Hello everyone, today I have a real wedding for you that has been submitted to me by the wonderful photographer, Annemarie King.
Rob, an Applications Specialist for Siemens Medical, and Rach, a Diagnostic Radiographer, met at York Hospital (where Rach still works) in 2004, when Rob came as a student (he initially trained as a radiographer). They got together in the summer of 2005 (at 5 years Rach’s junior, Rob is a toyboy!)
The couple got engaged on 27th April 2010 (the day after my wedding anniversary, coincidentally!). Rob arranged a mini-break in the Yorkshire Dales, which is a favourite place of theirs. They were staying at Yorebridge House, which later became their wedding venue, when Rob arranged breakfast on a private terrace in their room- after they’d eaten, Rob popped the question with a beautiful Trilogy diamond ring. Rach obviously said yes, and the couple then enjoyed a walk with their pet dog, Molly, before having a picnic that Rob had preordered from The Wensleydale Heifer, one of their favourite restaurants- what a lovely man!
Rob and Rach got married on 1st October 2011, at Yorebridge House in Bainbridge, and Rach tells me ‘We can’t praise the staff enough, they were all fantastic and made sure everything went smoothly’.
Rach’s bridesmaids were her sister, Emma, her best friend Becky, who came all the way from Australia to be there for Rach on her big day, and Ali, who is Rach’s closest work friend. Rob only had a best man, Payam, who is an old school friend.
Rach’s hair and makeup were done by the fabulous Visage Hair & Beauty, making her look even more beautiful and showing off that beautiful veil perfectly!
Rach got her Alan Hannah dress from Brides of York, and her Benjamin Adams shoes were from The Bridal Rogue Gallery in York. Rach’s absolutely amazing veil was handmade by Brides of York. They used two flowers (one provided by Alan Hannah, and the other from the dress when alterations were made) to make a fantastic and striking birdcage veil, which Rach says was ‘very quirky and very me!’
Rach’s necklace was a wedding day gift from her mum, and her bangle was a wedding day gift from Rob, which came from Porta Dextra in York. Her bracelet was a gift from her sister which came from Sacred Earth, and was her ‘something old’.
The bridesmaids’ dresses were by Impression and came from Brides of Harrogate. The bridesmaids wore their own shoes- Rach’s only stipulation was that they had to be silver. Rach bought them earrings as a gift from Lilly Shambles.
Rob’s suit was made by Upper Ten, and was a three-piece lounge suit with a lining to match the bridesmaids’ dresses, and the wedding date embroidered inside (how sweet is that?!). The best man and both fathers wore simple lounge suits with waistcoats which they hired from Plush Bridal.
The couple’s stationery was handmade by Joanne Friend at Little Box Room Designs. Rob and Rach were able to customise one of Joanne’s existing designs, so they had very beautiful and unique invites as a result.
The flowers were by Angels & Roses, with Rach’s bouquet being a mix of pink roses. The bridesmaids had small posies of pale pink Avalanche roses, and the best man and both fathers had a buttonhole of a pale pink Avalanche rose to match. Rob’s buttonhole was a pink Cezanne rose to match the ones in Rach’s bouquet.
As well as the beautiful bouquets and buttonholes, Angels & Roses created a beautiful large heart wreath for the front door of the venue, and some displays for the main ceremony/reception room, the bar, and the guest book table. Table centres were birdcages (hired from Plush Bridal) filled with roses, and the couple asked their florist to also provide loose petals for confetti, and loose roses for each place name, and to decorate their ‘Rob & Rach’ letters on the mantlepiece. Guests were given confetti-filled cones, each with a romantic phrase on them, from The Wedding Fairy.
Rob & Rach played their own CDs during the ceremony and wedding breakfast. Rach walked down the aisle to Coldplay’s ‘Fix You’, and the couple walked back down the aisle as man and wife to ‘You’ve Got The Love’ by Candi Staton. During the drinks reception and early part of the evening, entertainment was provided by Holly Taymar, who is an acoustic guitarist and singer- she was able to make the most of the unseasonably beautiful October weather by performing outside during the day. Evening entertainment was provided by Rob’s brother-in-law, who used to be a DJ.
The couple’s gorgeous cake was made by Helen Scott, an old school friend of Rach’s. The cake was actually a two-tier heart shaped cake, with the third tier being fake! The cake had one tier of chocolate sponge and another of lemon, and was decorated with pink and white icing and covered in hearts- so adorable! It was topped with a mini replica of Rach, Rob and Molly the dog.
Catering was provided by Yorebridge House, and the couple were lucky enough to be able to offer their guests a choice of three dishes for each course, as well as canapes. For the drinks reception, guests were offered beer, fruit punch, or ‘Winter Pimm’s’- this was meant to be served warm, but due to the unseasonably hot weather, it was served chilled instead!
The couple’s favours were themed depending on the table- all the tables were named after something or somewhere that is special to Rach and Rob. The gardening table were given seed favours, the Scotland table had Loch Ness monster and bagpipe player marshmallow lollies, the Molly table (named after their pet dog) had spaniel finger puppets and chocolate, the walking table had a walk route and a mini picnic hamper full of sweets (each sweet was food-shaped, making up the picnic!), and the French table had mini pails full of bonbons. The top table was the Dales, and each guest was given chocolate.
Rob and Rach’s first dance was ‘Make You Feel My Love’, which was performed by Holly Taymar.
Rach’s friend Denise made bunting in the wedding colours, which she embroidered with their names and wedding date. Rob and Rach also placed a Polaroid camera with the guest book. Rach says ‘guests really enjoyed playing with the camera, and it made for a most memorable guest book!’
Rob also made their very own wedding website (which is still live, here). This is a fab way to pass on information to your guests without filling up the invitations! The couple included directions, places to stay, and things to do in the local area, along with a form that guests could fill out to submit a song to be played at the reception! What a brilliant idea!
Rob and Rach spent a lot of time hand-making many of the details for their wedding, including their table plan, which was made from two heart-shaped photo holders and interspersed with photos of them which linked to their table names and themes.
Rachel broke with tradition and gave a speech after the others were finished, to say some lovely words about her gorgeous groom. In another break with tradition, single men were also invited to try to catch the bouquet!
Supplier List:
Venue- Yorebridge House
Photography- Annemarie King
Hair and Makeup- Visage Hair & Beauty
Dress- Alan Hannah from Brides of York
Shoes- Bridal Rogue Gallery
Veil- Brides of York
Bracelet- Sacred Earth
Lingerie- Kathryn Rolfe
Bridesmaids’ Dresses- Impression from Brides of Harrogate (or another website here)
Bridesmaids’ Earrings- Lilly Shambles
Rob’s Suit- Upper Ten
Best Man & Fathers’ Suits- Plush Bridal
Stationery- Little Box Room Designs
Flowers- Angels & Roses
Birdcages- Plush Bridal
Entertainment- Holly Taymar and Rob’s brother-in-law
Catering- Yorebridge House
Confetti Cones- The Wedding Fairy
So, what does everybody think? Would you have thought of having a veil made using flowers from your dress? Would you have a giant wreath on your venue’s front door? Let’s hear your opinions!
Lots of Love,
Mrs AZ x
The AZ Wedding 