Peacock Feathers and Blue…

It's about time for a real wedding isn't it? This time something beautiful and blue..

Cass and Josh got married on 16th July 2011 with a ceremony at Grange Baptist Church followed by a reception at Hatton Court Hotel in Gloucester.

Cass's dress was a design called 'Athena' by Sophia Tolli from Designs on You in Sutton Coldfield.  Her feather cape was a purchase from Biba at House of Fraser…

"My dress was the very first thing I decided on, after seeing it in a feature in a magazine. It stood out from a sea of ‘samey’ princess-style strapless dresses and had a Hollywood elegance about it. I hunted down the style at Designs on You and went to try it on. It was perfect for my shape.

Although I loved this dress, I wanted to try some more and did so at a wedding show. I gravitated towards 1920s style beaded dresses, but the cut just didn’t suit my short-but-curvy frame, so I also tried some corseted dresses…"

Love My Dress Wedding Blog – Photography Copyright (c) 2011, Jesselynn Quinn

 

"There was this one princess-style dress that I tried on and my mum and bridesmaids started crying with joy when they saw me in it! But I just knew it wasn’t the one – so I went back and got the dress I wanted – no tears! Clare at Designs on You really put the effort into making sure the dress fitted me perfectly. The dress complemented my figure and nipped me in at all the right places and the train was also pretty dreamy. .."

"I also wore a feather cape from Biba, which I spotted after finding the ones for the bridesmaids. It topped off the look I was trying to achieve and was a must-have as it was a bit chilly on the day…."

Cass's shoes were a total bargain buy, just £15 from Barratts!

 

"I knew I didn’t want to wear a traditional veil, but I also wanted the drama of ‘putting a bird on my head’ as Carrie did in SATC. I actually had a go at making my own birdcage veil headpiece, but alas, I couldn’t make it look right! So then I came across Vintage Headdresses through Love My Dress and I knew I had found just the thing.

Chris was a real help and sent me some pictures of the pieces I could use for the tiara that were within my budget. I chose a feather brooch to match our theme and a pearl cap was made around this. The veil was on a separate comb so that I could take it off for the evening. But I loved it so much, I just kept it on and folded the veil up!"

"Lauren from Lady Amy Wedding Design did our hair on the day and I loved the styles. I explained that I wanted a ‘vintagey bouffant’ and somehow what came out was just what I wanted. She was also really good with helping us with corsages and make-up so we all looked right when we left for the church! I did my own make-up, but I did go for a lesson beforehand at MAC and bought some of their foundation and concealer for the day…"

"My engagement ring was from PK Craddock on Vyse Street in the Birmingham Jewellery Quarter, which is one of the only shops we found that sells antique jewellery. It’s a 1920s art-deco diamond ring and I love it because it’s so unique. In fact, I think my idea to have a vintagey wedding came from my ring. When we needed to get our wedding bands we went to The Little Gem, which is the guy from PK Craddock wife’s shop. She was able to make a ring to fit around my unusually-shaped engagement ring and we also ordered Josh’s ring from there. No matter how many size changes, or no matter how much I wanted to tweak my wedding band, this husband and wife team were ever-patient. They don’t have websites, but they are well worth a visit…" 

  

 

"Our florist was a friend of the family that has a shop in Gloucester. Jan was able to show me some of the gems and feathers could be used for the flowers and we built up the ideas for the flowers using that and some pictures I found on the internet of peacock feather bouquets. Jan also suggested using thistles in the flowers to tie in with Josh’s Scottish roots and this worked really well for the buttonholes. I also ordered sparkly corsages for the mum’s and my friend Veronika who did a reading. Jan also decorated the reception venue with similar arrangements to compliment the theme…"

"My Dad gave me away – he was sooo nervous! I was nagging him to slow down all the way down the aisle!  My Dad and I walked down to Pachebel’s Canon, played by Josh’s cousins Lynn and Emma on violin and viola. They are really talented musicians so we were really lucky to have them play for us. On the way out they played The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba by Handel…"

"My bridesmaids were Amy (aka Crack) and Gab, who I’ve been friends with since school. Their dresses were from Coast and we styled them with feather clips which were £2.50 from Primark! The capes were from Biba at House of Fraser and we had a lot of fun pretending to fly whilst eating canapés. A few guests commented how expensive the bridesmaids outfits looked, or asked if they had been custom-made, which just shows what good buys you can find on the high street.  The girls also wore hair combs from Claire’s Accessories…"

"Josh’s wish to ‘not look like a Victorian’ was fulfilled by a midnight blue suit from Slaters and a teal skinny tie from Next…."

"We had no problems choosing Grange Baptist Church to be married in, because it’s very special to us. Josh’s Dad was the minister there up until a couple of years ago and my Mum still regularly attends. Tony, the current minister very kindly took on the running of the service, whilst Josh’s Dad conducted the vows. The whole congregation turned out for the ceremony to wish us well, and many of them even helped re-paint the church so it looked pristine for the big day. It was brilliant to have the church full of familiar faces, many of whom had known us both since childhood. Some of the ladies even joked that I was their own Kate Middleton which I was totally loving!"

"We had our reception at Hatton Court Hotel, Gloucester. You can see the hotel from my parent’s bathroom, and likewise see their house from the hotel! It’s up on a massive hill. We looked around a few venues in Gloucester but this one stood out because of the stunning décor and location. It was also a bonus that there was a marquee for the evening reception so that we could have a change of scene. The hotel also threw in a night’s stay for us and the room had a jacuzzi and champagne on ice which was a nice touch. Chris is the manager there and he was so accommodating on the day, keeping us informed of what was going on and sorting out any issues. The poor man was still there when we came down for breakfast the next day!"

"We chose a 1959 Dodge from Imperial Limos. It was a massive car (4 litre engine!) and looked amazing. My Dad joked that he felt like Jonny Cash on the way to the ceremony! Nigel, the chauffeur was a really nice guy and we had a laugh with him as he drove us about…"

"When I got my ring, it made me think about having some kind of vintage wedding. I really admire the glamour of past eras and my friends often say I look like I’m from another time, so it seemed like the natural choice to look to the past for inspiration. When it came to choosing a theme I went through a few different colour schemes (black and white, emerald green, midnight blue…) but decided in the end not to stick to just one colour. I saw a peacocky wedding on Love My Dress and knew that the theme would be ideal, as I could choose from a palette of colours and include lots of opulent feather details. The blue tones were also not too girly for Josh’s tastes!" 

"My friend Sarah’s mum made and decorated our cake with pearls and ribbon. She was able to do three different tiers of sponge, fruit and chocolate. There was so much, we’re still eating it now – do you like fruit cake, because I could send you a slice if you are interested?! Jan provided the cake topper…"

"I wanted favours that could double up as place names and I also thought it would be nice to give a keepsake. I had sent out RSVP cards with our invitations that had a place for people to request songs for the reception and when I started getting these back I thought I’d make a mix-tape CD compiled from the choices. We chose mostly love songs and there were a few funny ones like the topical ‘Son of a Preacher Man’ by Dusty Springfield. The CD was a talking point for the guests at the wedding breakfast and I hope a few of them listened to it on the way home. They were also fairly cheap for favours, because all I used was a blank CD, a cardboard cover, a bit of ribbon from eBay, and peacock feathers. There’s a brilliant shop on my local high street where I got the feathers and you can also order online…."

Hmm, champagne gone to their heads I think 😉

Words of Wedded Wisdom…

"It’s easy to say ‘don’t freak out’ after the event, because planning a wedding is inevitably stressful, and no matter how hard you try, you will get in a flap sometimes. Going on my hen weekend really sorted me out, as I realised how happy my friends were to be involved and I knew Josh and I had a lot of people behind us to wish us well. Also call in favours from your friends and family for a few freebies to save money. You’ll be surprised at how many people are more than willing to lend a hand…."

Congrats Cass and Joss on  your lovely day 🙂 And thanks too to PHotographer Jesselynn Quinn for allowing me to share these images…

"Jesselynn Quinn.  was our photographer. I got talking to Jesselynn because our photography adverts were next to each other and I really liked her style. She didn’t stop shooting on the day and as a result we have some beautiful candid shots. We were also really pleased with our bride and groom pictures as Josh is a little camera shy. Jesselynn and I have kept in touch ever since!"

The peacock feather has been played a big part in styling many a 2011 wedding – is anyone else planning on using this stylish feather as an icon at their wedding?  

Much love,

Annabel xXx

♥

Photographer – Jesselynn Quinn
Venue – Grange Baptist Church + Hatton Court Hotel, Gloucester
Brides dress – Sophia Tolli from Designs on You + feather cape from Biba at House of Fraser
Brides shoes – Barratts
Brides accessories – Earrings from Debenhams, bracelet from Claire’s Accessories + Ivory clutch from New Look
Brides veil – Vintage Headdresses
Groom – Slaters teal suit + skinny tie from Next
Bridesmaids – Coast dresses + capes from Biba at House of Fraser
Flowers – Daisy Chain Gloucester
Cake – Family friend
Transport – 1959 Dodge from Imperial Limos
Hair Stylist – Lady Amy Wedding Design