Pale Green, Pink and Subtle Shades of 60’s Style

wpid369439 60s inspired beatles band glasgow wedding justin alexander 46

Morning you lot, did you get a chance to catch up with our evening post of yesterday from our lovely Lovettes member Saffron? This mornings wedding feature comes to you all the way from bonny Scotland – a place my husband and I are planning on taking our children to on holiday next year.  And it’s the sweetest of affairs, with the loveliest of wedding day surprises.  Jennifer, a Primary School teacher, married Clark, who plays John Lennon in cover band Them Beatles on 11th April this year at The Pearce Institute in Govan, Glasgow.

“We wanted our wedding day to be kept simple and to reflect our laid back approach. Neither of us like too much fuss, strict traditions or stuffy wedding ‘rules’. We also wanted to steer clear of the obvious Beatles and 60’s theme but incorporated other favourite things: wine, books, candles and tulips. We never had too much of a style plan. Just many hours on Pinterest.”

Photography by Neil Thomas Douglas assisted by Fiona Higgins

A Beatles and 1960s inspired wedding in Glasgow. The bride wears Justin Alexander. Photography by Neil Thomas Douglas.

“My favourite part of the day was Clark’s speech. I found out I was pregnant a couple of months before the wedding and we had our first scan the day before.”

A Beatles and 1960s inspired wedding in Glasgow. The bride wears Justin Alexander. Photography by Neil Thomas Douglas.

“Only close family and friends knew and at the end of Clark’s speech he announced that we were having a baby!”

A Beatles and 1960s inspired wedding in Glasgow. The bride wears Justin Alexander. Photography by Neil Thomas Douglas.

“I think it took a minute for it to register with all of our guests but when it did everyone went crazy and started cheering. Poor Rosscoe the best man, had to follow that up!”

A Beatles and 1960s inspired wedding in Glasgow. The bride wears Justin Alexander. Photography by Neil Thomas Douglas.

A Beatles and 1960s inspired wedding in Glasgow. The bride wears Justin Alexander. Photography by Neil Thomas Douglas.

Mimosa in pale peach, by Rachel Simpson

“As far as flowers went, I just wanted to have something simple. Tulips are one of my favourite flowers and when I told the them the flowers I wanted they described exactly the bouquet in my head. The venue flowers we ordered from the wholesaler LH flowers who were fantastic to deal with.”

A Beatles and 1960s inspired wedding in Glasgow. The bride wears Justin Alexander. Photography by Neil Thomas Douglas.

The bridesmaids pretty dresses were ‘Eden’ in rose and thistle from Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo in East Kilbride.

A Beatles and 1960s inspired wedding in Glasgow. The bride wears Justin Alexander. Photography by Neil Thomas Douglas.

“I wore a Justin Alexander gown that I purchased from Wedding Wise in Barrhead.  It was totally different from what I set out to get. I had been out a couple of days before and had seen a couple that I liked but after I tried that one on I couldn’t think about any of the others so I knew that was the one. I loved that it was simple and elegant.”

A Beatles and 1960s inspired wedding in Glasgow. The bride wears Justin Alexander. Photography by Neil Thomas Douglas.

“I wore Chanel Allure – it was the first perfume Clark bought me and it always makes me think of him. I had to wear it that day.”

A Beatles and 1960s inspired wedding in Glasgow. The bride wears Justin Alexander. Photography by Neil Thomas Douglas.
A Beatles and 1960s inspired wedding in Glasgow. The bride wears Justin Alexander. Photography by Neil Thomas Douglas.
A Beatles and 1960s inspired wedding in Glasgow. The bride wears Justin Alexander. Photography by Neil Thomas Douglas.

“We met through Clark’s band, Them Beatles. My maid of honour, Heather went to school with one of the members of the band and so we went along to see them. The first time I saw them I had had the worst day ever and sat right at the front with my face tripping me. Clark apparently kept making eyes at me but I was in such a bad mood I didn’t really notice. I did notice that he was quite handsome though.

The second time I saw them I had been out all day with my friends and was slightly tipsy and in a much better mood. That was the night we finally got to chat and had our first kiss. We got engaged on the 11th January 2014. We had decided to go away for a couple of days to the Lake District. We both love reading and Clark loves old books, so we decided to visit a couple of old book towns.”

A Beatles and 1960s inspired wedding in Glasgow. The bride wears Justin Alexander. Photography by Neil Thomas Douglas.

The drive back from the town took us over a big hill which let you look down on the town we had just visited. Clark made me get out the car for a picture with one of the books, a book of Robert Browning poems. I was cold and hungry and not in the mood at all but I did it. He started flicking through the book and at the front was an inscription…”

JW
Grow old along with me
The best is yet to be
CG

“When I looked at it, I said that it was weird that he had just bought the book and the inscription had both of our initials. We flicked through and there was a big hole cut out as if a box had been hidden inside. I said ‘did you know it was like this when you bought it!?’ Then I said ‘Oh wow! This must have been an engagement present for someone!’. Totally no clue. When Clark said funny you should mention it and pulled out a box – then I started to click!”

A Beatles and 1960s inspired wedding in Glasgow. The bride wears Justin Alexander. Photography by Neil Thomas Douglas.
A Beatles and 1960s inspired wedding in Glasgow. The bride wears Justin Alexander. Photography by Neil Thomas Douglas.

“Our wedding took place at The Pearce Institute in Govan, Glasgow.  We looked at other burgh halls around Glasgow but the minute we stepped into the Pearce we knew it was the one. It is a beautiful old building and a total hidden gem which allowed to have separate rooms for our ceremony, drinks reception and evening reception. Michael, the caretaker was really accommodating and we could go in as often as we wanted and were able to set up the day before.”

A Beatles and 1960s inspired wedding in Glasgow. The bride wears Justin Alexander. Photography by Neil Thomas Douglas.A Beatles and 1960s inspired wedding in Glasgow. The bride wears Justin Alexander. Photography by Neil Thomas Douglas.
A Beatles and 1960s inspired wedding in Glasgow. The bride wears Justin Alexander. Photography by Neil Thomas Douglas.
A Beatles and 1960s inspired wedding in Glasgow. The bride wears Justin Alexander. Photography by Neil Thomas Douglas.

“My Dad, John, walked me down the aisle.  I walked down to ‘Grow Old Along With Me’ by John Lennon with George Martin’s orchestral arrangement from the John Lennon Anthology Box Set. We chose it because the song is based on the Robert Browning poem, Rabbi Ben Ezra, that Clark used to propose.”

A Beatles and 1960s inspired wedding in Glasgow. The bride wears Justin Alexander. Photography by Neil Thomas Douglas.

“Beings sixties obsessed, Clark and best man Rosscoe decided to go for the authentic tailor made experience with Jim Forbes  in Glasgow. The fully bespoke service allowed them to design everything from the general style to the (just as important) smaller details like buttons, stitching and linings. They came away with 3 Piece, Single Breasted, 3 Button Mohair suits in navy blue.”

A Beatles and 1960s inspired wedding in Glasgow. The bride wears Justin Alexander. Photography by Neil Thomas Douglas.

“Being atheists, we wanted to have a humanist ceremony. Knowing that the Humanist Society of Scotland can be difficult with any artistic allusions to god or religion (my entrance music repeats ‘God Bless Our Love’), we chose to go with Fuze CeremoniesVictoria Dixon, our ceremony officiant, was so cool and laid back and just helped us form the ceremony we wanted. We wanted people to feel relaxed and comfortable with lots of personal details and laughter. Clark even put up a “This Is Anfield” sign on the way in, which I didn’t know about until I was walking up the stairs!”

A Beatles and 1960s inspired wedding in Glasgow. The bride wears Justin Alexander. Photography by Neil Thomas Douglas.A Beatles and 1960s inspired wedding in Glasgow. The bride wears Justin Alexander. Photography by Neil Thomas Douglas.

“Our celebrant Victoria Dixon, was great at guiding us and helping us to write our own vows. She gave us lots of ideas and pointers. We didn’t want anything too soppy or long. Clark managed to get his love for football and Liverpool in to the vows and made me promise to still love him no matter how bad the season was. (Just as well he got that in there before the end of this season!)”

A Beatles and 1960s inspired wedding in Glasgow. The bride wears Justin Alexander. Photography by Neil Thomas Douglas.

“Clark’s sister Lawra read ‘Foxtrot from a Play’ by W.H Auden and my Uncle John read the lyrics to ‘Wedding Song’ by Bob Dylan. We chose the poem because we liked the humour in it and the refrain, “But you’re my cup of tea” was a nice way of emphasising our love for each other without being too formal or cringey. We both love Bob Dylan and there wasn’t a more perfect set of lyrics than those of Wedding Song. The complete opposite to the previous reading it brought home the reason we were there and the commitment we were making to each other…”

You’re the other half of what I am, you’re the missing piece
And I love you more than ever with that love that doesn’t cease

A Beatles and 1960s inspired wedding in Glasgow. The bride wears Justin Alexander. Photography by Neil Thomas Douglas.
A Beatles and 1960s inspired wedding in Glasgow. The bride wears Justin Alexander. Photography by Neil Thomas Douglas.
A Beatles and 1960s inspired wedding in Glasgow. The bride wears Justin Alexander. Photography by Neil Thomas Douglas.

“Our rings were from James Porter and Son where Clark got my engagement ring. I chose mine as it matched my engagement ring. Clark’s dad had originally offered his wedding ring, however it was a bit worn and battered around the edges so he decided to buy a plain white gold signet ring and got it engraved to look like his dad’s with an inscription inside with our names and the date.”

A Beatles and 1960s inspired wedding in Glasgow. The bride wears Justin Alexander. Photography by Neil Thomas Douglas.
A Beatles and 1960s inspired wedding in Glasgow. The bride wears Justin Alexander. Photography by Neil Thomas Douglas.
A Beatles and 1960s inspired wedding in Glasgow. The bride wears Justin Alexander. Photography by Neil Thomas Douglas.A Beatles and 1960s inspired wedding in Glasgow. The bride wears Justin Alexander. Photography by Neil Thomas Douglas.
A Beatles and 1960s inspired wedding in Glasgow. The bride wears Justin Alexander. Photography by Neil Thomas Douglas.
A Beatles and 1960s inspired wedding in Glasgow. The bride wears Justin Alexander. Photography by Neil Thomas Douglas.
A Beatles and 1960s inspired wedding in Glasgow. The bride wears Justin Alexander. Photography by Neil Thomas Douglas.A Beatles and 1960s inspired wedding in Glasgow. The bride wears Justin Alexander. Photography by Neil Thomas Douglas.A Beatles and 1960s inspired wedding in Glasgow. The bride wears Justin Alexander. Photography by Neil Thomas Douglas.A Beatles and 1960s inspired wedding in Glasgow. The bride wears Justin Alexander. Photography by Neil Thomas Douglas.
A Beatles and 1960s inspired wedding in Glasgow. The bride wears Justin Alexander. Photography by Neil Thomas Douglas.
A Beatles and 1960s inspired wedding in Glasgow. The bride wears Justin Alexander. Photography by Neil Thomas Douglas.
A Beatles and 1960s inspired wedding in Glasgow. The bride wears Justin Alexander. Photography by Neil Thomas Douglas.
A Beatles and 1960s inspired wedding in Glasgow. The bride wears Justin Alexander. Photography by Neil Thomas Douglas.
A Beatles and 1960s inspired wedding in Glasgow. The bride wears Justin Alexander. Photography by Neil Thomas Douglas.
A Beatles and 1960s inspired wedding in Glasgow. The bride wears Justin Alexander. Photography by Neil Thomas Douglas.
A Beatles and 1960s inspired wedding in Glasgow. The bride wears Justin Alexander. Photography by Neil Thomas Douglas.

A girl called Helen Ireland made the cake. She was recommended through a friend. It was one of the parts of the wedding we were most stuck at. It was Clark who ended up designing it. He based it on the Beatles White Album. Instead of The Beatles it said ‘The Gilmours’ and where the limited edition serial number was we put the date of the wedding. Very simple and one of the only Beatles references he managed to sneak in.”

A Beatles and 1960s inspired wedding in Glasgow. The bride wears Justin Alexander. Photography by Neil Thomas Douglas.

“Clark’s sister Claire is very creative and she was amazing at helping to put all of our ideas together and coming up with details on how to set the tables and decorate the various jars we’d saved up to hold the candles. Claire and her husband Paul made the crate for our table plan and she handmade decorations for the top table of wood, parcel paper and old books. She is a total perfectionist and I think she was still running around the venue tweaking things 10 minutes before I arrived. She did a fantastic job.”

A Beatles and 1960s inspired wedding in Glasgow. The bride wears Justin Alexander. Photography by Neil Thomas Douglas.
A Beatles and 1960s inspired wedding in Glasgow. The bride wears Justin Alexander. Photography by Neil Thomas Douglas.

“The room we used for our drinks reception is used as a café by Macmillan Cancer so we decided to give them donation instead of buying favours. However, the name tags were actually home-made bookmarks fitted into a wine cork so everybody had their own bookmark to take away as well as being encouraged to keep any books decorating the tables.”

A Beatles and 1960s inspired wedding in Glasgow. The bride wears Justin Alexander. Photography by Neil Thomas Douglas.

A Beatles and 1960s inspired wedding in Glasgow. The bride wears Justin Alexander. Photography by Neil Thomas Douglas.
A Beatles and 1960s inspired wedding in Glasgow. The bride wears Justin Alexander. Photography by Neil Thomas Douglas.
A Beatles and 1960s inspired wedding in Glasgow. The bride wears Justin Alexander. Photography by Neil Thomas Douglas.

“We hired En Croute Catering – I could not recommend this catering company enough. Apart from amazing food, they made the day run so smoothly. Their tasting session with our mothers with a treat in itself and on the day they did not disappoint. So organised and really go beyond expectations. We brought in our own wine and beer for the drinks reception and meal which was not a problem and they were happy to cater for a few guests with special requirements. Having multiple options for all courses, meant there was something for everybody and we got loads of comments about how good the food was.

Not just bog standard wedding fare but innovate and exciting food served en masse and quickly. Not easy to find! Richy Kenny who was in charge on the day was also happy to act as Master of Ceremonies and helped ensure everything went according to plan.”

A Beatles and 1960s inspired wedding in Glasgow. The bride wears Justin Alexander. Photography by Neil Thomas Douglas.A Beatles and 1960s inspired wedding in Glasgow. The bride wears Justin Alexander. Photography by Neil Thomas Douglas.

“Our first dance was an obscure Beatles song ‘Like Dreamers Do’ It was on an album that Clark used to have on constantly when I first met him and it is one of my favourite Beatles songs. It just reminds me of the excitement of the early days of our relationship and of falling in love. It was made even more special having Clark’s other band members perform it live for us.”

A Beatles and 1960s inspired wedding in Glasgow. The bride wears Justin Alexander. Photography by Neil Thomas Douglas.A Beatles and 1960s inspired wedding in Glasgow. The bride wears Justin Alexander. Photography by Neil Thomas Douglas.
A Beatles and 1960s inspired wedding in Glasgow. The bride wears Justin Alexander. Photography by Neil Thomas Douglas.

“The main thing for us in our wedding was that everyone had fun and had a good party. For our first dance we had chosen a Beatles song ‘Like Dreamers Do’ so we asked Clark’s band ‘Them Beatles’ to sing it for us which was really special. Our band for the rest of the night were ‘Johnny and the Moondogs’ who are amazing.

They cover 50s and 60s favourites followed by a glam rock set where the lead singer Jonny came out wearing a skin tight gold lycra all-in-one complete with 6 inch platform boots!! The dance floor was full most of the night which is all we wanted.”

A Beatles and 1960s inspired wedding in Glasgow. The bride wears Justin Alexander. Photography by Neil Thomas Douglas.
A Beatles and 1960s inspired wedding in Glasgow. The bride wears Justin Alexander. Photography by Neil Thomas Douglas.A Beatles and 1960s inspired wedding in Glasgow. The bride wears Justin Alexander. Photography by Neil Thomas Douglas.

“Our photographer Neil Thomas Douglas and his assistant Fiona were both brilliant. At first when we started planning the wedding I wasn’t too bothered about photos and we weren’t going to have an official photographer. I hate getting my picture taken. Clark has known Neil for years. I kept seeing his pictures on facebook and always thought they were stunning. We met him out one night and after speaking to him for about 5 minutes we had decided we couldn’t not book him. He is so passionate about what he does. His pictures are refreshing and he puts you at ease.

I loved the fact that he didn’t take us away for a long period of time to take pictures and that all the pictures are so natural. Even though him and Fiona were there the whole day you didn’t feel that they were getting in the way and disrupting the flow of the day; they just blended in perfectly with the other guests. One of the first things everyone mentions to us about the wedding is how amazing the pictures were so we’re so glad we did decide to have Neil do our pictures.”

A Beatles and 1960s inspired wedding in Glasgow. The bride wears Justin Alexander. Photography by Neil Thomas Douglas.

Words of Wedded Wisdom

“I would say Pinterest is your friend! Take the time to shop around for things in order to get the best price. Don’t be scared of making your own decorations, favours etc and you don’t have to have a theme as long as the day reflects you and your husband and brings out your personalities. Having so much say and input into the wedding made it all the more special and personal but make sure you rope as many friends and family in as you can.

Be organised, start planning as far in advance as you can, I had lists everywhere. Most important is relax and don’t get too stressed or precious about things. Who cares if you turn up and something doesn’t go to plan, your guests won’t know or care. As long as you all have fun. Just enjoy your day, it goes so fast.”

A Beatles and 1960s inspired wedding in Glasgow. The bride wears Justin Alexander. Photography by Neil Thomas Douglas.

What a beautiful, fun, and really wonderfully photographed wedding. First and foremost, my immense thanks to the couple, Jennifer and Clark, for taking the time to leave such a lovely story for our readers. But my sincere thanks also to photographer Neil Thomas Douglas – whose work I’ve been keen to feature for sometime.

Brides, I’d  love to hear from you if this particular wedding makes a connection with you.  Are you planning on wearing a Justin Alexander gown for your wedding, or are you inspired by the 60’s era in styling your wedding?

Have a gorgeously warm and wonderful morning everyone,

Love Annabel xx

 

Photographer – Neil Thomas Douglas assisted by Fiona Higgins
Ceremony Officiant – Fuze Ceremonies
Venue – The Pearce Institute in Govan, Glasgow
Brides Dress – Justin Alexander from Wedding Wise in Barrhead
Headpiece – ‘Daisy Day’ from Wedding Wise
Shoes – Rachel Simpson Mimosa from Melle Cloche in Glasgow
Perfume – Chanel Allure
Groom – bespoke Jim Forbes suit +  Silk Knit Tie + suede ‘Beatle’ Boots from RGS
Bridesmaid’s Dresses  – Eden in rose and thistle from Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo in East Kilbride
Flower girl Dresses – Olivia Kate Couture on Etsy
Florist – DIY using wholesaler LH flowers
Cake – Via a friend
Transport – 1966 Jaguar mk2 + black and white vw camper van via Waterside Weddings
Entertainment – Them Beatles (The Groom’s band) + Johnny and the Moondogs
Rings – James Porter
Catering Company – En Croute Catering
Hair Stylist – Hair Kirsty Geddes One’s Own Kind
Makeup Artist – Blacklash Make up

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.

5 thoughts on “Pale Green, Pink and Subtle Shades of 60’s Style

  1. Lovely photos! I met Clark at a wedding I photographed at The Savoy in May – the couple had seen Them Beatles perform at a festival a couple of years previously and loved them so much they booked them as their wedding band. He mentioned he’d just got married so it’s lovely to see the photos here.

  2. Love this wedding. Love the sixties theme. Adore the photos and the story of the baby announcement! My favourite photo is of Jennifer and Clark under the red arches, just wonderful. What a wonderful engagement too, and a fabulous wedding. Congrats.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Close
Top