Sottero and Midgley Elegance For A 1920s-Inspired Wedding

I can’t tell you how delighted I was to receive details of this wedding in my inbox today. The couple married in a little village just a few miles from where I live in Lincolnshire, and I am so happy to share these images of the beautiful Lincolnshire countryside with you.

Gemma, an HR manager married Tim, a senior marketing co-ordinator on 2 September 2017 at St Mary’s Church, Thoresway, Market Rasen with a reception afterwards at Cleatham Hall near Gainsborough. Their choice of church was influenced by family connections – Gemma’s grandad lived in the village as a child and is buried there – and Cleatham was the perfect setting for their elegant, 1920s-inspired reception with its touches of soft pink.  Paired with Cinderella shoes from Emmy London, one of our absolute favourite shoe and accessory designers at Love My Dress and Little Book for Brides, she is the epitome of vintage glamour.

If you love these shoes as much as we do, please take a look at this feature to find out more about this superb designer and the new Meadow Dreaming collection.

Photography Kazooieloki

To create the opulent and elegant styling, Gemma and Tim worked with event stylist Anna’s Attic.

“The styling was 1920s, but not garish or Gatsby – more Bloomsbury style with an overarching ‘real people’ feel – not the super-rich high society with dinner suits and white gloves. We had palms, cigar boxes, luggage, perfume bottles, pearls, decanters and art deco ornaments. Anna also styled and themed the gin bar and a large tree out the front with lampshades and a dress-up box.”To complete her 1920s-theme, Gemma’s gorgeous locks were styled into a glamorous up-do. I really love the height at the crown of her head and those beautiful curls. She opted for statement makeup – just look at her incredible dramatic eyeshadow and dark lip. Her hair stylist was Nicky at GH2 Groomers Hair Salon, whilst makeup was the work of Charlie’s Beauty in Brigg.

OK, time to talk about Gemma’s choice of gown. She visited Proposals Bridal Rooms on Abbeygate, Grimsby for her ivory Sottero and Midgley ‘Becket’ dress. It’s simply gorgeous with that statement beaded neckline and slim-fitting, flowing skirt.

“I tried on many dresses but went back to this which was the first I tried on. I love the style and the beading detail. The back of the dress really sold it to me.”

The bride’s show-stopping ‘Charleston II’ earrings were found at Liberty in Love, and she finished her look with a sparkling crystal and pearl hairpiece worn to the side of her head, purchased online from Lola and Alice at Not on the High Street. Gemma chose to wear a new perfume for the day, the iconic Chanel No 5.

“I chose a new perfume for the day. I’ve always loved Chanel, and never owned a bottle of No.5, so I was lucky enough to receive a bottle as a gift from my mum. She must have known somehow?”

Gemma and Tim have a long history together, and were engaged in a romantic Valentine’s surprise.

“We met at secondary school but didn’t get together until we’d finished university aged 22. We’ve been together for about twelve years, but only got engaged on Valentine’s Day 2016. Tim put a Haribo ring in a card that had a little envelope as part of the design, with a message of ‘Will You Marry Me’.”

“It wasn’t until we’d seen Cleatham Hall in the September of 2016 that we set a date. We knew we wanted to get married at Cleatham Hall the moment we saw it. How lovely and accommodating the owners and staff were, the price and the exclusivity were just bonuses.”

 

I love the elegant, Art Deco-vibe of the table names – each one a stylish cocktail. The order of service, signage and cocktail menus were designed by Tim, whilst the invitations, place cards and table plans came from Cards Creations.

The groom dressed in a soft grey tailored suit from Molly Limpets Theatrical Emporium, along with with a paisley waistcoat and distinctive  brogues from London Brogues. His groomsmen were dressed similarly, and the finishing touches were buttonholes of big, blowsy peonies in soft pink.

“All suits were different in style and colour. Scott, Nick and the team at Molly Limpets put together a cohesive style and matched suit styles typical of the 20s to everyone’s unique body shape. All suits were tailored to fit perfectly.”

St Mary’s Church really is such a beautiful building, perched overlooking the Lincolnshire wolds. Gemma entered with her dad Pete and step-dad Kevin accompanying her down the aisle to ‘The Prince Of Denmark March’ by Jeremiah Clarke. In a service led by the Reverend Elaine Turner, the bride and groom exchanged traditional vows and rings from Rox.

Flowers were styled by Hidden Garden Florists in Brigg. They are so pretty with the delicate, wild foliage and pastel pink blooms.

“In keeping with the 20’s theme, Claire at Hidden Garden created the beautiful bouquet and some absolutely amazing floral displays for inside the venue. Like everything else, I didn’t want anything standard and I wanted it to stand out. The finished bouquet was a stunning, loosely tied, flowing, array of different flowers, and she got the brief bang on.”

The couple had two readings: ‘1 Corinthians 13: 1-13’ which was recommended by the vicar and whose sentiment they loved, and ‘On Marriage’ by Kahlil Gibran.

“Tim chose this reading, and asked his brother (the best man) to read it. He’d heard it before but didn’t know what it was called and his mum lent him Khalil Gibran’s book. It was coincidental that he found it, but it must have been fate.”

These modern, vibrant, light-infused images are the work of Kazooieloki, a photography duo based in Lincolnshire. I love the sunlit portrait shots of the newly-weds. As well as catching their happiness, you can see the glorious rolling Lincolnshire wolds and big skies there too.

“The best money spent on the day. They were the best value of any of our suppliers and genuinely talented – we’ve been truly spoilt with some of the best images that we’ve ever seen. Their work and service completely exceeded our expectations and we’d strongly recommend any one to hire them for their wedding as quickly as possible before their lead time becomes a problem.”

 

The bride was lucky to find perfectly Art Deco-inspired dresses for her bridesmaids at Adrianna Papell – elegant, gold-beaded Blouson gowns with spaghetti straps. They added vintage-inspired jewellery by Glitzy Secrets, another designer who we are delighted to support on Love My Dress (visit their Collections page here) and Little Book for Brides. The flowergirls’ pretty pink dresses were Monsoon‘s Estella Sparkle Dress.

After the ceremony the newly-weds and their guests travelled over to Cleatham Hall for dinner and dancing. Food was provided by Lincoln caterer Salted Orange Food Company; those canapés look simply delicious. The guests also enjoyed favours of rhubarb gin, made by hand by Gemma’s sister, and The Little Lollipop Shop raspberry lollies with gold and silver edible glitter suspended inside.

“We had a 20s-inspired, three-tiered embellished cake with a green and pewter highlight finish. Chocolate, lemon and strawberry and vanilla were the flavours.”

“We loved every minute. Everything ran so smoothly and everyone had the best time. If we had to say one favourite thing, it would either be the speeches (as Tim got roasted by his brother) or just having everyone we love together in the same place, having the best party ever.”

“We worked really hard in the time that we had and with some help from our parents we put on the perfect day. In all it cost us around £24,000, but we got everything that we wanted and didn’t really compromise on anything.”

Jubilee Band played for the evening dance and the first dance; ‘Real Love’ by The Beatles.

“It’s Tim’s favourite Beatles track,  and as we both love the Beatles we asked the band to learn it for our first dance. The words were perfect.”

Words of Wedded Wisdom

“The only advice I could really give is be organised. Be prepared for it consume your life, but enjoy it. Ask all your suppliers for advice and get your family involved; you can’t do it all on your own.”

“If you want it, do it, as it might be the only day in your life that you’re going to feel like the most special people in the world.”

Thank you so much Gemma and Tim for sharing your day with us. I really love your daring bridal make-up style, and the era-inspired gown is so elegant. It’s been so special to me to share a Lincolnshire wedding, so thank you Kazooieloki for your gorgeous photographs.

Ele xx