Danielle & James
Romantic roses fill this classic outdoor Warwickshire wedding
PHOTOGRAPHY BY Amii Herd, Mr & Mrs I Do, mrandmrsido.com
While relationship statuses are updated all the time on Facebook, it’s not often that you hear of a love story that started on LinkedIn. But for then recruitment manager Danielle and her husband James, a few messages changed their lives forever.
“James proposed to me at home on Christmas day. The ring was hidden in a box, which was then wrapped in box after box itself, and was labelled as a gift from our then nine-month-old daughter. I was in utter shock, it was the happiest and most perfect moment to have our little girl be a part of it!” Danielle gushes.
It was love at first sight for the bride when it came to her dress.
“My Berta gown was the first I tried on at The Wedding Club in Birmingham. It was made from the most beautiful ivory lace and pearls with a sheer panel at the front and back. The fit was perfect with just the right balance of being classic and sexy. I felt like a princess and my mum said to me, ‘I’m not sure any other dress will top that one.’” Decision made!
Danielle accessorised with custom-made pearl and diamond drop earrings, a diamond tennis bracelet and her engagement ring. “I also wore a long veil for the ceremony and ivory Jimmy Choos. The dress needed nothing more.”
“Make sure you buy a second pair of shoes!”
“My fabulous photographer Amii suggested this to me and I’m so glad I took her advice. My feet were in pieces by the end of our first dance. I slipped into my second pair and enjoyed the rest of the party!”
The groom looked dapper in a grey three-piece suit, teamed with a pale pink tie and an elegant white rose buttonhole.
“I asked my best friend Anna to be my maid of honour, and my daughter and niece joined us as flower girls. Our two nephews took on the role of page boys, too.” The girls wore custom-made dresses from the Bridal Boutique in Henley-in-Arden, while the boys wore suits from Roco Clothing.
“Sunny Sanga from Nicky Clarke Birmingham styled our hair for the day. We chatted about styles and I explained that I felt brides should wear an up-do, but I never wear my own hair up. Sunny gave me brilliant advice: ‘you need to look and feel like the best version of you!’ – so I wore my hair down.”
Danni Smith from The Makeup Spot, Solihull, created our beauty look using Charlotte Tilbury, Smashbox and MAC products. “I’ve never felt so beautiful and can’t recommend them enough. They also really helped to keep the morning moving smoothly, from pouring the Champagne to dressing our flower girls and cleaning up once we’d left – they were the dream team!”
The couple married outside in the garden of their Warwickshire home, with floral arrangements lining the aisle. “My dear friend Natalie delivered a beautiful reading of ‘Blessing of the Hands’ during our ceremony. A string quartet played as I walked down the aisle with my father.”
“The best moments have to be seeing our little girl run towards her dad down the aisle and then walking back up together as husband and wife.”
Following the ceremony, the couple and their guests dined on a three-course dinner. “We enjoyed salmon tarts to start, followed by roast beef with dauphinoise and pancetta potatoes. For dessert, we chose summer fruit cheesecake, with coffee and chocolates afterwards too.” Nero String Quartet played during the drinks reception.
“During my father’s speech, he called me to the middle of the room and we danced to ‘I Loved Her First’ by Heartland.”
“It was the most beautiful three minutes. There wasn’t a dry eye in the room.”
Having chosen ivory and blush pink for their Warwickshire wedding colour scheme, Lucy Ladybug handmade stationery to match.
“We hired a marquee from Ridgeway Marquees for the garden and had the help of Jane and Lisa from Warwickshire Wedding Events as our planners.”
Ethos Flowers provided eight aisle arrangements as well as 11 table centres, bouquets, buttonholes and flower girl accessories. “He dressed the marquee beautifully, as well as our garden. The overall look was so special and elegant.”
The couple’s five-tier cake was created by Gemma from The Cakery, Leamington. “It was entirely covered in ivory icing with pale blush flowers on each tier and tiny pearls.”
To kick off the evening party at their Warwickshire wedding, 10-piece band Creation Musical Services took to the stage. “They had singers, a violinist and a saxophonist… they really got the crowd going. We shared our first dance to ‘Crazy Love’ by Michael Buble. It was one of the things we always giggled about when we first started dating, our mutual love of Michael Buble.”
“Enjoy every second of planning, no matter how stressful it may be at times.”
“It’s a happy stress that won’t last forever, and then you wish you could do it all over again. Take your time and enjoy every step, for the run-up and on the day.”
SUPPLIERS
VENUE The couple’s Warwickshire home
DRESS Berta at The Wedding Club, Birmingham
BRIDESMAID DRESSES Bridal Boutique, Henley-in-Arden
PAGEBOYS Roco Clothing
HAIR Sunny Sanga from Nicky Clarke Birmingham
MAKEUP Danni Smith from The Makeup Spot, Solihull
PLANNERS Jane and Lisa from Warwickshire Wedding Events
STATIONERY Lucy Ladybug, Warwickshire
FLOWERS Ethos Flowers, Warwickshire
CAKE Gemma from The Cakery, Leamington
ENTERTAINMENT Nero String Quartet, Creation Musical Services
