There are no rules when it comes to weddings – and no one ever said a ‘theme’ was obligatory… so when I heard Ashleigh’s words that there wasn’t any theme to their day other than ‘wedding’, I smiled. It makes a lot of sense.
Falcon Manor is a gorgeous country house venue, set in the Yorkshire Dales and with a stylish and sophisticated atmosphere. It suits weddings and needs little extra decoration – although Ashleigh and her Mum worked together to arrange flowers from a local garden centre, and the boys did an amazing job of decorating the wedding cake (we have photos! It’s fab!)
Images are by DJ Archer Photography who are based in Lancashire. Do have a look at their website if you’re looking for photographers in the North West – they photograph weddings in Lancashire, Yorkshire and Cumbria.
The English Wedding Blog Interview: Ashleigh and Richard
Wedding photographer’s website:
http://djarcherphotographyblog.co.uk/
How did you choose your photographer?
We chose our photographer based on a recommendation from a friend.
Were you pleased with your wedding photographer? Do tell… we love a brilliant review!
We were definitely pleased with our photographers. As soon as we met Archie and Lizz, we got the feeling that they both understood the style of photos that we had in mind. We didn’t really want any posed photos other than the family shots. Archie and Lizz were able to create a candid photo story of our day and really captured the mood of the wedding and our guests. Some of the facial expressions that they managed to photograph are brilliant.
On the day Lizz and Archie were very discrete with their cameras and we barely noticed that they were there. They went above and beyond for us on our day, even branching into coordinator roles which really helped to make us feel comfortable and relaxed, they knew better than us where we needed to be and when. Recently, because we loved the photos so much, we have upgraded our photo package to include a photo album. We would not hesitate in the slightest in recommending DJ Archer photography to anyone wanting photos to remember a special day by.
Tell us about the moment you saw your wedding photos for the first time?
When we saw our photos for the first time it was like revisiting the day.
Wedding venue:
Falcon Manor, Settle.
Wedding month:
July
Can you describe your wedding in fewer than 10 words?
The best day, filled with tears, laughter and dancing.
Your wedding style or theme:
The theme was wedding, no gimmicks or theme. Just neutral colours, lace, cream and the bridesmaids wore shades of green.
Where did you find your suppliers? (Blogs, magazines, recommendations?)
We found most of our suppliers through recommendations.
What’s your top tip for saving money?
Don’t worry too much about all the small details, on the day, the important thing is that you are getting married and celebrating with friends and family. And make things yourself.
… and which elements of your wedding are you glad you spent more on?
We are glad that we spent money on food, wine and a good DJ who understood the style of music we wanted and didn’t just play chart music. We are really glad that we spent money on the photos and the wedding rings, they are the things that last beyond the wedding day.
Where did you buy or source your wedding stationery – or was making it a labour of love?
We made our own save the date cards but the rest of our wedding stationery was made by Sugar Mouse Creations, Radcliffe.
Did you fall in love with your wedding dress?
YES! I went into the bridal shop looking for a plain, satin, fitted, high neck dress without sleeves but instead…. I fell in love with a lace, off the shoulder, 3/4 length sleeve dress with a full organza skirt.
Wedding dress designer and bridal boutique:
My dress was by Tara Keely (2013) from Bride to be in Prestwich.
The dress was not a simple style to alter, Amina at Stockport wedding services did an amazing job and wouldn’t let me have the dress until it was perfect!
http://www.stockportweddingservices.co.uk/
Tell us about your accessories: jewellery, shoes and anything else!
I wore flat shoes. I wanted to be comfortable all day and everyone knows that I’m short, so heels were never on the cards.
Holly Shadwell, from Style Box in Rawtenstall, did my hair and also the 5 bridesmaids’ hair on the day. Holly used gypsophelia in my hair and did a great job. The bridesmaids live far away and were unable to make it for a trial for their hair styles but that didn’t stop Holly styling each girl’s hair exactly the way they wanted first time round without photos! Everyone’s hair stayed in until morning. Holly is amazing!
And what did the groom wear? Any recommendations for tailors?
The groom wore a suit from Reiss. Reiss also tailored the suit for him. A family friend made the groom’s tie and pocket square as a gift.
Beautiful bridesmaids: what did your best girls wear?
The bridesmaids chose their own dresses because all 5 girls have very different tastes and I wanted them to be comfortable. The only prescription for the dresses was that they needed to be a shade of green (to tie in with the green of the flower stems and leaves) and not shorter than knee length. They all looked stunning in different shades of green and differently textured dresses.
Hair and make-up – did you DIY or hire a professional?
I did my own make up the day. I don’t wear a lot of make up usually and didn’t want to feel too made up.
Describe your wedding flowers. Who arranged them for you? (florist details would be lovely please)
We got our flowers from Gordon Riggs garden centre in Walsden. My mum and I made the centre pieces. Our wedding flowers were shades of white, with green in the stems and leaves. we chose gypsophela and white freesias. We chose to have them roughly arranged.
General styling – did your venue need much decoration?
Our venue was a neutrally refurbished country house so didn’t need much extra decoration. We just added some personal touches. We went with bare mahogany tables to match the wooden floor; table cloths felt too formal and stuffy.
Crafts and makes – tell us about any homemade elements of your wedding… did you enjoy them?
My mum and I made the centre pieces. Friends and family helped us to collect empty Dow Egberts coffee jars. We then decorated them with thin ivory ribbon and lace so that the stems of the flowers would be visible. We also decorated white pillar candles with ribbon and lace to stand in the centre of 3 flower jars on each table.
The wedding cake: what kind of cake did you choose and why?
The groom and one of the 2 best men made the cake. We had lemon cake with lemon curd and butter cream. The cake was roughly decorated with butter cream and then it was decorated with crystallised edible flowers that the groom spent hours making.
Entertainment: any musical recommendations, surprises or treats?
Our guests chose most of the music played, each selecting a few songs that they would like to hear and dance to. We chose a range of music aiming to stay away from chart music (although Beyonce, Taylor Swift and Christina made an appearance for the girls to reminisce over). Our DJ from Dance Floor Couture was brilliant.
On the day tips and advice:
Relax, if there are things that aren’t quite right or haven’t gone to plan, the odds are there is only you that will notice.
What’s the best thing about being married?
You don’t love each other less before you get married, but getting married really cements the feelings you have and brought our families together.
Favourite supplier list for other brides and grooms:
Photos- DJ Archer Photography
Stationery- Sugar Mouse Creations . http://www.sugarmousecreations.co.uk/
Hair- Holly Shadwell http://www.styleboxhair.co.uk/
DJ- Dance Floor Couture (booked through the venue)
Dress- Bride to be, Prestwich. http://bridetobebyhannahlois.co.uk/
Alterations – http://www.stockportweddingservices.co.uk/
The post The theme was wedding! Ashleigh & Richard at Falcon Manor, with DJ Archer Photography appeared first on The English Wedding Blog.
