And on to Part 2 of this fabulous, sun-filled, steeped-in-love wedding day – where the fun really starts in terms of styling and decor!
Part 1 can be viewed here. I hope you love this as much as I do 🙂 …
Photograph Copyright (c) 2010, Karen McGowran
Wedding Day Decor…
"We had lots and lots of bunting! 70 metres I think! Some bought, some hired from Elegantly Funky, we also hired vintage china, including tea pots which were dotted around the venue with carnations. We used silk organsa bows on the backs of chairs with a single carnation and each place setting had a Cath Kidston napkin with some vintage ribbon and a single stem carnation – I love carnations, such a spring / summer flower! We had personalised crosswords on each table which guests enjoyed to find such words as ‘Groomzilla’ and ‘Danby’…"
Catering and Cocktails…
"With Carolyn from Danby Castle, we devised a drinks package. I wanted a cocktail for the ladies and coronas for the men. Carolyn served a 1950’s cocktail called kinky pink, which fitted in with our colour scheme. Each cocktail had a raspberry and little drink me signs were scattered around the drink trays."
Wild Bunch of Flowers…
"I first saw Wild Bunch from Sunderland at a wedding fayre at Wynyard Hall where they dressed a banquet table with moss! I loved how different yet beautiful it looked and arranged a meeting then and there. I took my mood board to Lisa from Wild Bunch and we went from there. We had 13 table centre pieces which were a mixture of bought and hired from Elegantly Funky, Table centre-pieces were either, cream vintage watering cans, cream vintage cake stands or vintage bird cages…"
Cake fit for a Castle Wedding…
Kelly-Ann Cakes provided the pretty flower topped fancy below..
"We met Kelly at a wedding fayre at Hardwick Hall, and were blown away with how amazing the cake tasted. I took along some ideas of what we were looking for and together came up with the design, three tier, carrot cake with lemon mouse filling, chocolate cake with an orange cointreau filling and traditional fruit cake. The cake was simple, yet elegant and in-keeping with the vintage feel decorated with large sugar roses."
Fragrant Favours…
"As we did not have a seating plan (three families = seating plan nightmare) we wondered how to give the guests favours, In the end, we set up a favour table, with either Grassmere Gingerbread, Lake-Garda olive oil infused with rosemary and packets of forget me not seeds…"
Sweet Surprises…
"We had lots of surprises throughout the day which I think helped keep the guests entertained. We had a sweetie table which was a huge success, with flying saucers, black jacks and rhubarb and custard to name but a few plus a cupcake tower with little signs saying ‘eat me’ and little pin wheels. Think the adults loved this table more than the children!
I made baskets of rugs for the guests in case they got cold during the evening. I provided heart shaped confetti cones filled with dried rose petals, as a confetti shoot is one of my favourite shots!"
Family Love, Actually…
"Family is very important to Chris and I and children were always going to be a big part of the wedding, we had a section with a very cool ‘No adults allowed sign’ where it was filled with more toys than they could wish for!
Guests were also treated to luxury portable toilets with little baskets of goodies I prepared and the toilets had dvd players playing 'Love Actually'…"
Piped music – in the toilets I tell you!!! How MUCH more thought for her guests could this fabulous Bride have given? Kim, I salute you! 🙂
"I love looking at the photos of when Chris is making his speech, most of the guests were in tears as it was so beautiful what he said. I am just beaming at him with so much love and pride. I honestly feel like the luckiest girl in the world and have done every day since we met."
Kim gave hear weary feet a good rest in the evening, by donning a cute pair of wellies 🙂
Entertainment…
"On arrival at Danby Castle we had a jazz pianist, then my Mum, Step Dad Graham and their friends Mike and Jools, who gig as a folk band, entertained our guests with a 20 minute set with some folk classics such as ‘Dirty old town’. They then gave our instruments to our guests to get them involved in a percussion set! The guests loved this!"
"On the evening we had a DJ (Fat Sound Disco) to play before, during the break and at the end of the night. The band are called ‘The Frantic Sound Collective’ and were amazing! Every one was on the dance floor and enjoyed their folk twist on modern day and some rock classic songs. They even got Chris and Jonathan up for a sing off, very funny!
While the band was on my bridesmaid handed out baskets of glow sticks, glasses, bracelets, ring and necklaces that I had prepared."
Words of Wisdom…
"From when we got engaged to our actual wedding the plans and ideas seem to have changed so much! At first we were set on getting married abroad but then I realised that I couldn’t not have my Grandparents there, they mean the world to me and Chris really wanted to get married in his church. I would say really think as a couple, what do you want out of your wedding day, and talk to each other as much as you can. It was really important to Chris and I for our wedding to be fun, relaxed and informal, a bit like us I would hope! We even had a number of guests take advantage of the camping facilities on site! We wanted our guests to experience a wedding like no other wedding they have been to, as I think we as a couple feel a bit different, quirky and unique and we wanted something that represented us. We are best friends and have been since the day we met, I hope that you can see through our wedding photos, how much we love, care, laugh together and respect each other…"
Kim and Chris danced to 'Iris' by the GooGoo Dolls for their First Dance…
Work that petticoat Kim! Wowsa! 🙂
Perfect. In every way. Every now and then a wedding comes along that fills me with sparkly glittery love and even MORE passion for what I do than normal! Is there anything Kim didn't think of to add a special touch to her big day?
Kim and Chris – huge congratulations to you both for pulling off such a beautiful day, and for remaining so true to your individual style and personalities. You both looked absolutely stunning, and Karen has done a super job in capturing these precious memories. Thank you to to the wonderful Photographer that is Karen McGowran – I can't recommend her highly enough for any North East UK Bride.
To see you out lovely readers, a fabulous Video of Kim and Chris's day, that was shot by Total Memories…
…enjoy!
Much love,
Annabel xXx
♥