Happy Friday readers! Today’s elegant cathedral wedding radiates joy and provides heaps of inspiration for those of you who are considering a festive winter wedding. Becky, a Masters student and Tim, a Physiotherapist, were lucky enough to hold both their ceremony and reception at Gloucester’s grand Cathedral on the 30th of December 2014.
“I am a Shropshire girl born and bred and had always dreamed of marrying locally. However when we realised it might be possible to get married in Gloucester Cathedral (Tim was a chorister there in his younger days) we decided to push the door and see if it opened; to our amazement, it did.”
Photography Copyright (c) 2015, Ruth Atkinson
“It was wonderful getting married at the end of December, with the magic of Christmas and the glitz of New Year celebrations just around the corner. The Cathedral was decked out in fabulous Christmas decorations including three giant Christmas trees.
We chose a gold and cream colour scheme which provided an air of celebration.”
I love the glamorous, gold sequinned bridesmaids dress by Quiz. Continuing the pearl theme, Becky made each bridesmaid a pair of pearl earrings and gave them each a vintage style pearl bracelet from Highland Angel via Not on the High Street.
“I wanted my bridesmaids to wear something they felt great in. They are all really beautiful people and I wanted them to sparkle on the day.”
Becky purchased her elegant Alan Hannah ‘Ellie’ gown from Mears Ghyll Bridal Rooms in Lancashire. Becky fell in love with the gown’s pearl neckline, low back and long train which suited the grand surroundings of the Cathedral down to the ground!
“At first I had absolutely no idea what kind of dress to go for, so I tried on lots of different styles which was a lot of fun. I opted for a ‘big’ dress because you can only really get away with wearing one on your wedding day! I loved the gown’s classical elegance and felt it fitted really well with the cathedral venue.”
“Our photographer Ruth Atkinson was nothing short of fabulous; I couldn’t have asked for a better photographer! She captured so many moments and took notice of all the little details. She was great in the run up to the wedding which helped to make the day itself run with ease. She became a friend as well as our photographer.”
Pre ceremony nerves – I’m sure many of you can identify with the emotions captured in this image!
Along with her mum and grandma, Becky spent an afternoon customising a pre bought veil (cathedral length, naturally!) with pearls and diamantes “so that it would shimmer in the low cathedral lighting”. Our bride accessorised with a bevy of pretty pearls, including pearl earrings from Alan Hannah, a pearl necklace, worn by both her mother and her grandma on their own wedding days and the pearl bracelet Tim gave her for their engagement.
“I had my hair done by the wonderful Nicole at the Stuart Holmes Salon in Cheltenham. Together we talked through many different options and with ease and professionalism she turned my hair into a masterpiece. My make up was applied by one of my best friends, Georgia Adams. She made me look and feel so special and it was lovely spending the morning of the wedding with a good friend.”
“Tim and I met through friends while studying at the University of Birmingham. Two years later, one Sunday in late June 2014, Tim whisked me off for a picnic in Evesham. When we arrived Tim announced that we were going rowing (I used to row regularly). We hopped into an old school rowing boat and rowed down the river to an isolated spot where Tim got down on one knee.
My first thought was ‘oh my days, we are going to capsize!’ Thankfully we didn’t and with much excitement I said ‘yes’. Tim produced a Haribo ring and explained that he had secretly booked me the next two days off work to search for the real thing. Afterwards we climbed a hill nearby and watched the sun set. He then turned to me and said ‘I couldn’t leave you with just a Haribo ring so I got you this…. I’d really like you to wear it on our wedding day.’ I opened the box and inside was a beautiful pearl bracelet strung onto silk!”
Accompanied by her father, Becky walked down the aisle to Handel’s ‘The Arrival of Queen of Sheba’, the same piece of music her mother walked down the aisle to on her own wedding day.
“Walking down the aisle was amazing; the atmosphere in the Cathedral was magical and I was so excited to see Tim.”
“Tim and I are both Christians and we really wanted this to be a central element of the wedding, so we chose readings and songs which incorporated this. During the ceremony we had three Bible readings; Ephesians 2:8-10, Colossians 3:12-17 and 1 John 4:7-19. These three passages sum up the basis of our faith, a central component of our lives and our marriage.”
“One of my favourite parts of the day was when the choir sung during the ceremony! Tim had organised all the music and gathered together a wonderful bunch of very talented singing friends. They sang two pieces; ‘May the Lord Bless You and Keep You’ and ‘This is the Day’, both by John Rutter. They really raised the roof!
After the ceremony, The Sons of Pitches (an a capella group Tim was a part of during university) performed while the guests enjoyed mulled wine and canapés. Tim even sang a couple of songs!”
Becky and Tim asked Cheltenham based florists Bumblebeez, to mix seasonal foliage with white roses and silk peonies.
“We opted for white roses, sprigs of red berries, fir and rosemary (which smelled fabulous). To this we added handmade silk peonies (since they are my favourite flowers and the real thing is out of season in winter). Bumblebeez wrapped the stems with gold silk ribbon and pinned them with pearls. They did a brilliant job, especially given that flowers are not usually shipped to the UK between Christmas and New Year”
“Coleshill Catering were fantastic; a real gem! They dealt with every request we threw at them and were incredibly good value for money.”
Becky and Tim opted for a gold and cream colour scheme and decorated the cathedral with festive wreaths of holly and mistletoe as well as candelabras, homemade gold bunting and jewels.
“In each room we had a Christmas tree, pine fir swags around the door frames and bannisters and candles in gold jam jars. We hung gold jewels from all the lights and suspended handmade ‘Mr and Mrs Barsellotti’ bunting behind the main table. We also had mistletoe hanging from all the doors, spreading the romance!”
“My mother made a five tier fruit, sponge, chocolate, lemon and carrot cake! Dorothea, one of my bridesmaids, then decorated the cake with handmade flowers and gold lace icing she had brought over from Germany, her home country.”
im and Becky enjoyed their first dance as Mr and Mrs Barsellotti to the sounds of ‘L.O.V.E’ by Nat King Cole:
“It’s a great tune to dance to and was played live by some of our very talented musical friends. At the end Tim picked me up and spun me around – not an easy feat in my dress but it was so much fun!
For the evening celebrations, my talented uncle and cousins pulled together a barn dance band for us. Everyone got stuck into dancing and I even managed a couple in my dress!
At the end of the night, we ran through a tunnel of sparklers held by our guests on the way to our getaway car (a vintage convertible MG). It was so exciting waving goodbye to everyone as Tim drove us away into the night!”
Words of Wedded Wisdom:
“If I had one piece of advice it would be, get people involved! So many friends and family members have skills and talents and it makes the day so much more personal, knowing that they have helped pull it together!”
A big thank you to Becky and Tim for sharing their beautiful wedding and to Ruth Atkinson for capturing in such stunning detail. If you would like to see more inspiring festive Christmas weddings here.
Wishing you a wonderful Valentine’s weekend!
Annora x
Photographer – Ruth Atkinson
Venue – Gloucester Cathedral
Wedding Dress – Ellie by Alan Hannah via Mears Ghyll Bridal Rooms
Shoes – Phase Eight high heels + Nine West mid heels + Accessorize flats
Accessories – Alan Hannah pearl earrings,
Bride’s Scent/perfume – Flowerbomb by Viktor & Rolf
Groom – Moss Bros suit
Bridesmaids – Quiz dresses + accessories via Not on The High Street + handmade by the bride
Florist – Bumblebeez
Cake – Made and decorated by the bride’s mum and bridesmaid
Transport – Bride’s granddad’s Classic Rover 75 + vintage convertible MG
Entertainment – A capella group; The Sons of Pitches
Rings – G. L. Bicknells & Sons
Catering – Coleshill Catering Ltd
Stationery – Designed by a friend of the bride and groom
Hair Stylist – Stuart Holmes Salon
Makeup Artist – Friend of the bride
