A Suzanne Neville Gown and Bicycle Made for Two

wpid344735 suzanne neville family farm wedding Emma Boileaau Photography 33

Guess what lovelies? It’s the weekend! I’m doing a little happy dance, as it’s been quite a busy week. Here’s hoping you have some lovely plans for a weekend of chillaxing. To help get you started, make yourself comfy and check out this delightful homespun tale, with a divine Suzanne Neville dress and captivating images by Emma Boileau Photography.

Nicola, who works in corporate travel and Joe, assistant head of PE and currently studying for his masters, were married last summer on 16th August. The beautiful location was Nicola’s family farm in Ollerton, a small village in Cheshire, which set the informal tone of the day. The couple was also inspired by Joe’s love of bicycles.

“We always wanted to do something a little different and also to have a more informal vibe, so to have it on my parent’s farm was the perfect venue. Joe is really into bikes and I wanted to add this into the theme, so we used the poster ‘Les Bicyclettes’ as inspiration. The end bike is a tandem which was quite fitting, a bicycle made for two, and I used a tandem stamp on all of the stationery.”

Photography Copyright (c) 2015,  Emma Boileau Photography

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

Nicola was chief planner (wait until you see all the exquisite little details!) and to keep the relaxed vibe the couple chose a tipi marquee to hold the guests for the celebrations.

I did the planning myself which I would definitely recommend – even though at times it is stressful, it is so amazing to see all of your ideas and months of planning come together and so rewarding when you see all of your loved ones having a great day too.  We had a tipimarquee as we both wanted to keep the vibe informal but something a little different from the standard white marquee.”

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

Nicola donned the very beautiful ‘Apolline’ Suzanne Neville dress with sleeves. I just love sleeves on wedding dresses – it’s such a timeless look. Our stunning bride was inspired by her Mum’s own dress!

I had always wanted a dress with sleeves ever since I saw my Mum and Dad’s wedding pictures, as she had a dress with sleeves and I loved it. I actually tried my Mum’s dress on with the idea that I could alter it, however much to my Mum’s delight the dress didn’t fit me as it was far too small, so dress shopping it was. When I tried the dress on I knew this was going to be my dress, as it had a vintage look and felt incredible and was just perfect.”

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

The bride also went with a long two-tiered Suzanne Neville veil with a raw edge, a pair of Jimmy Choo shoes via Net-a-Porter and a stylish vintage headpiece. Nicola decided simplicity was the key when it came to any further accessories.

“As the dress had a high neck-line and three quarter length sleeves I didn’t have any accessories other than my engagement ring and veil, as I wanted to keep it simple.”    

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A wee miracle happened when it came to organising their wonderful wedding photographer, Emma from Emma Boileau Photography.

“When I first started to look for photographers I knew as soon as I saw Emma’s website that she was the one for us. However, she was unfortunately already booked for that date which wasn’t surprising – to say I was gutted was an understatement. Then a miracle happened and the other couple fell pregnant and Emma was now available as they were postponing the date of their wedding, so it was amazing news for all!

Emma was so fantastic from the moment we first spoke on the phone to discuss ideas, to the day itself. We can’t recommend her enough – she really captured the moments and I absolutely love my wedding pictures that I will forever treasure. Emma also sends you five photographs the day after your wedding day which is such a nice personal touch and eases the come down of the big day.”   

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddingsNicola and Joe met in Oxford and share their sweet little love story…

“We are from the same area in Cheshire, however met in Oxford. Joe used to rent a room from one of my friends and when I went to visit her, Joe and I just clicked and the rest is history, as cheesy as that sounds. After a year of a long distance relationship we decided to move to Australia where we lived for just under three years and when we moved back to the UK we decided to move to London where we currently live.

Joe proposed in a hotel in Manchester where we stayed when we first got together and it was 23rd December 2012 so we were both home for Christmas so could share the moment with our family and friends. As soon as I got to my parents I went to my granddad’s house – as it’s a farm he lived next door. I showed him the ring, as I knew it would mean so much to him and wanted him to be the first to see it. Sadly he wasn’t there on the day, but I know he would be smiling down on us along with our other grandparents. We were engaged for approximately 18 months before the big day.”

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

And don’t you just love these sweet dresses worn by the flower girls from Marks & Spencer? So adorable!

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

Shawbawn Stokes from Cheddar Pink supplied the beautiful blooms and the result was just what the bride had envisaged.

“I had always wanted hydrangea in my bouquet and to have neutral vintage colours. I saw a picture of a bouquet on Pinterest and just had to have one like it. I showed Shawbawn a picture and she recreated it perfectly. The church is a quaint country church and lends itself well to flowers so Shawbawn decorated it beautifully with ivy, hydrangea and all the beautiful flowers of summer.”

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

The dashing groom sported a tailor-made three piece dark blue suit with a grey tweed waistcoat, a print tie from Liberty and Poste brown shoes, whilst the four handsome groomsmen wore grey suits.

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

An old Landrover was used as the wedding car – perfect for a farm wedding!

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

The couple married in the family’s local church, with the bride given away by her dad, and they bought classic gold wedding bands from Hatton Gardens.

“We got married in my family’s local church which was very special as it is very close to my family’s heart. It just made the day so much more personal and unique.

We both got gold bands which I love as both of my grandparents had these and they will look classic through the years.”

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

“We walked down the aisle to ‘Pachelbel Canon in D Major’ and Joe and I walked out of the church to ‘Have a Nice Day’ by Stereophonics. Whilst the guests arrived we had some of our favourite songs playing, as we both love music and a lot of thought went into all the music played throughout the day.

We had traditional vows during the ceremony.”

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

Nicola proved to be a rather crafty bride and used bits and pieces from all over her parent’s farm, as well as making all of the stationery. Their favours for the guests showed such a personal touch – and Nicola found Pinterest to be a huge help.

Pinterest was amazing for inspiration and was the main go-to website that I used, as I created a board which was easy to keep adding to and going back to.  I collected all of the decorations from various sources, mainly online and raiding the farm as it is full of hidden treasures.  I made all of the stationary as I wanted to add that personal touch, it took a while but it was definitely worth it.

Joe put an accumulator bet on the football for all of the men and I donated £2.50 for the ladies to cancer research, which is a charity close to our hearts, and on the card was a pin designed by Suzanne Neville that we thought was quite fitting. We also had homemade jam for the ladies to take home with a personalised label which had the date of the wedding and the caption ‘spread the love’ which my lovely Mum made.”

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

Catering for the wedding was by Manna Foods and a great touch was having a coffee trailer and ice-cream bike from Hopsons Fine Food – in keeping with the couple’s love of coffee and Joe’s fondness for bikes!

“We had canapés and then a traditional hog roast and American pulled pork brioche buns with salad for the main meal. We then had cheese and biscuits and the cake table for desert and a picnic box for the evening food.  

I also hired a coffee Piaggio and a traditional ice cream bike for after the main meal that went down well. Joe and I love coffee so wanted to incorporate this into the day and when I saw the website I just knew this would not only look fabulous but would also add a unique touch.”

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

Catering for the wedding was by Manna Foods and a great touch was having a coffee trailer and ice-cream bike from Hopsons Fine Food – in keeping with the couple’s love of coffee and Joe’s fondness for bikes!

“We had canapés and then a traditional hog roast and American pulled pork brioche buns with salad for the main meal. We then had cheese and biscuits and the cake table for desert and a picnic box for the evening food.  

I also hired a coffee Piaggio and a traditional ice cream bike for after the main meal that went down well. Joe and I love coffee so wanted to incorporate this into the day and when I saw the website I just knew this would not only look fabulous but would also add a unique touch.”

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

“We had a Victoria sponge three-tiered cake and I also had a cake table and got my close friends to bake cakes which they bought with them.”

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

Nicola and Joe found it a little tricky to choose their first dance song (I too remember struggling with this task!) and for the evening the band Undercover kept the guests on the dance floor.

“There was much deliberation when choosing our first dance as we had too many songs to choose from that mean a lot to us. In the end we went for a song that reminds us of each other and good time but also that all our family and friends could all dance to too!! ‘Gorgon City, Here For You.'”

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

“It is hard to pin-point one part of the day that was my favourite as I loved it all, so there are three key moments that stand out for me. The journey to the church on my own with my dad – it was so nice to have this time to reflect on the importance of the day and what it means and he said the sweetest thing to me, that I looked perfect which melted my heart and all the nerves seemed to fade away and from that moment on I just enjoyed every moment.

Seeing Joe at the altar and saying the vows to each other was very emotional and a moment I will never forget and also the first dance as everyone crashed the dance floor and just seeing all of our family and friends having a great time was an amazing feeling.”

handmade weddings, suzanne neville, farm weddings, rustic weddings

A short but very powerful statement that speaks a thousand words. Thank you so much Nicola and Joe for sharing your special day with us. And to Emma Boileau Photography – the pictures are simply stunning. You’ve captured the heart of what a wedding is all about – the little magical moments between the couple throughout the day, loads of happy smiles … and lots of funky dance moves!

You can click here for more handmade wedding tales on Love My Dress – our pages include lots of inspirational tips and ideas from other clever crafty brides and grooms.

Have a jolly rest of weekend!

Love Jo -xxx-

 

Photographer – Emma Boileau Photography
Venue – Parent’s farm in Ollerton, Cheshire
Bride’s Dress and Veil – Suzanne Neville
Bride’s Headpiece – Fiori Headdress by Hermione Harbutt
Bride’s Shoes – Jimmy Choo via Net-a-Porter
Bride’s Scent/Perfume – Miss Dior Cherie
Bridesmaid’s Dresses – Ted Baker
Bridesmaid’s Shoes – Oasis
Bridesmaid’s Accessories – Hair accessories via Love Ruby Red + jewellery via Zara Taylor
Groom – Tailor-made three-piece suit and tweed waistcoat, print tie from Liberty and Poste brown shoes
Groomsmen – grey suits, supplier unknown
Flower Girls – Marks & Spencer
Florist –Cheddar Pink
Catering – Manna Foods and coffee trailer and ice-cream bike from Hopsons Fine Food
Cake – Friend, Fiona Walton
Rings – Hatton Gardens
Hair & Make-up Artist – Hayley Stanier
Entertainment – Undercover
Tipi Hire – supplier unknown

Jo Singletary

Jo Singletary View all Jo's articles

Jo hails from and lives in sunny Australia, is currently working towards her dream of being a career coach and a few of her favourite things are watching the sunrise over the ocean, morning walks on the beach, butterflies, and supporting the guide dogs charity.

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