Glamorous hotel, The Midland, sets the scene for Ali and Mike’s celebration in the city they both adore.
A Gatsby-esque dress, bridesmaids in pink and an on-point menu all contribute towards their stunning celebration.
The beauty of choosing a venue where you can get married and party afterwards is, of course, there’s no need to travel in between. For Ali and Mike, who swapped their ‘I dos’ at this luxe Manchester hotel, this was an ideal scenario, with the couple holding a reception that was as laidback as it was stylish.
The couple didn’t actively choose a theme for their celebration, with details falling into place naturally and hints of pink and relaxed styling combined to further enhance the already-stunning setting.
Photography by Teddy Pig Photography
Proposal
Ali says
: Mike proposed on February 17th 2018 at Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh, during our first minibreak away without our daughter!Setting
We got married on 13th April 2019 – we both loved the idea of a spring wedding. We got married at The Midland in Manchester and had our reception there too. We wanted an urban-inspired wedding in the city where we live and both fell in love with the venue on our very first visit.
Theme
Everyone kept asking if our wedding had a theme and the honest answer is… no. Everything we picked was chosen because we liked it; we threw it all together and hoped for the best! Luckily, we think we pulled it off. There wasn’t an intentional colour scheme, either; that said, there was definitely a pink element, what with the bridesmaids’ dresses, the flowers and the men’s ties. But again, that more ‘just happened’ rather than being the result of intentional planning.
Dress
My wedding gown was by Morilee and I got it from Maria Modes in Macclesfield. Initially, I was drawn to the bigger dresses but realised they weren’t practical owing to my toddler. My dress was perfect. It was 1920s-inspired, tight-fitting and elegant – I felt a million dollars in it!
Groomsmen
Mike wore a suit from The Drop, which he purchased online; his ushers wore suits from Next.
Bridesmaids
My bridesmaids wore dusky pink dresses which were from Maya and bought via ASOS. The flower girls looked adorable in frocks from Monsoon!
Beauty
The brilliant team at Absolutely Flawless did hair and makeup for myself and the bridal party.
Transport
I stayed at The Midland the night before the wedding so I could get ready there; Mike drove his own car to the venue on the day!
Photography
Our photographer was Kerry Tongue from Teddy Pig Photography. We wanted documentary-style photos and loved the work we had seen on Kerry’s Instagram page. Her laidback approach perfectly matched the style we wanted – on the day, she helped make things very relaxing and we have the brilliant, unique photos to prove it!
Styling
The flowers were from Daisies Floral Boutique in Cheadle Hume. My bouquet featured cream and blush roses, whilst the bridesmaids held posies of gypsophilia. The venue was dressed by Extra Fleur Event Styling.
Favours
For our favours, we made donations to Cancer Research UK, giving our guests pin badges. Most people in that room will have been affected by cancer in some way, and this was our contribution towards an amazing cause.
Cake
My bridesmaid, Nicola Curran, made the cake – and it was delicious! It comprised three tiers: one chocolate sponge, one vanilla sponge and one Earl Grey infused sponge.
Dining
We served prosecco and beer at the drinks reception. For the wedding breakfast, we had a starter of vegan spiced potato cake, followed by chicken and dauphinoise potatoes. For pudding, we chose an apple crumble parfait. We wanted to choose a menu that could be enjoyed by the majority – and judging by all the empty plates, we weren’t wrong!
Entertainment
The Manchester Strings Quartet played during the ceremony and drinks reception. We selected indie and Manchester-themed music and it was great! We had the Jukebox Band play for the evening reception after receiving a recommendation – they were fantastic and we got so many great comments about them.
Thanks to
Following our wedding, we would definitely recommend The Midland to other couples. It was superb and the staff were all incredibly helpful.
Best bit
Obviously the ceremony – although the band was pretty good, too!
Honeymoon
We went to Rome and it didn’t disappoint! We were there for three nights, which was long enough to be away from our daughter.
Advice
My top tip to other Brides Up North would be – don’t worry about the smaller things, and on the day, try to take some time away with your partner so you can savour it all.
