Colourful wildflower school hall wedding

Natalie and Marina got married in a beautifully un-fussy way with the ceremony taking place at Chorley registry office followed by a reception at the Croston Old School Village Hall in a little village in Lancashire.

The venue was decorated by us…using ribbons on the backs of the chairs, wild flower and ivy garlands hung from the ceiling and gin bottles

How did you meet?

We were friends and worked together, we have overcome so much as a partnership and we have both truly found happiness with each other like no other. Our bond is unbreakable and we are not just soul mates, we are best friends.

Tell us about your proposal…

Natalie asked Marina to marry her on her birthday on holiday in July 2018. Natalie engraved a coffee spoon with the words ‘will you marry me’ and left it in Marina’s cup on the balcony. When Marina realised what it said she got down on one knee and played their favourite song, which they later walked down the aisle to.

Where did you get married and why did you choose your venue?

In a little village hall because we wanted a pretty, blank space where we could let our creativity run away with us.

Who was your photographer and how did you choose them?

Kieran Bellis photography was the BOMB. Right from the moment we met him (which was at our home the morning of our wedding!!!) we hit it off as friends and felt immediately at ease. The photographs Kieran captured blew us away and we are entirely grateful for his awesomness and his presence at our wedding. He captured natural un-staged shots and some lovely couples shots with me and Marina. He had an eye for detail and really captured our day perfectly. He fit in so well with us and the guests, so much so that our family and friends wondered if we already knew him or what relation he was to us!!! His relaxed and laid-back approach worked perfectly for us. And we genuinely get on!

What did you DIY?

We collected gin bottles (which was great fun!) and had these spread along the long tables and on the window sills. We filled these with the flowers supplied by our florist and with bottle lights too which looked super pretty when the sun went down. We tied lengths of ribbon on the backs of the chairs which we purchased from ebay. We bought fake ivy, foliage, and wild flowers from a florist supplier and we created garlands which we hung from the beams in the hall. We hung them in the garage to make them which was so much fun! We made a backdrop for the cake table – Natalie’s dad made the wooden frame and then we used the same ribbon to tie to the frame to make a colourful backdrop.

What song played as you walked down the aisle?

‘A thousand years’ by Christina Perri.

We just relate to the words in the lyrics! It’s about being brave, and waiting to find each other for so long.

Tell me about your cake

We didn’t have a cake, we had a treat table filled with yummy supplies from Lou Lous meringues and Polka pops.

How did you pick your stunning flowers?

Felicity Farm flowers – we asked for a ‘wild flower, just picked’ kind of look with plenty of lovely colour and texture! And my, she delivered. We were in LOVE with our flowers. We both had bouquets, and we had some buttonholes which were like beautiful mini bouquets. Elaine also supplied us with 2 buckets of fresh cut flowers and foliage for our DIY decorations at the venue. Elaine was wonderful and I wouldn’t want anyone else to have shared that journey with us. Even more special that they are locally grown and hand picked. Talented lady.

Tell me about your outfits

Marina wore a Monsoon dress and Natalie wore a ChiChi London dress. Our dresses weren’t really wedding dresses yet understated and bridal at the same time. We had denim wedding jackets (Marina’s denim and Natalie’s pink) which we hand painted ourselves to read “Wifey for Lifey” when we stood together.

What about catering?

We had a pizza van by Kneading Pizza who made the most delicious pizzas and served them out of the most cutest trailer! Lovely staff and really friendly right from the initial booking through to serving on the day.

How did you get everyone up on the dancefloor?

We had our own playlist and plugged our phones into the PA system at the hall! Everyone had a good boogy and it was nice that there was no pressure and people could really play what they wanted! It was such good fun.

How did you choose to decorate your venue?

The venue was decorated by us using ribbons on the backs of the chairs, wild flower and ivy garlands hung from the ceiling, gin bottles we’d consumed and collected ourselves and flowers from our florist we used to DIY our table centre pieces.

Natalie made place name cards for people to pick off a board and reserve any seat they wanted. Her wedding stationery company is Designed by Natalie. She also made the invites which folded out concertina style with a little map of the day illustrated inside.

We didn’t want a table plan but wanted people to feel like they had a seat for the night so we made place name cards for them to place where they wanted! They were on brown kraft tags and decorated with a wildflower theme and pegged onto a board that Natalie’s dad made. She also made the invites which folded out concertina style with a little map of the day illustrated inside, and personalised wooden hearts saying “nothing fussy just love” to set the scene.

What made your wedding extra special?

Our wedding rings were made from family heirlooms, Marina’s was her late dads and Natalie’s was her late mothers. A teddy bear was present at the wedding made from Natalie’s mums clothes to represent her mums presence. We had records for people to sign as our guestbook. Our converse we swapped into for the party were personalised with our initals and our wedding date.

Any tips for saving money?

Making invites, table plans and decorating the venue yourself saves a lot of money.

Would you do anything differently?

My mum to have been able to witness it. And perhaps had a videographer so we could replay it all over again.

DID YOU ENJOY THIS COLOURFUL SCHOOL HALL WEDDING?

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