We finally have our wedding photos back which means I can get round to putting this wedding post together including all the details. I thought this post may be useful for anyone who is newly engaged or anyone who just wants to be nosy, plus it’s a great excuse to share some more pictures from the day with you. I’m not going to lie there were quite a few tears making my way through the photos, just from seeing the faces of our friends and family so happy. We’re both very lucky to have such wonderful people in our lives.
Planning the wedding from July 2018, we simply wanted it to be a really special party for those who we love very much in a place not far from where we both grew up. We settled on a venue fairly quickly in which we fell in love with, The Old Hall, Ely. I knew I always wanted to get married in a church and when we heard of the possibility of getting married in Ely Cathedral, we couldn’t not. The building is simply breathtaking. We did have to show a lot of commitment in regards to having our special day there, however it was worth every single second.
The day before our wedding, the day of and the weekend after was simply the happiest days of my life. Having dinner in the garden at my mum’s the night before with my bridesmaids, mum, and auntie, drinking wine and having lots of giggles.
We spent the morning of the wedding getting ready at my parent’s house, a morning I’ll never forget. With hair and make-up starting at 6.30 am, we slowly all got ready. We put a good playlist on and breakfast and prosecco were served. I remember my mum forcing me to eat!! I was SO excited at this point.
A close up of my beautiful handmade shoes from Bella Belle. These were called the Anita Ivory, they were super comfortable throughout the whole day. They have such a selection of bridal footwear, they did have to get shipped via the USA, however, it was super quick and I had no problems.
My beautiful bridesmaids.
I found my dream dress at Mirror Mirror in Angel, London. Designer Naomi Neoh.
The ceremony began…
I walked up the aisle to Pachelbel’s Canon in D. Looking back it honestly feels like a distant memory I’m trying desperately to grasp on to. It was a blur and time felt like it went quickly, so I made the most of every second. The car journey to the cathedral and walking up the aisle with my dad was so very special. Then seeing Jonny turn around at the alter to see the look on his face was such a precious moment.
During the signing of the register, we had the organist play ‘All you need is love’ by The Beatles.
Officially married!! Leaving the cathedral to the wedding march Mendelssohn.
We then made our way to the venue, The Old Hall, a manor house, with stunning views over the lakes to Ely Cathedral. We had a couple of hours to drink champagne, eat some canapes and mingle with our friends and family. The canapes we chose to serve were Glazed Honey & Mustard Sausages, Creamed Stilton, Fig Chutney and Roquette served on a Blini, Smoked Salmon & Chive Crème Fraiche on a Beetroot Blini and Peppered Beef Carpaccio, Poppy Seed Croute, Truffle Oil.
Mirabeau ice pops keeping everyone cool.
Stationery by the very talented Frankie at Bewilderly.
I absolutely adored my bouquet, it just smelt amazing. I chose to have David Austin ivory roses, skimmia green, wax flower, white stocks and double white lisinthus with eucalyptus populus and silver senecio. My dream bouquet by Louise at Wild Frost.
We also went for Jo Malone candles on each table and for the scent, we went for a mix of English pear & Freesia and Peony & Blush Suede. It created the most stunning smell throughout the marquee.
It was then time for speeches and to then sit down and eat properly. We ate sirloin of beef and treacle tart whilst drinking wine, listening to the speeches. We had a course in between each speech which was such a good idea looking back. One of my most favourite parts of the day was looking out into the marquee with all the people you love and care about in one room all together. Such a lovely feeling.
My twin sister Laura did a surprise speech to start with which was so lovely, followed by my dad, Jonny and the best man.
Our first dance was Thinking Of You by Sister Sledge, the band played an instrumental version. It was the best song to get everybody up on the dance floor. Both myself and Jonny are a massive fan of Niel Rodgers & Chic, we went to watch a chic tribute band called Le Freak and we were like we have to have them play at our wedding. They did!! Some people including myself were on the dance floor the whole night! They were INCREDIBLE!!
One of our most important things on the day was good music/entertainment and it was worth every penny.
When it came to the wedding cake we opted for a cheese tower as we’re both not really huge on cake. I went to a wedding fair earlier this year and the Godminster cheese that we tried there was AH-mazing! We also had my absolute favourite Bread Ahead bakery doughnuts that came out in the evening (salted caramel, vanilla & jam flavour) which were a dream.
I want to re-live all again, so much LOVE!!
Our wonderful suppliers…
Service: Ely Cathedral / Venue: The Old Hall / Videographer: Joshua Boyce Films / Photographers: Fountain Photography / Dress: Naominoh at Mirror Mirror / Bridesmaid Dresses: Maids to Measure / Page Boy Outfits & Flower Girl: Monsoon Shoes: Bella Belle Shoes / Earrings: Sweat Pea Jewellery (loaned) / Hair Comb: Eden B Studio / Flowers: Wild Frost / Jonny Suit & Shirt: Reiss / Ushers Suits: Moss Bros / Stationery: Bewilderly / Confetti: Confetti Cone Company / Wedding Band: Le Freak (chic cover band) / Car: Cambridge Car Hire / Cheese Tower: Godminster / Make Up: Elly Jayne / Hair: Becky / Candles: Jo Malone / Card Box: Ikea / Guest Book: Paperchase / Dressing Gowns: Boo Hoo / Ice pops: Mirabeau / Nails: DryBy
Oh wow what a great blog post Gemma.
It was such a big privilege to be a part of your wedding adventure, and reading the blog and seeing all of the images has just brought back so many great memories.
Thank you for being such a perfect couple.
Best wishes
Andy & Lewis
Fountain Photography