Alan Hannah Elegance for an Elegant Garden Wedding in the Spring

In this, our second real wedding feature of today, I’m so delighted to share the wedding of Marketing Manager Lucy to presenter and journalist for ITV Channel Television Mark McQuillan. The couple tied the knot on Saturday 24 May this year with a marquee wedding in the groom’s parents’s beautiful gardens, and these photographs which I find so wonderfully uplifting were taken by Anneli Marinovich.

Lucy tells us about her and Mark’s vision for their wedding day and how things didn’t quite go to plan, involving a near-disaster with a flooded marquee!

I have always wanted to be married but I have never had a ‘dream wedding’ in my mind – I just knew as soon as it came to planning that it should be elegant and timeless. We didn’t want to be looking back in it in a few years thinking ‘what on earth was that?!’. The ‘simple elegance’ theme then made the rest of the decisions quite easy. Pretty neutral colours and a dress that channelled my inner Carrie Bradshaw and Audrey Hepburn (OK – perhaps not so easy!) . My hair is very naturally curly too so I knew whatever I chose needed to not battle against it on the day.”

Photography Copyright (c) 2014, Anneli Marinovich

mark mcquillan, alan hannah, marquee weddings, jersey weddings, garden weddings

“For me the flowers by our wonderful florist ‘Daisies‘ set the scene – with a little church and a big blank canvas of a marquee and private garden, I wanted flowers to make a real statement. That aside I also wanted the elegance of the day to then become a fabulous party in the evening!”

mark mcquillan, alan hannah, marquee weddings, jersey weddings, garden weddings

Lucy wore the very chic ‘Sorrento’ gown by British brand Alan Hannah, which she purchased from Bridal Boutique in Jersey.  I love the bateau neck and figure-hugging detail detail of this dress.

“I was really struggling. I love dressing up and wanted ‘the dress’ to really look like me on a good day, be elegant and a little unusual and be comfortable enough to dance the night away.  And I had no idea what style of dress suited me. I am 5ft and quite petite and therefore knew it needed to be a dress that gave me some shape and not overwhelm my small frame. It certainly didn’t stop me trying on a few meringues though – when in Rome afterall!”

mark mcquillan, alan hannah, marquee weddings, jersey weddings, garden weddings

“All I knew was that I wanted to be covered, so strapless was never an option. Then I tried on Sorrento by Alan Hannah. With its clean lines, equisite 100% silk, rose print and structured bow belt it felt the perfect balance of modern and timeless.

Alan Hannah kindly made a few alterations to it for me to add the buttons down the back, lower the neckline and add one more layer of underskirt then it was perfect. I adored wearing it.”

mark mcquillan, alan hannah, marquee weddings, jersey weddings, garden weddings

“My bridesmaids dresses were from Dessy. I had four bridesmaids and told each of them I was happy for them to chose their own dresses as long as they were the same colour and material and that the dresses complemented the overall elegant feel of the day.

They all chose the same style dress to wear, except for my sister who was seven months pregnant so was more limited in choice. To stop her looking like a tent though, we made a belt in contrasting fabric which showed off her bump beautiful. They all looked gorgeous.

My sister wore a tiffany necklace which I had given her for her 18th birthday some six years ago. I thought that was a lovely touch.”

mark mcquillan, alan hannah, marquee weddings, jersey weddings, garden weddings

“Our photographer was the wonderful Anneli Marinovich.  The woman is a genius! Not only is she super talented, she is also so lovely and a pleasure to work with. We unfortunately didn’t have a chance to meet prior to the wedding day but had a Skype chat and exchanged many emails. We instantly hit it off and I can’t imagine having had anyone else take the photographs on the day.

Anneli was brilliant and we are beyond thrilled with the final shots.”

mark mcquillan, alan hannah, marquee weddings, jersey weddings, garden weddings“Our wedding venue was an easy choice. We live in beautiful Jersey but it wasn’t practical for all our friends and family to fly over. Mark’s dad and step mum have a beautiful house and garden in the Oxfordshire countryside and kindly offered the garden to us for a marquee wedding. I don’t think either of us really wanted to travel too and from the UK hunting out the perfect venue when we literally had a gorgeous one on the family doorstep.

Choosing the garden in a lovely village called Noke, also gave us lots of choice for picture perfect village churches. We visited a few and chose St Andrew’s in a tiny village called Oddington for the ceremony. It was little, had stunning candelabras hanging from the beams and looked out over rolling hills. Perfect.”

mark mcquillan, alan hannah, marquee weddings, jersey weddings, garden weddings

“We met at a black tie event in late 2010 – both of us there with work. We chatted and danced to some very questionable tunes (mainly requested by Mark) and instantly clicked. A few months later in early 2011 we got together.  Six short months later we were living together and two long years later he popped the question!

When Mark proposed, we had been in the UK visiting family for a week. We took a couple of days out at the end of the trip to visit a spa in the New Forest for a bit of ‘R&R’.  Early evening on the second night, we went for a walk around the grounds and down by a gorgeous lake. It was a pretty long walk and I recall Mark hardly talking to me to me the whole way. He then asked me down to the lake and produced a little scroll. On it he had written a beautiful letter to me about us and the future and ended it with ‘so I was wondering if….’.

By the time I reached the end, through tears, he was on one knee asking me to marry him. It was just the two of us and a moment I will never forget. We were engaged for eight months before getting married.”

mark mcquillan, alan hannah, marquee weddings, jersey weddings, garden weddings

“My good friend Rachel Silk‐Thompson, a freelance make-up artist did my make-up. This girl is a genius with a make up brush!  Rachel was a guest at the wedding regardless but when she offered to do mine, the bridesmaids and my mums make up I was thrilled. It meant I didn’t need to travel to the UK for a trial as she did my make up last year when I was bridesmaid for my maid of honour and I could relax knowing that she would make us all look amazing.”

mark mcquillan, alan hannah, marquee weddings, jersey weddings, garden weddings

“I was recommended lovely Abi Vincent of Oxfordshire Wedding Hair by my mother in law. I went for a trial at Christmas and she ‘understood’ the curls immediately. So, on the day I washed and dried my hair myself and then Abi worked some backcombing and tonging magic to make it bigger than usual. Just what I wanted. I now need to learn how to do it like that myself.”

mark mcquillan, alan hannah, marquee weddings, jersey weddings, garden weddings

“I wore Chanel Coco Mademoiselle. Its my favourite perfume and reminds me of happy times so I wanted it to be the scent of the day as opposed to a new perfume.”

mark mcquillan, alan hannah, marquee weddings, jersey weddings, garden weddings

Mark bought be a beautiful Tiffany diamond locket necklace as my wedding present but due to the high neckline it wasn’t suitable to wear with my dress. He understood luckily! My bracelet was a gift from Mark’s mum which belonged to her. It was delicate silver and pearl from Miki Moto. My earrings were tiny studs from Jersey Pearl.

I also wore a garter which was my ‘something blue’, and from a gorgeous new company called The Wedding Garter Co.  I wasn’t going to wear a garter, thinking they were frilly and old‐ fashioned. However, once I discovered The Wedding Garter Co., I fell in love. They are silk and beautifully handmade. Gorgeous and so stylish.”

mark mcquillan, alan hannah, marquee weddings, jersey weddings, garden weddings

mark mcquillan, alan hannah, marquee weddings, jersey weddings, garden weddings

mark mcquillan, alan hannah, marquee weddings, jersey weddings, garden weddings

“Mark wears nice suits to work every day and likes his accessories, so obviously he wanted to stand out and look different to usual on our wedding day. We both knew tails weren’t the look we wanted but a beautifully cut navy suit with a fashionable low dip waistcoat and contracting accessories worked perfectly. He looked so handsome!  His suit was Roulette in Jersey.  He also wore Reiss pocket linen/silk mix pocket squares and tie.”

mark mcquillan, alan hannah, marquee weddings, jersey weddings, garden weddings

“My younger brother Tom gave me away and did a wonderful job. I was so proud. I walked down the aisle to the traditional wedding march played by the church organist. It was my favourite moment of the whole day.

My bridesmaids went first and then I walked down the aisle to the traditional wedding march played by the church organist. It was my favourite moment of the whole day.”

mark mcquillan, alan hannah, marquee weddings, jersey weddings, garden weddings

 

mark mcquillan, alan hannah, marquee weddings, jersey weddings, garden weddings

Being 5ft 1 I thought a short veil would be my only choice. I tried on a short one and asked to go a bit longer. Repeat that process another six times and I ended up with a statement cathedral veil which I loved. Despite it being hugely impractical to wear (I got caught in bushes in the garden breeze a few times!).

I wore the veil throughout the ceremony and drinks reception in the garden. I then changed into a gorgeous headband for the wedding breakfast and evening reception. The veil became too impractical and I loved the big flower and intricate beading on the headband.

I chose to wear my hair down on the day as that is how I usually wear it and still wanted to look like me. The accessories made it that bit different.”

mark mcquillan, alan hannah, marquee weddings, jersey weddings, garden weddings

mark mcquillan, alan hannah, marquee weddings, jersey weddings, garden weddings

“Our rings were from Hettich in Jersey.  I wanted a delicate platinum band to match my solitaire engagement ring. As the stone in my engagement ring ‘stick out’ a lot (whats the technical term?!) the jeweller made a little dip in the wedding band so it fits in nearly. I didn’t want the wedding band to detract from the engagement ring.

Mark, is not one to wear jewellery but I must admit I was pleased that he was happy to wear a wedding ring. His is slim platinum band with the middle slightly brushed to give it a more modern feel.”

mark mcquillan, alan hannah, marquee weddings, jersey weddings, garden weddings

“Two very close friends did reading for us – it was ver special having them part of the ceremony.. Chris Thomas read 1 Corinthians 13 (NIV) from the bible and Ellen Aldred read ‘On your wedding day’ Unknown author. As soon as I heard On Your Wedding day I knew it had to be part of our day. It fitted perfectly.”

On Your Wedding Day (Author Unknown)
Today is a day you will always remember The greatest in anyone’s life
You’ll start off the day just two people in love And end it as Husband and Wife
It’s a brand new beginning the start of a journey
With moments to cherish and treasure
And although there’ll be times when you both disagree These will be surely outweighed by pleasure
You’ll have heard many words of advice in the past When the secrets of marriage were spoken But you know that the answers lie hidden inside Where the bond of true love lies unbroken
So live happily forever as lovers and friends
It’s the dawn of a new life for you
As you stand there together with love in your eyes From the moment you whisper “I Do”
And with luck, all your hopes, and your dreams can be real May success find its way to your hearts
Tomorrow can bring you the greatest of joys
But today is the day it all starts.’

mark mcquillan, alan hannah, marquee weddings, jersey weddings, garden weddings

mark mcquillan, alan hannah, marquee weddings, jersey weddings, garden weddings

“The church was magical. I loved standing there saying those vows to Mark in front of everyone we loved. My other younger brother also wrote a song to play on his acoustic guitar during the signing of the register. He was brilliant and it was a very special moment. A real family affair.”

mark mcquillan, alan hannah, marquee weddings, jersey weddings, garden weddings

mark mcquillan, alan hannah, marquee weddings, jersey weddings, garden weddings

mark mcquillan, alan hannah, marquee weddings, jersey weddings, garden weddings

mark mcquillan, alan hannah, marquee weddings, jersey weddings, garden weddings

“Everything was handmade and followed a heart theme using off-cuts of Kate Forman pretty fabric left over from our families homes! Marks mum and step mum worked for hours cutting out hundreds and hundreds of hearts for invitations, orders of service, placecards and table numbers.

Marks mum made over 100 hearts, hand‐ stitched and filled with lavender for me to sew onto the invitations. We did use a calligrapher for the place name cards to give that final touch of elegance.”

mark mcquillan, alan hannah, marquee weddings, jersey weddings, garden weddings

“At the last minute we hired solo Sax player Kit Packham to play for a couple of hours in the garden during the drinks reception. Kit was brilliant. My mum loves the sax so it was a lovely surprise for her and it really created a lovely ambiance in the garden.

For the evening entertainment, and after a lot of research we hired Embassy Band. A 5 piece London band comprising of both male and female vocalists.  We wanted the dancefloor to be packed and it to be a proper party atmosphere. They were amazing. I may be bias but it was the best, most fun wedding dancefloor I have ever been on! Book them – they’re ace!”

mark mcquillan, alan hannah, marquee weddings, jersey weddings, garden weddings

mark mcquillan, alan hannah, marquee weddings, jersey weddings, garden weddings

mark mcquillan, alan hannah, marquee weddings, jersey weddings, garden weddings

mark mcquillan, alan hannah, marquee weddings, jersey weddings, garden weddings

mark mcquillan, alan hannah, marquee weddings, jersey weddings, garden weddings

“The company we hired the marquee from was called Richardsons. They were brilliant. We had a marquee with panoramic clear span windows to allow as much of the garden outside in. We trhen added a cathedral end to the from which is a relatively new concept and looked so dramatic. Inside it gave us space for sofas and tables as well as a wet weather plan for the drinks reception.

The marquee flooded the night before due to the awful rain (many bridal weather related meltdowns!). Richardsons worked tirelessely to ensure it was perfect and rainproof on the day.”

mark mcquillan, alan hannah, marquee weddings, jersey weddings, garden weddings

mark mcquillan, alan hannah, marquee weddings, jersey weddings, garden weddings

“We visited a couple of florists in the Oxford area and chose lovely Sheila from Daisies. Second to the dress the flowers became a bit of an obsession with me. Pinterest board upon board of flowers I like and flowers I didn’t like so I could show the florist. For the bridal party and button holes I wanted cream roses only but even they had to be a certain shade of cream and tied a certain way. The centre pieces were a mixture of beautiful peonies, hydranges, roses and simple foliage all in silver footed display bowls and in very pale pinks, white and creams.

For the church alter and larger marquee displays we had pale coloured stocks which were beautifully in season and smelled divine. The for the church gate, pews and church window sills there was simple gypsophila and pillar candles. I absolutely adored the flowers and still swoon over the photos not quite believing that they were for our wedding!”

mark mcquillan, alan hannah, marquee weddings, jersey weddings, garden weddings

mark mcquillan, alan hannah, marquee weddings, jersey weddings, garden weddings

“Our catering was provided by Calcot Manor.  These super professional guys were a recommendation from Marks dad as they catered his wedding 5 years previously. They were fantastic. A pleasure to work with, slick, friendly and handled the management of the day wonderfully. I didn’t need to worry about a thing. The set up they did in the marquee was perfect and the quality of the food was brilliant. We had so many compliments on the quality of the food from our guests.

Our cake was by Cake Sweet Cake – it was a 3 tier naked cake decorated with fresh fruit and fresh cream roses.  Unfortunately being in Jersey we didn’t get a chance to sample the cake or even see a sample before the big day. I found this lovely company online and chose them due to the awards and accolades displayed on their website. Michaela wasa pleasure to deal with and the cake was delicious and fitted in perfectly with the garden backdrop.”

mark mcquillan, alan hannah, marquee weddings, jersey weddings, garden weddings

“I wanted to do something a bit different with the table plan and was inspired by a photo frame that belonged to Marks mum. It was a beautiful ornate gold frame. Over the few months of planning we collected 10 and allocated each one a table plan. They were displayed on a little table at the marquee entrance and made quite a statement.

We also made candles for each of the main tables. I collected cut glass bowls from charity shops. 50 in total, all about 50p each and then we spent the afternoon in the kitchen making homemade candles. The finished effect was so pretty and each one was different. It was lovely seeing all the homemade touches come together on the day.”

mark mcquillan, alan hannah, marquee weddings, jersey weddings, garden weddings

“We had 40 silk garlands hanging from the fruit trees in the garden. I had spotted a charity sale for the Monsoon project a few months prior to the wedding. The pretty garlands were £1 each and I bought them all! They looked so pretty blowing in the breeze and made a gorgeous backdrop for photos.

We hired outdoor lanterns to line the walkway to the marquee and create a dramatic entrance for guests. They looked lovely lit with pillar candles at night.”

mark mcquillan, alan hannah, marquee weddings, jersey weddings, garden weddings

“Initially we weren’t going to but I was slowly convinced. We had two favours in the end – a family friend is a potter and she made little white porcelain hearts with our initials and the wedding date embossed onto them. Once sat on each napkin at the place setting and they were so pretty. However, after a champagne a few people thought they were edible apparently!

We also had a little pink bow wrapped box with 2 handmade chocolate truffles from a Jersey chocolatier so there was a little nod to our home for each guest.
Chocolates from La Mare Wine Estate, Jersey.”

mark mcquillan, alan hannah, marquee weddings, jersey weddings, garden weddings

mark mcquillan, alan hannah, marquee weddings, jersey weddings, garden weddings

mark mcquillan, alan hannah, marquee weddings, jersey weddings, garden weddings

“As a Take That fan from about age 11, I was very fitting that we have Take That’s ‘Greatest Day’ for our first dance. Luckily Mark liked the song too. We deliberated for a while over the first dance song. Neither of us wanting anything too slushy or a ‘routine’ that we wouldn’t be able to complete! Greatest day allowed us to dance and was definitely a crowd pleaser. The band sang it live for us which made the whole experience amazing. Considering we were really worried about the first dance and hadn’t even practiced – it went brilliantly.

I had bought some party canons which were let off half way though. It was fantastic dancing under showers of confetti.”

mark mcquillan, alan hannah, marquee weddings, jersey weddings, garden weddings

Words of Wedded Wisdom…

“Go with your gut. There are so many options and so many people giving you advice. You just have to do with what you think is right.  If that’s the dress that you feel incredible in – get it. Even if it wasn’t what you thought you would ever choose. Trust your instinct – and seamstress!

Delegate – I found this really difficult. I wanted to control everything thinging it wouldn’t be done ‘properly’ if I didn’t do it. Leave clear instructions and trust the professionals. That’s why you have employed them afterall. Often they will do it better than you anyway.

‘m not sure on reflection that I would plan a marquee garden wedding again. The pro’s were definitely massive pro’s where we had the luxury of creating a completely individual day to our exact tastes. The con was equally a big one where sadly you can’t rely on the weather and flooding the night before your May garden wedding really isn’t ideal. Luckily on the day it was absolutely fine but it did add a lot of extra stress and a little extra expense ensuring we had wet weather issues covered in advance.”

mark mcquillan, alan hannah, marquee weddings, jersey weddings, garden weddings

What an absolutely delightful day, made all the more special that it could be held in a place so treasured by the family.  Huge thanks to  Anneli Marinovich for sharing this beautiful day, and many congratulations to you both Lucy and Mark – thank you for allowing us the most privileged of insights in to your beautiful wedding day.

Have a lovely afternoon everyone,

Love Annabel xx

 

Photographer – Anneli Marinovich
Venue – The groom’s parents garden using Richardsons
Designer – Sorrento, by Alan Hannah, via Bridal Boutique, Jersey
Veil – Bridal Boutique in Jersey
Accessories – Jersey Pearl + The Wedding Garter Co
Perfume – Chanel Coco Mademoiselle
Groom – Bespoke suit by Roulette in Jersey
Bridesmaids – Dessy
Florist – Daisies
Cake – Cake Sweet Cake
Entertainment – Sax player Kit Packham + Embassy Band
Rings – Hettich, Jersey
Catering – Calcot Manor
Hair – Abi Vincent. Oxfordshire Wedding Hair
Makeup Artist – Rachel Silk‐Thompson
Favours – La Mare Wine Estate, Jersey

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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