Destination Wedding

Real Wedding Recap Winter 2013: Molto Bella. Maggie Sottero For A Real Destination Wedding In Sorrento, Italy – Laura & Stuart

Julia Braime

Its holiday season here on the blog, and as the team take a break until to rest and recharge for what’s set to be the biggest and best year yet at Brides Up North HQ, we’ll be leaving you with a reduced blogging schedule so that you still get your daily dose of wedding pretty.

Usual service will recommence on 2nd January 2014,  but in the meantime watch out for recaps of our favourite Real Weddings in 2013.  Drop in every day for the very, very prettiest wedding inspiration and if you are a Brides Up North bride, to see if your Real Wedding was one of our top picks. 

India Hobson Weddings

So here’s a thing!  Today’s real bride Laura has my job.  No, not my job as editor of Brides Up North, but my old job, the one I packed in to do a crazy little thing like follow my dreams and become a full time writer, events planner and professional wedding blogger.

I love my old work team (hello guys, I hope you are reading!) and Laura seems to fit right in, so I know that she’s a lovely lady.  I’ve never met Laura in person, but call it serendipity that when she announced that she was getting married, my boss Andrew told her about this here wedding blog and she was hooked!  She even sourced her suppliers via our Directory pages, and she’s here to share the results with us today.

Now that’s what I call a happy ending.

With images by India Hobson Weddings.

India Hobson Weddings

India Hobson Weddings

India Hobson Weddings

Laura says: We got engaged under a tree in the Borghese Gardens in Rome in September 2011. We’d gone to Rome for Stu’s 30th Birthday and it was very romantic.

India Hobson Weddings

We tied the knot on 3rd April 2013 at Cloisters of San Francesco in Sorrento, Italy. Our reception was held at Castore, which is a restaurant in the hills run by Don Pedro and his family.

India Hobson Weddings

India Hobson Weddings

When we’d spoken about getting married, we’d both agreed that we wanted to do it abroad. We chose Italy because we got engaged there and Sorrento seemed like the idyllic setting. We saw a picture of the Cloisters and fell in love with it. We hadn’t been before so it was a bit of a risk! We chose Don Pedro’s for our reception after reading reviews on Trip Advisor. We weren’t disappointed. Don Pedro and his family were amazing and couldn’t do enough for us. We drank local prosecco and ate an Italian feast!

India Hobson Weddings

India Hobson Weddings

We wanted the day to be fun and elegant and chose a teal colour base. I had a particular colour in my mind and I just couldn’t find a perfect match. In the end, we had various shades of teal for different things. My Mum reminded me that it didn’t really matter if the bridesmaids knickers didn’t match the wedding invitations and she was right!

India Hobson Weddings

India Hobson Weddings

India Hobson Weddings

India Hobson Weddings

India Hobson Weddings

India Hobson Weddings

My dress was a Maggie Sottero gown called Bernadette from Angel Brides in Horsforth. I’d seen it online and fell in love with it. Even from the pictures, I knew it was the one I wanted. It was simply a matter of trying it on to make sure. I absolutely loved my dress. It was completely different to what I thought I wanted. Heidi and the Angel Brides team were fantastic. They went above and beyond.

India Hobson Weddings

My bridesmaid wore dresses by True Bride, which we also got from Angel Brides. Stuart, his best man, my Dad and my brother all wore suits from TM Lewin in Leeds.

India Hobson Weddings

India Hobson Weddings

As we were married abroad, the majority of our suppliers were based in Sorrento. Don Pedro arranged the food, wine, flowers, car and a harpist for the ceremony. However, we decided to take our photographer with us. We met India after seeing one of her weddings on Brides up North. We knew after our first meeting that India would be fantastic and she was. She’s a wonderful person who is more than a wedding photographer. The images she captures are truly beautiful.

Laura_Stu_Clayburn_BUN-30

I carried a bouquet of white roses, rosemary and olive leaves. My bridesmaids carried white roses and olive leaves.

India Hobson Weddings

India Hobson Weddings

My favourite moment  of the day was when I walked into the Cloisters to Clair de Lune playing on the harp and saw Stu. All my nerves just disappeared.

India Hobson Weddings

We decided to write our own vows. It was such a special part of the day as it was really personal. It was quite funny because, even though we’d written our vows separately, the sentiments were very similar. It was really special.

India Hobson Weddings

India Hobson Weddings

India Hobson Weddings

India Hobson Weddings

India Hobson Weddings

India Hobson Weddings

India Hobson Weddings

India Hobson Weddings

India Hobson Weddings

India Hobson Weddings

We had compiled a few playlists on our iPad before we went to Italy. The evening reception was really good fun as our friends took it in turns to DJ. It caused a bit of a competition to see who could get the most people up dancing!

India Hobson Weddings

India Hobson Weddings

India Hobson Weddings

India Hobson Weddings

India Hobson Weddings

India Hobson Weddings

India Hobson Weddings

India Hobson Weddings

India Hobson Weddings

India Hobson Weddings

India Hobson Weddings

Honeymoon-wise, we had a few days before and after the wedding in Italy. We spent a week in Rhodes at the end of June and have a trip to New York planned for November.

India Hobson Weddings

India Hobson Weddings

India Hobson Weddings

My top tip for other Brides Up North is a cliché, but do what you want to do and don’t worry about keeping other people happy. It’s your wedding. It’s the one day where it is acceptable for you and your future husband to be selfish!

India Hobson Weddings

 

Congratulations Laura & Stuart!

Fancy seeing your own Real Wedding on these pretty pages?  Here’s how.

 

Brides Up North UK Wedding Blog – Images © 2013 India Hobson Weddings

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