Good evening readers – meet Chris and Jen, an aircraft engineer and estate agent, who married on the 17th of October 2015 at the beautiful Ellingham Hall in Northumberland. Ellingham is a small stately home and one of the most popular venues in the area for weddings- I grew up in the area and know many school friends who have chosen it for their big day for its classic style and timeless beauty. Jen has a love of all things vintage and that, as well as the style of Ellingham itself, was the inspiration for their pretty, vintage themed day.
Photography by Awake and Dreaming Weddings
The seven bridesmaids looked gorgeous in purple lace dresses from Coast, with a beaded ribbon belt, echoing the one on Jen’s own dress.
Jen chose a classic and elegant lace Watters gown, purchased from Anne Priscilla Bridal Boutique in Glasgow. Doesn’t she look gorgeous? The slim cut suits her petite frame perfectly, and I just adore the buttoned back and sparkling belt.
“We met on the beach in Ibiza and Chris proposed at the top of a mountain in the French Alps (almost eight years later) in Meribel. We were engaged eighteen months before the wedding.”
Jenni chose her dress largely because of its simplicity and the fact it allowed her to accessorise with an elegant birdcage veil, pair of diamond drop earrings (a gift from Chris on her 30th birthday), a sparkly hair accessory and a pair of Jimmy Choo heels. Later, she added a dark brown wrap, which added even more glamour to the look, and all day she wore Coco Channel Mademoiselle.
Jen was walked down the aisle by her proud dad to I Giorni by Ludovico Einaudi, which must have sounded fabulous in that beautiful room.
I just love the faces of all their guests and the happy tears being wiped away that photographer David Olsthoorn has managed to capture.
The couple chose David Olsthoorn of Awake and Dreaming Weddings to capture every moment of their big day and were absolutely thrilled with his work.
“David and Laurie are a fabulous team! They are professional but fun, inconspicuous, and made us feel completely at ease. They created natural photographs, amazing work and we can’t recommend them highly enough.”
Ellingham doesn’t really require a great deal in terms of additional decor, so our couple simply added some beautiful flower arrangements, a few vintage props such as pearls, a pair of delicate gloves and vintage china filled with soft pink roses and greenery – a really pretty look, as well as some stepleadders with potted plants as the table plan.
The tiered wedding cake was the work of Jen’s very talented mother Anne. I’m extremely impressed- the piping work is so intricate and the whole thing looks amazing. Jen’s grandma also got in on the creating vibe and made jars of jam as favours, which added a lovely homemade and very personal touch.
“I loved all of it from start to finish, but my bridesmaids’ speech was fantastic and a complete surprise- they made up a song about me!”
For the evening entertainment, Jen and Chris hired Hobo Chic– Adam and Max- who they met in France in the Alps while doing a ski season. It looks like a fantastic time was had by all!
Words of Wedded Wisdom
Jen’s mum effectively stepped in as their wedding planner, and as such, Jen’s words of wedded wisdom are:
“Don’t let your mum take on too much!”
Very sensible advice there. Many thanks to Jen and Chris for sharing their big day with us, and huge thanks to David Olsthoorn of Awake and Dreaming Weddings for use of the gorgeous images. I just love the moody sky on those portrait shots.
Do we have any readers planning October weddings at the moment? Have a peek here for autumnal wedding inspiration– I always love the colours in autumn weddings.
Much love,
Shona x
Photographer – Awake and Dreaming Weddings
Venue – Ellingham Hall, Northumberland
Wedding Dress – Watters
Veil – Dream Veils
Headpiece – Glitzy Secrets
Shoes – Jimmy Choo
Bride’s Scent/perfume – Coco Channel Mademoiselle
Groom’s suit- Moss Bros
Bridesmaid dresses – Coast
Bridesmaid accessories – Pandora infinity bracelets
Shoes – Next
Florist – Rachel Campbell (no details)
Cake – Jen’s mum, Anne Dalton
Entertainment – Hobo Chic
Hair Stylist – Debbie Booth (No details)
Makeup Artist – Leanne Storey (No details)
Shona Raffle-EdwardsView all Shona's articles
Shona is a wedding admiring bookworm with a love of the countryside, flowers and all things organisational who is currently based in sunny Yorkshire with her husband and beloved cat
What an inspiring set of images – beautiful wedding and incredible photography! I love it! Thank you.