I have spent much of the past week rejoicing at the sight of glorious sunshine and telling nearly everyone how happy I am that winter is finally over…but then I saw these images by Eclection Photography and had a change of heart. Clare and Paul’s wedding took place on one of those picture-perfect winter days: the sky bright blue; the countryside blanketed in crisp white snow – genuinely magical.
Our lovely pair (Clare is an architect and Paul is a firefighter and property developer) got engaged on Christmas day 2013 and were married just after Christmas in 2014, on 29th December, in the Peak District. Their wedding ceremony was held at St Peter’s church in Edensor followed by a reception at Hassop Hall, located in the picturesque village of Hassop, near Bakewell, in the Peak District.
“We are both pretty laid back characters and didn’t want anything too fussy of formal. We both love winter, snow, walks in the beautiful countryside where we both grew up and now live. So our inspiration was ‘natural, fairly neutral, wintery but cosy atmosphere’. The snow (which came down heavily a couple of days before) became a wonderful backdrop to our day.”
Photography Copyright (c) 2015, Eclection Photography assisted by wedding photosbyness
Clare’s elegant lace gown is the ‘Bronwyn’ by Maggie Sottero, bought from Brides and Gowns in Derby. I love the keyhole feature at the back of the dress – so utterly classy and elegant.
“I wanted a simple but classic, slightly vintage inspired dress that I could feel relaxed and comfortable in. I am not a lover of extravagance. I love vintage lace so when I saw the lace detailing and simple style of the dress I fell in love with it.”
The overall colour tone of the day was muted, featuring soft, pale pinks and greys, including these shoes worn by Clare from Office.
Here’s how to do a winter wedding bouquet with style. Absolutely beautiful.
“I wanted seasonal flowers that were neutral and muted in colour. Our florist was local company Frances and Rose, who like to use seasonal, natural, wild flowers. They created beautiful bouquets using dried flowers seed heads and berries with some simple white fresh flowers thrown in. pale purples greens greys and white. The greys picking out the colour of the bridesmaids dresses and ushers suits/ties.”
“Our photographer Heather Shuker of Eclection Photography captured the day perfectly and each photograph reflects the love and joy of the day. The photos were unique, quirky and not too formal capturing the fun and laughter & by making us all feel at ease produced wonderful natural pics. She was a real giggle too and a lovely addition to the day. Heather was assisted by Ness of wedding photosbyness.”
These chic, charcoal-grey tunic bridesmaid dresses are by Phase Eight, with shoes from Dorothy Perkins.
Paul opted for a deep red wool check blazer, waistcoat and trousers from Ted Baker – a nice change from the popular navy wedding suit and a wonderful choice for a winter wedding! He accessorised with a wool tie, Loake Fearnley brogues, red Ted Baker socks and his grandfather’s gold pocket watch.
Paul’s best man wore the same suit but without the waistcoat, and the six ushers wore Ted Baker ‘tight lines’ suit in taupe.
Clare didn’t wear any jewellery except her engagement ring, which was originally her grandma’s engagement ring.
“We had simple platinum bands for our wedding rings (from Chapelle) to match the platinum of my engagement ring. The engagement ring was my grandmas with two diamonds either side of a sapphire”
These snowy portraits are absolutely breathtaking… I wonder if Clare was a bit cold though!? Hehe!
“I wore a bespoke headpiece. My mum bought me a brooch we found at a vintage market in Manchester and a local company ‘Heirlooms ever after’ set the brooch into a headpiece with real pearls and Swarovski crystals.”
“My favourite part of the day was walking into the room as ‘the new mr and mrs lang’ with everyone cheering us in. All the photos had been done, everyone was settled and relaxed into the venue and we could finally relax and enjoy ourselves. It was all a bit of a blur until this point. Then having the time to go round the tables during the meal and welcome and chat to everyone with a glass of fizz in hand.”
“We added pillar candles and smaller arrangements around the venue but didn’t need much as the cosy log fires and antique furniture were enough to achieve the cosy, wintery atmosphere we wanted”
“I designed Wooden snowflake xmas decorations which were cut out on a laser cutter, these also served as name places.”
“For table decorations I sourced logs, antiqued glass tealight holders and pillar candles next to small jars/vases arrangements.”
“Our friend Sophie Coulthard made a delicious 4 tier Victoria sponge covered in white chocolate buttercream. Then the florist added small arrangement for the top and ribbon for each tier.”
“The Phil Lyons New Vintage Band were amazing. Everybody was up and dancing. They did two sets starting with swing through to rock and roll and soul later on. They also DJ’d into the early hours.”
Words of Wedded Wisdom
“Any worries you had before the big day will be completely forgotten as the day unwinds. Just enjoy yourself and don’t get stressed about minor details. All the ushers, bridesmaids and photographer were a great help on the day to iron out small issues or worries.
Don’t be afraid to have too many ushers / or bridesmaids. The more you have it takes the load off the best man and head bridesmaid (and yourself of course).
If we could have done anything differently, we would have recorded the speeches!”
Thank you so much to Clare and Paul for giving us a glimpse of your stunning day, and to Heather at Eclection Photography for letting us share these gorgeous images. I felt like I’d stepped into Narnia whilst writing this feature, which was just wonderful! Roll on December!
Love Louisa xx
Photographer – Eclection Photography assisted by wedding photosbyness
Venue – St Peter’s church in Edenso and Hassop Hall
Wedding Dress – ‘Bronwyn’ by Maggie Sottero via Brides and Gowns
Headpiece – Heirlooms Ever After
Shoes – Office
Bride’s Scent/perfume – Ghost Sweetheart
Groom – Ted Baker and brogues by Loake Fearnley
Bridesmaids – Phase Eight and shoes from Dorothy Perkins
Florist – Frances and Rose
Cake – Sophie Coulthard
Transport – 4x4s
Entertainment – The Phil Lyons New Vintage Band
Rings – Chapelle
Catering – Hasson Hall
Hair – done by the bride
Makeup Artist – Unique Beauty
I love love love this wedding! Snow on the day, how magical?