Harriet & Chris

There's an enormous sense of joy and sentiment oozing out of this incredibly stylish wedding. Partly because it was held in the city Bride and Groom, Harriet & Chris adore so much, and secondly because they ensured everything they did reflected them as a couple. With the help and advice of wedding planner Alternative Weddings MCR they perfectly styled an industrial setting with contemporary metallic geometric decor and classic white blooms giving truly phenomenal results. Watch out pinning fingers. The lovely Laura Babb captured every smile, every detail and all the magic in-between. So make yourself comfy and enjoy.

Dress

Harriet the Bride: Harriet wore Lenora by Watters from the fabulous Agape in Altrincham, as soon as I saw the dress I knew - it was everything I wanted. The boutique was amazing from start to finish and helped with a custom made veil including parts of my Nanas veil from her wedding day 70 years ago as she was too unwell to attend.

Grooms Attire

Chris wore a tailored royal blue suit from a tailors in Manchester, shoes from Common Project and both our accessories and earrings were made by our close friend Naomi Jago.

Bridesmaids

All wore a full grey skirt from ASOS and blush Bardot tops from Coast.

The Ceremony

I’m shocked to say our highlight from the whole day. We had a humanist ceremony, which meant we could tailor the ceremony to match our shared values and interests. We included a history of our relationship detailing how we met and our life together which was really lovely. We had 3 close friends do readings which we hadn’t heard before the day which was also very special, one Bob Marley ‘he’s not perfect’, another “I Like You” by Sandol Stoddard Warburg and the final one a poem written by our friend called ‘how to make a Harriet and a Chris’. So many friends and family commented on how lovely our ceremony was, and standing there in that moments is something we will never forget.

Styling

From the first time we viewed the venues I knew I wanted something quite different, because the venues themselves were quiet striking I didn’t think bright bold colours would work so we decided on coppers, blush and greys with lots of greenery and white flowers. Due to the very high ceilings at The Mill I really wanted to bring the ceilings down to create a much more intimate feel which is when I decided to create hundreds of copper Himmeli shapes, it was the idea of geometric shapes that then formed the ‘theme’ of our wedding, from our invites and menus to our decor and accessories. The tables also had the shapes on, along with copper cutlery, blush water glasses and vintage cut champagne saucers. At the museum we kept it very simple with a copper archway and copper registry table, both heavily dressed with flowers. We also had the most amazing wedding planner, Stefanie Elrick, who helped us so much and who set up the venue the day before, I am eternally grateful for all her help.

Food

Due to the flexibility at the Mill we could bring in any caterers so decided on a local restaurant to us Thyme Out. We had canapés in mini fish and chips as we met in a fish and chip shop and our meal was spatchcock chicken, salads and roasted garlic new potatoes all served on sharing platters for people to share on their tables. As a very keen baker I made all the desserts and served them to guests as a way we could talk to every guest - lots of people thought we were mad for doing this but it was definitely a highlight. Our cake was made by the lovely Lucy, one of our bridesmaids.

Flowers

I knew I wanted lots and lots of flowers. Luckily a very close friends mum is a florist and she offered to do our flowers which made them even more special.

Entertainment

As we wanted to create a party atmosphere we had a DJ throughout the evening reception starting when guests were sat down for dinner. We had The DiscoShed (without the shed) and they were absolutely fantastic.

Photographer and Videographer

We went with Laura Babb. I was a bridesmaid at a friends wedding where Laura photographed a few years ago and instantly we knew she was who we wanted. She is an incredibly relaxing presence to have on your wedding day. We both hate having our photo taken but having our portrait shots with her was actually a highlight of the day. But most importantly the photos and video are just amazing, I never knew how much photos could mean but they really mean the world. We look at them so often and every time we do we have a new favourite photo. She has captured the most important and special moments in a truly magical way.

Gift Registry

Having lived together for five years and having renovated our first home deciding on gifts was a tricky one. I knew our families wouldn’t be too keen on us asking for cash and personally we liked the idea of heartfelt gifts rather than money in envelopes. Then we stumbled across Patchwork it which met all our needs and more. Our guests could pick things we had chosen to do on our honeymoon, from buying us ice creams at Venice beach or a posh dinner in West Hollywood to contributing to our hire car. It made our honeymoon even more special, as every time we did something special we knew who had bought us that experience. Also it was incredibly easy for our guests - even the older non tech savvy relatives. It was our best wedding decision.

Advice

Our advice to any couple is to just do what you want, weddings are great when they reflect you as a couple. If you have your heart set on something do it, even if there are a number of people saying you shouldn’t. Also in that week leading up to the big day everything can get a little much, it is such an overwhelming time but remember to step back and remember why you are doing it all. Things will go wrong but it honestly doesn’t matter because the minute you walk into that room and see each other and see everyone who loves you and wants the best for you, every single worry just disappears and you just have the BEST time.