WEDDINGS Claire and Lewis marry in North Lincolnshire.

Ecco che arriva la sposa!

North Lincolnshire couple Claire and Lewis enjoy travelling the world but took inspiration from the Mediterranean for their wedding, held at North Lincolnshire restaurant San Pietro. Despite being half-way around the world, the groom’s brother even managed to appear on the day to wish his brother a ‘felice anniversario di matrimonio!’

Wedding Photographer: Jessy Jones Photography, 07947 514456, www.jessyjonesphotography.co.uk.

“WE MET AT A WEDDING!” says Claire Welch. “Although... we were only 13 at the time! We remained friends though and kept bumping into each other over the years.” A romantic soul might say that fate kept bringing Claire and Lewis together, and back in 2014 the couple finally starting dating, and soon discovered a mutual love of travel.

“We went away to the Maldives in 2020 and Lewis had planned a really lovely proposal with a banner close to where we had a special meal planned for my birthday.” “We were going to enjoy a lovely meal right on the beach but it was quite a breezy night, which also wrecked havoc with the banner. The proposal though, was really romantic, and it came as a complete surprise when Lewis dropped down on one knee! Of course I said ‘yes’ immediately!” “When we returned, Covid was just beginning to make its presence felt and so we did wonder whether to book or to wait. We decided that rather than committing, we should wait until July 2021, when we might be more sure of what was happening with restrictions on gatherings and when the climate might be a little more predictable, too.” “We both come from Scunthorpe and though we now live north of The Humber, we still have friends and family in North Lincolnshire. We were looking for a smaller venue for what we thought would be around 60 guests during the day and another 20 or so in the evening.” “We found San Pietro and we were really impressed. We hadn’t dined there before but it was like a smart inner-city hotel, only much closer to home. It was available for our ceremony and our reception too.” “We really got on very well with Jenna, our wedding coordinator. She really was very professional and unflappable, making the whole day go really smoothly! The owner Michelle was also with me just as I was about to walk in the room, keeping me calm, which was lovely!” “Once we had the venue booked and a date established I began looking for a wedding dress, and I found a really beautiful dress by the designer Enzoani at Elizabeth Kate of Crowle. We found the bridesmaids’ dresses online and the groomsmen’s tailoring on the High Street, in a light grey colour that we thought would reflect the sunny weather that we expected in July.” “Our cake was a two tier design created by Baking Becki of Scunthorpe, and we worked with The Flower Theatre of Messingham to create floral displays in white with soft gold highlights.” “We tried to use as many local suppliers as possible but the photographer we initially spoke to was booked on our wedding day. Instead they recommended Jessy Jones, who is based a bit further away in Boston. She’s absolutely amazing and took some really lovely images, so perhaps that was fate, too!” “The gardens at San Pietro were a lovely place to enjoy a few drinks and just to spend time with guests, and then in the evening, our entertainment was provided by Lewis’ cousin’s band, Common Faults. They usually play pubs and festivals, and they specialise in a really good mix of party and indie music. We can definitely recommend them, and though we don’t like dancing or being the centre of attention, our first dance, to Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline was amazing, it had everyone joining in!” >>

WEDDING SUPPLIERS

CLAIRE & LEWIS

Wedding Ceremony & Reception: San Pietro, Scunthorpe, 01724 277774 www.sanpietro.uk.com. Wedding Dress: Enzoani at Elizabeth Kate Bridal, Crowle, 01724 645058, elizabethkatebridal.co.uk. Bridesmaids’ Dresses: www.jjshouse.co.uk. Wedding Cake: Baking Becki, bakingbecki@hotmail.com. Wedding Flowers: The Flower Theatre, Messingham, 01724 764444, www.flowertheatre.com. Live Entertainment: Common Faults, Scunthorpe/Grimsby, via Facebook. Photography: Jessy Jones Photography, www.jessyjonesphotography.co.uk. n

“Lewis’s brother – who was in Australia at the time – able to make a best man speech which was pre-recorded and played via a projector...!”

>> “There was a really nice surprise in the evening too with Lewis’s brother (who was in Australia at the time) able to make his ‘best man at large’ speech by pre-recording it so we could play it via a projector. He was also able to see the ceremony thanks to the wonders of Zoom! It meant a lot that he could be there on the day, even though he was halfway around the world!” “We managed a minimoon in Bath which was lovely, but we’re hoping that as this article is published we’ll be in Dubai where it’ll be about 25°c... probably a bit warmer than North Lincolnshire will be this month!”

“The day before the wedding it poured it down, with rain but on the day itself it was lovely and warm. I think you’ve just got to relax when you’re planning a wedding and not worry too much about things you can’t change.” “We had a fantastic day and we’re really grateful to our suppliers, to our wonderful family and to our friends!” n

Wedding Photographer: Jessy Jones Photography, 07947 514456, www.jessyjonesphotography.co.uk.