Nicky and Chris’ wedding day was all about old school glamour.

Nicky had one of the most beautiful bridal looks ever, with a stunning Temperley dress and perfectly tousled hair, while their bridesmaid daughters looked so pretty in Twobirds Bridesmaids dresses. Chris opted for a formal bespoke tux with which he donned a peach rose buttonhole.

There was stylish stationery by Dottie Creations, a beautiful marquee with the most gorgeous peach and ivory toned florals and delicious canapés.

Thanks so much to Jo Hastings for sharing her amazing photographs with us today and to wedding planner The Wedding Genie for the wonderful words.

 

The Vision for the day… Nicky and Chris have been together for quite a while and have five children between them and a large established circle of close friends and family. Their whole vision for the day was to make sure everyone was looked after and made to feel very welcome. Everything they planned was geared towards their guests. It was a pleasure to be involved in such a very warm and loving day. It was one of my most favourite weddings of all time. Their vision was old country house glamour with a touch of Ascot thrown in! Sophisticated but super relaxed  with a very warm atmosphere. Nicky just loves animals and has horses, cats, geese and a dog and goldfish! We wanted to incorporate their loves of music too. Chris is a big Brian Ferry fan! They both love Irish music too.

The Planning Process… Nicky and Chris decided to marry in February and set the date for June 29th. They both work full time and have quite a large family to care for. They really needed help! Chris was amazing at the details and Nicky knew what she wanted things to look and feel like but did not have the time to set about putting everything in place. They found me after looking round on the Internet and at our first meeting we hit it off right away. I helped them plan the whole wedding but using all their ideas and vision. I was their go to person for all things wedding, helping tease ideas and find us an amazing team to work with.

The Venue…  Their home. Nicky and Chris live on a farm and the marquee was placed at the back of the house on a ménage. It was ideal, overlooking fields with plenty of space for parking and guests to spill out onto the lawn that Nicky had planted with wild flowers.  The geese and horses were in the next field so really close by for Nicky to be sure they were all OK during the day.  Just outside the marquee was a field filled with buttercups and wild flowers, we had to have that cut a little so that people could be outside with their drinks but it was such a lovely space. Will from Top Marques was so helpful with the design and set up. It makes such a difference to work with suppliers who really care about you and your day. He is amazing and nothing was too much trouble. A tip is to try and hire everything too from the same supplier in terms of chairs tables etc, much less to coordinate in the run up to the wedding.

The Dress + Accessories… Dress Alice Temperley, Bridesmaids Two Birds.

Finding the Dress... Nick and Chris have two gorgeous daughters, Louisa and Laura who were bridesmaids so they all had fun shopping together. I wanted them have a great time trying things on.  Nicky wanted a dress that was a little boho but super stylish with sleeves if possible and not the normal white or ivory colour.

I sent them to Claire at The Wedding Club who is just lovely.  She found them just the right style, Alice Temperley for Nicky and Two Birds bridesmaids dresses for the girls. The Two Birds dresses can be worn in many ways just by tying them differently. We had great fun in the shop with me practising tying them and taking photos so I would remember exactly on the day how to replicate the styles we liked the best. It is a great tip taking photos because on the day it is really easy to forget how you tied them to start with. Nerves take over too so being able to refer to your photos is a godsend.

Groom’s Attire… Chris’s suit was made by Adrian Barrows from The Bespoke Tailor. Adrian is just the nicest person and his suits are made from the best English Cloth. Chris looked absolutely gorgeous on the day. He said his suit fitted him like a glove! The rest of the groomsmen included Chris’s son’s – James, Tim and Joe. We had two best men too!  They hired their suits from Peter Posh who were really excellent.

The Readings + Music… The little church in the village where Nicky and Chris married was just lovely. To make the ceremony very personal Nicky and Chris chose hymns that meant something to the family and Nicky walked up the aisle to the organist playing. Their best friends did Readings and they walked out of church to the wedding march. Once the guests arrived back at the farm an Irish band called the House Devils were playing to greet them. The day was lovely so we were able to put hay bales with brightly coloured blankets out for everyone to enjoy the sunshine and champagne. Music is very important to Nicky and Chris, they have a member of the family Matthew, a young chap who is a heavenly singer. After dinner he sang a few songs and we were all truly captivated. It was very moving and lovely for Matthew to be involved in the day. The evening tribute band was Roxy Magic. Chris and Nicky’s favourite, everyone danced the night away and then we had the most incredible DJ. Mark Tollis is amazing!! He kept the party going until 4am! Everyone loved him, he has a very personal approach.

Beautiful Bridesmaids… Dresses by Two Birds  bought from The Wedding Club.

The Flowers… Designed by Ava Event Styling. Nicky wanted flowers that conveyed an English country garden feel. Amy made us the most amazing bouquets and centrepieces, which were housed in beautiful vases and candelabras that Amanda provided. They made the whole marquee look magical.  Nicky loved them! . We had a mixture of high and low arrangements; it was lovely not to see a sea of the same décor. The flowers were delicate and the marquee smelled amazing! The flowers in church all came back to the marquee so we did not waste anything. The next day Nicky is so lovely she returned some to church so they could enjoy them.

The Cake… The wedding theme started out with an English tea party concept and Nicky wanted a naked cake! Natalie from “Yummy little cakes” made us the most adorable dessert table complete with a sponge cake filled with fresh fruit and different tiered flavours of sponge. Little treats like macarons, cup cakes, cake pops and biscuits completed or look.

Your Photographer… Nicky and Chris wanted to feel very comfortable with their photographer, I knew just the right lady. Jo Hastings is not only the most lovely person but she is warm, funny and works so so so hard. Her photographs tell an amazing story and she has just the right style we were looking for. Someone who could capture such a loving and thoughtful day.

The Details + Decor… Weddings should reflect your personality and Nicky and Chris wanted the wedding to include their love of music, countryside, animals and their lovely family. We had a fabulous Irish band playing during the drinks reception. One of the songs was playing when Chris proposed to Nicky and they really wanted it as part of the wedding. We even had part of the lyrics added to the back of the order of service. All the table names were animals that they had owned over the years. Each one described for the guests on the table. Dottie Creations designed the stationery! The table plan was adorable and now sits pride of place in the dining room in Nicky and Chris’s home.

The food was very important and Simon Smith and his team made us the most delicious meal. His canapés even had a country theme. Little morsels in plant pots! Check out the images. We had two signature cocktails for our cocktail hour. Dottie made us gorgeous signs to explain them, which we placed, on the bar. One to represent Nicky and the other Chris. Oh you probably didn’t know but Nicky’s last name was Facchino, half Italian! Italian ice cream was a must. Steve from Lanza Ice creams brought his adorable ice cream cart filled with Nicky and Chris’ favourite flavours.

Memorable Moments…  “I can honestly say it was like living in a dream from the moment I left my front door to go the village church hearing  the wedding bells ringing and dancing until the sun came up the next morning. It turned out to be the best day of my life with everyone I love included “

Advice for Other Couples… Make sure you put your personality into your day. Everyone will notice. Happy guests make for a very happy wedding day too so take care of everyone. Oh and get help from a professional if you need it. You will then be able to enjoy your day and just totally relax and have fun. If you can’t then plan ahead and delegate tasks to your bridal team to help you.

Credit Where Credit is Due…

Wedding Planner – The Wedding Genie

Photographer – Jo Hastings

Hair – Elegance For Events

Makeup by – Allison Tye

Cars by – Finishing Touches

Flowers and styling – Ava Event Styling

Stationery – Dottie Creations

Groom suit – The Bespoke Tailor

Marquee – Top Marques

Dress by Temperley  - The Wedding Club

Cake and cake table – Yummy little cakes

Entertainment – Roxy Magic  and  The House Devils and Mark Tollis

Ice Cream –  Lanza’s Ice cream

Such a sophisticated stylish wedding day. Thanks so very much to Nicky and Chris for sharing their beautiful wedding with us today XOXO Lou