Ladies and gents, I am so excited to show you this fabulous wedding. Let me transport you back to Christmas last year when the ground was crisp and the sun was shining low in the sky. Alicia, a textile designer and Sam, a graphic designer tied the knot on the 20th of December 2015 at Owen House Wedding Barn. The couple chose the barn for its unique and quirky character set in the beautiful Cheshire countryside, the perfect setting for their glamorous winter wedding. Damian of DSB Creative has worked his magic and the images are just stunning, capturing the winter light in all its glory. Before we go any further, Alicia and Sam’s gorgeous film by Stark Film Weddings will set your heart alight so if you have a few minutes please take a peek.
“Inspired by vintage glamour, we incorporated nods to past times from my 1920’s inspired bejewelled wedding dress, the long beaded bridesmaids gowns to the collection of vintage inspired faux furs worn. We love the twinkle and magic of Christmas and wanted to evoke that in our styling with rich red berried hues and evergreen amongst accents of metallics, vintage glitz, and twinkly candle light. The rest of our styling was inspired by the rustic barn setting that we fell in love with at Owen House.
Film by Stark Film Wedding
Alicia’s amazing dress and cuff are by Australian Designer Anna Campbell. The bride thought that she wouldn’t be able to get her hands on one of Anna’s dresses until she stumbled upon the one and only UK stockist, Jean Jackson Couture in Manchester’s Northern Quarter.
Photography by DSB Creative
“I fell in love with Anna Campbell‘s beautifully adorned, silken dresses inspired by vintage glamour whilst I was searching online. I had been to a couple of boutiques but as soon as I tried Anna Campbell‘s dresses I fell head over heels and purchased the Miranda style from her Forever Entwined collection. I knew I didn’t want a dress that was too formal and overpowering that looked beautiful but was comfortable to wear. The soft swathes of silk felt beautiful against my skin and it was great to swish about on the dance floor. Jean Jackson Couture hand made my simple waft veil which didn’t detract from the dress.”
The couple met venue stylists Dreamweavers wedding stylists at a wedding fair at the venue. Alicia gathered inspiration for textural flowers in rich colours and Michelle and Heather created the most gorgeous arrangements to fit her vision.
“Dreamweavers‘ work completely took my breath away. Wagon wheel wreaths hung from the centre of the barn, draped in foliage and flowers with beautiful candlelit baubles dangling over head to create a magical atmosphere. They also created a large garland with candles entwined for our top table and ceremony table. We had a mix of floral centrepieces in jars and vases upon rustic log slices set amongst mercury votives on our guests tables. Down either side of the aisle we had large lanterns with draped flowers amongst a dusting of ivory rose petals.”
The bride accessorised with a gorgeous pair of Rachel Simpson shoes, drop earrings by BHLDN and borrowed a Jenny Packham headpiece from a friend. The lovely Carrie Newman did her hair and makeup to reflect the beautiful vintage styling.
Sam wore a striking burgundy three piece tweed suit with a navy polka dot bow tie from Victor Valentine and brown brogues from Dune. His best man and groomsmen also wore tweed suits with coordinating burgundy polka dot bow ties.
“Sam decided he didn’t want anything too formal or traditional, ordering the suit online was a bit of a risk but it was perfect. It was important that Sam also felt just as special as me in his wedding outfit (it’s not just about the bride), so he went for a bold choice and looked fantastic.”
“We met through friends of ours and have been together now for nearly 10 years. Sam finally popped the question on Christmas morning 2014 with the help of my cat Woody who delivered it to me tied to a ribbon around his neck, it was so sweet. We decided to have a Christmas wedding and tied the knot the following year.”
“I travelled to the wedding in a 1930’s style Beauford Tourer from Horgans Cars. My driver was lovely and reassuring, keeping me and my Dad relaxed and calm with funny anecdotes from all the weddings he had been to.”
“I had the pleasure of walking down the aisle with my dear Father to ‘A Thousand Years’ by Christina Perri. We wanted our Mums to have a part in the ceremony too so we asked them both to pick a passage of their choice to read out during the ceremony.
My favourite part of the day was entering the ceremony room with my Dad. I saw all my friends and family there greeting us with smiles, and then my Sam waiting there for me at the end of the aisle, I was hit with a huge wave of love and emotion. It was a euphoric moment that I will never forget.”
“I chose a dainty half eternity ring to sit alongside my delicate, Tiffany & Co. set engagement ring and Sam opted for a simple brushed band with polished edges, both from Preston’s Jewellers in Wilmslow.”
Alicia and Sam chose Damian Brandon of DSB Creative to capture their wedding day.
“We were stunned by Damian’s beautiful, alternative and emotive photography. It was just what we were looking for to mirror our own sense of style. Damian took the time to get to know us and our family and friends and made us all feel very comfortable as he worked his magic behind the lens. He took so many beautiful, natural and candid shots throughout the day and we had great laughs capturing fun shots with our family. Damian then stayed with us all night capturing all the madness on the dance floor. We have a fabulous array of photos from our day and we really couldn’t recommend him highly enough.”
The couple complimented their gorgeous images with a stunning film by Stark Film Weddings.
“James and Richard were recommended to us by friends. They were very discreet and unobtrusive and they created a lovely video that portrays the story of our day perfectly through film.”
“It was important to me that my four bridesmaids all felt comfortable and confident in their outfits. They each wore a different vintage inspired sparkly gown by Aidan Mattox or Adrianna Papell in grey and silver tones. Their look was finished with a grey faux fur stoles from M&S.”
The bride’s niece Charlotte and nephew Lex wore gorgeous outfits from Monsoon complimenting the grown-ups.
“The Rush, our amazingly talented band, had the dance floor packed all night. My highlights were dancing with my Dad and his friends who boogied with us right to the bitter end and showed us how it’s done and Gavin the lead singer getting involved in a sing-a-long with the guests. They are true entertainers.
We chose ‘These Arms of Mine’ by Otis Redding for our first Dance as it’s a beautiful track from one of Sam’s favourite Motown artists and from ‘Dirty Dancing’, one of our favourite 80’s movies. It also has a lovely melody that we felt comfortable dancing to.”
Words of Wedded Wisdom
“Don’t try and do it all yourself. Planning a wedding is a full time job that can be emotionally and financially stressful so give up some control and let your friends and family help. In hindsight I would have done this sooner so Sam and I had time to relax together in the lead up to our wedding. Try and take time out away from all the hustle to reflect on the day and spend a personal moment together enjoying being newlyweds and appreciating all your efforts. I loved looking out from the top table at everyone enjoying themselves and knowing that they were all there to celebrate us. Moments like make the small things pale into insignificance and you really appreciate the magical experience of your special day.”
Thank you so much to the lovely Alicia and Sam for sharing your beautiful wedding with us. Huge thanks also to Damian of DSB Creative for the stunning images.
Are any of you planning a winter wedding? Please drop us a note in the comments box and tell us all about it. You can find more gorgeous inspiration here.
Love Caoimhe xx
Photographer – DSB Creative
Film – Stark Film Weddings
Venue – Owen House Wedding Barn
Wedding Dress – Anna Campbell
Veil – Jean Jackson Couture
Headpiece – Acacia by Jenny Packham
Shoes – Gardenia by Rachel Simpson
Accessories – BHLDN Earrings + Anna Campbell Cuff
Bride’s Scent/perfume – Alien by Thierry Mugler
Groom – Victor Valentine + Dune
Bridesmaids – Aidan Mattox + Adrianna Papell + M&S
Flowergirl – Monsoon
Page Boy – Monsoon
Florist – Dreamweavers
Cake – Vanilla in AllSeasons
Transport – Horgans Cars
Entertainment – The Rush
Rings – Tiffany & Co. + Preston’s Jewellers, Wilmslow
Catering – Vanilla in AllSeasons
Hair Stylist and Makeup Artist – Carrie Newman
Caoimhe Anderson View all Caoimhe's articles
Caoimhe will never tire of beautiful wedding dress and a blooming flower crown. When she's not lusting after a gorgeous wedding she will be trying new vegetarian recipes, knitting very slowly or capturing a pink sunset from behind a camera lens.
Those flowers!! I love love love the rich tones and twinkly lights it’s making me all festive. Congratulations to the newlyweds, I hope the first six months of marriage have been as beautiful as your winter wedding x x x
A glamorous yet cosy winter wedding. Nothing can go wrong with a beautiful dress, wonderful venue and festoon lighting, oh and a great photographer to capture it all! My favourite photo is when Alicia meets Sam at the bottom of the aisle. The look on her face is gorgeous! Congratulations guys xx