Marquees

real wedding recap winter 2014: pretty perfect. phillipa lepley for a marquee wedding at home – victoria & paul

Julia Braime

Merry Christmas! Its holiday season here on the blog, and as the editorial team take a break for the festive season, we’ll be leaving you with a reduced blogging schedule so that you still get your daily dose of wedding lovely.

Usual service will recommence on Monday 5th January 2015 (with some big news!) but in the meantime watch out for recaps of our favourite Real Weddings so far this year.  Drop in every day for the very prettiest, most unique wedding inspiration and – if you are a Brides Up North bride – to see if your Real Wedding was one of our top picks for 2014.

Phillipa Lepley for a pretty pink marquee wedding at home (c) Sean Elliott Photography (16)

It’s not every day that a wedding blogger’s best friend gets married.  So, in theory, Vicky might have been feeling the pressure on her big day.  But there was no need to worry.  There’s a reason why the brand new Mrs Bollands is my best mate: she has great taste. Naturally.

Super pretty, loads of fun and

practically perfect

in every way, that’s our Vic.  And her and Paul’s wedding day wasn’t far behind.

One for the history books.

With images by Sean Elliott Photography.

Phillipa Lepley for a pretty pink marquee wedding at home (c) Sean Elliott Photography (5)

victoria says:

 Paul surprised me by proposing to me at my parent’s home on Christmas morning 2012. We spent the day celebrating with our families and family friends.

We got married on 21st September 2013. We were really lucky with the weather as it was an absolutely gorgeous day. We said I Do at the chapel at Durham School. It is a lovely chapel situated on the top of a hill with fabulous views of Durham City. I have lovely memories of my time at the school and it was the perfect venue for our wedding ceremony.

The reception was in a marquee in the garden at my parent’s house, which was also special as it is the home I grew up in and we both have lots of happy memories of family times there.

Phillipa Lepley for a pretty pink marquee wedding at home (c) Sean Elliott Photography (7)

Phillipa Lepley for a pretty pink marquee wedding at home (c) Sean Elliott Photography (8)

The styling of the day was classic and neutral with lots of white and cream and the occasional hint of blush and twinkling fairy lights.

There were also a few modern twists such as Louis Ghost Chairs at the tables, a white sparkly dance floor and an upside down wine glass chandelier above the bar.

Our table decorations comprised of crystal candelabra’s with a combination of white and pink roses. Each guest’s place name was a heart shaped wine glass charm with their name engraved onto it.

My best friend and one of my bridesmaids Julia (hello!) recommended Dine for the catering and we were amazed by the food that they prepared. The menu included a starter of Filo Tart Fine of Somerset Brie with micro salad & apple chutney and Mini Homemade Loaves. The Main course was Fillet of Aged Yorkshire Beef, Boeuf Bourguignon Pudding, A copper pan of Baby Vegetables, Fondant Potato, Caramelised Button Onions & Red Wine Jus. Dessert was a  Trio of Desserts; Mini Sticky Toffee Pudding, Mini Apple & Blackberry Crumble, Individual Cheesecake. On each plate was a small personalised glass filled with desert wine for each guest to take home. Dine’s Craig Squelch did an excellent job of being Master of Ceremonies on the day.

The cake was a five tiered cake in ivory, with a vintage lace design. We chose a variety of fillings; spice, chocolate and white chocolate. The cake was made by Love Lily Cakes of Sunderland.

Phillipa Lepley for a pretty pink marquee wedding at home (c) Sean Elliott Photography (36)

Phillipa Lepley for a pretty pink marquee wedding at home (c) Sean Elliott Photography (26)

I wore a Phillipa Lepley backless princess line gown in slipper satin with sweat pea lace overlay and buttercup lace scallops appliqued at the hem and neckline. I also wore a long silk tulle veil. My heels were gold and by Christian Louboutin.

Paul and his groomsmen wore traditional morning wear with ivory waistcoats and cravats.

The bridesmaids looked beautiful in full length Jim Hjelm gowns in rose pink with ivory lace back and cap sleeves. The dresses were from Accent Original in Newcastle upon Tyne.

I carried a bouquet of white roses, provided by Claire de Lune Florist and Events in Durham. Our bridesmaids carried coordinating bouquets of white and pink roses.

Phillipa Lepley for a pretty pink marquee wedding at home (c) Sean Elliott Photography (44)

Entertainment was a really important part of the day for us. We really wanted to create a party atmosphere and for everyone to have a really fun time.

During our wedding ceremony the fabulous Felling Male Voice Choir performed a number of songs including a rendition of The Beatles ‘It Must be Love’. It was great fun as all of our guests joined in singing.

Starting with the drinks reception, we went for a contemporary ‘take’ on the jazz band. An Ibiza-bar-style sax and DJ gave a chill-out feel. During the wedding breakfast, we had a Bublé-style male singer with a few ‘un-plugged’ modern tunes. In between courses he sang some more up-beat songs and I loved that our guests felt relaxed enough to get up and dance in between each course. After the meal we had a Big Band with male and female vocals, guitar and trumpet.

Chris Hilton’s Little Big Band and The Event Music Company provided all of the entertainment and were really excellent.

Phillipa Lepley for a pretty pink marquee wedding at home (c) Sean Elliott Photography (14)

Phillipa Lepley for a pretty pink marquee wedding at home (c) Sean Elliott Photography (49)

Our photographer was Sean Elliott of Sean Elliott Photography. We also had a videographer, Scott Coulter of DS Media. We would highly recommend both as the photographs and video are exceptional and we will treasure them forever.

Phillipa Lepley for a pretty pink marquee wedding at home (c) Sean Elliott Photography (51)

We used Yorkshire Marquees Ltd for our marquee and we were so impressed with their professionalism and also Teresa Vorster’s vision and styling. The marquee exceeded our expectations and we walked in it felt as if we were walking into a magical fairyland. I would highly recommend Yorkshire Marquees Ltd.

We loved our venue as it was so sentimental to us and we just knew it was the perfect place for us to get married.

It’s hard to choose a favourite part as I absolutely loved every single second of our day.What was important to us was sharing it with all of our friends and family and having everyone there to celebrate with us made the day extra special for us.

Phillipa Lepley for a pretty pink marquee wedding at home (c) Sean Elliott Photography (55)

We went to Australia for our honeymoon. We visited Cairns, Brisbane, Sydney and Perth. On our way home we spent a few days in Hong Kong.

My top tip for other Brides Up North would just be to enjoy it. I enjoyed absolutely every second of the planning process and would not have changed anything. Our wedding day was so perfect and we will both re-live it for the rest of our lives.

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