Leanne & Grahame
BURNT ORANGE | PASSION FOR TRAVEL | GERBERAS | GRECIAN- STYLE CHIFFON MAIDS DRESSES | RAINBOW TOWER OF MACAROONS
How did the proposal happen?
Grahame proposed at the top of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. It was extremely romantic.
The dress
I had a dressmaker design and make the dress for me. It took two years of hard work and was made from ivory silk with a large puddle train to contrast the low back on the lace corset-style bodice.
The Accessories
I wore a matching headdress made by my seamstress and burnt orange shoes by Kurt Geiger. The seamstress customised them by sewing the same lace motifs from my dress to the shoes. I borrowed my mum’s scallop- edged veil as my ‘something old’ and wore a pair of Swarovski earrings gifted to me by my wonderful grandparents.
The Groom
Grahame wore an electric blue suit with a white shirt and burnt orange tie, all by designer Marc Wallace in Bath. His tan shoes were from Barkers and the cufflinks from Paul Smith in London. As a wedding gift, I also bought him a Tag Heuer watch.
The Bridesmaids
My five bridesmaids wore floor-length, Grecian-style burnt orange chiffon dresses. I ordered the dresses three sizes too big for each bridesmaid and had the seamstress make alterations so they looked tailor-made.
The Ceremony
We tied the knot in front of 85 guests at the magnificent Belvoir Castle in Leicestershire. My dad gave me away and my sister, Chevonne read the extract ‘Real’ from the Velveteen Rabbit. A gospel choir created a beautiful atmosphere for us.
The details
The main theme reflected our love of travel alongside a burnt orange, rustic scheme. Grace and Bramble used old-style luggage tags tied with twine for our stationery and we collected vintage suitcases, apple crates, old postcards, books, cameras and keys to decorate the venue. I sprayed frames in gold and hung them between trees and my grandmother made hessian and lace table runners. Grahame’s mum, her friend Pam and her daughter made all the bunting.
What did you have for your wedding breakfast?
Grahame works in catering so the food and drink was very important to him. We had canapés and Champagne served in the garden after the ceremony followed by our wedding breakfast. Watermelon, feta and pine nut salad was the starter, with pork tenderloin and sage and onion rosti for main and a selection of desserts. Each table had a cheese platter of local Leicestershire cheeses and a BBQ was served in the evening.
The Flowers
Zinnia Flowers in Bingham provided all the flowers. We chose orange gerberas for our main flowers, using them in the centre pieces and adding them to the bay trees which lined the entrance around the ceremony.
The Cake
Instead of a cake we had a stunning, 10-tier colourful tower of 300 macarons from L’amandier Macarons in Nottingham. Cats Eye Press made the bespoke macaron boxes and the artisan chocolate and custard doughnuts made by Dee’s Cakes in Leicester were presented in vintage Apple carts.
The wedding Favours
The children had personalised activity books plus a camera given to them with a
list of people they needed to snap before the night was over. It gave them a role during
the reception and they took brilliant photos! Grahame’s dad helped make 100 jars of marmalade which we gave to the adult guests.
The Entertainment
I made pass the parcels for each table which, upon opening, instructed guests to ‘hum
a song and pass it along’. Each layer had a wedding trivia card to read out for the table to answer. The prize was a box stuffed with Love Hearts for the table to share. The Kirkland Turn played in the evening and magician, Ashley Turner AKA The Trixta enchanted everyone during the meal! Alan Garner at Edge Entertainment provided vintage funfair stalls. Eva also surprised us with a poem she had written during the speeches.
The first dance
Shannon sang our first dance song, ‘All of Me’ by John Legend, accompanied by the band. She has the most beautiful voice.
Leanne’s top tips
Get a good photographer. We would honestly recommend Mark Pugh to anyone! He captured every part of our day beautifully, including the small details.
Make sure the realist in the relationship – my husband in our case – is involved in the finances so you don’t get carried away.
Give copies of the running schedule of the day to a family member who can liaise with suppliers on your behalf.
CEREMONY VENUE Belvoir Castle, Leicestershire | RECEPTION The Chequers Inn, Woolsthorpe by Belvoir | GROOM Marc Wallace | TRANSPORT Rolls Royce Phantom from Mann’s Limousines | STATIONERY Grace and Bramble FLOWERS Zinnia Flowers zinniaflorist.co.uk | CAKE L’amandier Macarons, Nottingham | DÉCOR Hanging lanterns, The Hanging Lantern Company | FAVOURS For disposable cameras, try Confetti | ENTERTAINMENT Magician, Ashley Turner aka The Trixta, Gospel Touch Choir | PHOTOGRAPHER Mark Pugh
