For keeps

The stunning Liverpool skyline was an extra and most welcome guest at Abi and Jason’s city-centre wedding Images courtesy of Jessica Lang Photography

Abi and Jason met while working at Game. They hit it off immediately thanks to a wealth of common interests and quickly became fast friends, texting each other every day and spending time together outside of work. “A few months later, those friendship feelings turned into a romance, and as plenty of mutual friends told me Jason fancied me, I took the plunge and kissed him on a night out,” Abi shares. The risk paid off as they’ve been inseparable ever since!

Jason planned to propose the night before Abi’s 30th birthday. The couple had gone into the city centre for a meal and a few drinks. “The issue was, that I had zero idea of when I was going to propose,” Jason remembers. “I was properly nervous and kept subconsciously checking the ring in my pocket.” He was waiting for the perfect moment, but with the city centre getting more and more packed and raucus around him, that moment never came. “It got late and I was ready to go home,” Abi says. No sooner had she got into her pyjamas back at the flat, she heard Jason calling her into the living room. It was there he got down on one knee and proposed, with their song, Most Beautiful Girl In The World playing in the background. “As soon as I realised what was happening, I was so nervous and surprised that I couldn’t answer at first! Of course, eventually I did say, ‘Yes,’” Abi shares.

By the time Abi and Jason decided to check out a wedding fair at Hope Street Hotel, they’d already dismissed a whole host of venues that hadn’t felt right for them. Abi loved the style of the place with its bare white brick walls, wooden floors and contemporary furniture: “It’s laid back and simple, yet luxurious,” she explains. What appealed to Jason on the other hand were the wedding packages and how much they included. However, what clinched it for the pair of them was seeing the fifth floor venue spaces. “The view from each room was astonishing and once we saw it, it became an immediate, ‘Yes.’ Other venues we’d seen were nice, but just didn’t compare, our minds were made up,” Jason explains.

Setting The Scene

The couple decided on a relaxed, simple and fun vibe for their wedding, enjoyed with their family and close friends. Having picked a palette of purple, plum, gold and champagne, Abi set to work creating the favours. These were little pouches containing chocolates and tied with gold ribbon. Each had a wooden Welsh love spoon charm attached to reflect Abi’s Welsh heritage.

Abi’s vision for the flowers was a wild, natural, swept-up style in her favourite colours. Her bouquet featured soft, natural foliages, mauve roses, purple lisianthus, nude roses, lilac freesias, and gypsophila. The bridesmaids’ bouquets were smaller versions of the same with overall lighter shades to contrast with their dresses. The gents meanwhile wore buttonholes of plum lisianthus with gypsophila and foliage, except Jason whose buttonhole also included a champagne rose.

The centrepieces were kept simple in the form of vases filled with flowers, mirroring the bouquets, with tea lights scattered around the tables. The top table also had a wreath of eucalyptus running along it.

The big-day bake was a three-tier semi-naked cake with gold leaf detail, decorated with fresh flowers to match the bouquets. The top tier was vanilla and raspberry, the middle was vanilla and white chocolate, and the bottom tier was chocolate oreo flavour – delicious! It was completed with a topper bearing the newlyweds’ initials made from gold wire. They also had a wonderful Kransekake, a Norwegian celebration cake made by Jason’s mum to reflect his Norwegian heritage. The wedding tradition goes that when the bride and groom hold the top ring of this stacked wreath cake, the number of rings that break off are the number of children they’ll have.

Further styling included a flower walll and super-cool neon light, which read: “Happily Ever After.” There was also a memory table in honour of absent friends and family. Abi made little hearts with their names on from white clay and surrounded them with candles. They gave these tokens to their family members to keep afterwards.

Looking The Part

Abi looked breathtaking in a Mark Lesley gown. She accessorised it with a veil that was her something borrowed, as both of Jason’s sisters had worn it at their weddings. Her something old and blue was a Norwegian krone coin that once belonged to Jason’s grandfather, with a blue ribbon tied through the hole in the middle.

Jason wore a charcoal grey suit with a white shirt. To stand apart from his groomsmen, he paired this with a more detailed tie in a different purple shade with a paisley design. He also wore personalised cufflinks, a gift from Abi, engraved with the wedding date and the words, “For keeps,” which is something Jason has always said about their partnership since the start.

The three bridesmaids wore plum dresses with a tiered ruffle hem and metallic gold heeled sandals. Each had a different hairstyle accessorised with gold slides and pearl pins.

Time To Celebrate

Loved ones were treated to a sweet table fully stocked with sweeties and cookies, which needless to say went down a storm! The couple also hired a magic mirror, which was similarly popular. “Our guests loved taking pictures on it, especially with the props provided. Everyone got a copy of the photo to take home and Jason and I got copies in a presentation box, as well as a USB stick with everything on.

For the evening, a fabulous DJ entertained all assembled and kept the dancefloor full. One of Abi’s highlights was their first dance to Taylor Swift’s Lover. Then, when twilight fell the couple headed out onto the balcony for sparklers. Jason remembers, “Only the bridesmaids were asked to join us for this moment as we assumed the groomsmen wouldn’t be interested. But I thought it best to go ask them and went inside to find out. They practically ran past me without saying a word. I’ve never seen three grown men so excited to get their hands on sparklers!”

Memorable Moments

One of the bride’s standout moments was during the ceremony. She tells us, “I didn’t feel nervous until right before I went to walk down the aisle, then it hit me that this was it! I set off to How Long Will I Love You by Ellie Goulding, and the moment I saw Jason and he smiled at me, I instantly relaxed. I don’t think I stopped smiling from there on in, it really was the happiest day.”

The newlyweds will always remember the spectacular sunset that evening. Jason says, “I was the last to enter Fifth One after the wedding breakfast, and seeing my new wife, friends and family out on the balcony with the sunset behind them, smiling and having a great time, was unreal. The venue could have cost twice as much and that moment would’ve still made it worth every penny!”

THE NEWLYWEDS’ TOP TIPS

Abi says, “Your wedding is about you and your partner, don’t get sucked in to thinking what you should and shouldn’t have. Just do what feels right for you and it will be perfect.” Jason adds, “A lot of people take the week of the wedding off in order to get details sorted. By all means, book the time off work, but do everything you can to get as much organised as you can at least two weeks before the big day. I didn’t, and I think I aged 50 years in that week, trying to get everything done at the last second. Instead, use that time to relax, practice your speech, see family and friends, and to be with your partner.”

Roll Credits

Venue and catering, Hope Street Hotel, www.hopestreethotel.co.uk | Photographer, Jessica Lang Photography, www.jessicalangphotography.co.uk

Videographer, Manchester Wedding Film Co, www.weddingvideographymanchester.co.uk | Dress, Natalie Ann Brides, www.natalieannbrides.com | Accessories, Mejuri | Carat London | Handmade Bridal Store, www.etsy.com/uk/shop/handmadebridalstore

Jason’s wedding ring, The Elemental Ring, www.instagram.com/theelementalring | Abi’s wedding ring, Beaverbrooks | Hair stylist, I Do Bridal Hair by Victoria, www.instagram.com/i_do_bridalhairbyvictoria | Make-up artist, Eva Williams Makeup, www.instagram.com/evawilliams_makeup

Bridesmaids’ dresses, Coast | Groom’s suit, Slater Menswear | Cake, Elizabeth Harris Cakes, www.elizabeth-harris.co.uk | Flowers, Norwegian Wood, www.norwegianwoodflorist.co.uk | Entertainment, Wedding Jam, www.instagram.com/wedding.jam | Magic mirror, Hadwin Events, www.hadwin-events.co.uk | Flower wall and neon sign, Fabulous and Floral, www.instagram.com/fabulousandfloral

Abbeywood is a 45-acre family estate nestling in the heart of Cheshire. Our nine seasonal gardens are wonderful areas to entertain or relax in, and offer a stunning backdrop for your wedding photography. Popular features include our chapel garden, formal pool garden and beautiful pergola walk.

We have six distinct areas licensed for civil ceremonies, each offering a unique setting for your day: Nico’s Glass House, Garden Cafe, The Orangery and The Gazebo, The Barn and The Function Room in Abbeywood House. In addition to these locations there are various areas within the garden where ceremonies take place.

The venue hire charge includes exclusive use of Abbeywood’s grounds on your chosen Friday or Saturday and exclusive options on all other days. We also include an overnight stay in our luxurious bridal suite located on the estate. There’s also plenty of further accommodation should you need your guests to stay.

The venue provides a highly versatile space for weddings; all bookings are guaranteed exclusive use of key function rooms and gardens. To enquire, visit us or provisionally reserve a date, please contact our team on 01606 888 251 or email info@abbeywoodestate.co.uk