One of my favourite things to do is to visit galleries and museums, and I’ve spent many a happy hour in Manchester Art Gallery. I was thrilled then to see that today’s splendid celebration includes a ceremony there.
Meet Katie and Joe, who were married on Saturday 5 May 2018. Their city wedding is the latest addition to our wedding blog – a celebration with a brilliant, cultural twist – as well as a gorgeous ceremony at Manchester Art Gallery, they continued the revelry at Spanish restaurant Tapeo & Wine. The ceremony venue choice reflected Katie’s background, studying art and the reception was a nod to Joe’s Spanish heritage. We’ve admired the bohemian, free spirit of British brand Monsoon at Love My Dress for a long time, and we’re proud to recommend them through our Little Book Wedding Directory, our directory of excellent wedding suppliers. Katie chose an elegant, sleeveless embroidered gown with a simple scoop neckline and beautiful puddle train.
“I only tried on three dresses and knew quite early on this was the one for me. I loved the detail of the embroidery and the high neckline but slightly lower back.”
Images by Clara Cooper Photography
Katie’s chic bridesmaids chose their own dresses in the softest of dove grey shades from ASOS.
“I wanted them to be individual and wear something that they felt great in.”“I studied art in Edinburgh and we often visit galleries during our travels, plus not long after we got engaged we had a date at the gallery and we knew instantly it was the perfect location. In contrast, we wanted something to reflect Joe’s heritage, so given that he’s half Spanish and we had enjoyed meals at Tapeo, it was an obvious choice for the next part of the celebrations.”
“Together they were the perfect combination for us and somewhere we could visit again and again.”
On her feet Katie wore ivory sandals with a sparkly ankle strap from Benjamin Adams.
“I wanted something that added a touch of sparkle, but that I could dance all night in.”
I love the make-up look that Louise Penny O’Callaghan created for Katie – a subtly smoky pink eye shadow paired with a sugary pop of pink on the lips.
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Paired with Katie’s chic ponytail pleat there were pretty pearl and marcasite hair pins (no details supplied), and a piece of jewellery as her ‘something borrowed’ with a beautiful story attached to it.
“I wore Chanel Coco Mademoiselle. Joe and I went for breakfast together the day before the wedding and it was a gift from him. You know when a scent takes you back to a time and place? Well this does just that and I knew I wanted to remember my wedding day every time I wore it again.”
“I don’t normally wear much jewellery, so I wanted to keep it simple. My ‘something borrowed’ was from my mum; a beautiful locket my late dad gave to her on one of their first dates.”
“It opens up to show a handwritten note from him saying ‘With all my love.’ It meant the world to me.”
Joe wore a classic three-piece suit in navy blue by Paul Costelloe with a smart white bow tie and pocket square from Mrs Bow Tie and black Oxfords from Jones Bootmaker. As well as this, Katie sweetly says he also wore “a permanent smile.”
Hand in hand, Katie and her mum, Trish walked down the aisle to an instrumental version of Here Comes The Sun by The Beatles. What a stunning setting in which to exchange vows – that lovely and light gallery space filled with art.
“In the lead up to the wedding, it was the ceremony that we were both the most excited for. We knew we wanted to make the most of it and include the friends and family that were important to us.”
The flowers, by Maybe May were a wonderful combination of soft pastel pink and white combined with vibrant bursts of blooming loveliness.
“To fit in with the mix of cultures, we knew we wanted roses and other typically English flowers, but with the use of bright colours to represent the Spanish element. Grace did a brilliant job at doing just that. We were so pleased with the flowers! They really pulled everything together and added such a pop, but in a classic way.”
The couple chose three readings – Love Is Not To Possess by James Kavanaugh, I’ll Be There For You by Louise Cuddon and lastly, a Spanish love poem.
“We really thought about the readings and chose these three because they resonated with our now, and summed up the life we hope for in the future whilst bringing a bit of fun and laughter to the ceremony.”
All of the sweetness and joy of the day was effortlessly captured by Lucy of Clara Cooper Photography, whose excellent work we’ve featured previously on Love My Dress. There’s such vibrancy and energy in these images – they’re just enchanting.
“We would recommend Lucy in a heartbeat! From the minute we met her, we knew we wanted her to be our photographer. She captured the day in a way that was better than we could have imagined and simply felt like another guest. So lovely and talented.”
“When we woke up on the morning of the wedding, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky and everyone kept telling us how lucky we had got with the weather. Looking back, we are so happy we chose to have our ceremony later in the afternoon. The day leading up was so relaxed and it also meant we caught that awesome dusk light that made for some fab photos. Lucy grabbed us quickly during the canapes, before the sun completely set to have an impromptu photoshoot on one of the busiest streets in Manchester. People were walking past and shouting ‘Congratulations!’ It was all a bit surreal but we look back and laugh about it now.”
“Dinner and dancing was at Tapeo & Wine, an independent Spanish tapas restaurant in Manchester. We’re both big foodies so the food was really important to us. We knew we wanted to have long banquet tables so everyone could be together and we could be in the middle of things.”
“Tapeo & Wine went above and beyond to make the evening special for us. The wine flowed and there was more tapas than anyone could handle! We had so many compliments on the food and the service; it was one of our favourite parts of the day.”
Talented Maid of Honour Abi was responsible for the beautiful stationery and calligraphy, and Katie and Joe chose table names inspired by the places they have travelled to together. Tables were decorated with flowers and paper confetti hearts, with wooden laser cut place settings (no details supplied).
The amazing three-tier cake was made for the couple by their friend Chloe Herbert, and decorated with jewel-like organic edible flowers from Maddocks Farm Organics.
“We liked the idea of bringing a pop of colour to the wedding so much we asked our talented friend Chloe to create a cake for us using organic edible flowers…we chose a lemon flavour because it is one of our favourites! It was delicious and we ate it for breakfast the next day before our flight to New York!”
“Our first dance was to Dancing in the Moonlight by Toploader. It just instantly makes us happy and takes us to memories of sun and sand.”
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Words of Wedded Wisdom
“When planning your wedding, just be you. Your friends and family will love you even more for it. Delegate. People are more than willing to help. I thoroughly enjoyed planning the wedding but it was lovely to ask my friends and family for help. It created special moments in the lead up to the day.”
On the day: Don’t stress about the small stuff. If something doesn’t go according to plan, chances are you’ll be the only one who knows. Relax and enjoy – it really is a whirlwind!”
Thank you Katie and Joe for this glimpse into your bright and beautiful day in Manchester, it’s been a treat. Many thanks also to Lucy at Clara Cooper Photography for these incredible images.
Until next time!
With love,
Laura
Credits & Thanks
- Photography - Clara Cooper Photography
- Ceremony - Manchester Art Gallery
- Reception + Food - Tapeo & Wine
- Katie's Gown - Monsoon + Shoes - Benjamin Adams
- Hair and Make Up - Louise Penny O'Callaghan
- Bridesmaid's Dresses - ASOS
- Flowers - Maybe May
- Joe's Suit - Paul Costelloe + Bow Tie + Pocket Square - Mrs Bow Tie + Shoes - Jones Bootmaker
- Edible Flowers - Maddocks Farm Organics
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.
