Happy Valentine’s Day lovers! Have we got a treat of a wedding in store for you today. Laid-back, joy-filled cool vibes aplenty today as Vicky and Ali celebrate tying the knot then party the day away in the garden of the bride’s childhood home. It’s pretty, fun and romantic in equal measures! You’re going to love it!
Today we’re mostly gazing adoringly at snaps of this idyllic, blue-sky, English summer’s day for our happy couple Vicky and Ali, and the glee on their faces is tangible. It’s got us right in the feels (doesn’t take much since we LOVE a wedding, obvs!) and we think you’re going to fall hard for the pretty, picture perfect details, helped along by wedding planner Ellen of UNVEILED Network Member LND Events.
There’s such a long list of things we love about this one; the coolest tea towel favours, the outdoor drinking games, the bright, cheerful colour scheme and of course the gorgeously rustic table styling and overall relaxed vibe of the day. For you traditional couples, we think there’s plenty here to fall in love with and use as inspo for your own day. Let’s get the scoop from Vicky herself!
With photography by Joe Dodsworth Photography
Proposal
We got engaged on 1st March 2020 in South Africa on the ‘diving board’ of Table Mountain, nearly nine years to the day we met. We’d woken up early to catch the sunrise at the top. On the diving board, Ali got down on one knee and popped the question. There was no one else around and it was the start of the most amazing trip!
Setting
28th August 2021 was our day. We wanted a summer wedding and to make the most of a bank holiday weekend where we could get all of our friends and family up to Yorkshire for a long weekend of celebrations!
The ceremony was held at St Oswald’s Church, Leathley. This was the church Vicky’s parents got married in and where she was christened so it meant a lot to be able to get married in the same place, 30 years later! The reception took place in a marquee at my parents’ house and childhood home, just outside Wetherby.
Theme
We wanted a vibrant wedding full of laughter, colour and energy! We wanted all our guests to have a brilliant day and if we achieved this then we couldn’t have asked for more.
We ended up going for a mulberry colour scheme as it was a bold colour that we thought all the bridesmaids looked stunning in. Our florist did a fantastic job of matching the flowers and the whole marquee looked amazing!
Dress
I wore a Suzanne Neville floor length white dress that I chose from UNVEILED Network Member boutique The Harrogate Wedding Lounge. They were absolutely fantastic from my first visit right the way through to final alterations and collection of the dress. I felt so comfortable throughout and really enjoyed all my fittings. Even when I went to collect my dress two days before our wedding and had changed size ever so slightly, the team bent over backwards to make some last minute alterations and the dress looked perfect on the day!
Groomsmen
Ali wore a two-piece navy suit from Edit Suits Co. He went for a two-piece as we wanted a more relaxed feel on the day. We matched elements of the tie with the mulberry bridesmaids dress.
The groomsmen all wore a two-piece navy suit to match the groom, from Cookham Formal Hire.
Bridesmaids
The bridesmaids all wore matching mulberry chiffon dresses that looked so vibrant during the drinks reception in the sun! The colour really suited all of them.
Beauty
My makeup was by Frankie Swiers from Frankie Swiers Beauty. She was fantastic, both during the trial and on the day. She helped and really relaxed us by chatting to us throughout. She really understood the look I was going for and I was so happy with how it looked and lasted throughout the day!
My hair was by Imogen Emily Hair. Imogen was amazing! During the trial she cut and coloured my hair which got so many compliments on the day! I loved how she styled it and she had some really good ideas that I didn’t know I’d love but really did!
Transport
We hired a cream London taxi and matching double decker bus from York Pullman, which we loved as we and most of our friends live in London. Everyone loved sitting on the top deck in the sun on the way to the reception!
Photographer
Our photographer was Joe Dodsworth. I can’t speak highly enough of Joe. He has really captured the essence of our day and we absolutely love his photos! They are so vibrant, colourful and perfectly capture the story of the day. We particularly love his candid shots and those taken during the dancing in the evening. We now have the perfect memories to remember our day and all the fun we had!
Styling
Our florals were by Stems Designs – Lynne was fantastic! We had mentioned how we had got engaged in South Africa and she managed to source their national flower, a Protea, to include in our bouquets. We had no idea until they arrived on the morning of the wedding which was a beautiful surprise and I was so proud to carry them. They were stunning and something my grandad (a lifelong horticulturist) particularly loved!
Lynne perfectly coordinated our flowers with the bridesmaids’ dresses. She advised us on how best to use our budget, what would work well with our colour scheme and was just such a pleasure to work with.
She also incorporated some other really unusual elements which we thought were fantastic and got a lot of attention from our guests. We had fox gloves, blackberries, chocolate cosmos just to name a few so our tables looked really unique and eye-catching!
Elizabeth James Events provided the light up DANCE letters that added a fab extra touch to our dance floor.
The Brides Up North and UNVEILED websites were ideal for getting inspiration from other weddings and understanding what we wanted for ours. There are so many decisions and choices to be made it can be overwhelming so to get ideas from other real life weddings was so helpful!
Cake
We had a three tier, semi-naked cake from Marley Rose with Victoria sponge and lemon and poppy seed flavours. This was decorated by Stems Designs to tie the design into the rest of the wedding. It was delicious!
Dining
Our drinks were all linked to things which were personal to us or our family.
We had several canape options but we had to include mini Yorkshire puddings as a nod to where Vicky grew up.
Starters were a black treacle cured salmon as it’s Ali’s favourite dish and it was so colourful and bursting with flavour. The main dish was a flat iron steak with braised short rib or miso cauliflower as the vegetarian option. The steak was perfectly pink and so tender. Then we served Tiramisu. My all time favourite pudding!
Our caterer, Hog & Apple, went above and beyond. So many of our guests have since commented that it was the best food they’ve had at a wedding. Doug was so attentive and did an amazing job making the day run smoothly. Attention to detail was unbelievable. The two guys behind the bar were also amazing at making great drinks, getting them out fast and interacting with the guests.
Our stationer, UNVEILED Network Member Gray Starling made both the food and drinks menus look amazing.
Entertainment
New York Brass Band were just unbelievable! They got everyone on their feet and the dance floor was always full. They interacted with the guests, wandering around the dance floor and knew how to create an electric atmosphere. They ended the night with a conga through the marquee, finishing off outside round the fire pit where we let off confetti cannons. It was such a magical feeling!
Special touches
Our master of ceremonies agreed to wear a sandwich board style table plan. This was another idea that went down brilliantly and got our guests interacting. The ‘catch your seat’ game added a fun twist to pre dinner drinks. Gray Starling helped us create both the design and the ability to hang it off our MC. They also created Wedding Speech Sweepstake cards which were on the tables, and got the guests interacting during the meal.
After dinner, tequila shots were served by our groomsmen wearing sombreros. Something they loved and got everyone ready for the party.
Thanks to
Ellen, from LND Events, our wedding planner, was exceptional and we couldn’t have made our wedding as amazing as it was without her. She took the stress out of the day from start to finish, helping us find and meet suppliers, provided styling advice to make our marquee look absolutely stunning and ran the day so smoothly, we could really enjoy the celebration with no worries!
In addition to the big things, like finding us a new marquee company when our original supplier went under, Ellen was fantastic with all the little extras and finishing touches which is really not our skillset! She went above and beyond (for example when she folded and wrapped 160 tea towel wedding favours!) and we’ll be forever grateful.
Will’s Marquees came to our rescue after another supplier went under during Covid, and were extremely friendly and helpful in the build up to the day. Not only that but the quality of their marquees is second to none. Everything is handmade and a huge amount of care and attention has clearly gone into the construction. As a venue it looked incredible with all the fairy and festoon lighting, and helped create an amazing atmosphere.
New York Brass Band, Ellen from LND events, Joe Dodsworth and Doug from Hog & Apple were all exceptional and we would recommend them to everyone! Between them they made our day so incredibly perfect and we will be forever grateful! We would not have changed them for the world!
Best bit
Our first dance. One of my friends, and bridesmaid, sang You’ve Got the Love by Florence and the Machine which blended into the New York Brass Band’s surprise entry. We had the most wonderful time and loved it when everyone joined us on the dancefloor. My friend was unbelievable and it was a real surprise to everyone when the band came through the gap in the marquee!
Honeymoon
We went to Ibiza as we wanted sun, sea and delicious food and had a brilliant week to round off our wedding. We ate so much ceviche!
Advice
Everyone loved a bit of theatre on the day. Playing upbeat music as we entered the reception and having a master of ceremonies helped to create atmosphere and make a real occasion out of the day. So our top tip would be to try to include a bit of that!
