Did everyone have an enjoyable and relaxing bank holiday? I hope so, wasn’t it lovely to see some sunshine….I put my “holiday” lipstick on and everything.
Maintaining the summer fun vibe I thought I would share the rather epic wedding of Amber and Alex, one of my favourites of the year so far. A pretty and timeless ceremony followed by a Mexican themed reception. Yes Mexican – the bride was even surprised by a Mariachi band springing from the bushes on her way to the venue (!)
The blooms and outdoor wedding breakfast are nothing short of spectacular and every single guest appears to be having the time of their lives.
I want to wear a sombrero. And after you’ve had a butchers at this colourful affair so will you.
Enjoy lovelies.
Quirky English Charm
Our venue was the stunning Maunsel House in North Newton, Somerset. It was the perfect mix of quirky English charm and beautiful outside spaces. We were certain our guests would enjoy the library with its roaring fire, stuffed bear and hat collection as well as the country style bar/pub, luxurious rooms and spacious cottages.
What topped it off though was the outdoor pergola eating area – it really did feel like you were in the middle of Italy!
Dramatic And Soft
Hair was important for me as I wanted to feel completely comfortable on the day. I chose my local hairdresser who I really trusted and we decided to go for a ‘soft’ look with hair down to compliment the strapless dress. During the trail we flicked through photos on a google search until we discovered what we were after.
My makeup artist was recommended by one of my bridesmaids and she was local to Taunton (Helen Reid – Makeup-artistry). I am a total eyeliner girl so we went dramatic around the eyes and Helen recommended a deep purple eyeshadow to match my eye colour.
Princess
I had a Ellis Bridal Dress with a veil by Mallis Henderson. The dress was actually chosen for me by the lady in the wedding dress shop as she recognised that it would suit my shape. I would never have picked it myself but she was right! It gave me shape and had a beautiful rouching on the back of silk flowers.
It definitely made me feel like a princess as soon as I put it on!
Shiny Chandeliers
I’m a huge Jenny Packham fan so was delighted to discover that she’s sold through Debenhams at bargain prices.
There was no excuse not to wear some sparkly chandelier earrings on the day! I do love a bit of bling and Dune supplied me with some peep toe mid heels with a diamante detailed bow to match my earrings.
Persian Plum And Panamas
As the grooms suit was kept secret from me until the day, we were pretty relaxed with the ushers. We knew we didn’t want traditional morning suits but instead wanted their own characters to shine through. My brother made sure our granddad’s tie and panama hat was worn with his CK suit and one usher had his suit tailor made.
Our bridesmaids were wearing chiffon Dessy dresses in a Persian Plum colour to match the ‘Mexican theme’ and flowers.
Go Mexico
We’d spent two years together in Mexico together just before the wedding so wanted a bit of the Latin spirit we’d experienced together to come through on the day.
We’d collected a lot of brightly coloured bunting whilst we were out there which worked perfectly in the pergola. In such a beautiful sunny setting, the venue did not have to do much to offset all the colour as we were surrounded by rose bushes and lush green gardens.
Deep Pink
We wanted flowers with rich tones to match our bridesmaids dresses and also to add colour to the day as we had a slight ‘Mexican’ twist at the reception waiting to suprise all our guests. Luckily, we were able to hand pick beautiful deep pink hydrangeas from mum’s garden to add to our florists beautiful selection of deep pink roses, carnations and Lisianthus.
I totally trusted our florist who was a family friend and simply showed her my bridesmaid dresses and she did the rest surprising me on the day with my bouquet.
Sea Of Love
I have to admit I almost broke down walking down the aisle but seeing my handsome groom at the end so calm and together made me determined to take in and enjoy it! There’s something pretty incredible about being greeted by a booming voice saying; ‘God is love’ to start everything off.
My brother sang us two songs which totally echoed the spirit of the day. They were, Cat Power’s version of The Sea of Love and Magnetic Field’s The Book of Love. You could have heard a pin drop when he sang – it was magical!
Surprise!
I was taken by surprise as I arrived to the venue by a Mariachi band springing out from behind the bushes! Nobody could not dance!
They certainly added to the joy of the day. In the evening we had a brilliant band who kept everyone rooted to the dance floor called Area 52 who are local to Somerset. We requested that they mainly played funk which went down a treat.
Posh Nosh
Canapes were hand selected to suit our Mexican twist and enjoyed with prosecco before the wedding breakfast. Due to the fact we were eating outside, we opted for a light, fixed three course Summer menu through local caterers, Posh nosh.
Our cake was designed and made by a local cake maker and it was exquisite! Covered in white chocolate icing and individual chocolate truffles, the three tiers were mocca and chocolate sponge (baked by Sarah Brown, Bakelicious, Taunton).
A Work Of Art
Whilst living in Mexico before the wedding we approached a local artist to paint individual wedding invitations for each of our guests. Each painting was of a Mexican wedding scene complete with piñatas, brass bands and colourful churches. The artist also signed each piece as well as painting us place names for our guests to keep as their own mini pieces of art!
Our table names were inspired by the Mexican card game ‘La Lotteria’. The images on the cards had always struck us as beautiful and worked perfectly with our bright colour scheme.
Room For Groom
My main piece of advice would be….Include your groom in the preparations! It makes the day so special when your joint efforts come together!
Venue - Maunsel House
Brides Gown – Ellis Bridal at Frox Bridal Boutique
Brides Earrings – Jenny Packham at Debenhams
Bridesmaids Dresses – Dessy
Mariachi Band – Mariachi Jalisco
Evening Band – Area 52
Caterer – Posh Nosh
Photography – Debs Ivelja
You want to wear one too right?
Big Mexican Love
Charlotte xxx