Good morning all, I so hope you've had a restful weekend and are all geared up to take on whatever life has to throw at you this week. This lovely winter wedding should help assist you on your way and certainly put a smile on the faces of those of you who have arrived at this page this morning seeking lovely wedding inspiration.
University Lecturer Anna tied the knot with carpenter James on 22nd December last year at Norwood Park in Southwell, Nottinghamshire.
"Our inspiration just came from our love of all things old, vintage and retro. People kept asking what ‘era’ we were going for, but our day was just about everything that reflected ‘us’ as a couple and our interests. Music was a big feature of the day."
Photography Copyright (c) 2014, Lifeline Photography
"James and I met through our mutual love of gigs and festivals. James proposed on Christmas day 2011 at Bradgate Park, Leicestershire which is our favourite place to go walking with our doggies. James had been secretly planning the proposal with our families, and on Christmas morning realised we didn’t have enough petrol to get to the park. I did wonder why everyone was so stressed and desperate to find us a petrol station that was open.
I didn’t think in a million years he was going to propose! We got there eventually and it was one of the best moments of my life! We married almost exactly two years later to the day he proposed."
"We fell in love with Norwood Park's old English historical charm. We searched high and low for venues in the surrounding counties to where we live (Leicestershire) and we knew Norwood Park was ‘the one’ as soon as we walked in and smelled the log fires burning"
"Our florist was Campbells Flowers. I saw Tracey’s amazing floristry on a wedding blog and loved her rustic seasonal arrangements. We didn’t have a clue what we wanted when we met with Tracey but she somehow managed to create something that completely surpassed our expectations! She used our colour scheme and pheasant feathers from James’ winter shoots to create some amazing arrangements and my stunning cascading bouquet."
Anna wore a Justin Alexander gown that she purchased from Courtyard Bridalwear.
"I loved how it fitted me (like a glove!) it accentuated my figure and as soon as I saw its light gold colour I loved it, and nothing compared to it. It had a vintage feel but was still elegant. I loved the tattoo effect back.
My shoes were the 'Ginger' design by Rachel Simpson – I got them from Cicily Bridal."
Anna's beautiful gold headpiece (note, gold making a big, big comeback right now brides) is by Debbie Carlisle and was purchased from Cicily Bridal.
Anna's bridesmaids wore Dessy dresses that she bought from Serendipity Bridal. The girls also wore shoes from Marks & Spencer and Next. I do love those very, very pretty wrist corsages above by florist Tracey of Campbells Flowers.
"Some of my favourite moments included walking down the aisle with my dad, seeing everyone’s expectant faces, seeing James all nervous, seeing how our vision for the day had come together., and finally getting to hear our amazing string quartet! I honestly would change nothing at all! If I could have changed my nerves I would have but there’s not much I can do about that!"
"During our ceremony two of our friends, Lucy and Teresa, read some song lyrics as readings. ‘Something Changed’ by Pulp, and ‘Grow Old With Me’ by John Lennon. These lyrics and artists mean a lot to us. We also read a promise to each other during our vows."
All the stationery was created by Anna and her friend. I love a bit of bridal DIY – and it's fun and rewarding to look at the items you've produced on your wedding day and think, 'yeah, I made that!'.
"Decor consisted of vintage glassware and trinkets, my mums old record player, gold/brass candelabras, hired through Nerissa Eve Weddings, decopatch and kitsch glitter deers which were crafted by me and my family, and Polaroid photos of me and James which I created using an I pad app. We also had a table with photos of our grandparents who have passed away, but were very much missed during the day."
"As favours, we had CDs made via Wizbit which looked like mini record vinyls with the soundtrack of our day burnt onto them. Our guests commented on how great it was to listen to them on the way home / over the Christmas holidays to reminisce."
"Our photographer was Hannah Webster at Lifeline Photography. We came across Hannah’s website after a really stressful time trying to find a photographer that wasn’t charging the earth, but could give us the romantic and nostalgic photos we were looking for. As soon as we met Hannah for a coffee we knew she was going to be our choice, and we didn’t regret the decision. Our E shoot photos were amazing, and the wedding photos even better! She made the day run so smoothly and it was like having an extra friend or relative with us.
I would recommend Hannah in a heartbeat – so so talented. We LOVE our photos so much! Everyone has commented on how she captured the day with such emotion. I shed a little tear every time I look at them!"
"My vintage hair style and colour (plus bridesmaids) was by the very talented Lucilles Locks."
"My ring was handmade by an excellent local supplier, Tom Payne, to fit around my vintage engagement ring. James opted for a titanium ring to withstand his work as a carpenter!"
"As James doesn’t like sweet things (!) and we are both MASSIVE cheese lovers, we opted for a cheese tower which was made by our venue. We had to have a big wheel of our favourite (Stilton) which sadly I didn’t get to try – It was all devoured before I could get to it!! My cousin Karen (one of my bridesmaids) made our delicious mini mince pies."
"We hired the Nero String Quartet who played our favourite rock and indie songs during our ceremony and drinks reception, and The Mod Cons hired via Function Central, who played a 60’s set during our evening reception.
Our first dance was ‘Something Changed’ by Pulp. The lyrics are about fate, which is something that bought the two of us together. I had a little cry when we saw Pulp play this song at Glastonbury 2011; it had always been one of my favourite songs. We then had a second dance to ‘Home’ by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, a song that we both love and knew would get everyone dancing like crazy, again the lyrics mean a lot to us as a couple."
"Emma Cleveley provided our photobooth. I met Emma at a wedding fayre in Nottingham after toying with the idea of making our own photobooth with old Polaroid cameras. All of our guests loved the ‘booth’ with our tailor made backdrop, we used the photos as a guestbook where everyone wrote a message on an envelope, popped the photo inside and pegged it onto the photo backdrop.
We had so much fun watching the video back that Emma put together afterwards and looking through the photos, such amazing memories!"
Words of Wedded Wisdom…
“Enjoy the day, take time to take it all in as it all goes so quickly!! Take a step back and feel proud of what you have achieved! Spend time with your loved ones.”
How I love this wedding – everything about it seems to so honestly and genuinely reflect this couple and their personalities. Huge congratulations to you Anna and James, I feel so lucky that you have been able to share your beautiful day through Love My Dress – thank you so much.
A big thank you also to Hannah of Lifeline Photography for sharing her work.
Who'll be stealing some ideas from this wedding and if so, what?!? Are any of our readers planning on wearing a Justin Alexander like Anna?
Love Annabel
Photographer – Lifeline Photography
Wedding Planner – Maverick Venues
Venue – Norwood Park in Southwell, Nottighamshire
Wedding Dress – Justin Alexander via Courtyard Bridalwear
Headpiece – birdcage veil by Debbie Carlisle via Cicily Bridal
Brides Shoes – Ginger from Rachel Simpson through Cicily Bridal
Purse & Faux fur stole – vintage from Spitalfields market, London
Earrings – vintage from The Custard Factory, Birmingham
Bracelet – Vintage (a gift from my best friend, Lucy)
Grooms Suit – Tailor made by Barrington Ayre + Berties shoes
Bridesmaids – Dessy via Serendipity Bridal + Marks & Spencer/Next shoes
Flowers – Campbells Flowers
Entertainment – Nero String Quartet + The Mod Cons hired via Function Central
Rings – Tom Payne
Stationery – handmade by the bride & her friend
Hair Stylist – Lucilles Locks
Photobooth Hire – Emma Cleveley
Candelabra Hire – Nerissa Eve Weddings
Favours – Mini Record Vinyls from Wizbit
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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.
