.

.

.

This wedding blog instalment comes to you a little later than planned as reliable wi-fi on the Greek Islands can be a challenge! If you missed yesterday’s post, I am taking a little (and much needed) sojourn with the hubby to recharge and make up for all those evenings recently that I’ve left him alone as I hunch over my laptop!  Although my 30th (gah!) birthday was back in February, this trip was my birthday present, and I am enjoying every moment. 

.

I wouldn’t leave you without your daily double dose of wedding gorgeousness though, and today’s Real Wedding sent to me by fab photographer Richard Wynn Davies and real bride Lyndsay is no exception.

.

The love really shines through in Lyndsay and Matt’s wedding photographs and I love that stunning bride Lyndsay totally rocked her glasses too! Enjoy it. 

.

.

.

.

Lyndsay says:  Matt proposed in Jamaica in March 2011 and we were married on Friday 16^th March 2012 at Hazlewood Castle in Tadcaster, North Yorkshire. 

.

.

.

.

   .

.

.

.

.

We chose Hazelwood Castle as my dad was born there during the 1940s when it was a maternity hospital.  It is also a stunning venue and surroundings to provide brilliant photographs.

.

.

.

.

We opted for a colour scheme of teal, silver & ivory.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

I wore two wedding dresses – both from Berketex Brides in Leeds.  The first was Cara by Emily Fox and the second Honey by Rosetta Niccolini.  I carried white and cream flowers in a small trailing bouquet by Firenza Floral Design. 

.

.

.

.

We loved the whole day, but the blessing had a personal touch as it was performed by my Uncle who is a catholic priest. 

.

.

.

.

.

.

As a gift for Matt, I wrote to both the Lancashire and England cricket teams, and Liverpool football for congratulations messages.  They all wrote back!

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

In the evening we chose Audio Events for the DJ and our friend’s band Rook and the Ravens for the live music.  They were brilliant. 

.

.

.

.

After the wedding, we honeymooned at Heritage Awali Golf and Spa, Bel Ombre, Mauritius. 

.

.

.

.

My top tip for other Brides Up North would be don’t panic that something with go wrong – it probably won’t!

Enjoy every part of the day!

.

.

.

.

Congratulations Lyndsay & Matt!

.

.

Brides Up North UK Wedding Blog – Images © 2012 Richard Wynn Davies 

Richard Wynn Davies 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

.

.

Visit

.

.

.

So, I told you I was leaving you some wedding pretty!  Not one to disappoint, lets kick things off with a super duper stunning real engagement shoot sent to me by fabulous Brides Up North Featured Supplier Sarah Mason Photography and Brides Up North reader Amy.  I die!

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Sarah says:  Fiona from Firenza Floral Design approached me about working together on this shoot. All her floral loveliness had been created for a seasonal inspired wedding fair and she saw it as a fab opportunity for us to work together the following week. We’ve included a few detail shots of the beautiful flowers as it was these that inspired the dreamlike, ethereal quality to the shoot. I knew Amy and Grant were the perfect couple and we brought our pre-wedding shoot forward.

.

The location is Hardcastle Crags, a mile out of Hebden Bridge. I have used this amazing place as a backdrop to a few of my shoots – it’s an enchanted woodland! It’s National Trust owned. They actually have an amazing venue in the middle of the woods called Gibson Mill, just stunning!

.

.

.

.

Bride to be Amy says: We got engaged on 27 November 2010. We’d been together 7 years and talked about marriage a lot so it wasn’t unexpected, but it was lovely! I had just finished my first teaching placement so Grant took me to a fine dining restaurant in Leeds during the day as a treat, and we went to the Christmas Markets, so we’d had a really nice day. Then he told me we needed to drop in at his brother’s. On the way he took a diversion and drove to the bus stop where we’d shared our first kiss, 7 years earlier! The snow was glistening all around us and Grant was down on one knee – he presented me with a ring he’d bought from my favourite jewellers in Sydney 6 MONTHS EARLIER! He had been waiting to ask my parents’ permission before asking me!

.

.

.

.

.

.

We are getting married in June 2012 at Clay House in West Vale, Halifax. It’s lovely Jacobean house that’s licenced for civil ceremonies, and we’re having the whole day there.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

We met while we were in Romeo and Juliet – we are both members of an acting group called The Actors’ Workshop, but had never met or been in anything together until then. The first time Grant laid eyes on me, I was at a costume call, wearing an Elizabethan gown! I thought ‘Who is that guy in the hat?’ (he wore a lot of beanies back then) and he thought ‘Who is the girl in the dress?’ . We got to know each other through rehearsals, and I managed to get his number through a mutual friend after the play finished. I was so nervous when I first got in touch, but he was very happy that I did!

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

The first time we met up after getting in touch after the play was in a local pub. We chatted for hours and totally lost track of the time.

.

For me, there wasn’t a ‘moment’ when I knew that he was the one. I think I always knew! Grant has always told me that he knew when, one night, I was at a friend’s house and Grant and his friend came over. I saw the car out of the window and ran down to greet him. He says that when he saw me running towards him, excited to see him, he knew that he never wanted to be away from me.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

I love Grant’s loyalty and his desire, every day, to make me happy. He supports me in everything I do and makes me feel like together, we can do anything! No dream is too big! I also love his silliness; he can always make me smile. And he has the most beautiful, kind eyes.

.

.

.

.

We chose to have an engagement shoot because it was a good way to get to know our photographer before the wedding day, and learn some poses and angles that we like! We were both a bit nervous, but Sarah immediately put us at ease and it was a really enjoyable couple of hours. It was nice to have some time together, away from work and home. It felt really intimate, even though there was someone taking our picture! The setting, with all the gorgeous props and flowers, was incredible and we felt so lucky to be a part of it! It has definitely made us feel more relaxed about the day. We’re going to use some of the images around the venue and as part of the Order of the Day.

.

.

.

.

.

.

I’m a Brides Up North reader because I love reading the real wedding and real engagement features for inspiration. I’ve done lots of DIY for the wedding to try and keep costs down, and I’m always on the lookout for ideas! It’s also a great place to look for local suppliers as they’re all from the North.

.

.

.

.

Our biggest wish for married life is that it doesn’t pass as quickly as the last 9 years! We hope to emigrate to Australia and at the moment, our biggest wish is that this happens! We’ll be delighted to come back and share our Real Wedding photographs on the wedding blog.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Grant says: I love how much Amy makes me laugh, she has a brilliant sense of humour which for me is very important. In a lot of ways we are opposites, I am very laid back and Amy is a worrier and Amy is sensible whereas I can come across as a bit of a joker. She is the ying to my yang.

.

Ahh!

.

Congratulations Amy & Grant!

.

.

Brides Up North UK Wedding Blog – Images © 2012 Sarah Mason Photography

Sarah Mason 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

.

.

Visit

.

It’s the middle of the week already!  Time flies when you are having fun eh?  Today, our regular guest blogger Katy of What Katy Did Next is back with a slinky slice of Latino wedding inspiration. 

.

I’m off to sunnier climes today too – taking a much needed break with the hubby to relax, recharge and soak up some vitamin D (hours hunched over a computer in the dead of night does nothing for bone density let me tell you)!  So whilst, I jet off, I’ll leave you in Katy’s capable hands.

.

Don’t worry though – I might be taking a break, but Brides Up North is very much on duty this week – as I’m leaving you with a full schedule of blog posts bursting with wedding pretty.  See you on the other side! 

.

.

1. Poppy Cupcake 2. Red Lipped Bride Image 3. Spanish Inspired Bouquet 4. Cinnamon Tree Heels 5. Savannah Maxi Dress 6. Ruffle Mermaid Dress 7. Chandelier Earrings 8. Wedding Stationery

.

.

Katy says: Though I know it is hugely popular, I am not the biggest fan of the use of red in Weddings, I think it all depends on how you use it. Julia herself came up with this request at last week’s North East Tweet Up – something a little bit different, a classy Spanish/Latino red wedding – inspired by Julia’s love of the musical Evita. I jumped at the challenge hoping to make the colour red work for me.

.
I chose a sumptuous poppy red with a slightly orange hue to it, using it in the bridesmaids’ dresses, the fabulously sexy shoes from BHLDN and that beautiful shade of lipstick that contrasts so beautifully on the dark skinned model. If you are a bride looking to wear a daring shade on their big day I highly recommend talking to a professional make up artist about it, make sure the shade is something you are comfortable with and that it suits your colouring – after all, these pictures will stay with you forever.  {Editor’s note – for a tutorial on applying the perfect red lipstick, see this recent post over on Love My Dress}. 

.
The dress is a OTT in an amazing way, the lace ruffled mermaid gown oozes Spanish elegance which is emphasised by the voluminous bolero jacket, perfect with an up-do hairstyle. The gorgeous wedding stationery has an Andalucian feel to it with the tile patterns, and the use of the navy blue adds a fashionable touch to the wedding colour scheme. A great alternative to red and black!

.

.

.

.

Remember: the plan is to share a new inspiration board in this time slot every week, either compiled by myself, regular guest blogger Katy or YOU: get in touch with your own ideas and inspiration boards! We’ll be discussing our inspirations behind the images too so it’s simply going to be a whole load of lovely.

.

If you are a little less arty but in need of inspiration and still want to play along, we will also be taking requests for colour schemes and themes and making bespoke boards for my readers. Please contact me to suggest a theme or colour scheme.

.

.

Click here to see previous Wednesday Wed-spiration Mood Boards

.

.

Brides Up North UK Wedding Blog – Images © 2012 as credited and supplied by What Katy Did Next

This is not a sponsored post

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

.

.

Visit

.

.

.

.

It’s activity time ladies and gents!  Brides Up North Featured Supplier All Wrapped Up Events are proud to be hosting a series of fun (and useful!) workshops for brides to be in the North West over the coming months.  If you need a crash course in wedding planning, are “florally curious” (the mind boggles!) or want to delve into the DIY on your big day – get yourself signed up!

.

The first three readers* to contact All Wrapped Up Events at info@allwrappedupevents.co.uk quoting “Brides Up North” will win a free place on the class of their choice.  Get busy!

.

.

.

.

.

To book your place email info@allwrappedupevents.co.uk with the name of the workshop that you wish to attend.  Hurry – class numbers are limited!

.

*At the discretion of All Wrapped Up Events, their decision is final, no cash alternative.

.

.

Brides Up North UK Wedding Blog – Images © 2012 All Wrapped Up Events and Brides Up North

All Wrapped Up Events is a Brides Up North Featured Supplier

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

.

.

Visit