Burgundy & Blush Christmas Wedding

Ohhhhh well isn't this Christmas wedding an absolute feast for the eyes?! It's actually lovely to feature something really wintery as I'm sure lots of you will be reaching the 6 month countdown to your own big day...are you embracing a Christmas theme? Natasha and Aaron are about to give you a masterclass in how it's done. There's no denying the season, but it's stylish, elegant and there's not an ounce of tinsel in sight. They've embraced deep colours and opulent textures and the result is just stunning. Images come from RMW favourite, Melissa Beattie, whose photography brings the whole day together beautifully.

The Bride

Natasha The Bride: Dress was from The Knutsford Wedding Gallery and was from Ronald Joyce, (it was the third dress I tried on in the first shop I went to - I’m very decisive!) I wanted something quite simple with a bit of sparkle as it was the week before Christmas, the main feature that I loved about it was the style of the bottom of the dress and the trial it created. My veil was also from them but from the designer Amanda Wyatt it had a diamante trim so it would twinkle in the candle light! I wore burgundy velvet shoes from Alexandre Birman that I got in Harvey Nichols.

The Groom

Aaron wore a pink velvet jacket from Burberry that I complemented with pink roses in my bouquet. Groom's trousers were just from Slaters and his shoes were from Russell and Bromley.

The Venue

Owen House Barn, it was just easy and a great location for the church we had picked, it was a blank canvas that we could do what we liked with. I just wanted a big party and nothing too formal, and the venue was just perfect. I particularly loved the toilets!

The Decor

As it was a week before Christmas I wanted it to have a Christmas party feel, I felt the Black Tie fitted in to this and all the female guests wore party dresses. The main colours were burgundy and pale pink (to complement the jacket). I also wanted loads of greenery. I didn’t want loads of flowers as didn’t want a ‘boho’ feel so although my bouquet was made up of burgundy and pink roses plus greenery and the big flower girl had a smaller version there were no other flowers, I wanted quite a simple, sophisticated feel. I filled the venue with Christmas Trees with white lights so they were twinkly, as it was a lovely impact when guests arrived to the Barn in the dark, and the smell from the trees was amazing! I also didn’t want traditional centre pieces on the long trestle tables so we had different sized glass potted Christmas trees, that I asked guests to take home at the end of the night, although we have about 20 in our garden now, that we are planning to plant and watch them grow. We used The Potting Shed in Alderley Edge for all flower arrangements and they were simply amazing. The pew ends inside the Church were decorated with mistletoe and outside the Church there was a huge bunch hanging under the Lych Gate that was fab for a photo opportunity as we came out of the Church as Husband and Wife! The barn was also decorated with mistletoe and ivy. There was the most amazing circular wreath that was decorated with burgundy roses behind top table, this was a striking feature that we still have hanging up in our dining room at home!

The Wedding Party

I didn’t have any adult bridesmaids as I didn’t want that ‘look’ of me standing next to them all in the same dresses...so my oldest flower girl was 11 and she wore a black sequin party dress and shrug from Monsoon and glitzy party shoes also from Monsoon, the smaller flower girl wore a burgundy velvet dress that was made for her with a burgundy fur scarf, and she looked totally gorgeous. Our florist (The Potting Shed in Alderley Edge) made her a burgundy floral headband that matched by bouquet, she wore burgundy glittery tights and black patent mary janes from Panache Kids. The page boy wore a black tux from M&S with a burgundy velvet bow tie from Mrs Bow Tie and black lace up brogues from Zara. The ushers just wore their own suits and shoes; I wasn’t particular that they all had to look exactly the same! The theme was black tie for the Ushers and rest of the male party as I wanted the wedding to have an evening feel.

The Ceremony

Our Vicar was fantastic and created the most perfect service, we had 2 friends read, that were ‘For Now’ by Tracey Emin and ‘A Love Poem Between Two Lovers’ (Song of Solomon, Chapter 2, verses 10-13 Chapter 2). We had Jerusalem as a hymn followed by ‘If I Were A Butterfly’ much to everyone’s amusement and it caused lots of giggles, this was a Hymn that we had heard at the Pet Service at the Church as we just loved it as it was fun, and gave everyone something to talk about after! As it was around Christmas I also wanted a festive feel so we had a Christmas Carol – Hark the Herald as the final hymn, which was a great belter for the final hymn. I went to the church in a white MK2 Jaguar from Classic Wedding Cars Cheshire.

The Entertainment

We had a string trio called Rondino Strings play in the Church for when guests arrived and when I walked down the aisle and we left the Church. I walked down to Pachelbel Cannon in D and we walked out to ‘Rather Be’ by Clean Bandit. We had a Saxophonist called Neil Shaw-Hulme for the drinks reception which created a great atmosphere; he also played during the meal. In the evening we had a band called Boombox, that were out of this world, considering we had never heard them play live before, we took a massive gamble that played off, they were super accommodating and played every song that was requested including our first dance which was Treasure by Bruno Mars.

The Food

Barretts Caters did our food which was delicious, we had a mixture of canapés including Sticky Cheshire Pork Sausages with a Honey and Mustard Glaze, Fontina Cheese and Sun Blushed Tomato Risotto Balls, Balsamic Mayonnaise Dip, Chicken Satay with a Peanut Dipping Sauce, followed by Trio of Starters comprising of Seared Cantonese Beef Fillet with Asian Slaw and Crisp Noodles, English Goats Cheese and Fig Bruschetta, with a tasty Honey Drizzle and a Thai Fishcakes, with Sweet Chilli and Coriander Salad. The main was warm and hearty for the time of year we ate 24 Hour Slow Cooked Beef, Wild Mushrooms, Button Onions and Smoked Bacon infused with Thyme Scented Cooking Juices, Dauphinoise Potatoes, Honey Glazed Carrots and Fine Green Beans followed by Sticky Toffee Pudding, Caramel Sauce with a Brandy Snap Basket of Vanilla Ice Cream finished with Candied Orange Zest. The cake was made by Sarah Haworth from Pink Pepper Catering and was decorated with the same burgundy roses from my bouquet. We had a selection of cheeses, meats and mince pies as evening food.

The Photography

The amazing Melissa Beattie, who captured the day perfectly! Videographer – I didn’t have one, I wanted the day to be a gorgeous memory in my head! The day really was a day I will treasure for the rest of my life – it was one big party that we both wanted.