Your North East Wedding - Jan/Feb 2020 (Issue 36)

St John’s overlooks my parent’s house, which I grew up in, so there was nowhere else I wanted to tie the knot. It’s also a lovely memory for my mam and dad, as they get to see the church every day! Dan and his groomsmen wore light blue suits from Durham’s Suit Culture, with Dan’s being a slightly different shade to stand out. They completed the look with grey ties, brown brogues and wore a cream rose as their buttonhole. We fell in love with Beamish Hall the second we visited. It had recently been decorated with a white and grey colour scheme, which was exactly what I’d envisaged for our big day. My hair was styled by a very good friend of the family who’s been my hairdresser my entire life. As I’m useless at applying make-up I decided to leave it to a professional! I asked for something not too heavy – and was thrilled with the result. My mam and I went out for a browse one day and saw a dress on display in a boutique. Jokingly I said, “I’ll have that one.” We picked a couple of others to try, but when I put on that first gown I knew nothing would compare. So we bought it! The bridesmaids’ dresses were a challenge at first, as we struggled to find something for the three youngest that would match the older girls. In the end we bought adult gowns – then hired a dressmaker to adjust them to fit! We decided to add a curtain of fairy lights behind the top table, which really set the room off. Our centrepieces were large twisted branches in tall vases, filled with clear crystals and with extra fairy lights inside. I wanted my bouquet to look wild but classic – and I knew gypsophila would tick those boxes. We also used flowers to decorate the church and our wedding cake – we even added flowers to our dogs’ collars when they arrived at the venue! 46