Good morning all, I hope this beautiful wedding blog post, our first of the day, finds you well this morning. Our first wedding feature of today was documented by a creative team I have much admiration for; firstly, Lawsons Films created this film you see below. I adore The Lawsons – I’ve actually known Pete and Laura Lawson for several years and have worked with them professionally myself – they are natural born talents at this kind of stuff and just so utterly, utterly lovely to be around. I also adore these beautifully atmospheric images by photographer Shelly Mantovani of Toast of Leeds. Clearly, the couple in these images knew what they were doing when they booked their photography and videography suppliers.
That couple are Melissa, a Nurse, and Matthew, a Solicitor, whose wedding took place on 27th May last year at the East Riddlesden Hall, Keighley in West Yorkshire – a venue chosen because by the couple for it’s laid back, relaxed and informal vibe. There was a distinct feel of the 1920’s in Melissa’s choice of dress and accessories, which included a most beautiful headdress by Emmy London and dress by Catherine Deane (our second featured Catherine Deane bride this week), both of which were purchased from one of our favourite and most highly recommended British bridal boutiques, Blackburn Bridal Couture.
“We wanted a very relaxed day, nothing too formal or traditional. We chose the date as we know how beautiful the venue looks at that time of year with all the wild flowers etc out in bloom. I liked muted pinks and blues with navy for the colour theme. My dad is Spanish, from Valencia so I wanted to use some influence from that culture.”
Film by Lawsons Films
“The fabulous Laura and Peter of Lawsons Films were recommended to us by our photographer Shelly. We couldn’t recommend them highly enough. Our photographer was Shelly Mantovani of Toast of Leeds. What can I say about Shelly? I Knew I wanted Shelly to photograph our wedding long before we had anything else even booked. I love her use of natural light and shadow, the way that the photos almost look like paintings. Plus she’s a great laugh to have around and made us feel so relaxed.”
Photography by Toast of Leeds
“My Dress was ‘Laverne’ by Catherine Deane and I purchased it from the fabulous Blackburn Bridal Couture in Blackheath, London. The dress just felt right the moment I put it on, it felt so light and I loved the lace back. It had a good ‘swish’ if you know what I mean!”“My make up was done by the lovely Lucy Smith and my hair was styled on the day by Louise Rhodes of Yorkshire Bridal Hair.”
Melissa’s shoes were a delightful pair of Mimosa T-Bar Heels in powder blue by the wonderful Rachel Simpson, who we adore here at Love My Dress.
“Our beautiful flowers were by the lovely Lynne Hodgkinson of Stems Design. I wanted a relaxed, wild looking bouquet with pale pinks, blue and cream.”
“I loved the shape and colours of the David Austin roses which were included. I was looking for a way to remember my grandparents who are no longer with us, so added photo charms of them to my bouquet.”
“My belt was handmade to match my headpiece by the very talented Laura Rhodes of Laura Rhodes Bridal.”
“My Favourite part of my outfit was my headpiece by Emmy London, which I also purchased at Blackburn Bridal Couture.”
“We hired a beautiful VW Camper Van to take myself and my parents to the venue from Liberty Campers.”
Melissa’s father accompanied her down the aisle to the sound of ‘Turning Page’ by Sleeping At Last.
“We had readings read by my sister Clare and Matt’s mum Sally. They included ‘I carry Your Heart’, by E.E. Cummings and an Extract from Captain Corelli’s Mandolin by Louis de Bernières.”
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“When it came to readings, once again, we didn’t want anything too traditional and I felt being together for 11 years we related to the extract from Captain Corelli’s mandolin. I have always loved the poem by E.E. Cummings so it was a natural choice.”
“Our rings were purchased at Phillip Stoner it was also where Matt had my engagement ring designed and made.”
“Matthew and I were set up by mutual friends and Matt’s brother Jon on a night out to a local bar 12 years ago. Matt (finally!) proposed on a holiday to Vietnam, whilst in the lovely Ha Long Bay in September 2015.”
“Our caterers were The Hog and Apple Food Co. Ged and the team created the most amazing Spanish inspired menu for our wedding. They are so passionate about what they do. I wish I could eat it all over again. The meal had a very relaxed feel, starting with a Spanish sharing board, traditional paella and finishing with a Valencia orange inspired desert. Yum!”
“We used festoon lighting around the pond at East Riddlesden Hall by Typical Type. Lanterns for inside the barn were hired from The Hanging Lantern Company.”
“The Gillan Edgar Band were recommended to us by a musician friend of ours. They were fantastic at getting the party started.”
“For our first dance, we chose The Goo Goo Dolls ‘Iris’, as it was on one of the first albums I bought for Matt and it meant a lot to us.”
Words of Wedded Wisdom
“Don’t sweat the small stuff. Be true to yourself and your style. Try and find some alone time with each other on the day, just so you can take in the meaning of the day and get a bit of quiet time.”
Absolutely beautiful, classy and elegant. Our love and thanks to photographer Shelly Mantovani of Toast of Leeds, and to our dear friends and filmmakers Pete and Laura of Lawsons Films for sharing their work today.
I hope this wedding has inspired you,
Love Annabel x
