Real Weddings

Riki Dalal for a Classic Blush Wedding at Dorfold Hall – Ellie & Dan

Julia Smith

Keen to put on a great party for all their guests, Ellie and Dan’s glorious big day centred around good food and music in show-stopping setting.

Falling for the charm of 17th century stately home, Dorfold Hall, in Cheshire, the exquisite venue ticked both classic and contemporary boxes, providing the best of both worlds through its grand exterior, perfectly styled interiors and stunning gardens complete with elegant Sperry tent.

A pretty blush tone forms the main colour palette with accents of white, gold and greenery weaved beautifully throughout.

We adore the gorgeous floor-length bridesmaid dresses worn by the eight-strong #bridesquad, and any brides-to-be currently on the dress hunt may well swoon over Ellie’s choice of Riki Dalal gown too, which is nothing short of sensational with the most divine detailing. We seriously heart!

With images & video by  MIKI Photo + Film Studio

PROPOSAL

Ellie says: The proposal took place in our new flat over a romantic breakfast. We then went out to celebrate with friends afterwards and had a surprise engagement party planned for us!

SETTING

We set the date for 1st September 2019. Being an event planner myself, I enjoyed every minute of planning. We broke everything down and did things step by step to make sure we didn’t feel stressed. It meant that on the day we both felt really prepared and relaxed!

We chose Dorfold Hall as our venue because although it such a classic, historic building, the decor is so modern and they have a beautiful Sperry tent. We loved that we had so much beautiful outdoor space and a lake – the perfect backdrop for pictures.

THEME

We wanted to create something elegant and classic with a modern twist. We chose to have quite a big wedding and wanted to create a celebration with good food, good music and ultimately a great party for everyone to enjoy.

For our colour scheme we went with blush, simply because it’s such a beautiful shade.

DRESS

My dress was from Riki Dalal. I spent a while looking for a dress and I loved how ethereal, elegant and unique all the Riki Dalal dresses were. I bought the dress directly from Riki Dalal in Mayfair. I’d been to a few different places to try on dresses and nowhere gave such a personalised service as Riki Dalal. Each dress is so intricately designed – I hadn’t seen anything else like them. From the moment you walk in, they offer unrivalled customer service and I felt truly welcomed.

GROOMSMEN

Dan brought his suit from Reiss.

BRIDESMAIDS

I ordered the bridesmaid dresses from Asos – I’d been looking in bridal shops and I didn’t want the dresses to be too formal. I wanted them to be summery and ones that my friends would feel comfortable in. I actually found them on Pinterest!

PHOTOGRAPHY & VIDEOGRAPHY

We chose London wedding photographer and London wedding videographer MIKI Photo + Film Studio for our photography and film. Having the same company do both was a great experience as both Mick and Ash worked so well together and knew exactly how to help each other get the best footage. We were so impressed with not only the end product, but the experience from start to finish. They were friendly and professional throughout and made us feel completely at ease. We couldn’t recommend them highly enough.

STYLING

We wanted lots of greenery and Pampas Grass with white and blush Roses to match our theme. We also added different sized gold frame vases to add different heights to the centrepieces. Fletcher & Foley were fantastic. They really listened to what we were looking for and offered so much advice regarding the colour palette and seasonal floristry. I had found some beautiful images on Pinterest and they were able to bring it to life.

CAKE

The cake was amazing! It was made by a friend of a friend and was delicious!

DINING

Dorfold Hall took care of all the drinks and catering, and, as always, they did a fantastic job. Nearly every bottle was empty at the end of the night, which was probably why the dancefloor was packed the whole night!

ENTERTAINMENT

We had the The Dotted Crotchets to perform during the day. In the evening we had The Mac Bros, who created such a great vibe. It’s strange how two people can make so much music between them, it sounds like a ten-piece band. The dancefloor was full the whole night. Great party atmosphere.

THANKS TO

After our wedding at Dorfold Hall we would absolutely recommend the venue to other couples. They are one of the nicest groups of staff we came across. The venue itself is just stunning, such an easy venue to get married in and one of the most beautiful places we visited. Every one of our guests mentioned how nice the venue was.

BEST BIT

The whole day was perfect. Straight after we left the ceremony, we were whisked away to have a private moment to ourselves with Champagne before we went back out to see all our guests.

HONEYMOON

We went to Sardinia for a relaxing minimoon two days after the wedding. We’re currently planning our honeymoon to New York and the Caribbean!

ADVICE

Take a step back whenever you get the chance to just appreciate the moment and take it all in. The day goes so quickly and it’s so easy for it to fly by without having had a moment to realise how truly amazing it is seeing all the people you care about coming together to celebrate with you.

Try not to get yourself too stressed with planning and just enjoy the process. Have a backup plan for the weather but ultimately remember that not everything can be controlled and even if things don’t go to plan on the day – you’re getting married and that’s what matters.

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