North West Wedding

sugar rush. a contemporary wedding at de vere cranage estate, cheshire – hannah & anthony

Alexis Forsyth

A Contemporary Wedding in Cheshire (c) James Andrew Photography (49)

Today’s wedding in Cheshire is perfect for brides and grooms who have a penchant for all things sweet – we’re talking dolly mixtures for favours, a scrumptious chocolate orange, lemon drizzle and white chocolate and raspberry cake and, to round it all off, an ice cream cart. Sugary treats aside, there are plenty of other delectable details to swoon over, too.

Our couple, Hannah and Anthony, exchanged vows at De Verve Cranage Estate – a stunning Grade II listed country house in rural Cheshire. As you might expect from such an impressive venue, there are photo opportunities galore within its magnificent grounds.

Pair this backdrop with their romantic dusky pink and ivory colour scheme, complemented by dreamy candles and pastel bouquets, and you’ve got one super pretty wedding day!

With images by James Andrew Photography.

A Contemporary Wedding in Cheshire (c) James Andrew Photography (46)

hannah says:

We got engaged on Good Friday 2015, at 30 James Street, Home of the Titanic’. After a stressful time at work, Anthony surprised me with a night away at this beautiful Titanic themed hotel in Liverpool as I love the film and the love story between Jack and Rose; I’m a complete hopeless romantic! He had booked us a couple’s massage and we enjoyed some time in the spa. Afternoon tea followed and we then watched a wedding happen in the hotel, with me all googly eyed wishing it was me! We finally made our way back to our room where a bottle of Prosecco was waiting for us, and a hot tub to enjoy it in!

Anthony conveniently ‘forgot’ the Prosecco so hopped out to get it. He returned, and demanded I get out of the hot tub as he needed to talk to me – the next five minutes were a complete blur, with him ending up on one knee and me in floods of tears (of joy I should add!). He presented me with a beautiful diamond and the rest, as they say, is history!

A Contemporary Wedding in Cheshire (c) James Andrew Photography (32)

We got married on 26th August 2016. The date didn’t really hold any significance and we never actually planned on getting married during the summer months, but we fell lucky with the venue and everything just seemed to fall into place! This date now holds a special place in our hearts and means we always get to enjoy the bank holiday weekend!

We got married at De Vere Cranage Estate in Cheshire. On our one-year anniversary we stayed over here to celebrate. Ten years later we got married at the same place; it seemed fitting.

There was no particular theme, I wanted it to be romantic with lots of candles and lace, and we complemented this with a dusky pink and ivory colour scheme.

A Contemporary Wedding in Cheshire (c) James Andrew Photography (50)

Ever since I was a little girl, I’d dreamt of being a princess for the day, but when I finally got the chance to get my dream dress, I ended up choosing something that was completely different to what I thought I’d like! I went for a strapless fishtail style dress with beading detail from Blue by Enzoani. I fell completely in love with it when I tried it on at the bridal boutique, Puure Bridal in Lymm, Cheshire.

Anthony wore a Ted Baker suit with tails and an ivory cravat and handkerchief. He got his suit – and the ushers, best man and fathers of the bride and groom’s suits – from Moss Bros.

I purchased my bridesmaids’ dresses from ASOS. They were dusky pink multi-way dresses, so each bridesmaid could wear theirs differently to suit their shape. We also had a little flower girl and page boy who wore mini versions of the big suits and dresses.

A Contemporary Wedding in Cheshire (c) James Andrew Photography (64)

Our photographer was James Andrew. We found James via a recommendation due to our original photographer cancelling on us two weeks before the wedding (yes, I did have a mini melt down!). Luckily, James was free on our date and we met before the big day to have a chat and do some engagement shots. He made us feel so at ease and comfortable in front of the camera, at times we forgot he was even there. James has a real love of the outdoors, which really suited us so we captured some beautiful shots amongst the trees!

A Contemporary Wedding in Cheshire (c) James Andrew Photography (11)

Flower-wise, I had a mixture of small and large roses with freesias, hydrangeas and gypsophila, supplied by Black Cat Floral. I wanted it to look really full with lots of pale pinks and whites.

I wanted similar flowers in the reception room and also in the drinks reception area. We had lots of vases with roses and gypsophila and then for our table decorations we had large icon vases with the same mix as my bouquet. We also had votives with candles and sequins to complement the colours of the flowers. As for other elements of the décor – including the chair covers and sashes – these were supplied by The Venue Stylist.

A Contemporary Wedding in Cheshire (c) James Andrew Photography (28)

We gave out little personalised jars of dolly mixtures as our favours. The children had personalised activity packs, which also went down a treat.

We decided on a three-tier cake, with a layer of chocolate orange, lemon drizzle and white chocolate and raspberry. The cake was decorated with petals, glitter and ribbon to complement our dusky pink and gold glitter invitation theme. I have a friend who makes amazing cakes and so luckily she made it for us!

A Contemporary Wedding in Cheshire (c) James Andrew Photography (36)

Our three-course wedding menu included two options for our guests. To start there was trio of melon with raspberry coulis or chicken pate with bruschetta. For main, there was a choice of roast beef with all the trimmings (my favourite meal) or pan-fried chicken breast with a mushroom reduction and fondant potato. And for dessert – sticky toffee pudding or Eton mess.

A Contemporary Wedding in Cheshire (c) James Andrew Photography (42)

We booked a DJ for the evening entertainment. We also had an ice cream cart with our chosen selection of six luxury flavours and some ‘love’ letters (supplied by Words to Glow) as well as our ‘H&A’ initials for an extra touch.

As an added extra, we put selfie sticks on each table with some props to add to the fun – these went down a treat, especially at the evening reception, and James got some great shots.

A Contemporary Wedding in Cheshire (c) James Andrew Photography (47)

Following our wedding I would definitely recommend De Verve Cranage Estate to other brides and grooms. I may be a little biased but it is a beautiful venue and the wedding planning team were fantastic and with us every step of planning our big day.

A Contemporary Wedding in Cheshire (c) James Andrew Photography (7)

Some of my favourite parts of the day were when Anthony and I had moments to ourselves, watching our guests sharing our special day. The day was so magical, the sun shone, I married my prince charming and I’m hoping for a happily ever after!

A Contemporary Wedding in Cheshire (c) James Andrew Photography (5)

After the wedding, we went to the Maldives and Dubai on honeymoon. It was paradise and we’ll never forget it! From the island in the Maldives itself, to the food, drink and spa treatments, it was pure indulgence and luxury. We stayed on the island of Kuramathi, we chose the island specifically because of the facilities available and the fact that it had a real mix of greenery and sandy beaches.

A Contemporary Wedding in Cheshire (c) James Andrew Photography (63)

My top tip for other Brides Up North would be, make sure you allow yourself time to have moments alone, it’s really important to enjoy it together. Also, don’t worry about the little details too much, no one will notice if something isn’t quite right!

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