A last-minute change of venue provided the perfect backdrop when two best friends became one at this super-stylish, boho inspired big-day.
When Becca and Alex met at University in Liverpool almost ten years ago, they hit it off instantly. ‘We were both studying History and met on our very first day,’ said Becca. ‘Alex invited me for a drink and we became firm friends. Our friendship carried on all through our first year but Alex says he had fancied me from the moment we met but didn’t pluck up the courage to do anything about it until our second year at Uni. At Christmas he finally told me, we had our first kiss and soon after became official.’
Planning Problems
At the start of their planning journey, the couple chose a well-known venue in North Wales and started to plan their dream day but then disaster struck.
‘Six months before we were due to say ‘I Do’, the venue ceased trading and the owner literally vanished. We lost our deposits and were totally devastated. We even thought about cancelling it all together but then a friend suggested we should go and look at Vale Country Club. For the second we stepped inside we knew it was the place for us. We met their wedding co-ordinator Bev who was incredible from day one. I took my parents and as soon as we walked out of the venue my mum said to me “wow Becca, this is amazing, things are meant to be and this is so much more than the other venue”. I didn’t tell her but I was thinking exactly the same. As soon as I saw the gorgeous original well in the main room and the decor across the venue, it matched exactly with the vision, colours and theme that I had already been planning but it was even more beautiful than I had ever thought our day could be. We booked and it all just felt like it fell in to place.’
Boho Beauty
‘From the start I had always wanted a boho chic/ rustic theme with a bit of an elegant twist. I loved the soft blush tones and hessian touches with lots of florals, natural greenery and candles. When we booked Vale it matched the theme perfectly – it was like a picture from a magazine. The venue is so stunning in its own right with awe inspiring views and lots of natural wood, stone and slate I just knew it would provide the most amazing backdrop for our big day.’
Marvellous Maids
My bridesmaids were: my sister Chloe she was my Chief Bridesmaid, Leah my best friend from school was my Maid of Honour along with the lovely Kadie my best friend from childhood and Rae my fab friend from university.
They all did me proud and looked absolutely stunning on the day in their peachy / blush coloured gowns.
Glam Squad
‘Jess Waring MUA did the bridesmaids and mother of the brides makeup. I wanted a natural look and she made everyone look stunning and was so easy going and helpful all morning. Nia Hughes worked her magic on everyone’s hair. She came the night before and pinned curled all the bridesmaids and myself. On the day, the girls had their hair down with soft curls and I had mine up with the curls very loose. Both ladies were brilliant and super-talented and they made us all feel amazing. Getting ready all together was one of the most magical parts of the day.’
Here Come The Boys
‘Alex was in control of the suits we knew we wanted the ties to match the blush them. Alex chose a Marc Darcy suit for all groomsmen and the father of the bride and father of the groom. He wore the Hilton Marc Darcy suit which has elbow patches and one on the collar, with the Harry indigo tweed waistcoat. This was to give the waistcoat a darker contrast from the suit. The groomsmen wore the Harry blue tweed suits with indigo tweed waistcoats. The suits were purchased from Edwards England in Liverpool and alterations were available as required. He chose a suit that matched the colour scheme perfectly. The two pageboys had matching ties and we bought trousers, waistcoats and shirts for them from Next. They all looked so dapper on the day!’
Super-Suppliers
Becca and Alex worked with a super-talented array of suppliers on the day to help bring their vision to life. Many of the suppliers were recommended by Bev and the team at Vale and we think the end result was just incredible.
Photography
‘Nathan Roberts from NR Imagery was our photographer on the day. We had booked early on in our wedding planning as we just loved his work. We loved how he captured moments so naturally. He was amazing on the day he captured every emotion and how we felt the day had gone and the pictures really show that. He mingled so well with guests, was really unobtrusive and made us both feel so at ease. We love our wedding pictures so much.’
The Cake
The amazing Kate Tyrer from Chocoshack Bespoke Celebration Cakes made our beautiful semi naked three tiered cake. The cake had 3 different flavours, one layer was Victoria sponge, one was lemon drizzle and the final one was salted caramel sponge. It tasted amazing – every bit as good as it looked. Kate specialises in incredible hand-made sugar flowers so she contacted our florist and made the flowers on our cake match my bouquet perfectly. On the day everyone commented on how real they looked. She was amazing from start to finish and also lent us a large birch wood centre price to display the cake on which made the cake such a show stopper on the well in the venue all day.’
Beautiful Blooms
Our florist was called Dawn Bream from the Very Nice Flower Company. Initially she came to our house and we discussed flowers from the ground-up as I had no idea on flowers at all! I knew I wanted lots of greenery and blush. She designed the whole flower theme and I can’t even imagine them being anymore perfect. She was amazing and made the pin holes just beautifully. So much so, we couldn’t bare the flowers just dying so we had them pressed professionally by Flora Forever and placed in to a frame so we can keep them forever. It is such a beautiful reminder of the special day.’
The Feast
Cheeky Chilli catering did our food and it absolutely made the day.It was just amazing and they were so good on the day with peoples dietary requirements. The team were incredible and the food really was restaurant quality. Everybody said how lovely the food was and it was a huge talking point – no one went home hungry that’s for sure!
From Day To Night
‘Our ceremony was just magical. During the main ceremony our friend Josh read a poem and my sister in law Libby sang while we signed the register. There wasn’t a dry eye in the place! Vale have an amazing sound system so we could play our wedding breakfast playlist throughout the meal before the speeches. ‘
‘Early evening Sam Wise played an acoustic set outside while the sun was setting over the Clwydian range and got everyone in to the party spirit. In to the evening he continued to play and sang our first dance Stand Bay Me. Then we had Tomos from Vale’s in-house DJ who kept the party going all night long. Outside we had hired outdoor games such as giant Jenga, Connect 4 and we had limbo inside while the music was playing. These were hired from Olivia at Dress Your Dreams.’
Party Perfection
‘The reception was elegant and fun but very relaxed also. From the start we wanted our guests to enjoy the day. Once the wedding breakfast and speeches had taken place then the party atmosphere did begin. The views from the Vale of the Clwyd range gave the whole day the wow factor. Particularly as everyone was outside with it being a hot day. Sam Wise playing acoustic outside allowed us to soak up the atmosphere and take full advantage of the beautiful scenery.
Alex and I love to dance, we had put on the invites for people to chose a song that got them on the dance floor as we wanted everyone to dance until the end. As soon as Tina Turner Proud Mary came on (my song) we literally didn’t stop dancing. There was a hen vs stag limbo game and Leah my amazing Maid of Honour won! Everyone had a fantastic night. We could not be any happier with the venue and everyone at Vale did everything possible, they really made our day everything we imagined and more.
Mr & Mrs
After a magical a day and night, the pair went on honeymoon 3 days after the wedding. They flew to Dubai for 3 nights then went onto Bali for 14 nights. The perfect end to a perfect day which they both described as Emotional, beautiful and unforgettable.
