Laurel by Jenny Packham for a Modern, Quirky, Retro Music Inspired Wedding

Morning all.  Ladies,  if you're still on the hunt for your wedding dress, did you see this competition with Churchgate Porter that we launched yesterday? One of you can win £1,000 towards your wedding dress, and a £160 headpiece! Step this way to find out more.

This morning's wedding took place on 28th June last year, when Gabs and Matt tied the knot in the beautiful city of Leeds.

"Matt and I met at school. He was my first boyfriend age 14-16.We went our separate ways for 15 years but were in touch when Facebook came about. We randomly met again at a mutual friends birthday and it was like putting on an old pair of comfy slippers.  We met up as friends for about a year even though Matt wanted more and I attempted to convince all of my mates I wasn't interested."

Photography Copyright (c) 2014, Lisa Jane photography

Laurel by Jenny Packham // Retro music wedding // Lisa Jane Photography

"I eventually gave in and 5 months later Matt proposed to me. It was quite funny really because he did say he planned to rock up to my house at 6am and deliver a newspaper with a ring and ask me as he used to deliver the paper to my mums when we first went out and I'd sneak him in – but he said he couldn't wait so he proposed on my birthday and 5 months later we got hitched."

Laurel by Jenny Packham // Retro music wedding // Lisa Jane Photography

Laurel by Jenny Packham // Retro music wedding // Lisa Jane Photography

"We planned the wedding in just less than four months.  Our ceremony took place at Leeds Town Hall, followed by drinks and a relaxed buffet style lunch at Veritas Wine Bar nearby, which our friend Rob kindly put on.

Laurel by Jenny Packham // Retro music wedding // Lisa Jane Photography

"We chose to get married in Leeds because we used to live there. We love the city and as I'm a photographer we thought the Art Gallery was a perfect match. The tiles in the hall really sold it for us because we thought they would work brilliantly as a backdrop for our wedding images and there was also an amazing amount of natural light coming into the building.

There was also plenty of room for people to bust some moves to our mahoooosive playlist. We really just fell in love with it, it was the perfect venue."

Laurel by Jenny Packham // Retro music wedding // Lisa Jane Photography

"Matt and I are big music lovers & Matt also sings as much as I talk which is all of the time! So we thought a music theme would be the way to go with a retro feel.  Our wedding invites kick started our idea of a vinyl record invite with self portrait images of us sporting mega headphones.

The most important thing for us was to throw a party with the people we love and the things we love in a relaxed and creative way."

Laurel by Jenny Packham // Retro music wedding // Lisa Jane Photography

I got in touch with my lovely friend Sarah Hathway of Love My Wedding Invites with some images and copy to ask her if our idea was possible and Sarah, being the creative genius that she is, added some awesome touches and designed a brilliant invite for us.  We sourced all of our vinyl to go into the sleeves from a charity shop and used twine so it looked like a little present.

The response we got was brilliant! So the rest of the theme kind of went from there. We also added some travelling and photography touches to our day.

Laurel by Jenny Packham // Retro music wedding // Lisa Jane Photography

"My wedding dress was Laurel by Jenny Packham, from The Bridal Collection in HarrogateHannah, my bridesmaid, and I randomly went to a couple of dress shops in Leeds and I asked if they had any designs by Jenny Packham because I love her styles.

They only had one dress left by her and as soon as they hung it up in front of us we looked at each other and said wow, that's "the one”. I hadn't even tried any on at this point."

Laurel by Jenny Packham // Retro music wedding // Lisa Jane Photography

"I am quite an impulsive shopper but I thought it would be nice to get my mum, sister and other bridesmaid, Emma, involved so we headed to Harrogate and I tried a few others on but I still went with the first one I tried. We went for cake and fizz after to celebrate.

I choose Laurel because it felt very me. I loved the fit, detail on the straps and the low back. I’m not a really girlie girl so I wanted to go with something straight but something I could dance in, sit down and breathe in. I love my food so I also wanted to go with something that wasn’t too tight for me on the day."

Laurel by Jenny Packham // Retro music wedding // Lisa Jane Photography

 "Choosing our florist was easy.  Sarah of Leafy Couture is not only a friend but I love the work she and the leafy girls produce.  We wanted to go with our favourite bright colours, with a retro relaxed feel. My bouquet had spray roses, dahlias, stocks, germini, eryngium thistle, freesia and green bell with yummy textures.

My bridesmaids had different colour wrist corsages with gold ribbon as did the mums. Matt’s button hole complimented my bouquet perfectly and all of our team received a button hole. We went with thistle because Matt’s family are Scottish.

I really trusted Sarah and when the flowers arrived on the day they were perfect!"

Laurel by Jenny Packham // Retro music wedding // Lisa Jane Photography

Laurel by Jenny Packham // Retro music wedding // Lisa Jane Photography

Laurel by Jenny Packham // Retro music wedding // Lisa Jane Photography

"For styling purposes, we used suitcases, luggage labels, vintage photo frames, old cameras and other retro props. We used vinyl records as the plates for our cakes, and our centerpieces were vinyl mats with little vases, which had Polaroid’s inside capturing the build up and preparation of the wedding."

Laurel by Jenny Packham // Retro music wedding // Lisa Jane Photography

Laurel by Jenny Packham Leeds Retro Music Wedding_0086

Laurel by Jenny Packham // Retro music wedding // Lisa Jane Photography

Laurel by Jenny Packham // Retro music wedding // Lisa Jane Photography

"Matt’s brother and wife cooked up some very tasty cakes  and they looked awesome! Being big cake lovers we went with 10 different flavours naming them after our bridal party with a little personal message that related to them. Huge thanks for creating such tasty treats!"

Laurel by Jenny Packham // Retro music wedding // Lisa Jane Photography

"Make-up for me, my bridesmaids and my Mum was done by the brilliant Victoria Farr. I can’t thank my lovely friend enough for making me feel beautiful on my wedding day. It was brilliant to have Vicki there not only to share my final morning as a Jackson with me but for her to also make us all feel fantastic on the day was just brilliant. I love how my make up looks on all of my photographs…
 
Hair was done by one of my oldest friends Rebecca Dickenson.  I have known Bec since I was 11 so to me there was no one else for the job and we all loved our hair."

Laurel by Jenny Packham // Retro music wedding // Lisa Jane Photography

Laurel by Jenny Packham // Retro music wedding // Lisa Jane Photography

"Being a photographer myself the photographs after the actual service were the most important thing for me. After quite a search I found Lisa Jane photography recommended by a  lovely guy I met whilst on my travels. He’s actually Lisa’s best mate how mad is that!  We read Lisa’s 'About Me' page and instantly loved her; a huge bonus we loved her work too.

We didn’t actually meet until the wedding day and Lisa was absolutely brilliant! She blended in with our crew and captured the day perfectly."

Laurel by Jenny Packham // Retro music wedding // Lisa Jane Photography

"I can’t recommend Lisa enough! We love all of our images and we are so glad we put a good few hours aside on the day to go off and have our portraits taken. We had so much fun and it was definitely one of the top highlights from the day. If we had the space we would print every single photograph. We will definitely be keeping in touch with her."

Laurel by Jenny Packham // Retro music wedding // Lisa Jane Photography


Laurel by Jenny Packham // Retro music wedding // Lisa Jane Photography

Laurel by Jenny Packham // Retro music wedding // Lisa Jane Photography

Laurel by Jenny Packham // Retro music wedding // Lisa Jane Photography

"I originally had a pair of sparkly silver shoes from Dune but they pulled my dress so I had to go with a plain pair from Rainbow ClubMy headdress was Stellina III by Jenny Packham, my earrings were a gift from Matt on the day from a boutique in Bawtry called Velvet and my bracelet was also from Velvet"

Laurel by Jenny Packham // Retro music wedding // Lisa Jane Photography

Laurel by Jenny Packham // Retro music wedding // Lisa Jane Photography

Laurel by Jenny Packham // Retro music wedding // Lisa Jane Photography

Laurel by Jenny Packham // Retro music wedding // Lisa Jane Photography

Laurel by Jenny Packham // Retro music wedding // Lisa Jane Photography

"My dad walked me down the aisle, to the sound of 'Proof' by I Am Kloot – Matt’s favourite band.  Even though I never stop talking we were both nervous about public speaking so went for the quickest/shortest option.

Both of our readings were great and made us cry!  Our sister in law read out a beautiful Led Zeppelin song called 'Thank You' and our friend Jules wrote us a reading called 'Soul Mates' (grab the tissues!) which was so specia,l and we received an image in a frame relating to the reading as a gift, which is proudly placed in our hallway."

Laurel by Jenny Packham // Retro music wedding // Lisa Jane Photography

"Matt wore a Paul Smith suit from Cockney Rebel Fashions.   All the groomsmen rocked up in their own attire.  Our 'best man/woman' were Amy and Rob. They were brilliant on the day and beforehand, as Matt turned into 'bridezilla', no task was to big or small for either of them and each brought a different skill set! Rob with his militant organisation skills and Amy's calming 'its alright dear…' nature."

Laurel by Jenny Packham // Retro music wedding // Lisa Jane Photography

"My awesome bridesmaids were my sister Rachael aka Rashid and brilliant mates Hannah and Emma. I can’t thank them enough for being so awesome!  My little niece Isla was our Flower Girl and her little brother Finlay was our page boy. They walked down the aisle together holding hands which was amazing!

My bridesmaids mixed and matched and chose their own dresses. One was from my dads shop Cockney Rebel Fashions as I thought it would be a really nice touch to add to the day."

Laurel by Jenny Packham // Retro music wedding // Lisa Jane Photography

Laurel by Jenny Packham // Retro music wedding // Lisa Jane Photography

Laurel by Jenny Packham // Retro music wedding // Lisa Jane Photography

Laurel by Jenny Packham // Retro music wedding // Lisa Jane Photography

Laurel by Jenny Packham // Retro music wedding // Lisa Jane Photography

Laurel by Jenny Packham // Retro music wedding // Lisa Jane Photography

Laurel by Jenny Packham // Retro music wedding // Lisa Jane Photography

Laurel by Jenny Packham // Retro music wedding // Lisa Jane Photography

Laurel by Jenny Packham // Retro music wedding // Lisa Jane Photography

Laurel by Jenny Packham // Retro music wedding // Lisa Jane Photography

Laurel by Jenny Packham // Retro music wedding // Lisa Jane Photography

Laurel by Jenny Packham // Retro music wedding // Lisa Jane Photography

Laurel by Jenny Packham // Retro music wedding // Lisa Jane Photography

Laurel by Jenny Packham // Retro music wedding // Lisa Jane Photography

Laurel by Jenny Packham // Retro music wedding // Lisa Jane Photography

Laurel by Jenny Packham // Retro music wedding // Lisa Jane Photography

Laurel by Jenny Packham // Retro music wedding // Lisa Jane Photography

Laurel by Jenny Packham // Retro music wedding // Lisa Jane Photography

Laurel by Jenny Packham // Retro music wedding // Lisa Jane Photography

Laurel by Jenny Packham // Retro music wedding // Lisa Jane Photography

Laurel by Jenny Packham // Retro music wedding // Lisa Jane Photography

Laurel by Jenny Packham // Retro music wedding // Lisa Jane Photography

Laurel by Jenny Packham // Retro music wedding // Lisa Jane Photography

Laurel by Jenny Packham // Retro music wedding // Lisa Jane Photography

 

"We also had a DIY Photo booth which included a suitcase of props related to travel and music."

Laurel by Jenny Packham // Retro music wedding // Lisa Jane Photography

Laurel by Jenny Packham // Retro music wedding // Lisa Jane Photography

Laurel by Jenny Packham // Retro music wedding // Lisa Jane Photography

Laurel by Jenny Packham // Retro music wedding // Lisa Jane Photography

Laurel by Jenny Packham // Retro music wedding // Lisa Jane Photography

"Our first dance was by Marvin Gaye “Got To Give It Up Part One” We wanted something up-tempo that we could bust some moves too. Neither of us realised how much we both loved the song until I caught Matt dancing in the kitchen with a huge grin on his face and I got involved and we decided from there. Nothing better than pulling some shapes whilst cooking.It was really amazing to have everyone we loved in one place. Our wedding team were awesome we can’t thank them enough!"

Laurel by Jenny Packham // Retro music wedding // Lisa Jane Photography

Laurel by Jenny Packham // Retro music wedding // Lisa Jane Photography

"To name a few highlights from our wonderful day - having all of my creative wedding industry friends play a part in our day, dancing with our niece and nephew to their favourite songs – the looks on their faces was amazing and every time we hear the songs, including 'New York' by Alicia Keyes it takes us back to that special moment and we well up! The dance floor was full most of the night and the moves being thrown were brilliant!

I loved speaking to one of my best mates, Jennie, on the phone who lives in Australia before I headed to the service. Jennie would have been a bridesmaid but sadly couldn’t make it.

I also loved being photographed by Lisa Jane but most of all, I loved marrying my first boyfriend Matt – my soul mate."

Laurel by Jenny Packham // Retro music wedding // Lisa Jane Photography

Words of Wedded WIsdom…

"Our wedding was brilliant and so much fun. We wouldn’t have changed anything but if we did it would have been to have a video by Shutter Box Films.

I’d say stay true to your vision and go with what you as a couple want for your day and don’t feel pressured by anyone if it means compromising your dream day. I

It’s also not a wedding if something doesn’t go exactly to plan but that’s part of the fun and all that matters is you both show up on the day."

Laurel by Jenny Packham // Retro music wedding // Lisa Jane Photography

"We didn't hire an event planner. However we did get our amazingly talented and creative friend Rebecca Aspin of Sell My Wedding involved. She was head of room decor and helped create bits and supplied props including old cameras, vintage photo frames and other retro bits and pieces. Becca set the room up for us on the day and it looked brilliant! Our little DIY polaroid photo booth was great and all of the images we posted in our vinyl guestbook. Having those images and words from our family and friends to keep is priceless. Reading it after the wedding definitely had us shedding some tears.

As a photographer, I love beautiful, quirky photography and how a photo can capture emotion and a magical moment. Love My Dress continues to feature both which is why, even now I am married I still visit this gorgeous blog!"

Lastly I can’t recommend to couples enough to put time a side out of your day to have your couple portraits taken. Because we did this we have hundreds of amazing images, which will remind us of our brilliant day forever."

Laurel by Jenny Packham // Retro music wedding // Lisa Jane Photography

What a wonderfully relaxed, fun, gorgeous day – thanks so much Gabi and Matt for sharing your wedding with us all, and thanks also to photographer Lisa Jane.

You can see more of photographer Lisa Jane's work on Love My Dress here and you can also see many more brides wearing beautiful Jenny Packham dresses here.

Love Annabel

Heart

Photographer – Lisa Jane photography
Venue - Leeds Town Hall (reception) + Veritas Wine Bar + Leeds Art Gallery
Wedding Dress – Laurel by Jenny Packham via The Bridal Collection in Harrogate
Veil/Headpiece – Stellina III by Jenny Packham
Brides' shoes – Rainbow Club
Bride's accessories – Velvet in Bawtry
Groom's Attire – Paul Smith via Cockney Rebel Fashions
Bridesmaids – Various inc. Cockney Rebel Fashions
Flowergirls – Debenhams
Flowers – Leafy Couture
Cake – Thomas The Caterer
Rings – Morris Bywater Ltd
Stationery – Love My Wedding Invites
Hair Stylist – Rebecca Dickenson
Makeup Artist – Victoria Farr

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Annabel

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.

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