A gorgeous real wedding complete with vintage details and purple girls

A pretty purple real wedding with a vintage theme. It has so many gorgeous and inspiring ideas… Stephanie and Joseph got married in April 2011.

How they met

"I was good friends with Joe's twin sister at university, so I had heard a lot about him before we were introduced," smiles Stephanie. "My initial thoughts were, he's gorgeous and really kind. I never thought he would go out with me, I assumed he was out of my league!"

The proposal

"Joe wanted to surprise me, so the proposal took place on a seemingly ordinary week day," remembers Stephanie. "He took me out to breakfast at a quaint little cafe, then for a walk around Hampstead Heath. There, he told me how much he loved me, how happy he was, and pulled a ring from his pocket. Later that day we drove to Henley-On-Thames for a celebratory lunch with my family. It was the most perfect and romantic day," she adds

The bride's outfit

Taking inspiration from her own mother's beautiful wedding dress, this bride knew she wanted something vintage inspired. "My gown by San Patrick for Pronovias featured long, lace sleeves and delicate, ornate buttons up the back," smiles Stephanie. "I wanted to look old fashioned but still elegant and glamorous, and I knew this dress was 'the one'."

The accessories

"I had been to a vintage wedding fayre in London and seen some gorgeous jewellery by Katherine Swaine. I ordered my authentic pieces from her website," says Stephanie. She also wore a hair clip by Chez Bec and Rachel Simpson shoes, which she can't wait to wear again!

"I wanted to look old fashioned but still elegant and glamorous..."

The groom's outfit

Joseph looked charming in his tailor-made Jeff Banks suit. The style was a traditional black suit to tie in with the vintage theme and a purple tie to match the girls. As a real wedding present, Stephanie bought her man handmade silver cufflinks featuring the longitude and latitude points of the church where they tied the knot

The bridesmaids

Stephanie's four gorgeous girls included her twin sister, her two other sisters and her best friend from university. "To work with our vintage theme, I chose adorable dresses from Monsoon in a beautiful dusky purple," she explains. Their outfits were completed with hairbands from Red Herring at Debenhams and cuff bracelets from Oasis

The ceremony

"My Dad is a salvation Army officer and so he co-led the ceremony with our Reverend," explains Stephanie. "The church we chose was where Joe grew up, he even went to play-school there as a toddler. My Dad read a beautiful sermon and Joe's twin sister read a bible reading from Genesis," she adds

The flowers

Bella Fifi Flowers were the perfect choice to create the couple's beautiful blooms. This real wedding bride wanted to capture a look of wild flowers that seemed as though they'd been collected the morning of the wedding

The stationery

"My amazing twin sister designed all our stationery," beams Stephanie. "I asked her to create delicate pieces with lace and pearls. She made everything by hand, meaning each item had a personal and unique finish," she adds

The decor

"I bought lots of vintage crockery and gave each guest a cup, saucer and side plate at their table setting," explains Stephanie. Other decorative items included bunting made by the bride's sister, fairy lights and a personalised wooden wedding sign

The cake

For a twist on the traditional real wedding cake, this couple chose to have a whole table of scrummy cakes. They were made by a local bakery and included classics such as a lemon drizzle, chocolate orange, coffee and walnut and a carrot cake. How fabulous!

"I gave our guests vintage crockery as a memento of our wedding day..."

The favours

Because Joe works for Cadbury, the couple were able to get their hands on lots of Mini Eggs to give away as tasty gifts for their guests

The first dance

As big fans of John Legend, the newlyweds danced to one of his biggest hits You Are. "We love the lyrics of this song, and the fact that it was quite upbeat meant that it was just perfect for us to move to," smiles Stephanie

The honeymoon

"Joe was in charge of the honeymoon and it remained a surprise to me, until we arrived at the airport," recalls Stephanie. He chose to take them to Cambodia for four days followed by Thailand for 10 days, where they enjoyed delicious food, elephant trekking and snorkelling.

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