A Lusan Mandongus Gown for an Elegant Spring Wedding At Walcot Hall

Hello bridal beauties, how are you today? Once again we offer our huge apologies for the lateness of our first Wednesday post – we’ve sadly fallen foul of the repercussions of last week’s DNS attack on major sites across the internet, but we’re keeping fingers firmly crossed that everything is back to normal now. We know that many of our readers look forward to their early morning wedding blog fix – so we’re really sorry to have kept you waiting.

It’s starting to get really chilly now isn’t it? I’m living in a combination of my dressing gown or snuggly, chunky oversized knits. And still putting off turning the heating on. You’ve joined us for such a treat today; it’s my very great pleasure to be bringing you the lovely spring wedding of Sarah and Ronnie – two of the happiest, smiliest newlyweds I have ever seen. Sarah, an Internal Recruiter for Grant Thornton, married Ronnie, an Air Traffic Controller at Liverpool Airport on 23rd April 2016 at Walcot Hall in Shropshire. Their day is simply full to bursting with ear-splitting grins, pretty fresh flowers, a very cute furry guest and all documented in such joy-filled captures courtesy of the talented Jackson & Co Photography.

“We just loved the relaxed vibe and rustic style of Walcot Hall. We fell in love with the dog friendly culture the second we saw the venue. We loved the fact that we could have all of our guests for a full weekend to celebrate together in the beautiful surroundings. Walcot will always have a place in our heart – we have already spent two holidays, a wedding and attended the opera there in the past two years.”

Photography by Jackson & Co Photography

Sarah wore a lace-detailed Lusan Mandongus gown; its delicate neckline and sheer scallop-edged train are simply beautiful. These super feminine elegant dresses are so popular with our lovely brides and it’s easy to see why. Sarah’s glossy dark locks were half swept up with colourful blooms supplied by florist Sarah Midwood and our bride sentimentally wore a necklace that her dad gave to her mum on their wedding day.“My dress was by Lusan Mandongus, which I bought from Adele at Dolly Blue Bridal. Adele is lovely and has a beautiful shop with a number of stunning vintage dresses. I chose my dress because of the detail, the comfort and it made my mother cry (which is a rarity).”

Sarah’s pretty hairstyle was crafted by Emma West Hair & Beauty, the swept back style showing off her beautiful smile and soft, rosy make-up applied by Hannah Feely.

And a spritz of her favourite perfume, Chanel Chance was the perfect finishing touch.

Sarah walked down the aisle towards her sweet husband to the very fitting ‘Marry Me’ by Train. She and Ronnie exchanged rings from Goldsmiths, Sarah’s sitting alongside her engagement ring, which was bought in New Zealand from a family run jewellers.

“We met six years ago on a night out in Shrewsbury. I had just completed my CIPD and was on a night out to celebrate, and Ronnie had recently left the RAF where he was based in Shawbury to move down to Bournemouth and had come back up for a football tournament and reunion.”

“We had a long distance relationship for a year before we relocated and moved in together and got a dog. We got engaged sixteen months before our wedding while on a six week trip to Australia and New Zealand.”

“Ronnie proposed while on a sailing trip around the Whit Sunday Islands.”

“We asked our friends to choose the readings as a surprise, which worked perfectly. Lyndsey read the lyrics to David Bowie’s ‘Absolute Beginners’ and Becca read Edward Monkton’s – Love Monkey.”

“The ceremony was our favourite moment of the day, it was just so emotional and it just showed how much we loved each other and our friends and family. Ronnie’s reaction was just epic. My mum and dad were an inspiration and I have so much love for my bridesmaids and Ronnie’s boys. The readings were just perfect. Everyone had so much love in their hearts for us.”

Soft blue strapless bridesmaids dresses from Debenhams perfectly complement the springtime feel, set off beautifully by pretty lilac and white bouquets. Sarah’s best girls wore wild dried flowers in their hair from The Artisan Dried Flower Company, while her very dashing husband donned a textured suit from Jennis & Warmann. I just love that material against the fresh buttonhole and patterned lilac tie.

“Our florist was Flowers by Sarah Jane Midwood, who was amazing; the most kind and lovely woman you could meet. The flowers were stunning, wild and perfect for the venue. She listened to what we wanted and delivered a result beyond our expectations. Just beautiful.”

I have to admit to shedding a few emotional tears when I first saw Ronnie’s reaction as Sarah walked towards him on the arm her dad – he’s just so overcome with emotion. The couple’s photographer has so perfectly captured this incredibly beautiful and poignant moment (and so many others), which the couple are sure to treasure forever. The talented Michael has captured some truly beautiful weddings, which have graced the pages of our beloved blog.

“We used Jackson & Co Photography and we simply cannot recommend Jacko enough. We met at a different wedding in Croatia and were totally smitten. You couldn’t ask for a more genuine, lovable character for your special day, and he truly has a special talent for wedding photography. He has captured every moment with such delicate skill that every time we look through our amazing photographs we relive, the love, laughter, happiness and emotion of our special day.” 

“Jacko also prolonged the wedding bubble with his beautiful blogs, which made us feel like the most special bride and groom in the world. If you can manage to book him (he’s in high demand!) it will be one of the best decisions you could possibly make for your day. Without a single hesitation we would (and will) recommend him to everyone we know who’s in the market for a photographer. Stunning is an understatement and we will cherish these photos forever. Thank you Michael!”

Walcot Hall is a truly beautiful venue and it certainly captured the hearts of Sarah and Ronnie.

Its turquoise ballroom and eclectic furnishings are complemented beautifully by an abundance of pretty springtime blooms and sweet rustic touches – all oozing the laid-back, relaxed feel that was so important to the couple.

After the ‘I Do’s’, and a series of photographs against the gorgeous backdrop of Walcot Hall’s thirty acres, Sarah, Ronnie and their beaming guests sat down to a wedding breakfast catered by Roslin Catering. And Ronnie’s talented family were the creative force behind those scrummy-looking cupcakes.

“Ronnie’s sister Belinda and her daughter Daisy made our beautiful carrot and vanilla cupcakes.”

The newlyweds hired band Motown Gold, who really seem to have set the party atmosphere if the happy, smiling faces of Sarah and Ronnie’s guests are anything to go by. The couple picked such an upbeat, lovely song for their first dance, with a weight of history and meaning behind it. I just know I’m going to be humming it under my breath all day and driving my colleagues mad!

“We picked Stevie Wonder’s ‘For Once in My Life’ for our first dance. On our first date we went strawberry picking, on the way this song came on and it was a beautiful sunny day, we had the windows down and just sung the song at the top of our lungs. It has been ‘our song’ ever since.”

Words of Wedded Wisdom

“Don’t worry about the detail, don’t lose sight of the reasons you are getting married, spend some time on the day just you and your husband or wife, to really appreciate how lucky you are. Eat, drink, dance and be merry. (On reflection I would have drunk less). Don’t sweat the small stuff.”

Oh Sarah that did make me chuckle, thank you ever so much for that wonderful reminder of what weddings are really all about. I fully intend to drink (probably a bit too much), eat (definitely way too much), be (very) merry and at least attempt an ill-coordinated dance when I tie the knot.

Thank you so much to the lovely Sarah and Ronnie for allowing us to share your beautiful, relaxed spring wedding with us all – I’m so grateful for this happy little Wednesday pick-me-up. And of course our very heartfelt thanks to the talented Jackson & Co Photography for these absolutely joy-filled images; I just couldn’t help but smile when I first opened this gorgeous set of captures and I’m still grinning as a write to you all now.

We’re coming up to the time when the next round of winter and spring weddings don’t seem so far away (how exciting!) so here’s some gorgeous inspo for all you winter brides and springtime lovelies. I hope Sarah and Ronnie’s glorious April celebrations fill you with joy – I can practically smell the fresh spring blooms.

Have a lovely day dear readers,

Em x