A Long Sleeved Jesus Peiro Dress, Balloons, Neon + Cosy Winter Wedding Barn Vibes

As I write this, we’re in the midst of a summer heatwave, but today we’re taking a quick trip into winter for a cosy and welcoming Twixtmas wedding filled with cool and contemporary festive details.

This is the wonderful wedding of Charlotte, a teacher, and Andrew, a poet, who were married on the 29 December 2019 in a ceremony held at Stockport Town Hall, followed by a reception party at Stock Farm on the beautiful Tatton Estate in Cheshire.

“We really wanted it to have a cosy, wintery vibe but also to be quite modern. I love balloons and neon, so wanted those to feature in the wedding!”

Images by Claudia Rose Carter Photography

There to capture the utter joy and beauty of Charlotte and Andrew’s day was Claudia Rose Carter, whose evocative photography has been gracing our pages for countless celebrations. Claudia is also part of our directory of talented suppliers, Little Book.

“Claudia was amazing! She listened to exactly what we wanted, and I have to say, was a great calming presence on the day when I was stressed about being late. The photos are exactly what we dreamed of and more.”

“We chose Stock Farm because it was quite close to family (we are both from the north west) and we loved that it was a blank canvas you could do anything to.”

On her feet, Charlotte wore sandals in sumptuous deep burgundy velvet, from Senso courtesy of Farfetch, and for her wedding day perfume, she wore a Chanel fragrance – a gift from her mum.

The bridesmaids looked fantastic in more beautiful burgundy velvet – custom made maxi dresses from Etsy-based DesirVale, which they paired with their own shoes and flowers in their hair from Sassflower.

I love the understated glamour and elegance of Charlotte’s custom-made, long-sleeved lace Jesus Peiro dress (and just perfect for a winter wedding), which she chose at Little Book member boutique, White Closet Studios in Liverpool.

“I had two dresses I liked, but this was the top from one and the bottom from another! The fact I could custom make this made all the difference. I loved the lace, it was so beautiful, and I always wanted a dress that was tight at the waist with a full skirt.”

With beautiful make-up by Asteria Luxe, and her hair styled by Bespoke Wedding Hair, Charlotte added a glorious floral crown of winter berries, greenery and waxflowers made by florist Sassflower.

The bride also wore a dramatic, full tulle veil from White Closet Studios, gold stud earrings passed to her from her mum, as well as a gold eternity band, also belonging to her mum.

Sassflower also created spectacular bouquets, buttonholes and arrangements for the day, with abundant winter greenery along with beautiful roses and other dramatic accent colours.

“Sassflower is a beautiful florist from the area. I wanted flowers that had wintery colours, and then just plain greenery for the tables. Quite simple.”

Charlotte walked down the aisle together with her dad, Terry, choosing Beethoven’s Romance No.1 in G Major, Op. 40 as her entrance music.

There, Andrew was waiting, wearing a handsome red-checked suit from Woven Gentlemen’s Outfitters, which he paired with a white shirt, burgundy tie, and shoes from Barker.

“We met at university in Newcastle in 2007, outside a lecture on fairytales! We have been together for nearly 12 years. We got engaged in August 2017, so were engaged for just over a year before we got married.”

In the beautiful, wooden panelled room at Stockport Town Hall, the couple said their vows to one another, and exchanged rings from Hamiltons in London’s Hatton Garden.

“Andrew got the engagement ring made there, so we wanted to get the rings made in the same place!”

As their ceremony readings, Charlotte and Andrew chose three pieces of lovely, classic poetry, with Robert Burns’ Red, Red Rose, I Wanna Be Yours by John Cooper Clarke, and finally, Christina Rossetti’s Monna Innominata (I wish I could remember).

The spectacular interiors of Stockport Town Hall made for some brilliant group and confetti shots, before everyone made their way over to Stock Farm to begin the festivities.

Inside the charmingly restored barn space, the atmosphere was cosy and inviting, with wonderfully thought out lighting, from cascading fairy lights and pillar candles, to festoon lights, vintage style bulbs and neon signage courtesy of Bag & Bones.

Charlotte’s mum runs her own catering business, Ginger and Fig, and turned her talents to baking the wedding cake – a showstopping three-tiered creation, decorated with gold leaf and greenery.

Modern, botanical inspired stationery was designed and created by Geri Loves Emi Paper Co., with copper frames made by Charlotte’s dad.

 

Tables were decorated with festive evergreens, and there were plenty of Christmas trees, too, donated from family and friends. Lovely white and gold balloons (including an incredible arch) came courtesy of Balloon Smith.

“For favours we gave out homemade damson gin made by Andy’s dad.”

Caterers Taste the Love came up with a delicious, seasonal wedding feast, with warm Camembert sharing platters to start, served with toasted walnuts, dried cranberries, smoked bacon and apple, sausage rolls, olives and bread balls with festive chutney (wow!). This was followed by slow braised lamb and Dauphinoise potatoes and vegetables, and sticky toffee pudding served with cream and custard.

Words of Wedded Wisdom

“My words of wisdom would be to just slow the day down as much as possible to enjoy it all!”

“Also we had a 12 days of Christmas singalong, and this was definitely one of the best bits – people got very passionate!”

Charlotte and Andrew, let me say a huge thank you to you both for sharing your cosy, festive celebration with us, it’s been a treat. Many thanks also go to Claudia Rose Carter for her magical images, and if you’re keen to see more of her exquisite work, then do look at these wonderful weddings right here.

Until next time!

With love,

Laura