near the beach looking round markets & drinking wine!
My top tip for other Brides Up North is to follow your heart, not many people thought I should go red on the dress but it was the most amazing choice.
Congratulations Rachel & Will!
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Brides Up North UK Wedding Blog – Images © 2013 Live Imagery
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