This stunning couple had an elegant pale pink and silver theme, with plenty of vintage and lace touches…
How they met
“I’d known Craig for a few years,” recalls Samantha. “He was one of my sister’s boyfriend’s friends. I’d always thought he was drop-dead gorgeous, but never believed in a million years we’d end up dating, let alone get married!”
The proposal
“It was Christmas morning 2010. We woke up and were opening our presents together in bed,” remembers Samantha. “Craig passed me a big gift bag full of presents. The first present I picked out was a Christmas ‘Me to You’ bear holding a Christmas stocking. Inside was a small box wrapped in ‘Me to You’ wrapping paper, which I just presumed was part of the bear.
To Craig’s disgust, I put the bear to the side and went on to open my next present. Craig soon made it clear I needed to take a closer look at this bear. As I picked it up, the box that was inside the bear’s stocking fell out. I looked up at Craig and he was down on one knee beside the bed. I knew then that something amazing was about to happen.”
The bride’s outfit
Samantha looked truly mesmerising in her full-skirted, strapless Maggie Sottero gown. “I felt so special in this dress,” beams the bride. “I just couldn’t imagine feeling the same way, wearing anything else. I’d taken my mum, my twin sister and my mother-in-law along with me to the boutique, and when I saw their faces it just confirmed for me that this was ‘the one’.”
The groom’s outfit
Craig wowed his bride in a grey tails suit, which he picked out himself from Groomhire in Manchester. “He looked so amazing, I got really choked up when I first saw him in his suit. I will remember that moment for the rest of my life,” smiles Samantha.
The bridesmaids
Samantha was accompanied down the aisle by her twin sister Jemma, little sister Chloe, four best friends, and her cousin. Their knockout full-length frocks were one-shoulder, satin designs in ‘Rose’ by Dessy. The couple also asked Craig’s nieces to be their flowergirls.
The ceremony
“I walked down the aisle to Adele’s Make You Feel My Love sung by Craig’s mum’s friend Hannah Shaw, who was accompanied by her brother Gary playing the guitar. They also sang a very slow version of Bruno Mars’ Marry You while we signed the register, and Take That’s Greatest Day as we walked out of the church. They were incredible – Hannah has such an amazing voice. All our guests were totally blown away by them both, and they were the icing on the cake, making the announcement of our marriage
so special,” she says.
The flowers
A close family friend, Sara Timmis, put together the couple’s stunning floral arrangements, including bouquets, buttonholes and table centrepieces.
The reception
The reception took place at Combermere Abbey in Whitchurch. For the wedding breakfast, Samantha and Craig served separate menus for the men and women. “It worked well, with couples swapping and sharing their meals with each other,” explains Samantha.
The details
“For our centrepieces we had a mixture of silver candelabra and chalice bowls with sweet Avalanche roses, peonies, hydrangeas, gypsophila, and lilies. Our tables were dressed with little tealight holders, vintage-style frames for the table numbers and pearls and crystals, which were all provided by our amazing venue dresser Katie from
Venue Perfection,” remembers Samantha.
The cake
A friend of Craig’s mum made the couple’s wedding cake, based on their brief of wanting something ‘simple but classy’. It was four tiers with a mixture of fruit layers, sponge and chocolate.
The first dance
“We had decided that we didn’t want to bore everyone with an awkward sway, because both Craig and I have two left feet,” laughs Samantha. “One of our friends, Kerry, is a professional dancer and kindly put a routine together for us. We started off with Eric Clapton’s Wonderful Tonight and then broke out into The Black Eyed Peas’ Dirty Bit. We really did have the time of our lives on that dancefloor!”
The honeymoon
The couple visited Dubai and Mauritius for their honeymoon.
Real Wedding Gallery
