On a beautifully sun-drenched July day in Northumberland, Eve and Alex’s wedding took place within the charming surrounds of her parent’s home and gardens.
This laidback celebration was brimming with thoughtful and considered touches that made it feel extra special. As a former wedding dress designer, Eve poured her talent into crafting not only her own exquisite lace gown but also the dresses for each of her six bridesmaids – a true labour of love that beautifully reflected her passion for design and craftsmanship.
Surrounded by their nearest and dearest, in the heart of nature, this yurt wedding was a true celebration of warmth and intimacy. The day was filled with laughter, love, and the kind of magic that only happens when family, creativity, and genuine commitment come together.
Photography by the bride’s close friend and talented fashion photographer, Julia Astok. Enjoy.
Bridal Beauty & Accessories
I opted against wearing a veil because, to me, it seemed like an additional concern, especially with a train and a bouquet that I anticipated might lead to feeling tangled up. While I thought about a short veil, I eventually decided to forgo one entirely. I was intentional about featuring the back of my dress with a low V shape, and I selected a necklace that hung down my back to enhance this aspect. I felt a veil would detract from the overall look I was aiming for.
I had a clear vision of the style of shoes I wanted to wear. A few years back, as a bridesmaid for a friend, I had purchased a pair of grey suede heels. These had a metallic chunky heel, a peep-toe, and an ankle strap. Remarkably comfortable, I didn’t need to change out of them for the entire evening. As I searched for something similar for my own wedding, I realised I might as well wear those exact shoes. They had only been worn once, and their style perfectly complemented my metallic accessories and the details in the lace of my dress.
My beautiful necklace was from So Helo. I picked it to complement my engagement ring, featuring small diamontés at the front, a matching motif at the back, and a pendant crystal that hung down my back. I absolutely loved it. Despite its delicate appearance in real life, it stood out beautifully in all the photos. My earrings were ear jackets from Xiao Jewels Shop on Etsy and they complimented my engagement ring and necklace perfectly.
I did my own make-up, using the Lisa Eldridge ‘My Wedding Look / Pretty, Bridal Occasion Makeup‘ tutorial on Youtube as inspiration. My friend Miesha of Firelox Lashes did my eyelashes, and my wedding day perfume was Chanel Chance Eau De Fraiche – always my go to.
Sara Allen worked her magic on my hair as well as all of my bridesmaids’ hair on the morning of our wedding. Dealing with my fine hair, which happened to be my biggest insecurity, I opted for a layer of real hair extensions. Sara did an incredible job seamlessly incorporating them into my look while keeping everything natural. I kept hair accessories simple with some gold slide grips from Accessorize.
The Dress
I made my own dress – and trousers for the evening, as well as the six bridesmaids’ dresses! Full disclosure, I am a former wedding dress designer. I sourced the fabric and lace from Silk & Dusk and CoutureLace – both on Etsy.
I always knew I wanted to make my own dress, but when I set out I did not expect the emotional rollercoaster that I went on. I faced challenges in finding the perfect balance between design choices and battling my own body image concerns.
My dress went through several iterations and almost manifested itself as I sewed. For the underskirt and bodice, I opted for an organic silk satin crafted from sustainable orange fibres. The lace featured a contemporary floral motif intricately detailed with silver thread. To add a touch of softness, I incorporated flowing layers of sustainable mulberry silk chiffon.
I incorporated a low back bra into the bodice to provide the necessary bust support and cut around the motif in the lace to soften the edge of the sleeves. I hadn’t made an underskirt the first time I tried it on and loved being able to see my legs through the lace so settled on a short underskirt.
In the end, my dress exceeded my expectations. Yet, I couldn’t visualise myself partying in a traditional wedding dress. It wasn’t a natural fit for my personal style, as I much prefer tops and trousers for a night out. Recognising this, I made a bold decision. For the evening festivities, I paired the bodice top from my dress with a pair of matching wide-leg trousers, and a linen blazer I found on Vinted. It felt authentic and true to who I am.
Bespoke isn’t for everyone. The world of wedding dress design can be both exciting and challenging. You have to trust your instincts, communicate openly with your designer, and embrace the evolution of your vision.
But at the same time it can be hugely rewarding. Ultimately, you’ll emerge with a truly bespoke dress that celebrates your individuality and makes you feel like the radiant bride you’ve always envisioned.
Bridesmaids
For my six wonderful bridesmaids, I wanted each of them to have a dress that made them feel amazing. I designated the colourways based on what suited their skin tones and asked them to choose a hem and sleeve length that they preferred.
The designs were fairly simple, the sheer volume of work and the pressure I put on myself had me in exhausted tears a couple of times. But with the unwavering support of Alex, I navigated through the hurdles and created six gorgeous bridesmaid dresses that my friends and family loved wearing.
I wanted to give each of my bridesmaids a special gift they could wear on the day. After some thought, I decided on a necklace for each of them, aiming to match the green shade of their dresses and either gold or silver based on their preferred jewellery.
As it turned out, only two necklaces ended up being the same, so I had to search high and low to find each unique piece. In the end, Oliver Bonas and the following Etsy suppliers provided, Philip Jones Jewellery, Jewellery Boulevard and Silver Rain Silver.
The bouquets were made up of foliage picked from my mum’s garden and three bunches of flowers from the Newcastle flower market. Again, our amazing next-door neighbour, who also happens to be a professional florist, came to our rescue to create seven buttonholes with pieces from our garden.
The Ceremony
The ceremony was held at St Oswald’s Church, Heavenfield, in Northumberland, up the road from my parents’ house. It’s a 200-year-old church sitting on Hadrian’s Wall; it doesn’t have electricity, a working organ, or even a bell, which fell down years ago.
I grew up walking to this church, and we both love how small, rustic, and understated it is.
My dad walked me down the aisle. In the photos, you can see that I was smiling just moments before, but the second the music started, all the emotions hit me in a wave, and I burst into tears.
I think I was mostly exhausted from all the work we had done in the days leading up to it, and in that moment, I just felt so relieved that we had finally reached the big day. I was trying to hold it together because I didn’t want Alex to think I was sad to be marrying him! However, he was grinning at me at the end of the aisle, and I could tell he knew I was happy despite the tears.
I walked down the aisle to ‘Golden Slumbers’ by The Beatles, which is one of my favourite songs, and we had ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’ by Queen for the recessional, which is one of Alex’s.
We met with Reverend Frances twice in the months leading up to our wedding to discuss the ceremony and give her a chance to get to know us and our story. It was really important to us that the service be light and joyful. She helped us pick the hymns: ‘Morning Has Broken’ and ‘Lord of All Hopefulness’.
Our reading was ‘These I Can Promise’, by Mark Twain and ‘To Love Is Not To Possess’, by James Kavanaugh. For our bible reading we chose Colossians 3:12-14.
I chose my wedding ring, an 18 ct yellow gold soft court wedding band from Limani London on Etsy. I wanted a simple good quality gold band to compliment the gorgeous ring that Alex had made for me. Adnan was really helpful and let me exchange one ring for another when the first style wasn’t quite right.
Alex chose a tantalum ring from Tantalus Rings after researching different materials looking for something simple and durable. The decision came down to tantalum or titanium and he decided that the tantalum was worth the extra expense because it can be resized so will hopefully last a lifetime. I also loved the slightly blue colour and the additional weight makes it feel more substantial.
Photography
Photography was provided by my wonderful and incredibly talented friend, Julia Astok – a fashion photographer who I had the privilege of meeting when we were both fresh-faced fashionistas living, working, and doing our best to survive in the fashion industry, in London.
We bonded in a bad work environment, and Julia went on to shoot for Vogue Scandinavia. She travelled all the way from Estonia to capture our wedding, and I cannot express how thrilled I am with the images she produced.
Bespoke Tailoring
Words by the Groom
I had a made-to-measure tailored suit made by Jonathan Loe of Faustus London. I thoroughly enjoyed the process of working with a skilled tailor to craft the perfect suit. After meeting a few tailors who seemed to specialise in blue business suits, Jonathan was a breath of fresh air and really got what I was going for. He guided me through fabric choices, cuts, and making adjustments until everything was just right.
He’s the sort of person who knows your exact measurements at a glance, and adjusted for quirks of my body that I didn’t know existed -apparently my left elbow doesn’t straighten as far as my right! Jonathan is a true craftsman and I’d highly recommend his services; in fact, my best man is planning to use him for his own wedding!
My shoes were Barker Orkney Leather Chukka Boots bought from The British Shoe Company in Bath. By far the most expensive shoes I’ve ever bought but I fell in love with them and they should last a lifetime.
How They Met
We met on Tinder – in fact, he was my first-ever Tinder date! Well, the second that night! Let me explain: I was invited to a wine tasting event by a guy I’d matched with on Tinder, let’s call him Fred. Fred was the host, and he told me to buy a ticket and bring a friend.
When I arrived, with my friend Rosie in tow, I realised this Fred guy had filled the place with other single women he’d matched with on Tinder! I could have been annoyed, but in truth, I admired his entrepreneurial spirit.
So I drank his wine, and I opened Tinder for another try. I’d already matched with Alex, and he’d sent me a message, ‘When are you going to ask me out?’ I replied, ‘Are you free now?’ I said goodbye to Rosie and met Alex in a pub round the corner – not exactly a meet-cute, but we liked each other straight away!
There was never any game playing or uncertainty. We had so much in common, and we saw each other every day – after a year, it just made sense to move in together.
A year after that, we caught Vanlife fever. We bought a Defender, fitted a bed in the back, put our stuff in storage, shipped the car to Canada, and spent 3 months travelling across America.
We arrived in Vancouver, where we promptly made life even more complicated by starting our own business: an outdoor lifestyle store.
For two years, we tried to balance living and working together, settling in place while feeling homesick, being together all the time but trying to retain our sense of selves. We returned home to the UK with a lot less savings but a lot more life lessons. We spent the next two years rebuilding our lives, our self-confidence, and our relationship.
We got engaged in August 2021 and knew we wanted a summer wedding. However, we also had our sights set on buying a home. To give ourselves ample time to plan for both, we decided to schedule the wedding for July 2023.
The Speeches
Speeches were done a little differently. Because the church was too small for all of our guests to attend the ceremony, we asked the rest to go straight to the reception, but we still wanted our guests to feel as though they’d be part of the marriage service.
So Alex and I did our speeches soon after arriving back at the house. Alex gave an incredible heartfelt thank you to my parents for hosting the reception at their house and for putting so much effort into preparing the garden for the event. He talked about my willful independence and my ability to be both lazy and also hardworking.
For my speech, I wanted to be very honest because our relationship, like all relationships, isn’t perfect and we’ve come through some incredibly challenging times. Here’s how it ended;
“What marriage means to me is that we’ve just committed, in front of all the people we love, to essentially keep doing what we’ve been doing: working every day to learn a little more about each other and ourselves. To be kinder to each other, and to apologise quicker when we’re not.”
“To find time to really be together and times to be apart. On my side, I promise to notice the things you do to show me that you love me, and I promise to continue showing you how proud I am to be with you. All that’s changed is that when life gets harder, we’ll really truly give it our all together.”
The Reception
The reception was held in the garden of my parents’ house in Northumberland. One of the most important things for us with organising the wedding reception was that our guests had enough to eat and drink, and that they enjoyed themselves. Hosting the reception at mum and dad’s gave us a lot of freedom but added complications.
Luckily, my parents have done a fantastic job of cultivating amazing friendships with their neighbours, and it became very much a collaborative effort. The farmer next door even levelled a field for us the year before, gave us use of his land for parking and access for our vendors.
We hired a yurt from Yorkshire Yurts – it was a stunning circular wooden structures with white canopies, hessian matting, and a pale wood dance floor. We used their largest 50-foot yurt, with the 25-foot yurt adjoining as the main venue and chill-out bar area. They provided tables, linen, and chairs. We decorated the pillars with foliage from the garden.
We chose disposable palm leaf plates from Canapes King, linen-feel disposable pocket napkins from Amazon.com, and gold stainless steel cutlery, also from Alibaba.com.
On the kids’ table, they each got paper animal masks, a fidget popper, and a black and white version of our wedding map that they could colour in. The wedding map was designed by my (Eve) artist-aunt Jane.
Glassware was more of a challenge. Originally, we thought we’d hire glasses from Tesco or Waitrose, but they don’t offer that service anymore, so after a bit of searching, we ended up buying flutes and wine glasses from Asda for just 50p a glass. The smoked glass grey water glasses were from Rinkit.com.
The Decor inside the smaller yurt: we arranged garden furniture, borrowed from my (Eve) parents’ very generous friends and neighbours, around stacked pallets from the farm next door. Alex built the bar from scratch, and we stocked it with tumblers from IKEA, spirits and mixers, and a keg of Sycamore Gap ale from the Twice Brewed Brewery, up the road. The bar was self-serve, and everyone loved pulling their own pints.
For the table centrepieces: we bought bunches of dried flowers from Alibaba.com and gathered old wine bottles, medicine bottles, and stoneware vases to display them.
The catering was provided by Jasmin’s Canapés. Jasmin was amazing and helped us figure out a menu as well as logistics of serving with such a DIY wedding. We had 3 amazing members of staff who helped hand out canapes, bring out the main meal, and put out the evening food, as well as keep things tidy. But all the drinks were self-serve by the guests. Our canapés were: vegetable and chicken pakoras, aloo cheese balls, and Parma bites. Guests helped themselves to Aperol spritz, prosecco, bottles of beer, or soft drinks from mason jar dispensers. We also had delicious ice cream served from a vintage bicycle cooler provided by Luxury Vending.
On the menu were cold platters of chicken or vegetable tikka kebabs, chicken or vegetable samosas, naans, and salads. There were bottles of white, red, and rose on the tables. We bought all the wine and fizz by making use of Sainsbury’s frequent buy-6-bottles-get-25%-off deal.
In the evening, we served cheese graze boards and nachos. Luxury Vending was back in the evening, this time in their coffee truck serving hot drinks as well as churros with chocolate sauce – which were a huge hit with our guests.
My wonderfully talented graphic-designer-friend and bridesmaid, Mary, created our wedding invitation and table numbers.
My last name is Frisby, so for the favours we sourced foldable fabric frisbees, each concealed in a pouch with the guest’s name on. When pulled out, they popped open to reveal ‘Frisby Wedding 01.07.23’ and they inevitably ended up being flung in all directions, just as we’d hoped!
My mum whipped up six pavlovas! Plus, both of our mums teamed up to create our trio of wedding cakes. We went for a lemon drizzle, a gluten-free chocolate delight, and a classic fruit cake. Each cake was beautifully adorned with sugared flowers picked straight from their own gardens.
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Favourite Moments
Our favourite moments were the bloopers, the stuff we didn’t plan and that we loved to talk about;
- When the reverend said ‘spaghetti’ instead of ‘confetti’ during the ceremony, we both cracked up.
- When my cousin noticed a bee inside the lace of my dress and came to my rescue during my speech.
- When my dad revealed in his speech that I was the result of a missing vasectomy appointment.
We discovered our amazing band, Something For the Weekend, through Jonny Ross Music. The website made it super easy – we could listen to band samples and watch videos of their sets. After sending our inquiry through the site, they called us to discuss the event. Once we were happy, we paid a deposit and settled the full amount closer to the big day.
Our guests absolutely loved the band; they were eye candy for the single ladies, and the lead singer had fantastic stage presence, even without a proper stage in our yurt. He even joined us on the dance floor and got our best man, Jim, to perform the rap to “American Boy”! It was a memorable moment, and everyone absolutely loved it.
Words of Wedded Wisdom
Do what feels right for you, even if it breaks with tradition. For instance, we opted out of having a first dance or the customary cake-cutting ceremony. These activities felt a bit staged and made us uncomfortable, so we skipped them.
Don’t let the envisioned image of your day overshadow the spontaneous and authentic moments. Avoid overplanning every minute of the day, as it can lead to stress and leave your guests feeling rushed. Allow for downtime, fostering moments for conversation and reconnecting with those you rarely see. (I once heard of a bride who scheduled her bridesmaid to deliver sparkling water every twenty minutes!)
Ensure everyone is well-fed. We opted for hearty, crowd-pleasing, and affordable catering to guarantee an abundance of food. We even increased the number of canapés at the last minute to make sure no one went hungry. Nothing dampens the fun more than an empty stomach.
Try to take the pressure off seeing everyone in one day – My family all stayed in one hotel the night before and they ended up all sharing a meal together which gave me the chance to catch up with most of my extended family in advance.
Love My Dress, hands down, has always been my favourite wedding blog. The weddings showcased on this platform span a diverse range of styles, each uniquely beautiful. What sets Love My Dress apart is its ability to consistently capture the genuine love and emotion that unfolds on the wedding day. This blog has been a constant source of inspiration for me, offering a rich tapestry of real weddings that go beyond aesthetics to reveal the heartwarming moments that make each celebration truly special.
The weddings you feature showcase such a variety of styles, yet they all share a common thread: the authentic love and emotion captured on the day. It’s a wonderful source of inspiration.
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Additional Credits
The below suppliers and venues are featured in this article, but are not part of the Love My Dress Wedding Directory.
Annabel View all Annabel's articles
Founder of Love My Dress. Passionate Podcaster and Editor. Annabel lives in rural North Yorkshire with her husband and business partner Philip, their two daughters and menagerie of furry hounds. She loves photography, meditation, walking, being outdoors and star gazing. She is fierce when it comes to championing talent within the wedding industry and when she's not working on Love My Dress, she supports her husband Philip in the running of the family's sustainable flower farm and floral design business, Moonwind Flowers. In 2013, she became a published author.
