NATURAL BEAUTY

NATURAL beautyNaomi and Dan celebrated their minimalist-themed nuptials at the beautiful West Tower

Images courtesy of Michael Townsend Photography

Naomi and Dan have known each other since they were 16. “We reconnected when we were 21 and had both finished university,” says Naomi. “There was an instant spark, and we haven’t been apart since.”

Dan asked Naomi to marry him at the top of Malham Cove in Yorkshire while they were on a walk with some friends. “It’s one of my favourite places with great views,” shares the bride. “We were in the middle of lockdown when lots of indoor activities were restricted, so it was completely unexpected. Despite being with a group of friends, they somehow managed to miss the proposal completely!”

Here the bride shares some of her favourite moments from their big day...

West Tower is such a bright, fresh-looking venue which brought in lots of natural light. The reception space had incredible views overlooking the fields with eye-catching sunsets. The cellar bar and cosy leather lounge paired perfectly with our January wedding as it had warming fires to keep our guests cosy and relaxed. I love candles, in fact, our house is filled with them, so obviously we had to have them lining the aisle and around the ceremony room. We also had candles as favours, which we personalised with the date of the wedding and our favourite scents.

I created our table plan using an old picture frame and painted it sage green to tie in with our colour theme. Our place names were made by a family friend and were elegant and timeless. We used the same shade of green throughout to tie in with our natural theme.

The cake was a four-tied design with chocolate and sponge layers. It was created by a family member who did the most amazing job. We really liked the minimalist aesthetic, and had white layers with handmade roses and a gold ribbon around it. It was perfect and matched our personalities to a tee. Our centrepieces were a mixture of high and low floral arrangements. We used plenty of green and white flowers, plus a few natural branches to tie in with the trees outside. The flowers were created by Eden Of Chorley, who included large white roses and gypsophila with lots of leafy greens. They smelt amazing and lasted for weeks after the wedding!

All food was created by the West Tower’s in-house chef. We were able to sample the menu six months before the wedding, and West Tower were so flexible and accommodating. They provided the bridal party with a breakfast platter to kick start the day, and we had a selection of welcome canapés for our guests following the ceremony whilst the photos took place. We also had a three-course meal, which the guests had self-selected before the wedding. To finish, we had late-night nibbles of fish and chip cones, mini-burgers and mini-pizzas to give us the fuel for dancing the night away! Every part of the food was spot on and tasted incredible.

My dress was a Maggie Sottero design called Alice. It was a floorlength gown with a one-metre-long train, pearl buttons along the seam and a beautiful lace pattern on the train. It was elegant and timeless and fit my personality perfectly. The fabric was so soft and very comfortable to wear. It was supplied by Susan Craig Bridalwear, the best boutique in the North West. She was so friendly and listened to exactly what I wanted! I accessorised with a long veil, which had lace detailing at the end to match the train.

Dan wore a French Connection grey fitted suit with a green pocket square and tie. All the groomsmen had matching ties and pocket squares, but they all opted for similar, yet slightly different outfits. They wore shades of grey to match their skin tones and body shapes.

For the evening entertainment, we hired Steve Mitchell DJ. He was hilarious! He told funny stories from both the hen do, and the stag do, funny moments from our relationship, and made the whole evening so personal to our story. When we had been looking for a DJ, I had been keen not to find someone cheesy, and Steve was the perfect match for us! Susan Craig Bridalwear supplied the dresses for my flowergirls. These were floor-length, white and green, with a large bow on the back.

We had pianist Craig Smith Music perform for the guests as they arrived and throughout the ceremony. He played instrumental versions of songs we had selected for walking down the aisle and for key moments of the ceremony. He stayed with us throughout the changeover period and the meal. He took lots of requests from the guests and was a huge hit! One of the flowergirls even got to try the keys herself, which was a lovely moment.

One of the main stories that people talk about from our wedding was when one of the groomsmen was having so much fun on the dancefloor that he managed to spill his red wine all over the side of my white dress! Fortunately, my mum is a wonder-woman and has since managed to get the whole stain out of the dress, thank goodness! The best man’s speech was extra special. Ant had been so nervous before the wedding and had been dreading the speech, so much so that he actually took drama lessons beforehand to grow his confidence. On the day, he was hilarious. He was spot on with how he spoke about the two of us both individually and as a couple, he really showed how well he knew us and had the guests in tears of laughter and pride.

NAOMI AND DAN’S CONTACTS

Venue and catering, West Tower, www.westtower.com | Photographer, Michael Townsend Photography, www.michaeltownsend.photography Bride’s dress, accessories, alterations and flowergirls’ dresses, Susan Craig Bridalwear, www.susancraigbridalwear.co.uk | Groom’s suit, French Connection, www.frenchconnection.com | Mother-of-the-bride/groom’s dress, Hobbs | Hair stylist, Victoria Louise Hair, www.instagram.com/victorialouisehair | Make-up artist, Gemma Marie Makeup and Hair Bridal Specialist, www.gemmamariemakeup.com Flowers, Eden Of Chorley, www.edenofchorley.co.uk | Pianist, Craig Smith Music, www.craigsmithmusic.co.uk | DJ, Steve Mitchell DJ, www.stevemitchelldj.com