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Well, the blog is nothing if not varied, is it?  After Sunday’s sun kissed seaside wedding (just beautiful and not to be missed – click here to catch up) it’s time for a snowy and romantic stately home celebration.  Inspiration from all angles and all climates, and all gorgeously Northern.  Le sigh. 

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Alexandra and Christopher’s Real Wedding, sent to me by Brides Up North Featured Supplier Phil Drinkwater Photography is an absolute knockout.  Tasteful white on white styling, help from some very talented Brides Up North Featured Suppliers, a princess gown and pops of regal purple make an elegant and opulent setting for the perfect Winter wedding in the North West.

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Love it?  Me too.   

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Alexandra says:  Christopher proposed on Christmas Eve 2011, at home before we went out for a meal with our closest friends. I didn’t have a clue and apparently said ‘is that for me?’ (I had waited 11 years)!

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We got engaged on Saturday 26th January 2013 at Eaves Hall, Clitheroe.  If I’m totally honest, it was our wild card. We had been told about it by some friends, so decided to take a look as we loved that area of the country. It took our breath away the minute we saw it on the approach up the driveway. As soon as we walked through the door we both looked at each other and knew it was the place for our wedding.

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We opted for a Narnia and frosty winter wonderland theme. I had wished for snow from the minute we secured our booking… but never thought we’d be so lucky!

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I’m quite classic in my style so the invitations and décor were simple and elegant.  Eaves Hall has beautiful fires, candles, and our tables had candelabras so I wanted everything the compliment them. Our top table had hurricane lamps with ivory candles and glass votives filled with ivory flowers and cylinder vases to display the bridal bouquets. Crystal garlands decorated the beautiful candelabras and I added a handful of scatter crystals to the tables for a subtle hint of sparkle.

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We opted for an ivory colour scheme with accents of purple and a very pale gold and bronze.  I wanted to embrace the winter season so looked for sparkly wintry elements.

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My dress was by Trudy Lee and had been named Jemma. I bought it from Proposals Bridalwear, in Swinton. The dress chose me! It was the complete opposite of what I went in for, but once I started to dream about it, I knew it was the one for me.  My shrug was from Coast.

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My shoes were from Irregular Choice in London. I love shoes and wanted a pair I could wear again for any occasion.  I hand a pair of snowboots on standby, which came in handy.

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My hair comb was the Vintage Multi Flower Pave Crystal Hair Comb by Ron Richard at Debenhams.  My necklace belonged to my gran, which she had in the 1920s, and was the perfect amount of sparkle for my dress.  Chris bought me some beautiful diamond earrings as a gift and the bracelet was given to me from my sister when I was a bridesmaid for her.

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My bridesmaids’ dresses were from Karen Millen and the flower girl’s from Ted Baker. I wanted something they could wear again.  Christopher wore an Italian wool morning suit and our groomsmen and pageboy wore black morning suits, all from John Francis Menswear in Bolton.

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Phoebe and Amy from Flossy & Leigh Make-Up Artist Company did my hair and make up. 

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Phil Drinkwater was our photographer for the day and we are so pleased with the results – he was absolutely amazing. 

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I carried a hand tied bouquet of ivory roses, white double lisanthus, ranunculus, a hint of purple lisanthus, grey ‘frosty’ greenery and silver brunia berries, adorned with crystal and diamante detail.  These flowers ran throughout the theme of the day and were by Laura at Laurel Weddings. 

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It was all so perfect, it’s hard to pinpoint one particular favourite moment. It was lovely to get some time together for a walk in the snow but even that felt like I was dreaming. Seeing the effort everyone involved went to in making sure they shared our day was overwhelming.

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Instead of wedding favours we bought a charity bear and donated money to the North West Air Ambulance. After experiencing first hand their fabulous work after having a fall from my horse, we both agreed it was the perfect alternative. We picked a name from an envelope during the speeches and they took home the charity bear as a keepsake.

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For our wedding cake we opted for two tiers of marble cake and one tier of vanilla sponge by Richards Cakes, in Urmston. I was speechless when I saw it… it was exactly what we wanted.

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I designed and hand made the invitations, table plan, table names, menus and place settings myself.

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Ken Robson played the piano throughout the day and the evening DJ was supplied through Eaves Hall -Pete Best Mobile Discos.

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We decided on Reykjavik, Iceland for a mini moon as we both really wanted to see the Northern Lights – which we did on our last night. Iceland is an amazing country with lots to do and we came home feeling we had only seen a glimpse of it.

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My top tip for other Brides Up North would be to go with your instinct, and make decisions based on what you want for your wedding day. It will save a lot of time and unnecessary stress throughout the months of planning.

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Congratulations Alexandra & Christopher!

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Get in touch to see your own Real Wedding featured on Brides Up North.  Here’s how. 

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Brides Up North UK Wedding Blog – Images © 2013 Phil Drinkwater Photography

Phil Drinkwater 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

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