Hello lovely readers! If your Friday feeling hasn’t kicked in yet wait until you see this gorgeous gem of a wedding. It’s a full-on floral fest created by the gorgeous bride Charlotte, a trainee florist and aspiring wedding planner. Charlotte married Autism support worker Dan on the 17th of May this year, a glorious spring day perfect for riding on a tandem with your new husband!
“We wanted to underpin the day with as much colour and character as we could. We used bunting, mismatched china, vintage board games and books, vintage sports memorabilia and lots of flowers to create a 1950s floral theme.”
Photography Copyright (c) 2014, Ellen Richardson
“We met at University in 2008 and the attraction was instant. Dan studied sport and I did Fine Art, despite being opposites in many ways we clicked on almost every level. We got engaged in Brighton on June 2013 before marrying in May 2014.”
Charlotte’s unique 50s style floral dress was designed by Joanne Fleming. Paired with a handmade veil by Gil Fox and pretty Rachel Simpson shoes, the look is playful yet incredibly elegant and completely in keeping with the floral theme.
“Helen my mother-in-law and I planned and organised the whole wedding ourselves, as event planning is something we would like to pursue as a career. Helen accumulated vintage props and made individual pieces such as the crochet buttonholes for each guest in the months leading up to the wedding. I also drove myself crazy making endless streams of bunting, which were eventually donated to the D-Day Memorial Hall in return for a donation to The Rowans Hospice.”
I just adore this image of the couple riding away on their wedding bicycle, cans trailing behind them – fabulous!
“Ellen Richardson captured our candid shots throughout the day and shot precisely what we were looking for on the day. Guests were photographed in a candid style that captured the different emotions of the day and gave us great variety in our shots. We would fully recommend her.”
“My Dolce & Gabbana ‘Light Blue’ perfume classed as my something blue! The scent was light and refreshing.
Both the pearl earrings and pearl necklace I wore on the day were previously my Nan’s.”
“Dan wore a grey checked Ted Baker suit with a Liberty print shirt and tie, his great-grandfather’s watch and a personalised bracelet which was a wedding gift. His wedding ring used to belong to his grandfather.”
“I walked down the aisle with my father John to Beethoven’s ‘Ode to Joy’. Fred, Dan’s father, provided a very suitable Bible reading before Rev Andy Reid, the Curate from our Parish Church gave a beautiful reading.”
The beautiful bridesmaids wore ruched tea length dresses in dusky rose. Annette at Elegance Bridal Coiffure styled both Charlotte’s and the bridesmaid’s hair and her lovely maid of honour Stephanie did their make-up.
“I was responsible for all the flowers, including bouquets, button-holes and table pieces. I oversaw the whole process, from selecting the flowers to ensuring they complimented the colour scheme of the day.”
“I travelled to the wedding in a 1920’s Bentley owned by a friend of my dad’s. After the ceremony Dan and I cycled up to the venue on a tandem!”
“We chose the D-Day Memorial Hall in Southwick due to the picturesque location and the vivid sense of historical significance. The food was provided by The Golden Lion in Southwick, a charming establishment steeped in tradition.
We put deck chairs outside and had garden games such as coconut shy bowling (all made by my Dad), followed by a massive game of tug of war… which the Bride’s team won!”
“Music was provided by CD Americana Jukebox. Chris was amazingly helpful with the music list. We had our first dance to ‘You’re My Star’ by Stereophonics, simply because it’s ‘our song’ and the words were very fitting.”
“We chose Hanli to make our wedding cake after first seeing her work at my sister-in-law’s wedding. We were astounded by her ingenuity and just had to have her make our cake! It couldn’t have been better and provided a great point of conversation!”
Words of Wedded Wisdom
“Try and plan as much of the day as you can by yourself. Knowing that you have worked so hard to ensure everybody has a beautiful day will give you a unique feeling of gratification.”
Congratulations to Mr and Mrs Holmes! I just adore Ellen’s reportage style of photography, her blog has more varied examples of her work which are definitely worth perusing.
I would love to know if any of you brides-to-be will be rocking a floral or embroidered dress like Charlotte.
Love Caoimhe xx
Photographer – Ellen Richardson
Venue – D-Day Memorial Hall, Southwick
Dress – Joanne Fleming Design + Veil Gil Fox
Bride’s Shoes – Rachel Simpson
Bridesmaid’s Dresses – Courtesan Boutique
Groom’s Suit – Ted Baker + Shirt + Tie Liberty
Hair Stylist – Elegance Bridal Coiffure
Florist – Charlotte Holmes (Bride)
Catering – The Golden Lion, Southwick
Cake – Hanli Brain at Cakesolicious
Entertainment – CD Americana Jukebox
Rings – Smith & Ralier
Everything about this is just absolutely stunning!