Paper Cranes and Pretty Flowers for an English Summer Tea Party Style Wedding

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Hello lovelies, here's a late afternoon treat for you – one to read later this evening in the comfort of your own bed if you don't gave time right now.  Vicky a retired Civil Servant, now full time student, married her beau, Simon, on on 1st August last year at The Hospitium in York. This is the best ‘how did they meet’ and most unconventional proposal story ever – sure to put a smile on your face (or make you laugh out loud like it did me!).

“We were engaged for about 17 months.  Straight away we both knew that we wanted a venue that was historical and full of character, mainly due to the fact we live in York which has a very rich history.  As for the theme, we didn’t really have a fixed idea of what we wanted.  I only knew I didn’t want to be fixed on a particular colour and co-ordinate everything around that.  We agreed on blue/green colours and then later on, after browsing on various websites and blogs, we became drawn to the shabby chic, English summer tea party aesthetic.

We saw some things we liked but due to practicalities or costs, we adapted those ideas to come up with something unique which showed our characters.  I am a bookworm, love my tea, Simon is an antiques buff and enjoys origami (or more accurately likes the idea of it as I did most of the origami birds!).  It was all quite ad hoc and came together quite nicely in the end.  Neither of us wanted our day to be about bling or showing off.  It was and still is all about us.”

Photography Copyright (c) 2014, Georgina Harrison

Colourful paper cranes // English summer tea party wedding // Georgina Harrison Photography

“Simon and I are both deaf and first met in a dark nightclub years ago.  He was extremely drunk and I was not at all impressed with him.  He took a fancy to me and decided to chat me up with the following – ‘have I seen you somewhere before, what’s your name?’, and prising my lips open, tapping at my teeth while declaring that I had the most lovely teeth he had ever seen ‘just like a horse’. Yes these exact words.  I slapped him and stomped off in a huff.  Unfortunately it gets worse.

The club was a fairly small place jam packed with deaf people so we would bump into each other again repeatedly through the night.  He had lost all his short term memory due to the drink so every  time he saw me, he would grab me, go through the whole ‘Have I seen you before?’ and ‘you have beautiful teeth’ speech again.  And again."

Colourful paper cranes // English summer tea party wedding // Georgina Harrison Photography

"After the 5th or 6th time, I had enough so when I saw him coming for the final time, I just put my hand in his face and said ‘yes you have seen me before, my name is Vicky and yes I have beautiful teeth, just like a horse!’  His face was priceless! ☺ Our respective friends said it was the most hilarious pulling attempt/rejection scene they had ever seen.  I didn’t speak to him for 4 years despite his best efforts to apologise for his drunken behaviour, until we met again at a Halloween party. 

We got talking and realised that our mothers went to the same deaf school and that we had actually met as children since our parents used to socialise together.”

Colourful paper cranes // English summer tea party wedding // Georgina Harrison Photography

“We literally spent the whole night talking in a cellar till the sun came up and that’s when I knew he was for me and vice versa.  We moved in together and then 10 moths or so later his 3 children (Jasmine, Aaron and Tyler) from a previous relationship moved in with us full time, and then 3 days before Xmas in 2010, we had a surprise addition, a little girl called Eva, to complete the family. 

I took the leap of faith and proposed to him on 29th Feb 2012.  I got fed up of waiting for him to get a move on after 6 yrs together.  It was the most unromantic of proposals hehehe!  I spent the whole day winding him up about it being a leap year day.  I was dropping huge hints while browsing the web re dresses and rings etc.  He had the frightened deer caught in headlights look about him!  Anyway, I was on my Facebook in the evening and had discovered that I could change my relationship status to ‘engaged’ so I pointed this out to Simon and he said ‘you can’t change it until you actually ask me!’ So I did – and was taken aback when he said yes."

Colourful paper cranes // English summer tea party wedding // Georgina Harrison Photography

“My dress was by Pearce II Fionda via Debenhams.  It fitted me perfectly, the loose style meant comfort for me (thank god as on the day it was around 34C at some point and we were all sweltering) and no pressure to monitor my curves.  Last thing I wanted was to become a bridezilla obsessing about my weight, which is already healthy anyway.  I also didn’t want to spend a fortune on a dress I'll only wear once.

I made my hair accessory myself.  I went to a fair and fell in love with a similar piece which cost around £100, beyond my means. So bought materials and spent many a night stitching each bead myself.  The cost in all was around £15.”

Colourful paper cranes // English summer tea party wedding // Georgina Harrison Photography

Colourful paper cranes // English summer tea party wedding // Georgina Harrison Photography

Colourful paper cranes // English summer tea party wedding // Georgina Harrison Photography

Colourful paper cranes // English summer tea party wedding // Georgina Harrison Photography

Colourful paper cranes // English summer tea party wedding // Georgina Harrison Photography

“I made a set of origami paper cranes to hang above tables as a table marker, bunting, fluffy pom poms as clouds, the table plan was inspired by someone elses design on Pinterest and ended up as a mini gardenscape in a crate.  The suitcase was from a junk shop and refurbished by moi.  We used it as a collection box for cards etc.  At the end of the night, we closed up the suitcase and Simon carried it out of the venue to take with us on our mini-moon.  He looked quite dapper in his suit and vintage case.  The case is now our Wedding Memory Box, to store all our keepsakes.”

Colourful paper cranes // English summer tea party wedding // Georgina Harrison Photography

“Our photographer was Georgina Harrison.  Georgina really captured the essence of our wedding and marriage which is simply happiness and pure joy. We have beautiful memories that we can look at when we are old and doddery.”

Colourful paper cranes // English summer tea party wedding // Georgina Harrison Photography


Colourful paper cranes // English summer tea party wedding // Georgina Harrison Photography

Colourful paper cranes // English summer tea party wedding // Georgina Harrison Photography

Colourful paper cranes // English summer tea party wedding // Georgina Harrison Photography

Colourful paper cranes // English summer tea party wedding // Georgina Harrison Photography

Colourful paper cranes // English summer tea party wedding // Georgina Harrison Photography

Colourful paper cranes // English summer tea party wedding // Georgina Harrison Photography

Colourful paper cranes // English summer tea party wedding // Georgina Harrison Photography

Colourful paper cranes // English summer tea party wedding // Georgina Harrison Photography

“I walked myself down the aisle – I am my own woman!  In fact,  I practically ran down the aisle, so eager and nervous I was!

Our daughter Jasmine read a poem during the ceremony, it was called ‘On Your Wedding Day’ (Anon);

‘On your wedding Day
Author Unknown
Today is a day you will always remember
The greatest in anyone’s life
You’ll start off the day just two people in love
And end it as Husband and Wife
It’s a brand new beginning the start of a journey
With moments to cherish and treasure
And although there’ll be time when you both disagree
These will surely be outweighed by pleasure
You’ll have heard many words of advice in the past
When the secrets of marriage were spoken
But you know that the answers lie hidden inside
Where the bond of true love lies unbroken
So live happy forever as lovers and friends
It’s the dawn of a new life for you
As you stand there together with love in your eyes
From the moment you whisper ‘I do’
And with luck, all your hopes, and your dreams can be real
May success find its way to your hearts
Tomorrow can bring you the greatest of joys
But today is the day it all starts’."

Colourful paper cranes // English summer tea party wedding // Georgina Harrison Photography

Colourful paper cranes // English summer tea party wedding // Georgina Harrison Photography

Colourful paper cranes // English summer tea party wedding // Georgina Harrison Photography

Colourful paper cranes // English summer tea party wedding // Georgina Harrison Photography

Colourful paper cranes // English summer tea party wedding // Georgina Harrison Photography

Colourful paper cranes // English summer tea party wedding // Georgina Harrison Photography

Colourful paper cranes // English summer tea party wedding // Georgina Harrison Photography

Colourful paper cranes // English summer tea party wedding // Georgina Harrison Photography

Colourful paper cranes // English summer tea party wedding // Georgina Harrison Photography

Colourful paper cranes // English summer tea party wedding // Georgina Harrison Photography

“We wanted an English garden tea party-esque style for our cake.   Simon and I do not like fruit cake and saw no point in having a fancy cake we didn’t even like to eat.  We asked for cupcakes as they are much easier to distribute and also Gilly is lactose intolerant so Sarah kindly made a single dairy free cupcake with Gillys name on it!  Very happy lady there! 

The centrepiece of a Victorian cream sponge topped with summer fruits brought the whole thing together.”

Colourful paper cranes // English summer tea party wedding // Georgina Harrison Photography

“Our caterers were Bradshaws of York.  In discussions with them, we said we wanted a wild summer garden feel, nothing too formal at all.  I wanted to bring in a little bit of the outdoors into the venue (esp if it rained ☺).  We provided the jam jars and the little astroturf mats and they came up trumps.

We went for a cold fork buffet in order to be able to cater for all the picky eaters amongst our guests."

Colourful paper cranes // English summer tea party wedding // Georgina Harrison Photography

Colourful paper cranes // English summer tea party wedding // Georgina Harrison Photography

Colourful paper cranes // English summer tea party wedding // Georgina Harrison Photography

"Our first dance was to ‘How sweet it is to be loved by you’ by James Taylor.  Since we are both deaf, we never really had an ‘our song’ as such.  So I trailed through so many websites offering up ideas and listening carefully and reading the lyrics.  When we came across this, the tempo was perfect and the lyrics said it all for us.  Now it is ‘Our Song’ ☺  We even had private dance lessons to make sure we danced perfectly in time to the song.

If I had to choose which was my favourite part of the day, I'd say the first dance.  I had got Simon all to myself for the first time in the day, no one pressing their congratulations on us, or drawing us in conversation. It was just him and me, and I forgot everyone else in the room.”

Colourful paper cranes // English summer tea party wedding // Georgina Harrison Photography

Words of Wedded Wisdom…

"Go with the flow, don’t obsess on details or become fixated on a particular theme/colour.  Be flexible and adapt, and things will come together and become unique to you.  Just remember, the day is all about marrying your true love, expressing your love and joy in each other and not about anyone else at all."

Colourful paper cranes // English summer tea party wedding // Georgina Harrison Photography

What a lovely family focused day, I love how this little family have been captured looking so happy. Congratulations to you Vicky and Simon! And thanks also to photographer Georgina Harrison.

Is anyone planning a wedding similar in colour and style to this one?

Love Annabel

Heart

 

Photographer – Georgina Harrison
Venue – The Hospitium in York
Brides Dress – Pearce II Fionda via Debenhams
Brides headpiece – Made by the bride
Brides Shoes – Pink by Paradox
Groom – Suits Direct
Bridesmaids – Henkaa
Flowergirl Dresses – Roco Clothing
Young men – M&S suits, Waistcoats/ties from Tesco + Next shoes
Florist – Garden of Eden
Cake – Baby Cakes
Cars/Transport – American Pie Limos
Rings – Chapelle Jewellers
Hair Stylist – Edward Charles of York (on Walmgate)

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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.

3 thoughts on “Paper Cranes and Pretty Flowers for an English Summer Tea Party Style Wedding

  1. I love this wedding! I especially enjoyed reading the bride’s account, so funny, honest & refreshing, like a breath of fresh air. Haha I’ve been laughing about the horse teeth! Thanks for writing it 🙂

  2. We loved this wedding at the Hospitium! All the decorations were so cleverly made by Vicky and looked beautiful. It was a pleasure working with such a lovely couple!

    Georgina captured the wedding so well too. It was a very happy day and a wedding that I will always remember. If only for hanging up all those origami birds 🙂

  3. The engagement part of this story made me smile so much! Absolutely lovely, and totally romantic in it’s own way!

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