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Every girl knows what a little blue box tied up with a white satin bow means, right?!  Brides Up North reader Louise got the full Tiffany’s treatment when fiancé Andy proposed on a Christmas trip to New York, and decided to carry the theme through into their pretty wintery wedding day.  With images by Vickerstaff Photography. 

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Louise says:  We got engaged on the 4^th December 2011 in New York’s Central Park. We were on a carriage ride through the park and Andy surprised me by asking me to marry him just as we’d passed the iconic ‘Friends’ fountain!

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We said “I Do" on 8^th December 2012 – almost a year to the day we got engaged – at our local church just a few minutes’ walk from our house. We held our reception at Rowton Hall Hotel, Chester.  As our wedding was in December we wanted a venue that would be warm and cosy inside if the weather was terrible outside.  Rowton Hall had both – a beautiful interior with gorgeous decorations and Christmas trees, but also lovely grounds. Tony, the manager, was really helpful and welcoming, so it was an easy decision.

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Our theme was Winter in New York. Obviously New York is a special place for us and Christmas has always been my favourite time of year so we tried to combine them both.  I love sparkling winter scenes so we went for a combination of sky blue, white and silver.

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Getting ready in the morning was a special time, as all my nerves seemed to disappear as soon as I was surrounded by my parents, bridesmaid and little flower girls. I really enjoyed seeing everyone get ready and I just remember my best friend and I giggling and laughing as she was clambering under my dress trying to find my feet so I could put my shoes on!

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My dress was Sophia Tolli’s ‘Francesca.’ I knew I wanted a traditional style wedding dress and after trying on several that felt very ‘samey’, Francesca really stood out due to the beautiful straps and detailing on the dress. It initially had a bustle at the back which I didn’t really want, so I had this taken down. I was left with a quite a long train which I was a bit nervous about at first as didn’t want to look too overdone. However, I soon settled down as if you can’t wear something ‘wow’ on your wedding day when can you?! I also chose a mid-length veil and an Ivory and co headdress called ‘Moonlight’. These were all supplied by Society Brides in Liverpool.

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My four adult bridesmaids wore dresses by Alexia Designs, style 2034 in turquoise. These were supplied by Always and Forever Bridal in St Helens, Merseyside. They had silver sparkly shoes and wore a snowflake hair clip by Starstruck Designs. The two flower girls wore dresses from John Lewis. The groomsmen wore morning suits from Moss Bros.

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We had two traditional classic cars for us and the bridesmaids from Caremore Cars in St Helens, Merseyside.

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I carried a bouquet of white roses from Cocoa Flower in Chester. Andy is from Yorkshire so we wanted the white rose to be our main wedding flower.

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I loved our ceremony.  It felt a very calm and peaceful part of the day and all that was important was us and the vows. It was lovely to hear my nephew and our good friend reading our chosen pieces – it was all very special.

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My Gran had passed away earlier that year so I dedicated a page to her in the Order of Service I made, which showed just what an important part of the day she would have been (and still was).

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Vickerstaff Photography provided us with photographic memories we can keep for the rest of our lives.

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In keeping with the theme, my chief bridesmaid and I made blue Tiffany boxes and filled them with American sweets such as Hersheys Kisses. Andy’s sister made us the most amazing New York themed table plan, and my sister made the cravats and fur wraps.  I was addicted to notonthehighstreet.com for lots of the little touches.

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We went to Barbados for our honeymoon – a bit of a change from our Winter theme!  We had an amazing time and came home a few days before Christmas.

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My top tip for other Brides Up North would be to keep taking a step back. I got caught up in worrying about my dress for a while – “is the train too long – what will people think?” I stepped back and realised that with this particular decision, the only opinion that mattered was my own.  Just enjoy the occasion and the preparation and have confidence in the reason you chose things in the first place – it was because you loved it and that’s what matters.

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Congratulations Louise & Andy!

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Get in touch (and here’s how) to see your own Real Wedding featured on these pages.  I’d love to hear from you!

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Brides Up North UK Wedding Blog – Images © 2013 Vickerstaff Photography

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