Amy & Ben: Real Bride Story

Amy & Ben: Real Bride Story

There were lots of little touches that helped to personalise our wedding day at Delamere Manor in Cheshire, and make it special. From the groomsmen’s funky Mr Men socks that we chose to match their personalities, to the handmade rose petal confetti in varying hues of pink, and the vanilla biscuits with hand-stamped icing that my mum and auntie lovingly made for our table favours and place settings.

Our colour theme was green, pink and ivory. We had chosen pale green bridesmaid dresses and invitations decorated with leaf motifs and thought pink and ivory flowers would stand out beautifully against this. We even managed to find ties for the groomsmen incorporating all three colours quite by chance whilst looking around for the right shade of green to match the bridesmaid dresses!

Family is so important to us and was a huge part of our day. During the ceremony we had lovely readings by each of our brothers that we had chosen with them. My parents gave me a beautiful locket with a photograph of my grandma inside for me to wear on the day, and we each have wedding rings made from our grandparents’ rings. We are both big foodies too so we made sure there were plenty of tasty options to suit everyone with lots of our favourite foods including a waffle station for the evening!

When I went shopping for my wedding dress, I had a few ideas in mind but was not sure what style of dress would suit me. I kept quite an open mind and tried on lots of different shapes. I have always loved dresses with buttons down the back and had been drawn to A-line styles with lace tops. As I trawled Pinterest for wedding inspiration my main criteria was that I wanted to be comfortable. I ruled out strapless dresses that would have me worried about it falling down as well as anything too big and pouffy that I couldn’t dance the night away in.

I spent one day shopping for my wedding dress. My mum and I went to two different shops and I tried on about 30 dresses in total. When I stepped into the Laila dress (18156) from the Victoria Jane collection I couldn’t stop smiling. It couldn’t have been further from the style of dress I thought I would wear but I loved the beautiful button details, the stunning back and the simple but elegant design. Most of all I adored the detachable train and beads that meant I could change my outfit from ceremony to reception in just a few seconds. I couldn’t stop thinking about how beautiful I felt in it and picturing myself walking down the aisle in it. I returned to Cheshire Brides of Frodsham with my mum and my mother-in-law-to-be a few days later to make my final decision. Their reactions made me love the dress even more and I couldn’t wait to wear it on my wedding day.

My advice for future brides is to relax and enjoy planning your wedding, no matter how long or short your engagement. I was worried that we wouldn’t have time to enjoy the run up to our big day, but with help from our friends and families everything came together perfectly and we had a blast organising it. I would also say that you should try to get a few minutes alone with your new husband/wife if you can when the big day comes. It can be a bit of a whirlwind on your wedding day with lots to do and everyone wanting to see you, but we loved having a little time to let that newly-married feeling sink in and watch all our family and friends enjoying themselves in the sunshine.

To view the complete collection of Ronald Joyce and Victoria Jane dresses, please visit our website www.ronaldjoyce.com 

Story by: Lucinda Jenkins