A Wedding Bursting with Colour, Friends, Family and Faith – Lucy & Dom

When bride Lucy first started planning for her wedding day she bought several wedding magazines which did contain lots of lovely weddings but wasn’t quite ‘their wedding’. What she soon realised was that she loved a lot of the wedding traditions but also wanted a wedding that looked different and incorporated the things which were individual to her & Dom. Once she stopped looking at other people’s weddings she soon found inspiration came to her from unexpected places like their film collection and paintings they liked, and of course, the results were beautiful…

The Venue…

The venue for our ceremony was Luton Christian Fellowship. We chose it because this is the church I attended from the age of 10 until I left home. For us it wasn’t about the building but more about the people. We consider the people at this church an important extension of our family and the pastor Alan West has been an important influence on both of us. We have huge respect for him and felt it only right that he marry us and start us off in the way we wanted to continue!!

Our reception was at Eversholt Hall. Again for us the biggest priority in picking a reception venue was people. We wanted to make sure we could cram all our loved ones in and still afford to feed them! So a village hall seemed the perfect venue. Eversholt met this criteria as well as having a really relaxed feel and beautiful village surroundings. The company attached to the hall dealt with everything from the food to the toastmaster to making sure the band were happy. Everything went like clockwork and we can’t recommend them highly enough.

Our Photographer…

Alix our photographer was genuinely one of the best things about our day and a decision we’re glad about all over again everytime we glance at the photos which now cover our walls. Alix owns Lumiere Photography and she has a wonderful talent for bringing the colour out in life and capturing it in a frame. For us it was the emotion and colour in her photographs which grabbed us and when we got our photos back from her we weren’t disappointed.

We could tell that Alix really cared about our wedding and that she was as bothered about us having great photos as we were. In the end Alix was more than just our photographer, she was (and still is) our friend. The way that weddings bring you into contact with so many people you would never otherwise of known is definitely one of my favourite things about planning our big day.

The Dress, Accessories, Hair & Makeup…

My dress was a hand made blush pink silk ballgown made by designer Belinda Chorley of couture label Beyond Burlesque. I loved the fact that it was completely one of a kind! I had trawled wedding dress shops the length of the country in search of my dress…I was beginning to give up hope when I found Belinda. As soon as I set eyes on her totally original silk creations I knew I had found the designer of my dress. As part of the couture service she offers Belinda worked closely with me to create my dress which I loved. The final gown had over 10 meters of silk in the skirt alone! I couldn’t have felt any more special than I did in ‘that dress’!

I wore my hair up in a loose but classic style and our amazing florist Rebecca of Gingerlily Flowers, sourced some tiny pink spray roses and ivy for me to pin amongst my ‘do’! As with my dress I chose a classic style as my aim was to look timeless and elegant. I decided I wanted to look just like myself on the day so I did my makeup myself and attempted to create a natural but glowing look. I used the same rosey blusher that my sisters in law had used on their big days and a tiny bit of eye makeup as like most blondes, my eyelashes are usually invisible!

I wore my mother’s diamond earrings as my ‘something borrowed’. For shoes I didn’t want to spend very much as they were well hidden under my dress anyway so I bought some white satin court shoes from BHS and replaced the ribbons with strips of the spotty silk used to make the flower girls dresses. In general I kept my accessories quite simple because I felt my dress was extravagant enough and really didn’t need adding to very much!

Over To The Groom About His Suit…

I have always struggled to get suits to fit my wide shoulders so I was convinced by my wife-to-be that it was ok to treat myself to a tailor made suit. It was definitely worth spending that bit extra on. My suit was royal blue (to fit with the ‘colourful’ theme!) and was made for me by a local tailor ‘Timothy James Henderson’. Our budget for my suit wasn’t huge but he made me feel totally comfortable about this and made a big effort to work within our budget. The end result was exactly what I had wanted and I was so glad on the day to finally be able to wear a suit that really fitted. Also my cravat was made by my mother-in-law from a cut off of Lucy’s wedding dress silk.

The Flowers & The Cake…

I absolutely love flowers and all things to do with nature so choosing flowers and a florist was one of the hardest decisions for me. If I could have I would have just thrown every flower in there somewhere and a few trees for good measure! I wanted the flowers to be free and natural but also vibrant and to include all the colours that I had painted on my colour swatches. However I was told by some florists that my scheme would not work. For example one said that I could not put pink and red together. I knew that the picture I had in my mind would look beautiful but it wasn’t till I found Rebecca of Gingerlily Flowers that I knew I’d found someone who understood my ‘vision’. She did not disappoint. The flowers on the day were absolutely stunning, with all the colours I wanted. My bouquet was one of my favourite things about the whole day in fact.

My mum not only sewed half the wedding together, she also made and decorated our cake! I loved the sentiment of our cake being made by my mum. The cake was traditional rich fruit cake made from my nan’s recipe. She kept the design a secret from us until the big day. My mum made a complete replica of our flower heart wreath all out of icing. It was stunning. I also got in on the family cake action by making the bride and groom cows which adorned the top tier (as Dom is a farmer!)

Favours…

I love to grow things and Dom is a farmer so we thought it only right we do some growing for our big day. Our favours were a selection of french bean, brocolli and brussel sprout seedlings that we grew in tiny terracota pots. It was so nice to receive photos in the months that followed our wedding of our friends and family’s growing successes!

Finding Inspiration…

When first planning I bought several wedding magazines which did contain lots of lovely weddings but they weren’t ‘our wedding’. I soon realised I loved a lot of the wedding traditions but I also wanted a wedding that looked different and incorporated the things which are individual to us. Once I stopped looking at other people’s weddings I soon found inspiration came to me from unexpected places like our film collection or paintings I like.

Advice for Future Couples…

Don’t spend more than you have. Meet all your vendors face and face and choose ones which are on your wavelength. And just remember why you’re planning this day. That will help you know how to spend your budget. For us it was about getting married in the sight of God, with all our loved ones as witnesses, pledging to support us…and then having an almighty celebration with all the people who matter to us most!

Fab Suppliers: // Photography: Lumiere Photography // Dress: Beyond Burlesque // Hair & Makeup: Bride // Suits: Timothy James Henderson // Bridesmaid Dresses: Ghost // Groomsmen Suits: York Hire Wear // Florist: Gingerly Flowers // Entertainment: Feedback Band // Catering: Eversholt Hall //