Weddings Suffolk – Rosie & Andrew, Holy Trinity Blythburgh & Earsham Hall

This was a really special wedding to wrap up the 2011 summer season with. Rosie is an old school friend who I hadn’t spoken to in 15 years so it was an honour to be asked to shoot her and Andrew’s wedding. To be part of this occasion was a real thrill, the preparations, service and reception all went perfectly and the settings and guests (including a few old acquaintances) made it a very special day indeed. For me this was the perfect way to finish a fantastic summer of amazing weddings. Here’s more about the the day by Rosie herself:

WHERE?

We were married at Holy Trinity Church, Blythburgh, and had our reception at Earsham Hall near Bungay. Two very beautiful venues!

THEME/STYLE:

Not exactly a theme, but a feel of traditional English country garden with pretty, relaxed flowers, afternoon tea style canapés, games on the lawn and simple summer food.

BRIDE’S DRESS:

I loved swishing around in my dress! An ivory taffeta fit and flare strapless dress with a curved neckline and ruched bodice, a lace up back and an intricate design of beading and lace appliqué. I found it on the first shopping trip my bridesmaids took me on. Despite further days out to try on more dresses, this was the one I couldn’t get out of my head!

BRIDESMAIDS’ DRESSES:

Claire, Wendy, Kelly and Emma wore full length, satin, raspberry coloured dresses, with long sashes at the back and ruching across the bodice to complement mine. They all looked stunning and the colour was great on them! They were top bridesmaids and have been fantastic friends over the years.

JEWELLERY/ACCESSORIES:

I wore pearls, a necklace which Andrew bought me on my 30th birthday, along with pearl and diamante drop earrings and hairpins.

WEDDING RINGS:

Matching palladium wedding bands.

HAIR:

I wanted my hair up, but not over the top or fussy. I went for a simple, curled bun to the side, with some pearl and diamante hairpins. The bridesmaids all looked beautiful with their hair pinned up at one side with vintage style pearl and diamante slides.

GROOM/GROOMSMEN:

Andrew, his Best Man (Darren) and the ushers all wore charcoal grey Prince Edward suits with ivory waistcoats and ivory cravats, except for Andrew and Darren, who wore raspberry coloured cravats to match the bridesmaids’ dresses. The guys were all fantastic on the day and are great friends who Andrew grew up with.

MAKEUP:

By Kristianne, who is brilliant. I wanted to look natural and she did it so beautifully, exactly how I had imagined. The girls had their makeup done too and all looked very glam! Kristianne was a very calming influence that morning and came armed with lavender oil to settle the nerves (I think I may have depleted her stocks)!

WEDDING FAVOURS:

After a trip with Andrew to a local ‘pick your own’ farm, Mum and I spent a hot day in July standing over a preserving pan making raspberry jam! The cute little jars with Cath Kidston style fabric tops looked lovely and luckily I heard they tasted OK too!

FLOWERS:

Sarah Broom did our flowers which were just stunning. Sarah got the look we were after spot on and all of the arrangements and bouquets were beautiful. I especially loved the jam jar pew ends in the church which were a brilliant idea and very pretty.

CAKE:

The cake was amazing, a work of art created by the bridesmaids, my Mum and myself, and I am very proud of us! A tumbling tower of vanilla, chocolate and lemon cupcakes, each one topped with either pale pink, yellow or green butter cream and tiny fondant icing flowers. For the top tier we made a three layered chocolate cake with chocolate butter cream and white chocolate cigarellos. When I saw it assembled on the day, complete with fresh flowers, I couldn’t believe how lovely it looked.

WEDDING SONGS:

Justin Bedwell was our DJ and he was superb, playing a great mix of tunes, and the dance floor was full all night. Our first dance was to At Last by Etta James, a song we both love, and after that I hardly left the dance floor!

HONEYMOON:

We spent a fantastic week on the island of Rhodes in Greece, in a boutique hotel built into the cliffs of an idyllic coastline. Lovely food, crystal clear sea, lots of sun and a beautiful Greek town with lots of art galleries and craft shops to explore and tavernas to sample … a perfect honeymoon!

A MEMORABLE MOMENT:

Taking to the floor for our first dance with everyone crowded around us, and hearing the claps, whoops and whistles as we did a few turns and twirls as part of our romantic smooch!