Darling Buds, A Real Wedding – Sarah & Richard

Posted on: 09/08/2011

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Have I got a corker of a Real Wedding for you Brides to Be today!  Sent to me by bridal blog Featured Supplier Karen McGowran Photography, this wedding is brimming with ideas.  Today’s beautiful Bride Sarah helpfully explains where she found her own inspirations and the suppliers that she just couldn’t do without.  North East Brides – pens and paper at the ready!

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Enjoy…

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Over to the new Mrs Jennings: Richard proposed at the Priory in Tynemouth at the end of September 2010. We were there first thing on a Saturday morning, so we had the whole place to ourselves. The proposal was on bended knee, right on the edge of the cliff overlooking the sea, and the sun even made an appearance just as he popped the question – perfect!

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We married on 21st May 2011 at Woodhill Hall in Otterburn, Northumberland.  A lot of family were coming over from Canada, so we were primarily looking for a venue we could hire for the whole weekend. Our families and bridal party were able to come and stay with us there for three nights, which gave us lots of time to have a proper visit with them and to have an extended wedding celebration. We knew Woodhill Hall was the place for us as soon as we walked in – grand enough to feel special, but somehow still managing to feel intimate and comfortable.

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I had an all white bouquet with hydrangeas, tulips, peonies, sweet peas and roses by Bels Flowers. 

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I wanted a reasonably simple and elegant dress – I’m not a ‘bling’ type of girl, so I wasn’t after anything with too much sparkly fuss. I also didn’t want a strapless gown, which was a hard thing to find! I struggled to find the right dress until I visited YAP Bridal Boutique in Newcastle. After trying a few dresses on with no success, the owner Jo mentioned she was going to start carrying a new designer, and showed me a picture of a dress from their catalogue. She was sure it would look great, so went to the trouble of ordering up a sample from London, in my right size, just so I could try it. Wouldn’t you know, Jo was right – it was the ‘one’!

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My bridesmaids wore Alfred Sung style D476 in Niagara – they looked AMAZING! I ordered them from Bridal Wish, who had the most competitive prices for that style.

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I can’t recommend Karen McGowran Photography, Bels Flowers, The Fine and Funky Events Company, Simone Whitehead (hair) , Paula Pace of Perfection Nail & Beauty (makeup) and Real Life Films enough – they all went above and beyond for us! We also worked with Simply Bows and Chair Covers, Purple Peacock Stationery, Blades Suit Hire, Stuart Collingwood (pianist) to name a few more – all were great.

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We wanted to day to feel quite personal – instead of a traditional guestbook, we had a wedding ‘tree’ where guests inked their thumbs and pressed them onto the print as leaves on the branches and then signed their names next to it. It looked amazing by the end of the night and will be lovely framed. We also had special favours, which were small pieces of traditional Danish wedding cake, which reflected my family’s heritage – this type of cake was served at my mother’s, grandmother’s and great grandmother’s wedding, and we were so lucky to find Birgit Underwood in London who was able to make them for us! I also embroidered our initials and wedding date in blue onto a vintage handkerchief (which was my ‘something blue’ carried in the pocket of my dress) and also designed keepsake escort cards which were then made by Purple Peacock Stationery.

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Our wedding cake was made by a friend of ours – unfortunately it had an ‘accident’ on the way to the venue! It tasted great though!

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We had an AMAZING band, No Time For Jive, agree to come and play for us. They got us and our guests up and embarrassing ourselves on the dance floor in no time!

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How can you pick a favourite part of a day like this!? I loved the band, and I loved the ‘evening buffet’ where we replaced the ‘buffet’ with a crepe station! Executive Catering provided everything we needed and a selection of crepes that were made to order in front of the guests – they were delicious! And good value!

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Most of all, I just loved marrying the man I loved in front of so many people who care about us… it’s amazing.

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My top tip for other Brides Up North is to find a supplier that you like and trust, and ask them for reliable suppliers that they’ve worked with before – it really is the best way to find great suppliers. Karen tipped us off to a lot of great people.

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Brides, Grooms and photographers – Contact Brides Up North to share your Real Wedding on the wedding blog. 

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Brides Up North UK Wedding Blog – Images © Karen McGowran Photography 

Karen McGowran Photography is a Brides Up North Featured Supplier but this is not a sponsored post

Contact Brides Up North to submit your business as a Featured Supplier

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