If, like us, you have a weakness for all things chocolate related, this morning’s real wedding may well leave you craving
a sweet treat
. For bride and groom Beth and Dominic, centred their wedding celebrations around a timeless colour scheme of Cadbury purple, whilst adding shabby chic touches in elegant décor along the way.So let’s sit back and enjoy the pretty (perhaps with a box of Milk Tray)…
With images by Brides Up North Sponsor Fairclough Photography.
beth says:
We got engaged on the 20th September 2013, while in Olu Deniz, Turkey. It was the last night of our holiday and Dom really wanted us to head to the beach front before sunset but I insisted on taking a nap, by the time I had woken up darkness had descended so a wonder to the beach was out of the question. We went out for a lovely meal but Dom hardly touched his food complaining of a tummy ache so we then headed to our favourite bar overlooking the whole of Olu Deniz, though Dom was still complaining of a tummy ache so annoyed I said ‘I’m nipping to the toilet and then we’ll leave!” When I came back there was a Tiffany’s box on the table, I opened it up but it was empty then when I looked up Dom was there holding the ring. After several moments of silence I gave him a quick prompt and he popped the question!Our wedding day was 20th June 2015. There was nothing particularly special about the date but I knew I wanted to get married in June because there’s no birthdays, holidays or other special occasions for us then. So it is now, and always, our anniversary month and nothing else (another good excuse for weekends away, meals, presents etc.)
We got married at Rivington Church, which is where I was christened as a baby. It’s a small but beautiful church, set in the heart near to where I grew up. Our reception was held at Heskin Hall, near Chorley, Lancashire. It’s a Grade I listed building, dating back to 1545.
I tried to go with a shabby chic theme as I love vintage styles. We used a lot of hessian and lace and went with a Cadbury’s purple scheme to add a splash of colour. We didn’t over do it with the colour, but I felt it was timeless! Cadbury’s Dairy Milk has been rocking this colour for decades, and chocolate is still very much in fashion!
I originally wanted a tight fitting, lace fishtail dress but after trying on a number of them they just didn’t feel right. One of the dress makers in the shop had noticed that I kept looking at one in the corner of the store and so suggested I try it on. It was pretty but I was scared I’d look like a meringue – as it happened I tried it on and fell in love! It had a sweetheart neckline bodice, with a lace-up back and heaps of detail with a large peplum style bottom! It was very unique, unlike anything I’d seen before and it made me feel like a real princess – that’s when I knew it was the one for me!
Dom wore a light grey tailed suit with a cream waistcoat and Cadbury’s purple cravat from Moss Bros. His groomsmen wore the same.
To match, my bridesmaids wore a Cadbury’s purple floor-length dress that had a sweetheart neckline. The material was chiffon and the dresses had lace-up backs, like my wedding dress.
We hired two VW Campers for our wedding day transport. They were both cream and absolutely beautiful, named Angel and Destiny! We hired them from Boho Brides, based in Southport.
Our photographers where Katie and James Fairclough of Fairclough Photography. Katie and James where amazing and we would 100% recommend them! Their professionalism and friendliness is beyond compare, right from the initial meeting we had with them, right up until the wedding day, and beyond – they were awesome! The intimate and emotional moments they managed to capture are breath-taking and are something we’ll be able to cherish forever.
My bouquet was made up of cream and Cadbury’s purple coloured flowers and was beautiful! It also had hessian and lace around the base. The flowers where supplied by The Gilded Lily, in Cholrey.
We had top table flowers at the wedding reception and we presented both our mothers with a large bouquet of flowers each to say thank you for all their help! These again where supplied by The Gilded Lily.
As favours we gave guests seed packets – we used a massive variety of seeds so then nearly all guests could have a different flower.
We had a three-tier cake; the bottom layer was lemon sponge, the middle tier was chocolate orange and the top tier was red velvet. All tiers where beautifully wrapped in white icing that had a pattern rolled through it. Each layer was then decorated with hessian and lace. On top of the cake we placed a felt fox and lamb as me and Dom call each other fox and lamb as nicknames. The cake was made by a lady named Lynda Collis, who runs a small cake-making business from her own home in Southport.
For our wedding breakfast we had melon to start with a raspberry coulis, the main was chicken stuffed with pesto wrapped in Parma ham, and for dessert, we had sticky toffee pudding with ice cream. We chose this menu as it was simple and tasty and could easily be adapted for the guests who had dietary requirements and allergies.
The wedding entertainment was a DJ, supplied by Heskin Hall. We had originally booked a singer but unfortunately he let us down at the last moment. The DJ was great though and catered to all our song requests and made a great playlist that had all the guests up dancing.
At the reception we used a decorative bird cage to collect our cards and gifts in and we also had a wedding wish tree that people could hang their wishes on for us.
Following our wedding we would certainly recommend Heskin Hall to others. Its beautiful architecture and vintage feel lent itself perfectly to our shabby chic theme. The staff were great and friendly and couldn’t do enough to accommodate us. The grounds where great, not only for some fantastic pictures, but for our guests to spill out to once the sun came out.
My favourite part of the wedding was being surrounded by my family, friends and new husband. My most memorable moment was my dad’s speech, it made nearly all the guests shed a tear as it was so heartfelt, but he also got a few giggles!
We went on honeymoon to Sorrento in Italy and stayed in the Grand President Hotel. It overlooks the bay of Sorrento and you can see Mount Vesuvius in the background. It was perfectly situated for amazing views but in easy reach of the town. The staff where amazing and made our stay a very special one indeed.
My top tip to other Brides Up North would be to set a budget and decide what you’re going to buy each month to spread the cost. I had a checklist of items that I got each month, that way I didn’t feel the pinch too much! Also enjoy it, you only get to do this once so enjoy every second of it, even when your mum is trying to add people to the guest list that you’ve not seen since you were two-year-old!
