Real Weddings

Lucy Can’t Dance for a Botanical Wedding at Stock Farm – Emma & Will

Sarah Symonds

It’s festival vibes aplenty with today’s featured real wedding, and our featured real couple look as pretty as a picture and happy as a fairytale in these gorgeous snaps. Let’s hear all about it, from proposal to honeymoon and all the good stuff in between!

Dashing groom Will looks extra handsome in his Ted Baker suit but you know we love a gown, and we’re especially keen on Emma’s Lucy Can’t Dance dress, with it’s simple slip base and intricate geometric lace overlay, complete with our bride’s own customisation on the design. Perfection!

With personal touches galore (Star Wars references, anyone?), a new but intimate guestlist (cheers Covid!) and a simple yet botanical theme with a deep forest green palette, this is a stunning and special day for our couple, and for their closest friends and family. Boho meets elegant, festival meets chic and the cherry on top: a vintage ice cream van named Flossie! Yep, we’re into it.

So, brides and grooms-to-be, read on for your daily dose of wedding inspo and pop 6th March 2022 in the diaries, for our next epic Brides Up North Wedding Show at this super cool venue.

With photography by UNVEILED Network Member Sarah Glynn Photography

Proposal

We got engaged on May 21st 2018 during a trip to Edinburgh for my birthday. On our first evening we went for a sunset stroll up Calton Hill. Little did Will know just how popular this area would be, so we had to do a couple of laps before he found us a quiet, secluded spot to settle and watch the city sky turn to dusk. Before the sun had fully set, Will got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. It was a total surprise and the most magical moment. We then had the rest of the trip to celebrate and enjoy our engagement bubble.

Setting

We originally planned our wedding for 20th June 2020. As the Covid pandemic developed, we remained anxious but hopeful we could still get married on this date, however in April 2020 our wedding was postponed. We didn’t want to be in the same position so for our second date we chose the very last date our reception venue had available at the time, which was 7th of May 2021. As this date approached, we were consumed with uncertainty and changing information but we were adamant the importance was to get married. We therefore decided whatever the restrictions, if we could marry, we would. We decided to just embrace the restrictions presented to us at the time. This date in May allowed us to have the spring/summer wedding we always dreamed of and celebrate with 15 people, our very nearest and dearest.

We got married at St. Peters Church in Hale. This is the church we regularly attend and it holds a lot of sentimental value to Will and his mum, as it’s where his dad’s funeral was held 10 years prior. Being married here almost felt like Bob was part of the day. Kaz, the vicar, allowed us to add our personalities into the service and her fun and relaxed style allows those who don’t necessarily attend church to feel welcome and at ease.

For our reception we chose Stock Farm in Ashley. This was the only venue we saw in person before booking as we instantly fell in love with the picturesque grounds and the perfect rustic blank canvas. We regularly take country walks into Ashley and Mobberley and love the countryside around the venue.

Theme

Our vibe was traditional with a relaxed, botanical and festival twist. We both wanted a traditional wedding day but we also wanted the day to represent both of us and our relationship. It was important too that our guests felt happy and relaxed throughout the day.

I love gardening and plants so I liked the idea of a botanical forest green dominating the colour palate, with white and gold to complement. It seemed classic, elegant and timeless.

Dress

I wore the Labyrinth Dress designed by Lucy Can’t Dance which I purchased from the beautiful Helen at Rock the Frock Cheshire. The dress consists of a white slip dress with an intricate geometric lace overlay. I was able to customise it to lower the back of the dress to the waist band. I fell in love with this dress as it looked equally vintage and modern. With the dress I wore Rachel Simpson vintage T bar heels in mimosa green, a delicate floral bridal comb from Tania Maras and my other jewellery from Lily and Roo.

Groomsmen

Will wore a black Ted Baker suit with a crisp white shirt from Marks and Spencer. He also wore braces and a bow tie from Moss Bros and black shoes from Dune. He wore odd socks on the day; one Mandalorian sock (ever the Star Wars fan) and one husband sock which was part of his wedding present from me. This also included Mont Blanc cufflinks which completed the ensemble. He looked very handsome and very James Bond.

At the church, Will’s mum surprised him by handing him the Christian Dior label from his Dad’s own wedding jacket, which he placed in his breast pocket, and we now have framed in our home.

Jack, our best man, wore a black suit from Moss Brothers with braces, shoes from John Lewis, his dad’s cufflinks and stormtrooper socks gifted from Will.

Bridesmaids

My bridesmaids wore the Dessy multiway dress in hunter green which I purchased from Beth at Laraine Westwood. They each wore their own shoes for comfort and accessorised their outfits with a gold knot bracelet and Katie Loxton clutch bags gifted to them on the wedding day.

Beauty

The talented Louise from Make You Up did the hair and makeup for my mum, my bridesmaids and me. I always imagined I would feel like a princess on my wedding day. Louise helped exceed any expectations I had and really made me look like myself but at my very best.

Travel

We travelled in true style in a cream Jaguar MK 2 which we booked via Premier Carriages. Chris, who drove the car, was so friendly and even let the groomsmen take an extra trip around the countryside after he had dropped Will and me at Stock Farm and we had drank our champagne. The bridesmaids travelled in the fabulous pink Birdie campervan. We had originally booked Birdie to be our photo booth but, as our wedding became a micro event, Kitty from Birdie kindly allowed us to amend our booking. Which meant we not only had Birdie as transport but also meant we had Flossie the ice cream bar waiting for us when we arrived at Stock Farm, we felt truly spoiled!

Photographer

Sarah Glynn was our amazing photographer. We first met Sarah at a wedding fair at Stock Farm. We instantly fell in love with Sarah’s fun and relaxed style which perfectly matched what we envisioned. We wanted to avoid a big list of formal portraits and have the day captured as it unfolded. All of her photos capture the feeling of the day, encapsulating the fun and love felt throughout.

Videographer

Our wedding ceremony was live streamed by Brian David Films, as our wedding became restricted to 15 it felt important to us to allow our friends and family not present to be part of the day from a distance.

The whole of the day was captured perfectly by Sooze and her husband Martin from Applewood Films. They blended into the wedding like our guests, meaning they perfectly captured everything as it unfolded and we will treasure each video they provided forever. We have had so many amazing comments about both Sarah and Soozes photos and videos and we would recommend them to any bride and groom wanting to document their special day.

Styling

My flowers were from Sasha at Sassflower, she provided a perfect bouquet of textured greens and crisp white blooms. My bouquet was everything I had dreamed of and more and following the wedding I have been able to have this preserved and framed to treasure forever by the wonderfully talented Nooriya at MadeEco.

Sasha from Sassflower also transformed both the ceremony and reception venues into a botanical paradise. We didn’t specify in detail what we wanted as we completely trusted her to use her talent and vision, and boy did she deliver. At the church we had two large meadow bases situated at the entrance doors and at the church altar. Whilst at Stock Farm we had the tipi entrance poles decorated with large sprays of foliage and white blooms creating a magnificent focal point. On the 18ft long table we had six low arrangements which following the wedding we distributed to our nearest and dearest.

The other decorative effects of the day were hired or designed by UNVEILED Network Member Corrie at The Soiree Stylists. On booking, Corrie provided a wonderful mood board which perfectly captured our vision for the day. She went above and beyond to help orchestrate and coordinate the day, really doing anything in her powers to alleviate the pre wedding covid stress (all whilst heavily pregnant herself). Her styling was clean, fuss free and really gave me the ‘pinterest wedding’ most brides dream of.

Our reception was at Stock Farm but due to Covid restrictions at the time, we couldn’t utilise the barn as the reception needed to be classed as outdoors. This meant only a couple of weeks prior to the wedding we booked the Ohana tipi from Tipi Unique, who really did come to the rescue for us. The tipi was topped off by lighting from Hipswing who were so friendly and helpful, especially as our order kept having to change as restrictions kept changing our plans. We utilised all of their help and advice on lighting the tipi.

Favours

In an effort to be eco, Corrie created our name cards and printed them on seeded paper which our guests could take away and plant growing an array of wildflowers. We also had a special favour from my gorgeous bridesmaid Melissa all the way from Australia. She posted us reusable metal straws engraved with ‘Will & Emma’.

Cake

My beautifully talented bridesmaid Alice kindly made our wedding cake. She made a wonderful two tier masterpiece. One tier was chocolate orange with chocolate ganache and vanilla frosting (Will’s favourite). Tier two was lemon cake with lemon curd centre and elderflower icing (my favourite). Both were covered with white chocolate frosting and gold detail. As we only had 15 guests to give cake to, we still have lots of slices in the freezer and it is such a treat when we defrost one with a cup of tea!

Dining

Our catering was provided by The Olive Tree, the food was delicious and their service impeccable. We had camembert with spiced plum chutney to start, roast sirloin and slow cooked beef short rib for main (Will’s favourite) and for dessert we couldn’t pick between their amazing selection so went for a trio of belgian brownie, jammie dodger cheesecake and sticky toffee pudding (my favourite).

The drinks were provided by Stock Farm as part of one of their packages. Along with our table wine, we had plenty of bubbles, Pimms and Jagerbombs to keep everyone in the party spirit.

During the speeches Will incorporated a toast with brandy as a nod to my Gramps and also red wine for his dad, it was a very touching moment for us both and our families.

Entertainment

Sauve Strings, who we booked from UNVEILED Network Member Entertainment Nation, provided the music for our wedding ceremony. The music really added our personality to the day. I got to walk in to Kissing You by Desree and during the signing of the register Hans Solo and the Princess played, this definitely tickled our guests. They also played Elvis’ Can’t Help Falling in Love during the service and we walked out as newlyweds to Beach Boys – God Only Knows.

Thanks to

We would definitely recommend Stock Farm to any couple! Dan and all of the team were such a joy to work with and really helped us have the reception we always dreamed of. During the initial stages of wedding planning, we loved the wedding fair and wine tasting events they put on. During the pandemic, it was lovely knowing they were just a call or email away to keep us updated as information changed and our worries grew.

​​All of the suppliers had become our absolute wedding dream team. Particularly during the uncertainty as the pandemic evolved, each and every supplier went above and beyond to be flexible, supportive and accommodating to us. We are truly appreciative to them all, especially when we know they must have been going through their own emotional rollercoasters from a business side at that time. We would highly recommend each and every one of them and honestly cannot thank them enough.

I loved the inspiration of the real weddings provided by Brides up North. I therefore find it so surreal our wedding could be a source of inspiration to others now.

Best bit

My favourite moment was in the church as we held hands, looked into each other’s eyes and said our vows. It was such a powerful moment, and it really felt like we were the only two people in the world.

Will’s favourite was at Stock Farm later in the evening, just taking a moment to step back out of the limelight with the whole wedding party dancing and having the times of their lives.

Honeymoon

Two days after the wedding we drove down to St.Ives for our honeymoon. We stayed in a cottage which was a stone’s throw away from St.Ives Harbour beach and our new favourite spot to drink Cornish lager, The Sloop Inn. We spent the time exploring the picturesque coastal paths, surfing on Porthmeor Beach, sightseeing at Lands End and eating plenty of fish, chips, Cornish pasties and ice cream! Most importantly we relaxed and enjoyed the bubble and high post-wedding. One of my favourite memories of our honeymoon was picking a quiet spot on the beach one evening and opening a bottle of Champagne we had been gifted from the wedding. We sat, drank, watched the sun set and reminisced on what a perfect wedding day we had.

Advice

Emma’s tip is to soak up all the emotions of the day and embrace them all, tears of joy, laughter and nerves. They all make up part of the day and are part of the story you will look back on with such joy. Will’s is to go with your gut and not compromise on a single part of the most special day of your lives.

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