Planning a Wedding in Rome? You’ll LOVE This Radiant Wedding at Norwegian Embassy in Rome
The Cosy & Warm Autumnal Wedding of Liz & Leo
You may have seen a few new suppliers popping up in our sidebar lately, one of which is the absolutely fantastic Stitches and Lace who specialise in embroidery on Converse! (I mean seriously, how amazing is it to wear Converse after your feet start to hurt? It’s even more amazing when your wedding date is embroided on the side!) Who created such a fun and quirky company I hear you scream?! Well…the answer is Elizabeth Chan and today we’ll be sharing her beautiful and Autumnal wedding to Leo…(you’ll even get to see a pair of those fabulous Converse that she wore!) Over to you Liz…
“We chose October as Autumn is our (my!) absolute favourite time of the year. It just feels like a really cosy, comforting time of year, and THIS was what we loosely based the theme of our wedding around – we wanted everyone to feel comfortable, relaxed, snug, cosy, and looked-after, without all of the formality that guests often feel at weddings. Children were very welcome (we have a now 3-year old son ourselves), and they all got their own little homemade favour bag with various rustic toys inside – there were lacing games made out of drilled discs of tree branches, and baskets of nuts to feed the squirrels in the Gardens with, amongst other things!
We had an archway made of willow with fairy lights at the entrance to the ground floor ceremony room, and leaves and pumpkins lined the aisle. There were then seasonal flowers, like physalis, in jars that me and my mum had collected and wrapped with coloured wool . All this was set upon big discs sliced from tree stumps, with more leaves and pine cones scattered around. Wooden/kraft paper stationery, and a warming carve-your-own beef dinner finished it all off! I was dying to incorporate my new husband’s family background too, and so we had Chinese dim sum-style canapés, during the drinks reception.”
“I enjoy crafting (shock), and I spent the year running up to the wedding making about a gabillion felt, button and wool flowers, which we used as bouquets and buttonholes. They looked gorgeous with our real flowers and the bridesmaids’ teal dresses, and the nicest bit is that we could keep them! We also made my birdcage veil, and stamped each of the placecards (more small slices of tree branches) by hand, which took forrrrrreverrrr!
Before the dancing began, I changed out of my uh-may-zing Jimmy Choos, and into a new pair of white Converse, which I’d embroidered with our wedding date and the words ‘I do’, with a little heart. These, and a tiny charm hidden within my bouquet, were my ‘something blue’, and I also intended to wear them throughout our honeymoon in New York (except Hurricane Sandy put paid to that!)”
“My mum kept the cake a secret from us until the big day. She’d given the florist a picture of my dress, and incorporated all the little bits – the oversized flowers, the pearls. Each layer was a different flavour as well – the thought that had gone into it was really touching. Leo was in charge of the music, and had compiled a short cd to be played while the guests were being seated, of songs that we liked and were a part of ‘our’ history. I walked up the aisle to Jose Gonsalez ‘Heartbeats’, and we walked back down to McFly’s ‘It’s All About You’ as a joke – I’d totally forgotten about that until the opening bars, and we just dissolved into giggles! Finally, even though Leo had warned his dad that there wouldn’t be karaoke (boring of us, I know), he stole the microphone from the dj, and gave us a few rounds of Elvis at the end of the night!”
“I was wearing strings of pearls from three generations: my mum, nanan, and her mum. Beautiful beautiful beautiful.”
“I ordered about a squillion little tree branch slices from Etsy, for the placecards and children’s games. I’m absolutely gutted that we don’t have photos of our invitations, but these were very thin slices of wood, printed with autumn trees, by Woodchick Studios (Etsy)”
“Some of my favourite memories were when I got to the top of the aisle, where Leo was standing holding our son – everyone went quiet, and our little boy shouted out “mummeeeee!”, leaned over, and snatched my beautiful birdcage veil off my head! I also loved walking into the reception room with my brand new husband, hand in hand, as Bruno Mars’ Marry Me blasted out (cheesy yes, but a fricking AWESOME feeling!)”
“Chloe at the White Room was fab – her boutique is like a little piece of heaven! Also, I’d never met my florist Kathryn, at Fleur Adamo, but we had quite a few emails and phone calls, and I’d sent her my pinterest page. She was really excited about my Autumn-themed vision, and interpreted and executed all of my ideas better than I could ever have hoped!”
“Our advice to future couples getting married would be Don’t underestimate the help you’ll get from friends and family. I don’t know what I’d have done without my parents and sisters – they were endlessly patient and I’ll always remember and appreciate that. The number of family that travelled from all around the world to be with us too was just incredible. Can I have two?! The second is just a cliché but the day will just fly by sooooo fast! Savour every moment and don’t be too impatient & always excited for the next bit.”
Credit where credit is due: ♥ Photography: Barber Photography / ♥ Bride’s Dress: The White Room Bridal Boutique / ♥ Bride’s Shoes: Jimmy Choo / ♥ Bride’s Converse: Stitches and Lace / ♥ Ostrich Feather Shrug: The White Room Bridal Boutique / ♥ Invitations: Woodchick Studios Etsy Shop/♥ Venue: The Hospitium, York Museum Gardens / ♥ Bouquets & Buttonholes – Made by bride / ♥ Birdcage Veil: Made by bride
We absolutely addooorreeeeee this wedding! It’s set us right in the mood for some Autumn crafts and fun! Now where did I put my pumpkin..
Much Bespoke Love
Jess x
