Wedding photographer’s website

Damien Vickers https://www.damienvickersphotography.co.uk

Wedding photographer review

When planning our wedding, finding the right photographer was a top priority. We wanted someone who could not only capture the moments but also the emotions and energy of the day. Damien exceeded all our expectations with this. From the moment he arrived, Damien blended seamlessly into the celebration. His unobtrusive style allowed us to enjoy every moment while he worked his magic behind the lens. We hardly noticed he was there, yet he managed to capture the highlights of our wedding perfectly. Damien has an incredible ability to capture candid moments that show the true energy and excitement of the occasion. Beyond his technical skills, Damien was also a pleasure to work with. He was professional, attentive, and genuinely invested in making our day special. His passion for photography shines through in his work, and we couldn’t be happier with the results. If you’re looking for a photographer who will capture the energy and excitement of your wedding day, we highly recommend Damien. His photos will allow us to relive our wedding day for years to come.

Your best wedding moment or memory

Our wedding was unforgettable, filled with special moments shared with our family and friends. The surprise of a singing waiter from Silver Service Singers after our meal brought so much fun, and seeing everyone enjoying themselves was amazing and it was a perfect transition into the evening reception. We also really enjoyed the journey from the church to our reception venue. It was so nice to have some time together and really soak up the feeling of being newlyweds. We used a company called Lucky Penny Cars and we hired their VW beetle and VW camper van for our bridal party.

Tell us anything you did differently – we love hearing about NEW traditions (or none at all!)

We wanted our wedding to really reflect us and the things we love. Instead of the usual setup, we opted for a sweetheart table, allowing us to share some time together and to catch up on all of the moments the other person may have missed. We also switched things up by having speeches during welcome drinks, creating a relaxed and informal atmosphere. For a fun twist, we had the cutest ice cream van serve gelato for canapés (company was called ice baby) which was lovely as the weather was perfect for ice cream. We are both hairdressers and we were so lucky to be gifted to us from Denman Brush mini hair brush key rings which all of our guests love.

Videographer name + review

OWP Videography
Olly was incredible on our wedding day. We trusted him completely, and he delivered beautifully. Even though we haven’t seen the full edit yet, the teaser video gave us all of the highlights and perfectly captured the energy of our celebration. We highly recommend him to anyone looking for a talented and reliable videographer.

Venue name + review

Shortmead House. Shortmead House stood out as a unique venue with stunning grounds and an amazing outdoor pool. We wanted a relaxed wedding reception after our church ceremony and they offered us the flexibility to make it truly ours. Esme, Lee, and Linda were fantastic both on the day and in the weeks leading up to it. We received so many compliments on the venue, we were so lucky that the sun was shining it and having a cocktail or two by the pool felt like we were abroad!

Tell us a little about your outfits – both of you!

Our wedding colours were blue, white, and peach. We chose pale blue for the bridesmaids’ dresses and navy for the groomsmen. Josh wore a dusky blue suit with a floral Liberty tie to complement the theme perfectly. Lois’ dress was made by a designer called Madi Lane in the style ‘Jenica’.

Dress or suit shop name + review

Dolly’s bridal boutique
Dolly’s Bridal Boutique helped me find the perfect wedding dress. As someone who’s 5 feet tall, I was really nervous that I wasn’t going to find anything that suited me but they made me feel so at ease and offered so many great tips and options. After trying on a few dresses, they found my dream gown! I had the nicest experience, and they made me feel so special.

Florist name + review

Flowers by Louise.
Louise went above and beyond with our wedding flowers. She truly brought our vision to life with her attention to detail and knowledge of shapes and colour palettes. Even at the very start of the wedding process Louise sent over a detailed mood board of ideas so we knew straight away our flowers would be in good hands! On the day you could tell that every arrangement was thoughtfully crafted and we received so many compliments on them! Her creativity made our day even more beautiful than we could have imagined. We highly recommend Louise to anyone in need of a talented and attentive florist.

Cake maker name + review

Kelly’s cake kitchen
Kelly’s Cake Kitchen made our beautiful wedding cake. We chose Belgian chocolate and lemon with fresh lemon curd. It was decorated with white buttercream, pale blue details, fresh flowers, and tiny sugar pearls. Since we were honeymooning in Florida, she added a white Cinderella and a hidden Mickey Mouse among the pearls. It was delicious!

Any crafty projects or homemade styling touches?

We designed all our stationery using Canva, including our RSVPs through the website With Joy. We also created wedding newspapers for our guests, as well as all signage like the table plan, welcome sign, and name cards. We made our own crisp wall with pallets and a Polaroid stand. Lois’ mum baked all the brownies for our dessert table and made individual biscuits as favours for the guests, which were a big hit and we loved trialling all of the flavour options for the brownies.

First dance song? Playlist recommendations?

Our first dance was Tenerife Sea by Ed Sheeran. Lois’ sister created the perfect playlist for the wedding morning and during dinner we had acoustic Disney classics!

Hair + makeup name + review

Adam Lee & Thomas Savage @adam_amhair & @thomas_amhair Adam and Thomas are two of our best friends and we are so lucky that they did the hair for Lois and the bridesmaids. Lois opted for a half up half down style with soft waves and the bridesmaids had a textured low bun or a half up half down style. It was incredibly special to have them there that morning and we all loved our hair. @Makeupby__erin Erin did our makeup for Lois, her maid of honour, and her mum on the morning of the wedding. She made us all feel like princesses, (and now we want to buy all the products she used.) Her professionalism and skill were exceptional. Our make-up was still perfect by the end of the day. @luciapiarosa_beauty Lucy did all our nails before the wedding and did all of the makeup for our bridesmaids. They all looked so beautiful and they were made to feel extra special!

Content creator

We also booked Amy who is a content creator (@amyleighsocials) We hired a content creator to capture all the little moments of the day. It was wonderful to see the event from a different perspective, and having all the content available within 24 hours was incredibly convenient!

During our welcome drinks we had musicians Cara Beard & Joey Hanson to help create a chilled and relaxed atmosphere in the sun. They are both so talented and really set the tone for the reception. (@carabeardmusic & @joeyhanson_)

The post Pastel blue, white and peach for Lois & Josh’s gorgeous summer wedding, with Damien Vickers Photography appeared first on English Wedding.

“I am a florist so it was really improtant to me to have lots of flowers! I really wanted to do all of the flowers for the wedding but quickly realised that this wouldn’t be possible. I made our bouquets, flower crowns and the boys’ buttonholes from flowers that I had grown on my cutting garden. My business Floral Roots focuses on using locally grown flowers and I loved the idea that Josh would be wearing something that I had grown and made.

Our lovely friend Sophie from Florence and Fenel helped do our church flowers and beautiful arch. Sam from Violets and Velvet created the beautiful flowers for our reception, I was really nervous to see the flowers on the day as trusting someone to bring your vision to life can be really difficult but Sam was fantastic and the flowers were everything I dreamed of and more!

Wedding photographer’s website:

www.beckykerrphotography.co.uk

How did you choose your photographer?

It was really important to us having a local wedding to use local suppliers, we knew Becky and loved her work so asking her to be our photographer was a no brainer.

Were you pleased with your wedding photographer? Do tell… we love a brilliant review!

Becky was fantastic, it was like having a member of the family with us on the day of our wedding rather than a photographer. We are both useless at photos and she made us feel so at ease. We are so happy with our photos and can not thank Becky enough. We would recommend her in a heart beat. We absolutely love our wedding photos, it was so special to look through them and remember the day. We especially love the natural photos of our guests, capturing those moments that we would have otherwise missed.

Can you describe your wedding in fewer than 10 words?

A local wedding filled with friends and family.

Your wedding style or theme:

We didnt have a theme, we knew that we wanted to get married at Wrest Park and that we wanted our wedding to be local and personal to us. We just chose the things we loved. Chloe is a Florist and Josh loves a party so the flowers and the band were our main priorities.

Where did you find your suppliers? (Blogs, magazines, recommendations?)

We planned our wedding in under a year, this ment that we had to make some quick decisions. Getting married at an English Heritage site meant that we had to use suppliers from the venues list, we actually found this really helpful as it narrowed down our choice and let us focus on what we actually wanted rather than getting overwhelmed by choice.

What’s your top tip for saving money?

Spend your money on the things that are important to you. Investing in a few key wow factors rather than spreading your budget thinly can help to create a real impact without blowing the budget.

… and which elements of your wedding are you glad you spent more on?

The flowers and the band, they were always our priority and we were so pleased with our decision on the day.

Where did you buy or source your wedding stationery – or was making it a labour of love?

Chloe’s sister is a graphic designer, she has a design company called Te Dapa and she made all of our stationery as a wedding gift. We are very lucky to have lots of talented friends and family who helped massively with our wedding!

Did you fall in love with your wedding dress?

Yes! It was exactly what I was looking for.

Wedding dress designer and bridal boutique:

The Ivory Wardobe, Woburn Sands – Rebecca Ingram

Tell us about your accessories: jewellery, shoes and anything else!

Chloe wore a flower crown that she made, earrings from Top Shop, a blue bracelet which was a 21st birthday present from her Grandparents and shoes from Dune.

And what did the groom wear?

Josh wore blue tweed suite with a statment waistcoat from Ceremonia, St Albans.

Beautiful bridesmaids: what did your best girls wear?

Our Bridesmaids wore dresses from Oasis bridesmaid collection, shoes from Newlook, earrings from Asos and knot bracelets from Not on the High Street.

Hair and make-up – did you DIY or hire a professional?

The girls make up was done by JA make up, Jasmin was fantastic. I don’t normally wear much make up so I was nervous but Jasmin totally understood what I wanted and I was so happy with our make up. Our hair was done by Clare at Clare Baldwin Hairdressing, Clare was brilliant and we had so much fun getting ready.

General styling – did your venue need much decoration?

Wrest park is beautiful and the orangery is a completely blank canvas, we decided to fill the room with flowers! We tried to keep everything else pretty simple. We wanted the room to look different in the evening so we used lanterns and lights to transform the space when the sun went down.

Crafts and makes – tell us about any homemade elements of your wedding… did you enjoy them?

We made a lot for our wedding, we come from creative families and luckily had a lot of help. We home brewed and bottled our lemonchelo favours, which took a lot longer than expected and was extremely messy, but they went down well on the day! Chloe hand wrote all of our place names onto agate slate, and we hand tied ribbon and rosemary onto every napkin for the meal. We, along with lots of friends and family also dried petals to use as confetti, we needed a lot more than we thought and needed a lot of help with this! Chloe made all of the bouquets, button holes and flower crowns the day before the wedding.

The wedding cake: what kind of cake did you choose and why?

Chloe’s Aunty (another talented relative) made their cake. It was completely dairy free, Chloe is Dairy intolerant and this meant that she could enjoy it too!

Entertainment: any musical recommendations, surprises or treats?

Music was really important to us. Josh comes from an extremely talented family and Josh’s’ cousin sang in the church for us whilst Paul another member of the family played guitar at our drinks reception. We had a band in the evening called the White Keys, Josh spent a lot of time researching bands and we couldn’t have been happier with our choice. They really got the party started and the dance floor was packed all night.

Words of wisdom: share your best piece of advice for other couples:

It is your day, do what makes you happy and everything else will fall into place.

What’s the best thing about being married?

The best part for us was declaring our love and celebrating our marriage surrounded by our friends and family. It was such a special day and we feel so overwhelmed and lucky.

Favourite supplier web links for other brides and grooms:

Photographer: Becky Kerr Photography
Lights: Creative Spark
Reception flowers: Violets and Velvet
Band: The White Keys
Dress: The Ivory Wardrobe
Suits: Cerimonia, St Albans
Bridesmaids dresses: Oasis
Hair: Clare Baldwin
Make up: JA makeup
Catering: Harts Food & Events
Bouquet: Floral Roots

The post Joshua and Chloe’s beautifully personal Silsoe wedding, with Becky Kerr Photography appeared first on English Wedding.

“My wedding dress was the true labour of love for our wedding. My now brother-in-law designed a few wedding dresses and then, both of us made a few adjustments until we got to the final design. Because I had a flower crown, I wanted quite simple accessories so I only wore earrings from a Portuguese shop, www.catavassalo.com. My shoes were by Ted Baker.

Antonio wore a Ted Baker champagne linen suit, with a flower pattern tie and Ted Baker beige leather trainers.

Wedding photographer’s website:

https://lornanewmanweddings.com/

We met Lorna at a Wedding fair and after seeing her portfolio we immediately knew she was our photographer.

We were very pleased with Lorna, neither of us is a big fan of having pictures or being the centre of attention but Lorna made it super easy and fun. We wanted something simple but unique and she understood exactly what we wanted and made it even more perfect. We couldn’t have wished for a better photographer. Lorna was fantastic, all our guests loved her and she made us feel really special.

When we saw our wedding photos we were thrilled. They were even better than we were expecting. They reflected perfectly the happiness of our wedding day. Lorna sent us a little sneak peek of the photographs after just a couple of days when we were on our honeymoon and it just kept us all excited waiting while we waited for the rest of them.

Wedding venue:

The Shuttleworth – Swiss garden and the House.
http://www.shuttleworth.org/the-house/

Where did you find your suppliers? (Blogs, magazines, recommendations?)

We researched a lot on wedding-themed websites and magazines, we went to two wedding fairs and also followed some recommendations.

What’s your top tip for saving money?

DIY…nowadays it’s so easy and there are so many beautiful things you can create with all sorts of different budgets. Something that really helped us was to talk to the professionals at our venue and ask for their advice regarding aspects we were not quite sure of, i.e number of flower arrangments needed and other logistics.

… and which elements of your wedding are you glad you spent more on?

We chose to spend a bit more on the venue itself, on the basis that it would be the stage for the whole day and for us, the environment to spend the day with our family was the most important. This is also linked to the previous question in the sense that, for us, the venue was so perfect and beautiful that we ended up saving money in decorations and flowers.

Where did you buy or source your wedding stationery – or was making it a labour of love?

This was our DIY project.

Hair and make-up – did you DIY or hire a professional?

In charge of Makeup were Beauty and Bee, from Baldock.
For my hair, I hired a local hairdresser that I met through word of mouth.

Describe your wedding flowers. Who arranged them for you? (florist details would be lovely please)

Having the swiss garden as our background, we wanted to have wildflowers for our wedding, We met Sarah, from the Flower Hut at a wedding fair and she delivered exactly what we wished for.
https://www.theflowerhutstotfold.com/

General styling – did your venue need much decoration?

For us, the Shuttleworth is such an amazing venue that we didn’t feel the need to add any decoration at all, apart from the table centres, entrance and the gift and cards table.

Crafts and makes – tell us about any homemade elements of your wedding… did you enjoy them?

We are photography enthusiasts so for the favours we took Polaroid pictures to offer our guest, we also made the entrance/gift table decorations with the letters of our names in paper mache and lavender that we picked up at the Hitchin Lavander farm

The wedding cake: what kind of cake did you choose and why?

We found two little cats bakery online, it was absolutely delicious and we had a three-tier sponge cake, each tier had a different flavour so that our guests would have options.
https://www.twolittlecats.co.uk/

Entertainment: any musical recommendations, surprises or treats?

DJ Graeme Smith was in charge of music and after we gave him a few of our preferences he was spot on with the music he played. We heard of him through a friend but you can find him in The wedding jam website
http://www.weddingjam.co.uk

Words of wisdom: share your best piece of advice for other couples:

Come up with a plan that pleases yourselves first and foremost. Your guests are there for you and will be happy to see you happy.

What’s the best thing about being married?

Being Mr and Mrs. something, making our tag team (and family) official.

Favourite supplier web links for other brides and grooms:

https://lornanewmanweddings.com/
https://www.facebook.com/LornaNewmanWeddingPhotography2018/

The post Andreia & Antonio’s romantic garden party wedding at The Shuttleworth, with Lorna Newman Weddings appeared first on English Wedding.

Our florist was Wild Orchid, based in Leighton Buzzard. Lorraine was amazing and created some stunning displays. The flowers were full of blush, ivory and amnesia roses, which matched perfectly with my bridesmaid dresses.

My bouquet was stunning, Lorraine created an antique styled bridal bouquet filled with amnesia, mini rose (mimi eden), large headed David Austin roses and sweet avalanche and soft foliage of eucalyptus.
We had tall, gold hollow stands for the centre piece tables, which were full with the flowers that were in my bouquet and included trailing ivy and eucalyptus. The top table had a stunning end to end floral runner, filled with all the bridal flowers throughout as well as all foliage and hidden tealight holders to be super romantic. One of my favourite displays were the floral hoops that were hanging on the wall behind the top table, this made a great backdrop.

The reception venue (Eversholt Hall) is very much a blank canvas, however we didn’t want to fill the hall with too many decoration pieces as we were having the tall centre piece flower displays on the tables and we didn’t want to distract from them. We added fairy lights and used lots of candles on the tables, as well as lanterns in the entrance.

Wedding photographer’s website:

http://mbishopphotography.co.uk/

I first saw Matthew at the Ashridge House wedding fair and instantly loved his wedding albums. I then looked at other photographers at other wedding fairs and online but we ended up booking Matthew as I just loved his style of photography.

We were so pleased with Matthew’s work, I loved how he managed to capture our wedding day. The photos were so light and natural, which we were really pleased with. It rained on our wedding day, however from most of the photos you can’t even tell it’s raining and all I can say to other brides is not to worry about the weather as you can still get great photos, even if it’s raining!

We were so happy with our wedding photos, Matt caught some lovely moments and reactions. We looked at them over and over again, we couldn’t stop as we just loved them!

Wedding venue:

We got married at the Holy Cross Church in a village called Slapton, in a village just outside of Leighton Buzzard. We then went to Eversholt Hall in Woburn for the reception.

Can you describe your wedding in fewer than 10 words?

A traditional wedding, with a romantic feel.

Your wedding style or theme:

I wanted our wedding theme to feel as romantic as possible on the day, so we created this by using lots of fairy lights, candles and lots of fresh flowers on display.

Where did you find your suppliers? (Blogs, magazines, recommendations?)

We mainly found most of our suppliers via online, Etsy became a regular for me.

What’s your top tip for saving money?

We made a spreadsheet from the start of our wedding planning and made sure we always kept it up to date once we had booked something and paid deposits. This was a great way to track our spending.

… and which elements of your wedding are you glad you spent more on?

I am glad we spent more money on the photographer, videographer and our wedding rings as these are all the sentimental pieces that you get to keep after the day is over.

Where did you buy or source your wedding stationery – or was making it a labour of love?

We used a website called Zazzle and created all our own wedding stationery.

Did you fall in love with your wedding dress?

Yes I loved my wedding dress, it ticked all the boxes that I was looking for.

Wedding dress designer and bridal boutique:

The wedding dress designer was White Rose.

Tell us about your accessories: jewellery, shoes and anything else!

My jewellery was kept minimal, I wore a silver tennis bracelet from Swarovski, which I haven’t taken off since the wedding day as it also makes a great everyday bracelet, which is a lovely reminder of our special day. I then wore dangly crystal drop earrings, I knew I wanted to wear dangly earrings as I was wearing my hair up and therefore wanted a statement pair of earrings. My heels were from Dune and were ivory, they weren’t too high as I wanted to feel comfortable on the day, they also ended up getting trashed so I was glad I didn’t spend a fortune on them!

And what did the groom wear?

Stephen wore a navy suit, with a grey waistcoat and navy tie.

Beautiful bridesmaids: what did your best girls wear?

They were pleated dresses from ASOS, two of the bridesmaids were in a dusky grey and the other two bridesmaids were in a dusky pink. My flower girls dresses were from Monsoon and they were in ivory.

Hair and make-up – did you DIY or hire a professional?

I hired a make up artist and hair stylist for myself and my bridesmaids as I wanted to make sure I had little to worry/stress about on the day and was also a lovely treat for us all. http://www.bridalmakeupbyjuliet.co.uk

Crafts and makes – tell us about any homemade elements of your wedding… did you enjoy them?

I enjoyed creating the invitations online, we then we also created our own sweet table.

The wedding cake: what kind of cake did you choose and why?

We had a naked wedding cake, covered in fruit and decorated with silk flowers. My auntie made our wedding cake, which made it so special and personal to us.

Entertainment: any musical recommendations, surprises or treats?

We had a magician for a couple of hours after the wedding breakfast, this worked well as the evening guests also got to see the magician and didn’t miss out. We also had a wedding singer in the evening, he was great and got everyone up and dancing.

Words of wisdom: share your best piece of advice for other couples:

Don’t panic and get stressed out towards the big day, try to relax and enjoy the end part of the planning.

What’s the best thing about being married?

It’s a great feeling being married to your best friend and makes everything feel so complete.

Favourite supplier web links for other brides and grooms:

Photographer- http://mbishopphotography.co.uk/
Our florist was amazing and couldn’t recommend enough- https://www.wildorchiddesigns.co.uk/

We loved our flower wall display, this was perfectly displayed and our guests loved it- https://www.bellaoccasions.co.uk/
Our videographer- https://www.janelouisefilms.com/
I would recommend Zazzle for wedding stationery- https://www.zazzle.co.uk/
Etsy for personalised gifs.

The post Romantic and feminine wedding styling for Sophie and Stephen at Eversholt Hall appeared first on English Wedding.

The venue has more wow factor than most – with impressive pillars and marble sculptures surrounding the space, and a row of windows letting in all the light – it was built as an orangery in the olden days when they didn’t have an inkling of how gorgeous a wedding venue it would make! While hiring Woburn Sculpture Gallery doesn’t come cheap, you will save a fortune on venue decor here! Our happy couple kept things to a minimum by opting for a simple bouquet and some light up letters along the wall, which make a great contrast with the old fashioned portraits on the walls above!

I love the photos of Sunil and Debbie in the gardens around Woburn Abbey – the tree in the centre of the grounds makes for an amazing wedding picture, don’t you think?

Contact & Bookings: Nicola Norton Photography

www.nicolanortonphotography.co.uk

Facebook: Nicola Norton Photography
Instagram: @nicolanortonphotography
Twitter: @nicolanorton1

The colour scheme for the day was simple whites with plenty of foliage and pops of colour from red and coral roses. Creations Flowers made Debbie’s bouquet and the bridesmaid’s bouquet, plus boutonnières for the groomsmen and stunning floral table centrepieces, a floral centrepiece arrangement for the top table, plus pedestal arrangements, floral pew ends and chair backs.

The post Debbie & Sunil’s elegant and traditional family wedding, with Nicola Norton Photography appeared first on English Wedding.

Gorgeous couple Georgina and Ben had a relaxed and beautiful wedding in the summer. Their day is beautifully styled with glorious bouquets of pink peonies, purple and coral blooms with splashes of greenery and fabulous textures. The peony styling continues through to the wedding cake, which is displayed prettily on rustic wooden tables at the wedding breakfast. Georgina’s stunning lace dress is the star of the show, and her delicate flower crown is just beautiful!

Contact & Bookings: Nicola Norton Photography

www.nicolanortonphotography.co.uk

Facebook: Nicola Norton Photography
Instagram: @nicolanortonphotography
Twitter: @nicolanorton1

The bridesmaids look so pretty in different styles of dress, all in palest green and match the groomsmen’s ties beautifully! The attention to detail for this woodland wedding is spot on – there are so many ideas here for you to take away and incorporate into your own wedding. Do remember to Pin the ideas you love! (You can check out our own Pinterest boards here). I will be saving a special place in my heart for the adorable wedding car… a super cute little VW Beetle, polished and loved so it almost steals the show!

In perfect keeping with the hot summer’s day, Georgina and Ben chose to serve their guests afternoon tea rather than a full on sit-down meal – and I think that’s a fabulous idea for summer weddings. Guests topped up with hot food in the evening, and drinks were served from a beer bath and gin bar!

The post Georgina & Ben’s stunning summer wedding at Tofte Manor, with Nicola Norton Photography appeared first on English Wedding.

All images are by lovely Lorna Newman, whose style is wonderfully fun and creative – her romantic shots throughout the day from morning through to sunrise are just divine. The wedding was non-traditional, very beautiful and relaxed, it was just perfect. 

“I had always loved Grace Loves Lace dresses but never thought I would have had the chance to try one let along buy one! They opened a showroom in London and it went from there…

As my dress was so beautiful I wanted to keep everything minimal. I opted for simple earrings and I had fresh flowers in my hair.
My dress had a split up the front so my shoes had to be special as they were going to be seen. They were Gianvito Rossi and were blush pink (which fitted in with the colour scheme). I picked them so I could wear them again!

Mike wore a navy suit with black shoes and a light navy tie.

Lelia & Michael wedding submission for The English Wedding Blog, images by Lorna Newman Wedding

Wedding photographer’s website:

https://lornanewmanweddings.com

We came across Lorna’s amazing photos on Facebook. We got in contact and then realised she was local to the area, so we booked her!

We couldn’t have asked for a better photographer to capture our special day! She really understood the informal and relaxed atmosphere we wanted and it shows perfectly in all the photos in particular our bride & groom photos. We saw Lorna as a guest at our wedding more than our photographer as she fitted in so well! The photo booth was also a very big hit with our guests.

We had been promised some ‘sneak peek’ photos the week after the wedding day. We were sat on a beach in the Cayman Islands on our mini-moon when they came through, I cried! They were so beautiful.

Photographer’s website – Lorna Newman Wedding Photography

Facebook – @LornaNewmanWeddingPhotography2018
Insta – @lornanewman_weddings

Lelia & Michael wedding submission for The English Wedding Blog, images by Lorna Newman Wedding

Lelia & Michael wedding submission for The English Wedding Blog, images by Lorna Newman Wedding

Lelia & Michael wedding submission for The English Wedding Blog, images by Lorna Newman Wedding

Lelia & Michael wedding submission for The English Wedding Blog, images by Lorna Newman Wedding

Lelia & Michael wedding submission for The English Wedding Blog, images by Lorna Newman Wedding

Lelia & Michael wedding submission for The English Wedding Blog, images by Lorna Newman Wedding

Lelia & Michael wedding submission for The English Wedding Blog, images by Lorna Newman Wedding

Lelia & Michael wedding submission for The English Wedding Blog, images by Lorna Newman Wedding

Lelia & Michael wedding submission for The English Wedding Blog, images by Lorna Newman Wedding

Lelia & Michael wedding submission for The English Wedding Blog, images by Lorna Newman Wedding

Lelia & Michael wedding submission for The English Wedding Blog, images by Lorna Newman Wedding

Lelia & Michael wedding submission for The English Wedding Blog, images by Lorna Newman Wedding

Lelia & Michael wedding submission for The English Wedding Blog, images by Lorna Newman Wedding

Lelia & Michael wedding submission for The English Wedding Blog, images by Lorna Newman Wedding

Lelia & Michael wedding submission for The English Wedding Blog, images by Lorna Newman Wedding

Lelia & Michael wedding submission for The English Wedding Blog, images by Lorna Newman Wedding

Lelia & Michael wedding submission for The English Wedding Blog, images by Lorna Newman Wedding

Lelia & Michael wedding submission for The English Wedding Blog, images by Lorna Newman Wedding

Lelia & Michael wedding submission for The English Wedding Blog, images by Lorna Newman Wedding

Lelia & Michael wedding submission for The English Wedding Blog, images by Lorna Newman Wedding

Lelia & Michael wedding submission for The English Wedding Blog, images by Lorna Newman Wedding

Lelia & Michael wedding submission for The English Wedding Blog, images by Lorna Newman Wedding

Lelia & Michael wedding submission for The English Wedding Blog, images by Lorna Newman Wedding

Lelia & Michael wedding submission for The English Wedding Blog, images by Lorna Newman Wedding

Lelia & Michael wedding submission for The English Wedding Blog, images by Lorna Newman Wedding

Lelia & Michael wedding submission for The English Wedding Blog, images by Lorna Newman Wedding

Lelia & Michael wedding submission for The English Wedding Blog, images by Lorna Newman Wedding

Lelia & Michael wedding submission for The English Wedding Blog, images by Lorna Newman Wedding

Lelia & Michael wedding submission for The English Wedding Blog, images by Lorna Newman Wedding

Lelia & Michael wedding submission for The English Wedding Blog, images by Lorna Newman Wedding

Lelia & Michael wedding submission for The English Wedding Blog, images by Lorna Newman Wedding

Lelia & Michael wedding submission for The English Wedding Blog, images by Lorna Newman Wedding

Lelia & Michael wedding submission for The English Wedding Blog, images by Lorna Newman Wedding

Wedding venue:

Shortmead House, Biggleswade, Bedfordshire

Wedding month:

June

Can you describe your wedding in fewer than 10 words?

Best day ever!

Your wedding style or theme:

Relaxed, informal & rustic
Blush pink, dove grey, whites & floral greens

Where did you find your suppliers? (Blogs, magazines, recommendations?)

Local suppliers which we found ourselves

What’s your top tip for saving money?

Set a budget and focus on what is the most important to you and then any nice extras can be added at the end if you have any budget left over.

… and which elements of your wedding are you glad you spent more on?

Honeymoon and photographer

Where did you buy or source your wedding stationery – or was making it a labour of love?

I found the invites on Etsy and then contacted the company directly. We didn’t send ‘Save the dates’ as it saved us money which we were able to then spend on other things.
We had cupcakes as favours for all our guests so we sourced the boxes from eBay and we had friends and family help make them all!

The 2 best men, pageboy, father of the bride & father of the groom also all wore the same.

Beautiful bridesmaids: what did your best girls wear?

I had 1 bridesmaid, my longest best friend of 20+ years.
She wore a simple blush/taupe dress from Reiss with a opening at the back. She also had flowers in her hair so we both complimented each other.

Hair and make-up – did you DIY or hire a professional?

Hired a professional.
Sasha Wren Makeup artist & hair stylists.
She did hair and make up for the bride, bridesmaid & mother of the bride.
Couldn’t recommend her highly enough. She was amazing and knew exactly what we wanted.

Describe your wedding flowers. Who arranged them for you? (florist details would be lovely please)

Skipps florist in Biggleswade.
Both bride & bridesmaids hand tied bouquets complimented each other. Bride had pink roses as well whereas the bridesmaid didn’t. They were both tied with flowing grey ribbon. They were rustic and beautiful!

General styling – did your venue need much decoration?

As it was outside the venue and grounds were already lovely and the beautiful weather really helped! We added a few extra bits in the marquee to make it more special and to fit in with the theme. We had fairy lights all around and clusters of paper lanterns hanging from the marquee.

The wedding cake: what kind of cake did you choose and why?

We had a 1 tier fruit cake which was decorated with a flower garland which matched the bouquets.
We also had 3 different flavour cupcakes which were individually boxed as favours for our guests. The flavours were, chocolate orange, pistachio & vanilla.
A family friend made them all and they were delicious!

Entertainment: any musical recommendations, surprises or treats?

We surprised our guests with a string quartet before, during and at the reception drinks. We had picked the music with them before hand.
We decided to do our own music as it was very informal. On our invites we asked every guest to RSVP with their favourite song. We then played them all throughout the day and evening. There were some really mixed but great choices!

Words of wisdom: share your best piece of advice for other couples:

Everyone will give you advice and tell you that you have to do things in a certain way. That’s not true! The day is all about the two of you, so do exactly what you want and enjoy it! Take a moment during the day to step back and take it all in.

What’s the best thing about being married?

Referring to each other as husband and wife, still feels very weird but also really nice!
And no more saving to pay for a wedding so we can plan more adventures to make more memories!

Leila and Mike’s Shortmead House wedding supplier list

Photography – Lorna Newman Wedding Photography

Venue – Shortmead House, Biggleswade, Bedfordshire.
Make-up & Hair – Sasha Wren Make-up & Hair
Wedding dress – Grace Loves Lace
Flowers – Skipps Florist, Biggleswade
Marquee & Venue dressed by- Hall and Co Event Design

The post The most beautiful boho dress for Leila & Mike’s Shortmead House wedding, with Lorna Newman Photography appeared first on English Wedding.

As the great hall was just an empty school hall it all needed decorating including the stairs and entrance hall.
We used fake snow EVERYWHERE, hung snowflakes , built a ski rack and piste map stand (table plan), hung gondolas from the stairs, had drapes from the balconies, uplighting on the pillars, photos and piste maps of places we have been over the walls, different tables (sweets, mountain post box, memory table), snowboards and sledges with lanterns on the top of the stairs and finally a sign post in the entrance.

We made an awful lot of things but we loved doing them all.
We made cake toppers, shot glass paddles, all of our stationery, millions of snowflakes with glitter, cut out snowflakes for decoration on the tables, children’s colouring books and a beer pong table!

Wedding photographer’s website:

https://www.nicolanortonphotography.co.uk

We searched on numerous wedding sites and found Nicola. Then looking through her website and seeing a relaxed style interested the both of us. The packages that were on offer fitted what we wanted. Getting a collection of prints and all others on a usb stick is what sold it to us.

Nicola was kind and made us feel relaxed. We discussed what photos we wanted before and Nicola delivered these. We got good direction in poses and did not waste all day trying to get one picture. She seemed to be able to see where the right place to stand was and how the background would look in print.

We both got very excited when we got the email from Nicola. The mixture and amount of photos surprised us and we were both extremely happy especially with the group photos as family means a lot to us.

Contact & Bookings: Nicola Norton Photography

www.nicolanortonphotography.co.uk

Facebook: Nicola Norton Photography
Instagram: @nicolanortonphotography
Twitter: @nicolanorton1

Wedding venue:

Bedford School (for boys).
Our reception venue was at Bedford School in Hayley’s Home town in Bedfordshire. We had the great hall and the whole of the grounds to ourselves . Bedford School meant that we were in the heart of Bedford which meant not far from the church or hotels as most of our guests came from afar. Due to so many teachers in the family  including Hayley it was the cherry on the top not to mention those huge windows that were just breathtaking.

Where did you find your suppliers? (Blogs, magazines, recommendations?)

Recommended from Bedford School on a list of approved suppliers. We found Nicola online, flowers were from Hayley’s godparent who has a side business. Wedding bus and car were found from searching the internet and our band were picked from Entertainment Nation, who were brilliant! M&S was where we got our cake.

What’s your top tip for saving money?

Do what ever you can yourself, shop around and don’t mention wedding to suppliers. We made an awful lot of decorations and we made our save the dates and invites.

… and which elements of your wedding are you glad you spent more on?

The venue! We tried to cut down on other bits but agreed to have what venue we both loved and Bedford School ticked all the boxes.

Where did you buy or source your wedding stationery – or was making it a labour of love?

our save the dates, invites and the table plan were designed by us at home and the local print shop produce them at a low cost and everything else we made from home.

Did you fall in love with your wedding dress?

As a Tomboy, I thought wedding dress shopping was going to be horrible but I went to 3 different shops and tried on all types of dresses until I was asked by the shop owner to try my dress on and as soon as I tried it on it felt so right. I went away and thought about it as well as going to another shop to try on others but all I was doing was comparing to my dress. After trying on other dresses, I knew I had already found the the one and went back the next day and brought it.

Wedding dress designer and bridal boutique:

Essense of Australia and from The bridal Boutique in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire sadly though they went out of business.

Tell us about your accessories: jewellery, shoes and anything else!

Most of my jewellery came from Debenhams ( headband and earrings) which I didn’t think when I went in there I would come out with the headband but it was one of my favourite buys as it was in their 70% sale. Matt gave me a snowflake necklace for Christmas which went with the theme. My mother in-law lent me a bracelet which was part of the borrowed part. My shoes came from JJ house ( China) as I wanted Disney like shoes that had a low heel. My best part of my outfit was my veil due to having my dearly departed Nan’s veil stitched onto mine. Her veil which she kept for over 65 years meant a lot to her so I asked to have it out onto mine and the other horseshoes given to my mum, aunt and cousin.

And what did the groom wear?

A noose and monkey 3 piece navy suit, with a horse shoe waist coat. Tan brogue shoes. White shirt and a silver/blue tie with lavender flower pattern.

Beautiful bridesmaids: what did your best girls wear?

They wore a two toned long dress with the top being ivory pattern and the bottom being a light blue. They wore ivory coloured heels, pearl bracelets and earrings with gypsophila in their hair. The flower girl wore a ivory lace dress from M&S with a blue ribbon to match in with the bridesmaids also with similar jewellery and flowers.

Hair and make-up – did you DIY or hire a professional?

Everyone had their hair done at the hairdressers who has been doing Hayley’s family most of her life. All ladies guests who wanted their hair doing also went there. Over 20 ladies attended that morning! Hayley, mother of the bride and mother of the groom had their make up and nails done there too.
O’hair in Kempston.

Describe your wedding flowers. Who arranged them for you? (florist details would be lovely please)

Hayley’s godparent Sandra Gedney arranged the flowers. We asked for white as we mentioned the theme and wanted it to blend in. Hayley had a rain drop look with white roses, gypsophila and many more other white flowers that Sandra could find. The mothers both had the same as Hayley as a present and corsage but with different ribbons to match their outfits. The bridesmaids had a gypsophila and white roses. The groomsmen, brother of the bride and best man all had white roses. Matt had a white rose with a purple flower. We also had flowers on the tables, going up the stairs and a big flower arrangement on the top table. Which were all very similar to Hayley’s.

The wedding cake: what kind of cake did you choose and why?

We got our cake from M&S. It was a 3 tier cake which had two different flavours one being red velvet and the other being buttercream and jam. The reason we chose it was because it was simple and a cheaper option. We then decorated with our own toppers and ribbons to match our table centrepieces and theme.

Entertainment: any musical recommendations, surprises or treats?

We had a pianist for six hours and she played nonstop, she was recommended by Bedford School. She was brilliant as she played during the wedding breakfast for something different and then the band turned up from Entertainment Nation and they were also brilliant the band were called White Rabbit.

Words of wisdom: share your best piece of advice for other couples:

Give yourself enough time to plan, make as much as you can to make it personal and enjoy it you only get married once.. maybe.

What’s the best thing about being married?

Like us we have been together a long time so the best thing about being married for us is being able to called each other husband and wife rather than partner. Oh and the honeymoon.

Favourite supplier web links for other brides and grooms:

Nicola Norton Photography
White Rabbit – Entertainment Nation (band)

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