We love this couple’s dusky pink wedding – it was an classic and elegant day with its pretty lace theme!
How they met
“Matt and I have known each other for years, as he’s a close friend of my cousin, but our official first date was in March 2007,” says Lois. “We went to see a film, and then had a pizza afterwards.”
The proposal
The romantic couple had taken a week off work and planned to surprise each other on alternate days. “Matt whisked me away to Bath to stay in a beautiful boutique hotel,” Lois recalls. “On our second day, we were sitting in the park enjoying coffee and cake when he said he had a present for me, and gave me a lovely notebook where he’d written the story of our relationship. Then the wind blew the page over, and I saw he had drawn a picture of a diamond ring, and written ‘Will you marry me?’ underneath. I was over the moon and said yes straight away.”
The bride’s outfit
Lois chose a sensational Suzanne Neville design in silk taffeta with lace detailing. “It felt amazing, and as soon as I saw myself in the mirror, I knew it was ‘the one’,” Lois explains. “I loved everything about it – the fit, the style, the quality of the fabric and the attention to detail.” Lois added Kurt Geiger wedges with extra Swarovski crystals and diamond earrings, and made her own hair pins from a vintage brooch.
The groom’s outfit
Matt chose a Peter Posh navy blue suit in lightweight mohair, which he teamed with an ivory waistcoat and a dusky pink cravat and pocket handkerchief.
The bridesmaids
Lois’ sister and cousin were bridesmaids, while little niece Matilda was the flowergirl. The adult maids wore dusky pink dresses from Jasmine Bridal, and Matilda wore an ivory gown customised with a pink sash and an artificial flower.
The ceremony
The music for Lois and Matt’s civil ceremony was inspired by the groom’s love of indie music, but with a traditional slant. “We had Elbow’s One Day Like This for my entrance, Wonderwall by Oasis and Halo by Beyoncé for the signing of the register, and Viva la Vida by Coldplay as we walked out, played by a string quartet,” Lois explains. “The instrumental versions made everything fit together perfectly.”
The flowers
Talented Lois created her own bouquets of roses in different shades of pink. “I love being creative, and it seemed silly to pay someone to do our flowers when I could do it myself,” Lois says. “It was hard work, though, and I didn’t get much chance to chill out and pamper myself the day before the wedding.”
The reception
The reception was held at Whitley Hall – an elegant, ivy-clad 16th-century mansion near Sheffield. The wedding menu included tomato, basil and roasted pepper soup, roast turkey breast and white chocolate and passion fruit torte. “We had a brilliant band called 16 Days, who played a really varied set with everything from reggae to indie to funk,” Lois says. “Everyone of all ages loved them.”
The details
Lois and Matt chose an elegant lace theme for their big day. “I have my own venue styling business, so we were able to use my own stock to dress the room, including chair covers and table runners,” says Lois. “I made the table plan from an old door painted vintage gold with lace and luggage tags pinned to it, and also collected jam jars for the table flowers. My mum made the giant pom poms, which hung outside.” Other details included a vintage post box, a sweet buffet and lots of candles.
The cake
After attending a cake decorating course, Lois’ cousins put their newfound skills into action and made an exquisite four-tier fruit cake with alternate pink and white layers, with intricate lace detailing.
The favours
“We gave our guests scratch cards in gold envelopes, which doubled up as place cards,” says Lois.
The honeymoon
Lois and Matt spent seven nights on the Greek island of Mykonos, where they dined out and relaxed on the beach, enjoying each other’s company after their hectic wedding day. They followed this with four nights in London.
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