Your Cheshire and Merseyside Wedding - May/June 2020 (Issue 51)

21  REAL WEDDINGS L ouise and Alex met at their university’s freshers’ week, but it wasn’t until their second year that Alex managed to gather the courage to ask Louise for a coffee. We now cycle forward a decade, when the pair were enjoying an idyllic cottage holiday in Cumbria. Louise sets the scene: “It was 1 st December and the weather was chilly, but we enjoyed some stunning scenery, crisp walks and typically, some beer.” But, while all of this was going on, Louise had no idea of the plan that Alex was about to set in motion, one evening at sunset. “I was oblivious, and apparently, he’d spoken to friends about it and had even bought the ring well in advance. He waited for the perfect moment to propose – I was totally caught off guard,” she remembers. We caught up with the bride, Louise, to learn more about this couple’s romantic tale and the next step of their adventure together – W-day! LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION The couple were immediately attracted to Nunsmere Hall’s beautiful countryside setting as well as its exclusivity. Louise explains, “We loved the fact that our guests could choose to stay overnight, and we could all have breakfast together the next morning. Everyone who stayed was amazed by the rooms.” The venue had also offered the pair access to several different spaces to utilise for their celebrations, as well as the marquee in the gardens, which made the final decision all the simpler for them. SETTING THE SCENE The vibe for the day was that of an intimate countryside wedding, with rustic touches such as country garden flowers, brown paper, burlap, string and a palette base of racing green. Louise asked their florist to include freesias in the floral arrangements as her mum had also used the fragrant little blooms in her wedding bouquet. She also opted for lily of the valley in memory of her nan. It was important to the couple to add personal handmade touches to their styling wherever possible, and used floral papers for their table plan to complement the theme. Both the place and table names were made by Louise and her mum. The tables were all named after beer hops, inspired by Alex’s love of craft beer. Louise explains, “We were keen to have something a little outside the box, but still relevant to use as a couple.” The talented mother and daughter duo also crafted confetti cones, and displayed pictures of grandparents’ weddings in the reception area and marquee. The wedding cake took the form of individual bakes, all made by a friend who owns a shop in Altrincham. They were fittingly and delightfully displayed on mismatched vintage cake stands. The cutting cake was made by a local coffee shop, just across the road from the boutique where Louise found her dream wedding dress. She remembers, “Mum and I made it a tradition to go there whenever we went for fittings. We love this little café and still go back now. We often reminisce with the lovely staff who lived my wedding journey with me!” There were other edible delights on the tables in the form of the wedding favour fudge, which also held a special significance: “It came from a shop we went to on the day we got engaged,” Louise explains. LOOKING THE PART On Louise’s wedding dress wish list was something elegant with a veil and train. Imagine her joy when Kate at Bridal Haven found this gorgeous Martina Liana gown that ticked all the