Your Cheshire & Merseyside Wedding - Mar/Apr 2019 (Issue 44)

REAL WEDDINGS 33 E lle and David Gregson were on a mini-break in Milan when David whisked her away to Lake Como and proposed in a private Italian villa. “I’d always wanted to go there,” Elle tells us. “The scenery, food, wine, the chic people; it was everything I’d imagined, and of course I said ‘yes.’” The pair returned home with a head full of ideas to create a beautiful, stylish, Italian-fuelled un-weddingy wedding, and settled on 1 st September, 2018 as the date. “We liked the idea that it would be the close of our guests’ summers – one big fat party!” Elle says. “Rather than traditional nuptials, we wanted a launch-party vibe to celebrate the next chapter of our lives.” We caught up with Elle to find out how this industry insider pulled off the party of a lifetime… FINDING THE RIGHT VENUE The bride has been a make-up artist for six years and has worked at some of the most incredible venues. However, she decided she wanted to do things a little differently for her own celebration. “I didn’t want to choose from a package; I wanted our day to reflect us as a couple,” Elle remembers. “I found The Colony HQ while scrolling through the internet late one evening. It had only just opened and didn’t even have a brochure yet but we booked an appointment the next day. It was a gamble being the first couple to book but we’d fallen in love with its contemporary yet country feel.” Having both moved to Cheshire four years previously, the pair were excited to welcome their friends and family to the place they called home. SETTING THE SCENE The couple mixed a modern reception venue with a traditional church ceremony. “We filled St Bartholomew’s Church in Wilmslow with candles,” the bride says. Flowers are important to Elle so she worked closely with floral artist Joseph Massie Flowers to create something sophisticated and stylish at The Colony HQ. “He hit the nail on the head with the floral masterpieces he created. It was the kind of thing you’d see in an interiors magazine with a palette of pure white, grey and green along with orchids – my favourite bloom.” The arrangements were accompanied by floating candles, glass accents, succulents, gold tea lights and perspex chairs. The couple didn’t want a huge cake, opting instead for a dessert bar. “Once we’d cut our cake we requested it was taken away so we could enjoy it with our loved ones the following day,” the newlywed explains. “Our guests helped themselves to cookies and chocolate truffle pops throughout the night.” Finding stationery to complement the theme was a struggle so Elle was giddy with excitement when she came across Vine in The Wild. “Jinny’s designs are exquisite and she’s a dream to work with. She patiently created our save-the- dates, invites, a poster and iced-cookie place settings,” the bride says. CONTEMPORARY BEAUTY See how Cheshire make-up artist Elle wed the love of her life, David Images courtesy of Willow & Wilde Photography & Film 