LET THE BELLS RING OUT

LET THE bells ring out Karen and Phil styled their day in a palette of rose gold and navy

Images courtesy of Jane Hockey Photography

There was an instant attraction when Karen met Phil on an internet dating site. “I had butterflies when I messaged him,” she remembers. Phil proposed one gorgeous day in April at the Lion Quays Hotel & Spa in Shropshire. He’d asked for a room with a bath when he booked and they ended up in the bridal suite, which was quite the twist of fate given the staff had no idea of Phil’s plans!

When the pair started their venue search the ceremony spot was an easy choice – the church where both sets of parents tied the knot and where Phil was christened. When it came to the reception venue however, they looked at a lot before they found Thornton Hall Hotel & Spa. Karen explains, “When we saw the Cristal Suite we both fell in love with it and knew it would be perfect. The chandeliers make the room look stunning.”

Read on as the bride shares more memories of the big day, 28th August, 2021...

Phil wore a blue suit with an ivory patterned waistcoat and a tie to match my dress. His groomsmen also wore blue suits, but they accessorised theirs with silver patterned waistcoats and navy ties. I wore an Essense of Australia gown from a designer weekend at Belissima Brides. I chose it to show off my figure, I felt amazing in it. I accessorised with a cathedral-length veil with pearls, which tied in with the dress as well as my necklace, earrings and tiara.

The church bells rang out for us after our ceremony, which is something I’ll always remember. Our violinist and pianist who played for the service also made it truly special.

We hired a vintage car for us and a Daimler for the bridesmaids and mother-of-thebride. One of the day’s highlights was driving along with the top down allowing us to enjoy the glorious sunshine as passers by beeped their car horns to wish us well. My bridesmaids wore dresses in navy and rose gold and the flowergirl wore an ivory dress with navy sash.

Our matron-of-honour broke her shoulder two weeks before the wedding, and even though she was in a lot of pain managed to carry out her duties on the day including doing a reading. She’s an inspiration.

Our favours were heart sweet boxes. The table plan was decorated in rose gold sparkle with navy ribbon, and the place names were designed to match. Our centrepieces were ivory blossom trees with rose gold runners, and vases of flowers on top of mirrors.

Floral displays featured quicksand roses to complement the rose gold, ivory and green theme. I cried when I saw the wedding flowers, they were so beautiful. My bouquet had a memory charm attached to it with a picture of my grandparents. My mum has her own wedding cake business, Cakes Galore Wirral, and made us our big-day bake. We had three tiers including fruit and Victoria sponge, with a false top tier for us to keep. It was decorated with our engagement photo in a heart. We also had a chocolate cake and cupcakes.

Our honeymoon was a surprise for me from Phil. We went to York for three days and when we arrived the Minster’s bells where ringing, which was incredibly romantic. We stayed at the gorgeous Principal Hotel.

We loved having our photos taken in a nearby cornfield with our photographer Jane Hockey, which included some drone footage that Dave Bladen captured for us.

My top tip would be to book a wedding videographer! The video means you can look back on things you missed on the day.

KAREN & PHIL’S SUPPLIERS Venue | Thornton Hall Hotel & Spa | www.thorntonhallhotel.com Photographer | Jane Hockey Photography | www.janehockey.com Dress | Bellissima Brides | www.bellissima-brides.co.uk Tiara | Cherish The Bride | www.cherishthebride.co.uk Hair stylist | Leigh Jordan Hairdresser | www.facebook.com/leighjordanhairdressing Make-up artist | Huze Makeovers | www.makeupartistwirral.co.uk Suits | The Groom Room at the Wedding Collection | www.facebook.com/thegroomroomwirral Cake | Cakes Galore Wirral | www.cakesgalorewirral.com Flowers | Amelia Jane Florist | www.ameliajane-wirral.co.uk Transport | Barringtons Wedding Cars | www.barringtonscars.co.uk Videographer | Elite Video Productions | https://elitevideo.co.uk