Time for another little evening treat, and this time, it's something wonderfully wintry and traditional, and it features some of my favourite suppliers too, including Emily & Jo, Pocketful of Dreams and Maids to Measure. Abigail and Paul's christmas wedding took place on 15th December 2012 (meaning it's just 3 days until their first wedding anniversary!) with a ceremony at St Gregory’s Catholic Church in Stratford-upon-Avon, followed by a reception at The Welcombe Hotel.
“Winter is our favourite season of the year, especially Christmas time. It’s such a magical time of year full of romance, frosty landscapes, open fires and sparkle. We wanted a touch of Christmas; roaring fires, mulled wine, Christmas treats, fairy lights and lots of candles! Our colour scheme ended up being red and gold to compliment the seasonal aspect of the day. The venue were fabulous and allowed our planner/stylist Pumpkin Events to have free creative reign. Our wedding breakfast room looked just beautiful and exceeded all our expectations!”
Film Production Copyright (c) 2013, Z-Ten Media
“Paul and I met at work in 2007 whilst working for Tesco head office in Hertfordshire. I first spotted him in the coffee queue! Following meeting each other on a course, a few emails and getting the train home, we went on our first date in Islington and the rest is history!
Paul proposed on a weekend away in Ireland at Knockranny House Hotel which we hold close to our hearts. It’s somewhere we escape to for relaxing and indulging on their delicious food! Before we checked in, we went for a drive along the coast at Achill Island. After a short walk on the beach, Paul dropped to one knee, I said a few words which I couldn’t repeat on here and shouted YES! It was a wonderful weekend of celebrating… he had bridal magazines packed in his suitcase so I jumped straight in to the world of wedding planning! He had booked the penthouse suite at the hotel and informed the hotel staff of what he had planned! So as soon as we arrived, everyone knew what had happened! I was on cloud nine for the entire weekend, it was such a wonderful feeling!
Paul proposed on November 19th 2011 so we had approximately twelve months! The first things we ticked off the list were choosing our bridal party & groomsmen, booking our church and venue!"
Photography Copyright (c) 2013, David Long
"My dress was 'Lucia' by Suzanne Neville. Following lots of research, I visited Ellie and her girls in Oxford at Ellie Sanderson with my maid of honour and mum. We had a wonderful day sipping champagne surrounded by beautiful dresses!
The boutique was so wonderful – I wasn’t sure of what I was looking for however the girls were attentive and allowed me to try on lots of different styles! Lucia was the seventh dress I tried on and I immediately knew it was the one. It felt perfect – so elegant, the fact my mum and best friend cried also reassured me that it was the right choice! I loved the lace sleeves and the back – the back of the dress was my favourite thing about the dress. A low back with buttons – it was beautiful.
My mum had said from the minute we were engaged that she would like to buy my dress which was so special and meant such a lot. I took my mum to all my fittings and she loved every minute of our road trips to Oxford to see Ellie and the girls!"
"Pumpkin Events did all of our styling from chair decoration to table centrepieces and all table decoration. We chose a red & gold colour scheme for the wedding breakfast room and it looked absolutely stunning! We wanted a magical feeling to the room with a touch of Christmas! Our table centrepieces were tall gold twigs decorated with hanging Christmas tree decorations and fairy lights on a mirrored base with gold tea light holders. These looked so pretty as they were twinkling!
Some additional items were hired, for example, the gold 'LOVE' sign (see below readers!) was from Pocketful of Dreams.”
"As we were getting married at Christmas time, I thought it was the perfect excuse for a pair of sparkly shoes! I had hinted to Paul that I’d love a pair of beautiful shoes for the day and bless him, he tried to surprise me! Unfortunately, buying a pair of shoes for your future wife when you have no idea what her dress is like is actually quite difficult!
Paul spent many hours in Selfridges browsing the shelves but kept getting it wrong! He wrapped up a fabulous pair of Louboutins for me and as I’ve secretly always wanted a pair I was so happy but I knew they wouldn’t match my dress. So I accompanied him on his next visit and chose a beautiful, elegant pair called Abel by Jimmy Choo. I fell in love with these as soon as I saw them and they looked perfect with my dress. After all, everyone needs a little sparkle at Christmas!"
"I had heard about Maids to Measure on Love My Dress so decided to visit them with my seven bridesmaids to see what they could offer. After a glass of bubbly and a few yummy cupcakes, we had shortlisted our choices to two dresses! As I had seven bridesmaids, we felt it would look great if we had two different styles. We chose “Charlotte” and “Penelope” and they were so beautiful.
Maids to Measure allow you to choose your perfect colour and the girls had a fitting six weeks before the wedding which was great as we all knew they fitted perfectly!
The girls loved the dresses. They looked so elegant and I was so pleased with the quality and service.
The girls wore fur shrugs from Coast to finish the look and keep them warm!"
"My headpiece was by Hermoine Harbutt. I first met Hermoine at the National Wedding Show in Birmingham. I tried on a number of pieces and absolutely fell in love with everything! My hair piece was May Blossom Mini and it looked absolutely perfect with my dress and hair style on the day. I was so pleased!My earrings were Hermione's 'May Blossom' design and matched the hair piece. Paul surprised me with a matching bracelet as my wedding gift on the day. It was so beautiful. I was so pleased with the quality of Hermoine’s pieces and the service I received, Hermoine couldn’t do more to ensure each piece was perfect for my day."
"My seven bridesmaids were wonderful and I couldn’t have done it without them. They are all so special to me so it was important to have them all by my side. My two sisters Sophie and Charlotte, Pauls sister Claire and my best four girls, my oldest friends from school. Melissa (Maid of Honour), Sarah, Caroline and Natalie. We’ve grown up together and have so many fabulous memories a friendship group. They’re all the best!
"I know Kate from In Bloom Flowers through our industry and she did a fabulous job in delivering my vision for our flowers. We had a consultation a few months before the wedding and spent an hour browsing magazines for 'winter' inspiration. My heart was set on red flowers to suit the colour scheme. We decided on a bouquet of grand prix red roses and hypericum berries for me (a touch of Christmas!). Our maid of honour and bridesmaids had grand prix red roses with ivory roses tied with red satin ribbon. Our flower girl had a mini bouquet which looked very cute!
I had on my bouquet a beautiful gold brooch that my Nan gave me for the day as my something old! It felt so special to have."
"I tried on a number of veils at Ellie Sanderson, however always knew I’d have a floor length veil. It felt wonderful on the day – so bridal and elegant. I also purchased a fur shrug from Ellie Sanderson for the church ceremony and photographs. It looked so cosy and festive!"
"Our stationers were Emily & Jo who I discovered through Love My Dress. They couldn’t have done anymore to ensure everything was just perfect! From the many samples they sent to colour swatches to check the red! There is a little control freak in me!
I absolutely loved everything about our stationery from the red & gold colours to the holly design… to the little details like our wedding website card! The quality and service from Emily & Jo was just perfect."
“Our photographer was David Long. I saw David’s work on wedding blogs and loved his style and approach to photography. We first met David at our engagement shoot at Blenheim Palace in Oxford and immediately felt relaxed and at ease. We are both so pleased with our wedding photography, he has captured so many special moments and has told a story through photos which is magical. We didn’t even know he was there and he was so unobtrusive. David has exceeded all our expectations.
We booked Shane at Z-Ten following a recommendation from a friend and were not disappointed. Shane has captured memories that will last a lifetime. His style was to be in the background and we can honestly say, we didn’t even notice him which was such a relief as I was nervous about being surrounded by cameras! We have tears each time we re-watch the video and remember our special day!"
"I found Natalie Bartram Bridal Hair Specialist through The Wedding Industry Awards website, as she had won a number of awards in the west midlands. I booked her in February well ahead of the wedding as I had heard such fabulous reviews! We had my trial a few months before the wedding and I was really pleased with the style and my hair accessories looked perfect! Natalie didn’t disappoint – she was bubbly and fun, great to have with us on the morning of the wedding. Even with a 6am start and eleven ladies to style… she worked hard to ensure we all looked perfect!
I also found Chloe McCall through The Wedding Industry Awards website as she has won many local awards in the west midlands. I had read wonderful reviews about Chloe, the quality of her make up, her technique and her overall personality. Chloe was lovely and great to have around on the morning of the wedding. Chloe and Natalie knew each other well as they have worked together on many weddings which was great.
Chloe arrived at 6am ready to set up and start – even with eight ladies to transform, Chloe couldn’t have done anymore to ensure we all looked beautiful. We all loved our make up, we went for a natural look and all felt so beautiful."
“Stratford-upon-Avon is my home town and somewhere I always knew I’d get married. I have special memories of growing up in such a beautiful town so it seemed the perfect setting for our wedding! Paul and I visited a number of venues however as soon as we entered The Welcombe Hotel, we felt at home. The beautiful décor, the roaring fires and the gorgeous setting made it the perfect choice for our special day. We were also very aware that choosing December for the wedding meant weather had to be considered – the fact the church was so close was perfect for guests!
We booked R. W Sprigg for our wedding cars as he was a local supplier plus had Burgundy cars that would suit our winter wedding! We had a 1926 Rolls-royce 20 HP open tourer and a 1931 Rolls-Royce 20/25 Limousine to transport us all from the hotel to the church. The cars looked beautiful especially together and it was lovely to have vintage cars for our special day."
“I was so nervous before the ceremony; I had butterflies in my tummy and felt a little nauseous! The minute I started walking down the aisle, it disappeared and as soon as I was next to Paul I felt so many feelings but mostly happiness, love and excitement!"
“It was important for both of us to have a catholic ceremony and I always knew I’d get married in my hometown so St Gregory’s was the perfect church for our ceremony.
Our ceremony was so special to us and we’d put a lot of thought into every element from the readings and bidding prayers to the Christmas carols! Saying I do was a wonderful moment and one which I will treasure forever."
"My father passed away when I was eleven years old so this was a tough part of the day for me. I asked my mum a few months after we got engaged if she would walk me down the aisle and even though it was hard for both of us, it felt so special. She’s been there for me through everything so it felt so right to have her by my side. We loved the drive to the church and she even said a few words at the wedding breakfast!
We walked down the aisle to the sound of Pachelbel’s Canon in D Major (we walked back up the aisle as a married couple to The Beatles, All you need is love)
Paul’s dad read our first reading – A reading from the book Genesis 2:18-24. My bridesmaid, Sarah, read our second reading – A reading from the letter of St Paul to the Colossians 3:12-17. We also had six bidding prayers read by our bridesmaids and ushers. Each one was personal to both of us and meant so much to us during the ceremony. And finally our maid of honour read a poem at the end of the service – 'I Do' by Claire Peach."
"For the tables, we chose ivory linen and deep red textured table runners, mirrored place settings and gold charger plates, crystal gold glassware and gold beaded napkin rings. Our chairs were dressed with ivory chair covers and red & gold organza with a red rose! They looked beautiful and complimented the tables perfectly!"
"We had mini Christmas tree name card holders and gold feathers placed onto the napkins. All the little details looked so beautiful on the day, all our planning came to life and it was so wonderful to see it all!
We had gold uplighting in the room to add warmth and then for the evening reception, all the lighting was changed to purple which created a night club scene! We wanted a wow as all our guests came back into the room! We had a black star cloth backdrop behind the band with a photo slide show of our friends and family plus a black sparkly dance floor! It looked fantastic!"
"For favours, we provided sloe gin for the ladies and Irish Whiskey for the men in cute little glass bottles with personalised labels. For the guests who were not drinkers, we gave mini christmas puddings, and for the little ones, cake pops in their favourite things; Peppa Pig, Spiderman and football!
We booked the casino via Jesta BlackJack Casino for our guests to enjoy during the turn around of the room for the evening reception. Paul and I love a little gambling now and again so booked a Black Jack & Roulette table which went down very well! The tables were high quality and the croupiers were very friendly which was great."
"As someone who has a huge passion for baking, especially cake this part of the planning was very important to me! Our ex colleague and friend Graham is a Master of confectionery and offered to make our wedding cake for us.
We reviewed his portfolio, discussed ideas and flavours and left him to it! We were not too specific as trusted him completely however he surprised us on the day with seven tiers finished with beautiful sugar roses and rose petals! It was fabulous! We had four flavours, lemon with limencello buttercream, red velvet, chocolate truffle with salted caramel buttercream and fruit. It was divine!"
"Second City Soul are the best band in the West Midlands with a slogan 'We dare you not to dance'. I can honestly say that the dance floor wasn’t empty once… all our guests and us absolutely loved every minute of the band playing! They played a mix of funk, soul and motown and it was perfect!
Our best memory is dancing to Black Eyed Peas I’ve gotta feeling surrounded by all our guests on the dance floor! It was an incredible feeling. They exceeded all our expectations and we didn’t want them to stop!"
"Our first dance was to 'I’ve had the time of my life' by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes. We had a few dance lessons leading up to the wedding as we wanted a song which was upbeat and would set the mood for the evening! Dirty Dancing is one of my favourite films and by chance, we had our first kiss to this song in a bar so felt perfect for our first dance! It sounds cheesy but the five years leading up to our wedding have been the best of my life and the past eleven months planning the wedding have been so much fun!
We surprised our guests with a few dance moves and lifts! We also asked our bridesmaids and ushers to get involved and they loved it! It was a perfect way to start the evening reception. From then on, the dance floor was never empty!"
Words of Wedded Wisdom…
“Remember, that this is not just your day but yours and your fiancés! We tried to discuss all ideas and plan as much as we could together. Paul took on a few tasks himself for example music and mens attire however planning the ceremony for example, was important to us both so we planned it together. These months are the most exciting ahead of your big day so enjoy it as a couple.
One piece of advice I would give is that there is a world outside planning your wedding. For the last five months or so, wedding planning really does consume you and its important to not forget everyone else outside of your wedding bubble! Try not to become a bride who only talks about the wedding!"
"Would I do anything differently? Add more hours to the day! The day flew past! Everyone tells you to step back and take it in, and it’s so true. The ceremony and wedding breakfast went by so fast and then we were dancing then it was 2am. The whole day is overwhelming, there are so many people to see and talk to, we had friends who had travelled from Australia so you’re desperate to speak to everyone! If I could do anything differently, I would have had the ceremony at 11am just to give me more time to spend with all of my guests!
I’d also like to say, start organising everything early! We left a few things to the week before the wedding and suddenly there was so much to do! If you can, start pulling things together and organising a few weeks before and the final few days will be a breeze!”
Abi and Paul – have a wonderful 1st wedding anniversary and thank you so very much for sharing your day with our readers.
Anyone else reading this planning a christmas wedding?
With much love,
Annabel
Photographer – David Long
Film – Z-Ten Media
Wedding Planner and Stylist – Pumpkin Events
Venue – The Welcombe Hotel
Wedding Dress – 'Lucia' by Suzanne Neville via Ellie Sanderson
Veil and Fur Shrug – Ellie Sanderson
Brides' shoes – Abel by Jimmy Choo
Brides headpiece – Hermoine Harbutt
Groom's Attire – Austin Reed Q Hire
Bridesmaids – Maids to Measure
Flowergirls – Monsoon
Page Boys – suits via Marks and Spencers with ties and hankies made by Garbeau
Flowers – In Bloom Flowers
Cake – A friend
Transport – R. W Sprigg
Entertainment – Celebration String Quartet + Romantic Piano + Second City Soul
Rings – Diamond Heaven
Stationery – Emily & Jo
Hair stylist – Natalie Bartram Bridal Hair Specialist
Makeup Artist – Chloe McCal
L.O.V.E. sign – hired from Pocketful of Dreams
Casino – Jesta BlackJack Casino
Photo booth – My Photobooth
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Annabel View all Annabel's articles
Founder of Love My Dress. Passionate Podcaster and Editor. Annabel lives in rural North Yorkshire with her husband and business partner Philip, their two daughters and menagerie of furry hounds. She loves photography, meditation, walking, being outdoors and star gazing. She is fierce when it comes to championing talent within the wedding industry and when she's not working on Love My Dress, she supports her husband Philip in the running of the family's sustainable flower farm and floral design business, Moonwind Flowers. In 2013, she became a published author.
