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Lisa & Chris
This Fun-Filled & Colourful Church Wedding Will Make You Want To Party!
PHOTOGRAPHY BY Nick Ellison and Paul Hayes, Madison Picture, madisonpicture.co.uk
What could be more romantic than a catamaran cruise on holiday in Mexico, soaking up the sun while the ocean waves lap around you? This was the moment that Chris chose to propose to Lisa, only for him, it was a little more nerve-wracking than intended.
“I insisted on lying at the front of the boat, which had a hammock-style floor,” Lisa reveals, “so Chris was terrified of the ring falling through and landing at the bottom of the sea. Instead, when we stopped at a small island, Chris led me to the top of some rocks by a secluded beach and got down on one knee!”
Lisa’s experience finding her dress was equally idyllic, although much closer to home. “You approach Shropshire Country Brides through miles of countryside and the show room itself is a beautiful converted barn full of amazing dresses. I’d set my heart on a Morilee dress at another boutique but hadn’t yet found the one.
The staff at Shropshire Country Brides really listened and got a feel for what I was after. My sister pulled out a strapless dress for me to try, even though I was adamant I wanted straps, and it was the last I tried on. I loved it – but I still wanted straps. Luckily, the ladies at the boutique had the perfect pair of beaded lace straps, which they pinned on in no time.”
“I bought my Morilee dress there and then and felt a million dollars on the day.”
The assistant at Shropshire Country Brides found the perfect lace veil to complement Lisa’s dress. “I added my grandfather’s St Christopher charm to a bracelet for my something blue and carried my grandmother’s engagement ring in my bouquet for my something old. My garter formed my something borrowed, lent by my auntie. Finally, for my something new, I wore a blue hairpin gifted to me by my mum.”
Embracing tradition, the groom opted for a grey tails suit, purchased at Martin David Tailors in Shrewsbury. Lisa gifted Chris cufflinks and a watch on the wedding morning.
“Initially I’d hoped the groomsmen would wear a more modern, blue suit but when I saw how handsome Chris looked in tails I couldn’t have been happier.”
Two bridesmaids, Lisa’s best friend and sister, attended her, alongside one flower girl and pageboy. “My bridesmaids wore cornflower blue Coast dresses that were floor-length with beading and lace. I thought they’d prefer different dresses because of their age differences, but they both loved these.”
“We gifted our flower girl and pageboy personalised teddy bears as thank you gifts. They loved playing with them outside at the reception.”
Makeup artist Hayley Crump joined the bridal party before the wedding. “She was extremely efficient and did all of our makeup beautifully. She definitely made us feel at ease and the makeup lasted all day.” Hannah Young from Radiant Hair Shropshire styled their locks. “I couldn’t have been happier with the results. Hannah was so friendly and I loved the real flowers and hairpins she used.”
The couple tied the knot in a religious ceremony, accompanied by the romantic soundtrack of an organ and church bells.
“Both my dad and my brother walked me down the aisle, one on each arm.”
“We chose Disney piano classics to play while we signed the register after a wonderfully personal and joyful service. Chris and I didn’t stop smiling the entire way through. My grandfather’s biblical reading brought tears to everyone’s eyes. My mother-in-law read a beautiful poem entitled ‘Our New Daughter’, which was a lovely welcome into the family.”
“Chris sang the hymns with such gusto, it meant so much to hear him singing his heart out because he was so happy and relaxed.”
After the ceremony, the couple and their guests headed to The Wynnstay Hotel & Spa to celebrate, starting with the wedding breakfast! Roasted red pepper, tomato and basil pesto soup offered a tasty starter, followed by chicken wrapped in bacon in a wild mushroom and tarragon sauce and a lemon cheesecake with summer berry coulis.
“My father gave the first speech, perfectly balancing the combination of humour and emotion. Chris followed with a speech that made me feel so proud, he sounded so confident and had the whole room laughing. Then came the best men…”
“The best men’s speech was funny and filled with props.”
“Chris ended up wearing a beret, apron and rubber gloves by the end of it! I got off lightly, being awarded a medal for being the world’s most patient bride.”
Having chosen lovebirds for their wedding theme, the couple added birdcage centrepieces presented on mirror plates and stamped their scratch card favours with a personalised bird print stamp. “We displayed photographs of our parents and grandparents from their wedding days in a tree photo frame that had love birds perched on it.
Each table was named after a place we’d travelled to together, with our top table our honeymoon destination. We created a table plan from maps of each place cut into hearts with guests’ names written around them.”
“My mum bought me a Wedding Ideas subscription for Christmas the year we got engaged. I read it throughout planning and found our confetti from Shropshire Petals in the magazine!”
A family friend created the floral centrepieces while Michelle from Pentre Plants created the bouquets and the church florist decorated their ceremony space. “We chose a natural style for the flowers, focussing on ivory roses and lots of foliage.”
The groom’s mother is also a professional cake maker, so she was the natural choice to create their three-tier cake. “The entire cake was fruitcake because it lasts better, providing time to create the birdcage decorations. She also made us vanilla and chocolate sponge cutting cakes and brownies and rocky road for later on.”
Madison Party took to the stage to keep the party going all night, providing a disco and two sets of live music. “They played an acoustic version of our first dance, Bob Marley’s ‘Is This Love?’. Neither of us are big dancers so we improvised and invited guests to join us on the dance floor as soon as we could!”
After the wedding, the newlyweds jetted off to Bali, booked with PolkaDot Travel. “We went three days after the wedding, flying into Lombok first. We stayed there for four days before moving on to Ubud in Bali for three more. Our final stop was Seminyak on the coast for one more week.”
“A highlight was visiting the honeymoon island. It’s a tiny golden sand island with two sun loungers and a bar – it was incredible!”
SUPPLIERS
CEREMONY St Oswald’s Parish Church, Oswestry
RECEPTION VENUE The Wynnstay Hotel & Spa, Oswestry
DRESS Morilee at Shropshire Country Brides
BRIDESMAID DRESSES Coast
GROOM Martin David Tailors, Shropshire
ACCESSORIES Shropshire Country Brides
HAIR Hannah Young, Radiant Hair Shropshire
MAKEUP Hayley Crump, Elegance (Bridal & Formal Occasion Make Up)
FLOWERS Pentre Plants
ENTERTAINMENT Madison Party
HONEYMOON PolkaDot Travel, Shrewsbury
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