Laura & Stuart

Laura and Stuart's Sperry Tent wedding perched on the edge of a clifftop over looking the sea is a welcome dose of escapism this Wednesday morning. We always love featuring weddings that take place in unusual places. The cute couple are lucky enough to know the owners of the incredible Sandsend Bay Cottages and it's stunning views. It's always lovely to feature the weddings of our readers too, and Bride Laura tells us that she found lots of wedding inspiration via Rock My Wedding, which makes us feel very happy indeed. Enjoy this pretty wedding, the images come from the talented Georgina Harrison, who has captured the soft light to perfection.

The Dress

Laura The Bride: Although I have a laid back personality I knew that finding the dress was going to be one of the biggest challenges I would face as every bride wants the experience to be magical and the dress to be perfect. I had a style of dress in mind and thanks to a previous Rock My Wedding blog I saw the perfect one. I tried a couple of dresses on that were similar but just didn’t cut the mustard so I decided to do my research. I found my perfect Lusan Mandongus dress from Parka Perry bridal and paired it with a Richard Designs cathedral veil which complimented it perfectly. I booked an accessory appointment at the Little Pearl Bridal Boutique and purchased some gorgeous pearl drop earrings and Rachel Simpson shoes. Dianna the owner was so lovely providing a 1st class service...so much so I went and purchased my bridesmaids dresses at a later date. I wore a small pearl bracelet that my mum had made out of her wedding necklace which was extremely special.

The Suits

Stuart left the wedding planning to me but I felt it was important that he had his say and expressed his ideas especially towards his attire. For himself and his groomsmen he decided on navy 3 piece suit from next which fitted in well with the informal feel of the wedding.

The Venue

From the moment go we knew exactly where we wanted our reception. As soon as we got engaged I asked our good friends Jackie and John if we could have our reception at their farm. They own Sandsend Bay Cottages which is an idyllic location with views to die for. Myself and Stuart were very grateful when they kindly said yes. When looking for the perfect tent to hold our reception in we looked no further than Papakata, We instantly fell in love with their amazing Sperry tents. The whole process was made so easy by the team and my personal papa planner Kate was with me every step of the way. Very professional team and we would highly recommend them to anyone wanting a unique, spacious and fun atmosphere for their reception.

The Transport

We wanted something a little quirky so went with love dub cars. The bridal party arrived at the church in an old school VW Campervan followed by myself and my dad in a lovely little vintage beetle proudly named Monty.

The Ceremony

We got married at Stuart’s childhood chapel in Lealholm and it was the most amazing ceremony we could have asked for. Alan the minister made us both feel at ease and everyone mentioned that they have never laughed so much at a wedding! The service was very personal with my maid of honour writing and reading a poem and my brother agreeing to play his acoustic guitar throughout the ceremony. I decided to walk down the aisle to Mumford & Sons 'Reminder', James Bay 'Hear Your Heart' was performed whilst we signed the register to break up all eyes been on us and then we left the chapel to Jonny Cash 'Jackson'.

The Stationery

Bakers Printers helped create our minimal rustic invitations. I had an idea in mind and they managed to produce it effortlessly.

The Decor

I didn’t really have a set colour scheme but knew I wanted a neutral palette that wouldn’t clash with the multitude of colours from the flowers. Rock My Wedding was a great help and provided much inspiration when looking through neutral colour schemes and how to make certain elements pop without it being overpowering. The general theme for the decor was rustic meets whimsical feel. I borrowed bits and bobs from my lovely sister in law and close friends which was a great help.

The Flowers

Our florist Audrey Foster was amazing and captured my vision perfectly. I wanted my bouquet and general floral feel to be messy and wild looking. She transformed the chapel with blooms in milk churns, heather, lavender, gypsophila and rosemary bunches on the pew ends and a flawless floral arch outside. As the tent was a blank canvas we wanted the flowers to speak for themselves and Audrey really stepped up to the mark. From the entrance barrels, centrepieces and amazing floral rings it just pulled the whole wedding together.

The Bridesmaids

My two older bridesmaids wore a gorgeous Amanda Wyatt strapless chiffon dress from the little pearl bridal boutique in oyster grey and my two younger bridesmaids wore a cream, lace number from next. Tousled curls, natural flowers and flawless makeup complimented the girls perfectly, they all looked gorgeous.

The Entertainment

Our band for the evening was the East Coast Vagabonds who really got the party started, Followed by our well-known local D.J. We never sat down the whole night from dancing the night away.

The Food

We went with Lilies Catering who really delivered on the day. We had a selection of canapés from miniature Yorkshire puddings to black pudding and scallops. Our guests previously chose between the choice of antipasti, prawn cocktail or duck terrine for starter, Belly pork, salmon en croute or black forest chicken for main and a trio of desserts to finish off. The dessert consisted of a miniature chocolate brownie, lime cheesecake and a strawberry tart. If the day guests still had room they could join in on the evening feast of fresh fish and chips from Fusco’s followed by a Beacon Farm Ice Cream van. Our local butcher provided the cheese for the tiered cheesecake which was a life savour at 2.30 in the morning! Annie’s Cakes provided us with our very scrumptious naked multi-flavoured wedding cake. Luckily for me Annie is one of my best friends and her talent meets no end helping with the artsy decor such as the handmade signs and flapjack which were the women’s favours. I can’t thank her enough.

The Photography

There was no question who we were going to choose for our photographer. We really cannot thank Georgina Harrison enough. She has been the most amazing, kind hearted and professional lady I have met. The photos are more than we could have wished for and she really captured the effortless natural style of the whole day. I would highly recommend Georgina to any couple getting married.