Two lives touched by tragedy and a heartwarming story of how love conquers all…
When you meet Jilly the first thing you notice is that her smile lights up a room. Full of energy and beaming from ear to ear its easy to see that this is one bride who has definitely found true love.
Rewind seven years and it was quite a different story…
Jilly was very happily married to Mal for over twenty years. Tragically, Mal died of a massive heart attack 7 years ago, whilst rowing on the River Dee in Chester on a corporate event. He was a young father and sadly left a 15-year-old son. It was a devastating time for the whole family and Jilly and her son Dan locked themselves away from the world in their Willaston home to try and deal with their grief and make sense of their tragic loss.
In a double tragedy, groom Martin was also very happily married to Moira for over twenty years. Moira had bravely battled for years with breast cancer and very sadly passed away 5 years ago. She left behind 3 children, twins Jen and Mike age 17 and Sophie aged 20.
Jilly and Martin tried to cope with the grief as best they could and focused on looking after their children to get them through. They both never really thought they would meet anyone as special again.
Then it happened…A mutual friend got them together and their first date was the Red Fox in Thornton Hough. That was in October 2016. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Their families were delighted and Jilly and Martin were finally able to start building some happy memories together.
The Proposal
The loved-up couple both love a young Irish singer from Dublin called Gavin James. They had travelled all over to see him and on one of their trips to Dublin in December 2017 Martin proposed spontaneously on Grafton Street outside a beautiful old jewellery shop where we just happened to be looking at rings! ‘We went in bought a ring on the spot and then met our friends in a bar and told them the news,’ said Jilly. ‘They were absolutely delighted and we celebrated with a bottle of champers it was unforgettable.’
How did you choose your venue?
After looking around at a few venues a friend suggested we go and have a look at Delamere Manor. We knew as soon as we walked in it was the place for us to get married. The event staff were so lovely and made us feel very relaxed. The Manor is a gorgeous glamorous place but also very homely. We asked if Valentine’s Day 2019 was free and it was …decision made. Lots to do in the 6 months to the wedding!
I have to say Delemare did us proud. The amazing food which was created and served by the gorgeous team from Cheeky Chilli and Joy the events manager kept everything flowing smoothly. It was perfect in every way.
White Feather & Sparkle Theme
We own White Feather Home and Gifts in Willaston on the Wirral and are passionate about interior design so decided to do the décor ourselves. We wanted the theme to consist of lots of twinkly candles white feathers for remembrance, hearts and lots of sparkle. We had some beautiful flowers but wanted it to look much more contemporary and simple with twigs and candles … it was just how we wanted it.
The Dress
Jilly’s stunning vintage style ‘Sibella’ gown was created by Eliza Jane Howell of London and purchased from the gorgeous White Closet Studios in Rodney Street, Liverpool. It was a sparkly 1920’s style dress in a soft pearlescent shade. The floaty sleeves and flattering ‘v’ neckline complimented Jilly’s petite frame perfectly. ‘Zoe at White Closet understood exactly what I wanted and the dress was just perfect.’
The Wedding Party
‘We were so thrilled that our beautiful blended family were all able to play such a big part in the big day,’ said Jilly. Martin’s daughters Jen and Soph along with my nieces Sarah Jayne, Laura and my great-neice Amelie made the most beautiful bridesmaids and I couldn’t have anyone else in the world for my Maid of Honour; my amazing twin sister Jayney.’
The girls wore beautiful rose pink bridesmaid dresses from Debenhams with rose gold accessories and flower girl Amelie wore an adorable tulle dress with hand embellished petals from Monsoon.
The Boys
Martin chose his two ‘main men’ in the form of Jilly’s Son Dan and his son Mike ably assisted by Jilly’s Great nephew, page boy Ollie.
The groom had a bespoke royal blue 3 piece wool suit made by the talented team at Crichton Bespoke in Chester. The striking blue suit was set off with a contrasting waistcoat and champagne accessories.The best men and page boy also rocked Navy blue suits with champagne accessories and looked every bit the ‘cool dudes’ on the day.
The Reception
The reception was held in Delamere’s stunning courtyard at. ‘It was a very relaxing and happy affair. The room was full of love and joy for us and it had a wonderful atmosphere, ‘ commented Martin. ‘Jilly and I both did speeches … they were a bit emotional as we not only wanted to keep the event happy we really wanted to remember those people who had left us. I felt our speeches touched everyone’s hearts and actually made the day even more special.’
Guests tucked into a delicious range of funky street food courtesy of Cheeky Chilli and danced into the wee hours surrounded by twinkling lights, laughter and love.
‘We could not have wished for a more perfect day,’ said Jilly. ‘It was so joyful, full of love and completely unforgettable.’
As the night time party kicked off in style, guests were treated. To a full-blown gig courtesy of local band Haze. ‘The band were amazing,’ said Jilly. ‘ They had everyone up dancing all the night. We absolutely love a party and so it was just the atmosphere we wanted.’
Guests tucked into a delicious range of funky street food courtesy of Cheeky Chilli and danced into the wee hours surrounded by twinkling lights, laughter and love.
‘We could not have wished for a more perfect day,’ said Jilly. ‘It was so joyful, full of love and completely unforgettable.’
