Classic Elegant Romantic Wedding at Moxhull Hall with an Amanda Wyatt Dress | Whimsical Wonderland Weddings

Classic Elegant Romantic Wedding at Moxhull Hall with an Amanda Wyatt Dress | Whimsical Wonderland Weddings

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This afternoon is all about classical elegance as I share with you WWW readers Hayley and Stephen's wedding day held on the 23 rd August 2013. They chose Moxhull Hall Hotel as the backdrop to their romantic and stylish wedding.

Hayley made the most beautiful bride in 'Felicia' by Amanda Wyatt which she wore with 'Juliette' by Rachel Simpson shoes and beautiful Gabo cap headpiece. Not forgetting Stephen of course, who looked so very dapper in his sharp Reiss suit. The bridesmaids wore Dressy frocks, there were David Austin roses and super personal thoughtful touches.

Thanks so much to the wonderful Samantha Jane Photography for sharing her photographs with us this afternoon.

THE PROPOSAL |Having been together since we were 16 the '10 year anniversary' of us being together was pretty monumental. Stephen is my first love, last love and only love his proposal on the exact date was personal and ultimately perfect. It involved a surprise holiday to the meaningful location of St Ives, Cornwall and after an early wake up call for a walk (no make-up allowed!) and then an hour long stroll with me not having an inkling about what was about to then happen (he was so calm and relaxed)...On a secluded beach as the sun was rising he called me whilst my back was turned taking photographs and surprised me by being down on one knee with the ring - he made this girls dreams come true and continues to do so.

THE VISION | 'Classical Elegance' - We aimed for neutral romantic tones in a timeless style. We hoped to achieve a true family wedding involving all our nearest and dearest. One main criteria was a venue with accommodation so we all could have breakfast together the next day and ideally a mix of old and modern styles.

THE PLANNING PROCESS | Ever since I can remember I (Hayley) have dreamed of getting married. My Chief Bridesmaid, my cousin Nikki, describes me as 'the girl born to be married'. However, once it was my turn to actually plan the event I definitely knew what I didn't like, but the wedding file stored in my head wasn't specific to what I actually did want. Having a fiancé who does have an opinion on style I wanted to involve him and he balanced me out by reining in my ideas. So I surprised him, all my family and friends (and myself) and was not the expected Bridezilla! I did embrace the planning stage that involved hours on the Internet including WWW and other blogs, with two wedding 'books' being filled. It took around 6 months to decide the venue and date but after that most details fell into place. We were blessed with talented family and friends so the florist, stationery, Bridesmaid transport and Acoustic Guitar set were really personal touches.

THE VENUE | St Michael's Church, Boldmere followed by a reception at Moxhull Hall Hotel, Wishaw. Traditionally we both knew we wanted a Church service and particularly for Stephen this really was the most important part of the whole day. We opted for Stephen's family Church as his Mother is involved within the Parish community and he was a choirboy there. The Church supported us throughout the process and as the Curate is our friend the service was really personal and poignantly we were married underneath banners crafted by Stephen's Mother. Having searched all venues within an hour radius of Birmingham that met our criteria we actually ended up booking a venue 10 minutes from our home! Moxhull Hall Hotel and especially Tony (Wedding Planner) provided simply the perfect setting. The staff made us feel special throughout; despite being a popular venue we were really made to feel like we had their undivided attention and we did benefit from their wealth of experience. We received a welcoming line of staff all along the path from the main hall to the marquee, were thoughtfully shown the final décor before the other guests and were romantically provided a sharing duo of desserts, examples of where they excelled in customer service. Their food came highly recommended and on the day it was even tastier than our sampler menu receiving nothing but praise from our guests.

THE DRESS & ACCESSORIES | The first item I purchased out of the whole wedding was my Gabo cap headpiece. I had visited the NEC wedding show and spotted it from afar upon the head of the stall owner and designer. I instantly knew it was just what I had in mind and the moms reactions when I tried it on meant I had to have it despite not even having a dress yet. My dream dress in reality was 'Felicia' by Amanda Wyatt in Ivory/Mocha and met all of my criteria and more. This was accessorised with 'Juliette' Rachel Simpson shoes (so beautiful yet comfortable) and 'old' pearl and diamond earrings that were a 21 st Birthday present from my parents. On the day my mom presented me with a 'new' Thomas Sabo pearl charm bracelet. I wore a 'blue' garter brought as an engagement present attached with my Nans 'old' wedding ring and a lucky horseshoe from my Auntie. I had a stunning pearl clutch bag a recent Birthday present and this inside had a 'borrowed' silk handkerchief.

FINDING THE DRESS | I knew the style I wanted; sleeves, lace, buttons, not pure white and a detailed back. Similar to Kate's?! When I watched the Royal Wedding I exclaimed 'She's chosen my dress!' but once I tried on long sleeves I decided against them. My body is not a High street 'off the peg' size so the pursuit of THE dress was not as enjoyable as one might expect. Many wedding shops did not ease the process as finding a sample larger than a size 10 was difficult. It really is a lot to ask of a girl to get them to order and pay for a dress that they've only ever been badly pinned in to or only been able to slip their arms in to!! After lots of research on-line as to the designers and styles I liked I actually tried on my dress on at the first store I visited but I went to at least 5 more to confirm it was THE one. Credit must go to Cicily Bridal who provided a dreamy experience but it was the wonderful staff at Designs on You where I eventually purchased THE dress, received the most magical seamstress alterations by Jenny and whose owner Sarah even came to dress me on the day to ensure it fitted perfectly. I was so confident I never once checked or messed with the dress, it felt 'very me' and the Groom loved it too as I couldn't stop smiling in it.

GROOM'S ATTIRE | Not one to leave things to last minute Stephen decided on his suit only six weeks before the wedding! The experience at Reiss Personal Tailoring made to measure was great to share as a couple to choose every detail, I now know much more about lapels! Stephen's shoes were the Lowndes, double monk, by Crockett and Jones and he wore a Thomas Pink shirt. The groomsmen wore Next suits and waistcoats from TopMan. The ties were knitted navy blue complemented with a pocket square. The youngest usher chose his own dapper grey suit. Their were two Best Men, Lee and James, friends of Stephen from the age of 11 and two ushers, Simon, brother of the bride and Daniel, a great family friend.

THE READINGS & MUSIC | I entered and we exited to the traditional wedding marches. We asked our mothers to do the readings. My mother read 'Blessing of the Hands' which as a Physiotherapist specialising in Stroke and an old romantic I really connected with the lines 'And lastly, these are the hands that even when wrinkled and aged, will still be reaching for yours, still giving you the same unspoken tenderness with just a touch'. Stephen's mother read our religious reading 'Song of Solomon- Song of Songs' 2: 10-13 and 8:6-7 poignantly including 'Arise, come, my darling; my beautiful one, come with me. Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm'. We wanted to choose up beat and hymns that had the themes of love so we chose; 'Be our chief guest Lord', 'Shine Jesus Shine - Lord the light of your love is shining' and 'Teach me to Dance'. The ringing of the church bells as we exited was a really special moment to treasure.

BEAUTIFUL BRIDESMAIDS | The girls really were my supporting chorus line, talking me through all my uncertainties and organising the best girly weekend ever - my Hen do. I chose my two cousins, Nikki and Lisa, who are more like my big sisters and two great friends, Kim and Katie, who I met at University. My friends represented two special groups; those I lived with and those who were my Physiotherapy course mates. I was quite decisive about the style and colour of their dresses. I love neutrals and similar to my dress I wanted the detail to be about the view from the back. Mainly from American blogs I was set on having four different but complementing shades to the 'mocha' sash of my dress. Initially I thought we'd go for High Street dresses as I did not want anything 'too bridesmaidy' but they all proved too short for a Church service and so Dessy dresses were chosen. In 'Hayley-fashion' I chose which colour the girls wore (with their agreement) and then they knew once they were in the dresses they had to 'stay in order of colour'. Lisa was 8 months pregnant on the day of the wedding and she looked fabulous, she was positively glowing and I have so much respect for her for managing to dance into the night. Gorgeous baby Ollie did not make an appearance on the actual wedding day but was welcomed only 36 days later!

THE FLOWERS | I had a vision of an all-neutral palate. Our dear family friend Sue, a trained florist, kindly offered to be our florist and guided us through all our ideas and questions. I love peonies but soon found out they weren't in season and was then really taken with the alternative of David Austin roses. I chose 'Patience' and the sweet delicate smell of them on the day was so memorable. I decided I thought simple elegant large balls of Gypsophila for the Bridesmaids, Church pew ends and for the table decorations would fit our theme. This was complemented with Topiary tress on the entrance to the church and a heart shaped candle-holder (bargain from TKMAXX) within the church. Sue created the most amazingly glamorous pedestal arrangements with our favourite flowers including, gladioli, hydrangeas and lilies. Stephen chose large white roses with Angelicas for the pinholes after we visited the Flower wholesalers. A surprise on the day was that we had not realised Gyp has a fragrance but it was beautiful in large portions throughout the venues.

THE CAKE | After viewing images online we had a loose idea of simple modern four-tiered cake with colours complementing the bridesmaid dresses behind a lace detail. Gerry at Gerry's cakes had a similar cake on her website which she adapted for us and was just a joy to work with as she was so honest in an industry where people can cash in on the word 'Wedding'. We had a lovely tasting of cupcake samples and decided upon layers of a modern fruitcake with apricot, Lemon and Chocolate. On the day it was not only delicious but smelt amazing too!

YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER | This was the part I put a lot of research into, as I am interested in Photography as an amateur who has done an evening course. I shortlisted two to meet but it was Samantha Jane Photography who we both felt comfortable with and who best captured our desire for classic images that would not date. Every Bride of Sam's looks at her best and she does not use props but achieves classic timeless shots in a reportage natural style. She co-ordinated the 'formal' shots so there was minimal standing around for guests and it felt like a friend was there as us girls were getting ready. As Stephen's Best Men are both our best friends from school days then I didn't want to miss out on the 'male bonding' getting ready at our home so we decided on a second shooter, the lovely Eve Dunlop, sourced through Sam, to capture their morning too and stay throughout the day. We knew our choice was the right one after a beautiful 'Pre-wedding' shoot and the final images were more than we could have hoped for. We are so proud to say Sam was our wedding photographer and recommend her to all our newly engaged friends.

THE DETAILS & DÉCOR | We wanted a style that was romantic but not too girly. Through Internet searching Stephen found the theme of 'The Adventure Begins'. This encapsulated the fact that although we had been together 12 years we acknowledged being married would be a new stage for us. This was used in elegant typography with our Initials in our stationery created by my Cousin's husband a graphic designer in the save the dates, gold invitations, table plan, table names and menus. My Mom on the day presented me with a thoughtful mini-Bride and Groom in a hot air balloon in the theme of 'Up '- the film - to complement this and the night before my Dad constructed a stand for it so it could be displayed.

The venue itself did not need much dressing and flowers in tall lily vases with pedestal arrangements on the piano and next to the bar were enough to set the tone. For the table names we sought inspiration from the Sail Lofts, St. Ives, the accommodation from our engagement holiday, so their cottage names were chosen except the top table was named after THE beach 'Porthgwidden'. I created the table plan with the Groom's mother on a mirror with the same stationery images and fonts used throughout. The favours were Fudge made in St Ives itself in clear presentation bags and bows to match the bridesmaid dresses. The place names were wooden tags sourced from Etsy.

Stephen was able to walk to the Church whilst the Bridesmaids were transported in 'Ivy' the classic VW camper provided by a family friend and son of the florist. My Dad even re-painted the family home garage door to match this! I was undecided about the expense of a wedding car but my cousin knowledgeably told me that this was one of the special moments of a wedding, that time alone with your Dad, and so I booked the iconic Citroen DS and was really chuffed I listened to her words as it really was a special moment for me and my Dad. We then had our first journey as a married couple in the comfiest seats you've ever felt and with a great air horn to announce our departure.

After the Church ceremony guests arrived at Moxhull Hall to a terrace drinks reception with music supplied by the hugely talented Neil Ward, my Brother's Best Friend. The Wedding Breakfast was an Amuse Bouche followed by Prosciutto Caprese to start, main of Lamb Shank and a dessert of Lemon Posset. A hog roast with a beef joint and vegetarian burgers were the evening options.

The guestbook was created by our photographer with images from our 'Pre-wedding' shoot and was a stunning use of these images. The classic white flowers and white backdrop marquee were transformed for the evening with Turkish-style lanterns and twinkly ceiling lights. We were really undecided about whether to have a live band or not but our music taste is quite eclectic so we went with a DJ. They were primed with our extensive playlist requests and successfully covered all genres and kept the dance floor full until the end. Our first dance was 'La vie en rose' by Louis Armstrong, the only moment where I cried. Our second dance was chosen as 'Everlong' by the Foofighters, which had been chosen as our 'Song of songs' during the Church service.

After we decided not to have a band we reallocated this money to a videographer which I had initially thought was a luxury we could save on but I am so grateful for the magical work of 'The Finishing Touch Photography and Videography' especially Ian. They captured some really important moments and parts of the day which we weren't there for. Their editing is really professional and he chose some anthemic tracks alongside our own choices to set the images to.

Special mentions must go out to James, the Best Man, who travelled from Australia and Stephen's cousin Matthew and his family who travelled from Switzerland for the occasion.

THE HONEYMOON | A mini-moon to St Ives, Cornwall which, is such a magical place to visit and is close to both our hearts. We are due to book a honeymoon trip to New York and San Francisco in October 2014.

MEMORABLE MOMENTS | Hayley - Throughout the morning my random outbursts of 'whooping' as I was so excited; Walking down the aisle and willing Stephen to turn around but he waited until I was right beside him to look; Seeing Stephen in his suit; The intensity of the vows; The church bells; The constant smiles and feeling how happy everyone was for us; Neil Ward singing 'Friday I'm in love'; The speeches; The first dance and also the last dance specially chosen as 'We are your friends' by Justice vs. Simian with the all the guests chanting; the after hours jamming session with the guitar in the hotel bar; Ultimately, marrying my Best Friend.

ADVICE FOR OTHER COUPLES | Both of us agreed with the sentiment of 'Do it your way' and as long as all of those people who are important to you are there (if they can be) then it will be the best day ever. Essentially it is about the two of you and the vows you make, all the other details are just 'frosting' (How to lose a guy in 10 days).

Prioritising your photographer is a great allocation of your budget and if you can afford a videographer then the memories they both capture are priceless.

CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE |

Venue | Moxhull Hall Hotel, Wishaw, Sutton Coldfield

Wedding Dress | Felicia by Amanda Wyatt brought from Designs on You, Streetly, Sutton Coldfield

Bridal Headpiece | Gabo cap

Bride Shoes | Rachel Simpson

Bridesmaids Dresses | Dessy style 2852, brought from Wedding Belles, Sutton Coldfield

Bridal Transport | Citreon DS

Photographer | Samantha Jane Photography

Videographer | The Finishing Touch

Fudge favours | The Fudge Box, 48 Fore Street, St Ives, Cornwall, TR26 1HE

Place names | Etsy

Cake | Gerrys Cakes

So elegant, so beautiful. I sooo love a WWW reader wedding :-))

Thanks so much to Hayley and Stephen for sharing their wedding with us today XOXO Lou

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