When you take over four pages of a magazine, you gotta shout about it. I am a Leicester wedding photographer. Susan is a Leicester celebrant. How we met was because of an amazing group of local wedding suppliers; that group is the Leicester Wedding Network.
We spend our time exhibiting together, recommending each other's businesses and planning photoshoots. When Susan asked me to be her wedding photographer in 2018, I was both humbled and honoured. In 2019, Susan had a hand-fasting and key celebration in her own back garden to her wonderfully humorous husband Chris.
Your East Midlands Wedding magazine got in touch with me regarding an article on local weddings. It just so happened that Susan and Chris had basically used every local business they could find for their own wedding!
Susan, bless her heart, managed to recall the businesses she used. The images correspond to what and whom was hired. The words are too tiny to read so continue down to see what she wrote about everyone!
We wanted to make our day special and went with an Outlander theme as Chris is a Stuart with family roots in Northern Ireland and I love the TV programme!
We decided to keep this celebration-led ceremony as personal and intimate as possible, we had about 50 guests in the end.
I trawled local antique shops in Leicester and Market Harborough for key Outlander-themed and 'garden party' items which we used in the dining room and around the garden.
We wanted to hold it in my mum's garden as she had lived in the house for more than 50 years and the whole family had enjoyed many happy times there.
We wanted to celebrate my 60th birthday at the same time so called it a wedding party!
The bridal flowers and confetti were gorgeous! I had a bouquet tied with tartan ribbon which included pale pink peonies, mauve clematis, cream rosebuds, white thistle, white stocks and foliage.
The matrons' bouquet mirrored mine and the buttonholes had cream rosebuds, white thistle, purple clematis and foliage.
Flowers - CK Flowers
We did some necessary work in the garden and decided to turn the run-down garage into a bar!
We kept the feel of a garage and decorated it with old items that had been in there for years.
The relaxed vibe of the day was reflected in the fact that there were no table plan, top table or place cards. We did however have pretty pink decorated serviettes and a whole array of vintage tea sets and pots bought from local antique and charity shops for the occasion.
Stationary - Lornaboyerdesign.co.uk
The tables had hessian or lace panels wit green and clear glass vases, jars and quirky milk bottles filled full of pretty country flowers.
Our celebrant Evelyn was perfect for the day. As a celebrant myself, I had met her before, and I knew she was the one for us. She created a ceremony that worked for us and our two families, with a hand-fasting and key ceremony.
Celebrant - Starceremonies.org.uk
The favours were tiny succulents dotted around the garden and were so decorative. We worked so hard to get the right purple velveteen paper to match the Outlander theme. The guests really loved them!
Favours - Interiorplantcreations.co.uk
The wedding breakfast was an afternoon tea with a range of sandwiches and other savoury dishes made in-house by the family.
The cakes were all baked by professional cake makers that the bride knew and wanted to share their amazing creations with family and friends.
Cupcakes - Icedbytracey.com
With our lovely dog as the ring bearer it was complete!
The wedding cake was magnificent as it reflected our outfits in two tiers.
One tier was cream and covered in tiny pearls like the bodice of the wedding dress and the other tier was dark blue and appeared to be a soft velvet-like material like the kilt.
It was most impressive and it tasted great too!
Cake - My Little Cake Studio
The shoes I bought from Irregular Choice were pink and they had just the right heel shape to match the theme! I also had a lovely blue garter from Extra Special Touches to wear.
Shoes - Irregular Choice Midlands
Accessories - Extra Special Touch
I wore a bridal gown from Bridal Reloved in Leicester as it has a marvellous choice of dresses. The dress reflected the 18th century Outlander theme with a beautiful lace veil that I bought there too which completed the look.
Dress and veil - Bridal Reloved
Hair & Makeup - SFB hair and makeup
Catering - Occasions Tea Room
Photographer - IsoElegant
The groom wore his kilt suit as did the best man, his brother-in-law wore the Black Watch tartan. The groom's sister wore a tartan corset dress, especially tailored in Edinburg.
All three of them certainly looked the part!
The bridesmaids wore their own style of dress for the day so they felt comfortable and relaxed if it included pink, lilac, purple and/or dark blue shades.
We had a big basket full of hats and other fancy-dress items which family wore and took photos with an instant mini camera which they all enjoyed.
Rustic prop hire - Rustic Charm Prop Hire
Flower Wall - Vintage Fare
We also had a Silent Disco for the evening which everyone really enjoyed and walking around in their headphones!
Entertainment - Silent Disco King
Enjoy the day - it really does fly by. You can't get to speak to everyone as much as you would like, but make sure you spend time with your new partner too!
We were both ecstatic on the day! As I had planned the whole day myself with Chris, it was a super big worry but thanks to the wonderful support and help before, on and after the day from local suppliers, it all went really well!
Well done to everyone who made it into the magazine!
We all hope that this platform has helped all the local businesses who was involved in Susan and Chris's hand-fasting ceremony shoot to stardom and are now incredibly rich and famous.
A special mention to Susan's actual business - Celebrate with Sue. It was indeed everyone else's turn to celebrate with Sue (and Chris).
The energy of the day from the minute Sue popped those hot pink shoes on to the leaning tower of pizza boxes as the evening wound down on this lovely summer's evening was simply magical. Every meticulous detail was thought through, from the colour designs of the packaging the succulents came in to the vintage garage items that each held a story of their own.
For Sue to have a chance at organising her own wedding and getting a four page spread across Your East Midlands Wedding Magazine, you're pretty much in safe hands with her if you want your own celebrant led day.
Susan & Chris's lovely, lively and local wedding images and information can be found by clicking the links. If you want to see the actual magazine, you can buy from the Your East Midlands Wedding website. You'll receive an Emagazine and everything here is found on pages 27, 28, 29 & 30. We basically took over the magazine.
Cheers!
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